EIUPre-Law Program

Law School Admission Facts

Criteria For Admission Into Law School:

(in order of importance)

1. LSAT (Law School Admission Test) Score
2. Undergraduate GPA
3. Personal Statement
4. Letters of Recommendation

LSAT Preparation

• Register for the LSAT on line with the Law School Admission Council at www.LSAC.org.
• Register to take the test early. If you hope to attend law school the fall following your graduation, consider taking the June exam prior to your senior year. September-October of your senior year is also a good choice; the December exam is cutting it very close, and the February exam is too late for some law schools.
• Study hard for the LSAT: plan to take it once and only once, and do well. If you do poorly, do retake the LSAT; many law schools accept the best of two or even three LSAT scores.
• For many students, taking multiple practice LSATs is the most effective way to study for the real LSAT.
• Booth Library has free LSAT practice tests at https://booth.library.eiu.edu/subjectsPlus/subjects/guide.php?subject=TestPrep
• LSAC has free LSAT prep materials at https://www.lsac.org/jd/lsat/preparing-for-the-lsat
• Preparatory material can be purchased from bookstores, or borrowed from the Pre-Law Advisor in 2321 Coleman Hall. Great products offered by the LSAC (Law School Admission Council) include the SuperPrep II and an interactive computer-based study tool, "Itemwise."
• Consider taking a commercial LSAT prep course, especially if you are not a self-motivated studier.
• Kaplan offers free LSAT test prep to students enrolled in Illinois public colleges and for a year after graduation- but you must enroll before graduating. Enroll at https://go.kaplan.com/illinois#find-school
• LSAC offers a fee waiver for the LSAT and the LSCAS (Law School Credentials Assembly Service) for qualifying low income students.

Deciding Where To Apply For Law School:

• Consult the ABA-LSAC Official Guide to ABA-Approved Law Schools (copy available in the pre-law advisor's office, or online at http://www.LSAC.org) To determine where you have a realistic chance of being admitted, consult the grids based on LSAT and GPA.
• Attend a Law School Fair or an LSAC Forum and meet with law school admissions representatives and learn about what their universities have to offer. 
• Think about the region of the country where you would prefer to practice law.
• Arrange to visit the law schools that interest you the most; attend some classes, talk with students and professors. The Pre-Law Society takes some group trips to regional law schools.

Gaining Experience Before Attending Law School:

• Legal Internship - Deciding whether or not the legal profession is for you is a difficult decision. A legal internship at EIU will give you the legal experience and fulfill credit hours.
• Moot Court - Moot Court is an excellent way to learn the rules of court procedure in an exciting environment.
• Pre-Law Society - This is Eastern's pre-law RSO, which offers a variety of benefits to pre-law students at EIU.
• Take at least one public law class to see if you like reading appellate court cases; this is most of what you will do in law school.
• Consider the Pre-Law Minor.