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Pre-Law Timeline

Here's a schedule you can follow if you are considering applying to law school.The below schedule is relevant for all students, applying any year. For students applying this year, refer to the Pre-Law Calendar and Checklist for this year's specific deadlines and requirements.

Sophomore Year

•  Focus on transitioning into the House and familiarizing yourself with the House resources for pre-law students, including the pre-law resident and nonresident tutors.
•  Focus on your academic work and finding a concentration that suits you.
•  Subscribe to the Lowell-Open email list, where the pre-law resident tutors regularly post announcements about Lowell and University-wide law-related events.

Junior Year

•  Focus on your coursework.
•  Think about when you want to take the LSAT.
•  Think about who could write letters of recommendation on your behalf and begin collecting those letters.
•  Think about whether you want to apply to law school during your senior year or whether you want to want until after you graduate.
•  Subscribe to the Lowell-Open announce email list, where the pre-law resident tutors regularly post announcements about Lowell and University-wide law-related events.

Senior Year

•  Decide when to take the LSAT. (Many students elect to take the LSAT in October of their Senior Year.)
•  Collect letters of recommendation.
•  Decide if you are applying to law school. If you decide to apply this year, refer to the Pre-Law Calendar on the Lowell website for this year's specific deadlines.

Year In Which You Are Applying (for this year's specific deadlines see the Calendar )

April - August

• Review the Lowell House Pre-Law website, especially the Calendar and the Checklist.
• Think about if you want to apply to law school in the coming year. Read books, watch films, and talk to attorneys about law school and the legal profession to help you decide if you want to apply.
• Determine when to take the LSAT and register for it.
• If you registered for the June LSAT, prepare and take the exam.
• If you plan to take the September/October LSAT, begin preparing for the exam.
• Email the Pre-Law Committee, indicating that you are planning to apply to law school the subsequent year.
• Submit Lowell House Pre-Law Questionnaire and Dean's Letter Request.
• Register for the LSAC's Credential Assembly Service (LSDAS)
• Begin drafting your Personal Statement.
• Update your resume.
• Collect letters of recommendation. Remember to give letter-writers one month to draft your letter.

August - Early September

• Email the Pre-Law Committee, indicating that you are planning to apply to law school the subsequent year, if you haven't done so already.
• Be assigned a Lowell pre-law advisor, if you have not been assigned one already.
• Contact your pre-law advisor and set up a meeting for September.
• Review the Lowell House Pre-Law website, especially the Calendar and the Checklist.
• If you are planning to take the September/October LSAT, register at least one month in advance to avoid late registration fees. (www.lsac.org)
• Attend the Lowell House Pre-law Introductory Meeting.
• Register for the LSAC's Credential Assembly Service (LSDAS)
• Collect all required materials. See the Checklist.
• E-mail the House Office to confirm your letters are in your House file.

Late September - Early October

• Meet with your pre-law advisor, as soon as possible, if you haven't already.
• Finalize the list of schools you expect to apply to.
• Take the Septembler/October LSAT, if you registered for it.
• Register with LSDAS, if you haven't already.
• Request your transcript be sent from the Harvard College Registrar to LSDAS and to Lowell House (or send a grade report to the House), if you haven't already.
• Complete the objective portions of your law school applications through LSDAS.
• TURN IN ALL REQUIRED MATERIALS BY THE DEADLINE SPECIFIED ON THE CALENDAR, if you haven't already. Lowell House will begin writing your Dean's Certification Letter upon receipt of all required materials.
• Give (or mail) Kit Gattis in the House Office any other law school materials.
• Confirm with Kit Gattis in the House Office that your pre-law file is complete (including your transcript, letters of recommendation, envelopes, law school forms, LSAC letter of recommendation forms).
• Attend the Boston Law School Forum, if interested, to gather information about law schools.
• Attend any Lowell House pre-law events.

November

• If you are planning to take the December LSAT, register at least one month in advance to avoid late registration fees. (See www.lsac.org ) (Note: We do not recommend taking the December LSAT unless you plan to apply to law school in a later cycle.)
• Provide Lowell House all appropriate materials (e.g., envelopes, forms, and waivers), if you have not done so already.
• Confirm with Kit Gattis that your pre-law file is complete, if you have not done so already.
• Early-November is the target date for final drafts of all application materials and sending out applications. It's best to try to send out applications before Thanksgiving.
• Receive score report if you took the October LSAT.

December

• Take the December LSAT, if registered.

January - June

• Receive responses from law schools. Many schools do not notify applicants until March, April, or even May.
• If you receive your fall grades and you feel they will help your law school application package, send them to the law schools. You do not need to go through LSDAS to update schools with your fall grades; you can instruct the Harvard College Registrar to send your transcript directly to the appropriate law schools.
• Register for the February LSAT, if you plan to take that test. Take the February LSAT.
• Attend the Lowell House Pre-Law Spring Meeting.
• Attend other Lowell House pre-law events.
• Once you have finalized your plans for the following year, fill out Lowell House's Pre-Law Exit Form online.