Law School Application Guide

April 30, 2025

Admission into law school depends on a student’s undergraduate or graduate grades, academic references, and performance on the Law School Admission Test (LSAT). This page is a guide for students who plan on entering law school in the fall immediately after you graduate from URI. 

If this is your anticipated timeline, you should plan to take the LSAT in the summer after your junior year or the early fall of your senior year. Law schools do not encourage January admissions or transfers from other law schools. You should set aside time to take a prep course and/or extensive preparation for the LSAT. Students with interesting extracurricular, internship, work, or life experiences may attract the favorable attention of an admissions committee. A personal state is also essential in law school considerations as well. 

Application checklist for students entering their SENIOR YEAR

Below is a checklist adapted from the Kaplan/Newsweek Law School Admissions Adviser, and serves as a guide to students entering their senior year.

Spring of Junior Year

  • Review information about law schools, the LSAT, and application process on the LSAC website. Registration for the LSAT and the data assembly service is now all on-line. The most recommended tests are June, August, or September. 
  • Set up a conscientious study schedule to fully prepare for the LSAT. This is a two-three month 15-20 hour per week activity. In addition, you might consider taking an LSAT prep course.
  • Register with LSAC to take the LSAT, access the reference and transcript forms and the common application interface.
  • Make a list of schools you’ll be applying to and visit their websites. Visit as many law schools as you can. Make a checklist and schedule for each application.
  • Send transcript request forms to all undergraduate and graduate schools you’ve attended.
  • Think about and talk to professors who you’d like to write your letters of recommendation. Give them prompts such as a transcript (can be unofficial off the web), an up to date resume or list of all of your extra curricular, volunteer and work activities, a rough draft of your personal statement and any especially good papers, exams or projects from the professors’ classes.

Early Fall

  • Attend a national LSAC law school forum to meet with admissions officers, attend workshops and collect application materials. Dates and places are on the LSAC website. Please contact Chris Parker (cmparker@uri.edu) to be added to the URI Pre-Law email list. Attend the Regional Law School Admissions Officers meeting at URI, generally scheduled in late September or early October.
  • Approach your recommenders. Give them the information they need to write outstanding recommendations for you.
  • Write your personal statement. Your personal statement should be written and rewritten multiple times given the importance of it in your application. Consider having multiple trusted people to review it, such as Chris Parker, the writing center, letter of recommendation writers, and friends and family. You can learn more about writing your personal statement with this guide.  
  • Start working on your common application. This also means preparing your resume, submitting information for your letter writers to LSAC, and request all necessary transcripts.

Mid-Fall

  • Be sure to check all documents for writing or factual errors or misstatements before releasing them to the law schools.
  • Check that your recommenders are working on your letters of recommendation.
  • Take the October LSAT if necessary.
  • Request financial aid application materials from the schools you’re applying to and follow the instructions carefully. Check out other financial aid options such as CLEO, the ABA and the R.I. Bar Association.
  • Get the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) application from the federal government online. You must complete the FAFSA to be eligible for federal aid and some private aid.
  • If you’ve completed your applications, send them in early. The earlier you can get your apps in the better. All required documents must be in (including recommendations and transcripts) before law schools will begin considering you for admission or financial aid. If necessary, register for the December LSAT.

Late Fall/Winter

  • Verify that your recommenders have completed your letters of recommendation.
  • Complete all financial aid forms.
  • Complete any remaining law school applications and transmit online.
  • Attend a simulated law school class. 
  • Take the December LSAT if you need to.

Spring/Summer

  • Review financial aid notices from the law schools.
  • Budget for the upcoming school year.
  • Attend any law school events for accepted students to which you’re invited.
  • Decide which law school offer to accept and send in your matriculation deposit.
  • Complete your student loan applications.
  • Review your finances at the start of summer to be certain you’ll have sufficient resources to meet your law school expenses.