Undergraduate Planning

On This Page:

Overview
For All Pre-Law Students
Timeline for Law School Planning

Overview

At application time, law schools generally seek students with intellectual depth, well-developed critical thinking and writing skills, a strong work ethic, and leadership potential.

Admission officers will look at your grades here at Hunter (and at other undergraduate institutions you attended), the rigor of your coursework, your LSAT score, content of your recommendations, experience reflected on your résumé and personal statement to assess your academic strength, interests, and personal qualities.
They will consider how you made the most of your time both inside and outside of the classroom.

The timeline below is not a hard-and-fast blueprint but rather a planning tool, offered to assist you in making choices that will help you develop into a thoughtful student, and a desirable law school candidate.

For All Pre-Law Students

Meet one-on-one with the Pre-Law Advisor - check in at least once a semester. An email update is appreciated if you do not have time for a meeting. Attend group information sessions for your academic level (i.e. with other Freshmen, Sophomores, Juniors and Seniors) when appropriate.
Register with the Pre-Law Program and participate in publicized Pre-Law activities. Learn about the work of lawyers, what to expect in law school, opportunities now as undergraduates, and build professional skills by participating in programming.
Meet all kinds of lawyers at Hunter through the Pre-Law Program, through your internship experiences, and other networking. Meeting attorneys from different practice areas can help you discover interests you did not know you had. Regardless of areas of practice, meeting Hunter alumni attorneys can give you career insight and savvy tips.
Continue to research legal careers.

Timeline for Law School Planning

This timeline is oriented around a student that intends to attend law school immediately following graduation—however, the vast majority of law school applicants are graduates with work experience. Heading to law school after working for a few years also means that you will be able to use more of your time in college build your resume and your skills. When the job market is not promising, however, more students decide to head directly to law school instead of work.

The application cycle starts the fall before you plan to attend, so alumni would shift their timing accordingly. As noted on the welcome page of the website, the Pre-Law Advising Office is open to current matriculated students and alumni alike—so please come visit to discuss.

If you have not already done so, attend a Hunter Personal Statement & Application Workshop given by the Pre-Law Office (this is two-part program, hosted in two 90 minute sessions). Afterwards, work closely with the office on your applications—all draft essays, resume, and other materials.
Meet with the Pre-Law Advisor to help you assess the strength of your application for the schools you are considering. Follow up in a series of meetings to request critiques of your successive personal statement drafts, resume and additional essays to polish your materials.
Come to Hunter Admissions-related programming. This is also an opportunity for you to network with law school representatives who make a special effort to visit Hunter.
- Admissions Panel on do's and don'ts
- Mock Application Review
- Session on how to make the most of the LSAC Forum (and group visit)
- How to Pay for Law School
- Reception for Law School Applicants
- There is an application grant (awarded once students put down their seat deposits), to help offset the cost of applying. Information will go out on the listserv. Participation in the above events is required.
Visit the schools in which you are interested, taking special advantage of open houses and invitations to events.
Have transcripts from all undergraduate institutions you have attended sent to CAS if you have not yet done so.
Make sure your Credential Assembly Service report is correct; review the report through your online account.
Make arrangements to have dean’s certifications sent to schools that require them. If you need a dean's letter in connection with an undergraduate conduct or academic issue, be sure to sit down with the Pre-Law Office.
Attend the LSAC Forum in October to network with law school representatives, gaining additional information about schools and demonstrating your interest in your target schools. We will meet up as a group on the first day of the session.
Try to complete applications no later than Thanksgiving. Apply when you are READY, but be ready early.
If you are waitlisted, contact the Pre-Law Advisor about writing a follow-up letter to the school expressing your continued strong interest, updating transcripts, and seeking additional recommendations.