Keep Your "Eyes on the Prize" and About What Lies Ahead

Aspiring lawyers must approach the task of preparing for law school with a seriousness of purpose and a keen focus on what is needed to be admitted into law school and become a licensed legal professional (or work in a law-related field that values, but does not require, a law license). Students must work from a mindset that is capable of making the requisite time investment to gather and evaluate all relevant information about the law school admission process and what it takes to be successful and happy after law school and/or bar passage. Critical decisions that affect a lifetime should only be made completely understanding the pros and cons of applying to law school and becoming a legal professional. An important first step is to do an early but careful evaluation of your academic work plan and take courses from professors who you believe will challenge you to think and learn on your own as an independent scholar. Always work to establish academic relationships with your professors, both in and out of class, especially by showing you are prepared for class, have thought about the assigned class material ahead of time and are willing to contribute actively through class participation, and by visiting with them during office meetings or campus events. Some of those professors will be sources of letters of recommendation; but others will also be extremely valuable to learn from in a host of other ways that inherently assists you in learning about the law, if not life.