Program Overview

There is no pre-law major at Furman. Students are encouraged to pursue academically rigorous majors that interest them and work hard within the chosen field. The American Bar Association recommends taking courses that enhance skills in areas such as problem solving, critical reading, writing and editing, oral communication, research, organization and management, public service and promotion of justice, relationship building and collaboration, and exposure to the law.

While there are no required courses for law school, students may want to investigate the legal course offerings at Furman to discover if they have a passion for different areas of the law. Law and law-related courses are offered across departments at Furman. Students should discuss options with their academic advisors and with the Pre-Law Advisor.

Law schools conduct a holistic review of student applications. However, undergraduate GPA and LSAT are key to determining where students will be competitive applicants and whether they will be able to access merit aid to attend their chosen schools. LSAC has a fun GPA and LSAT Score tool to help applicants gain an idea of where they stand compared to applicants from the preceding year. https://officialguide.lsac.org/Release/UGPALSAT/UGPALSAT.aspx

Starting in 2019, the LSAT is a digital test. It is offered eight or nine times per year. For precise dates and deadlines, students should visit LSAC.org. For students planning to go directly to law school after graduation, typically students take the LSAT in the summer after junior year. Ideally, students would only have to take the LSAT one time; however, LSAC permits students to take the exam up to three times in a testing cycle, and although the law schools will see all of the test scores, law schools overwhelmingly consider students’ high LSAT score. Because the admissions cycle opens in September or October each year and admissions is rolling, it is typically in students’ best interest to submit applications as soon as the candidate has a strong admissions packet ready in the fall. Students taking gap years have more flexibility and many students opt to take the LSAT in the summer after graduation. The LSAT is good on file for five years.

Application requirements vary by school. Typically, students need: a completed application, LSAT (although a limited number of schools now accept the GRE for admission), official transcripts (LSAC converts grades to a standard 4.0 system to furnish law schools with a uniform basis for comparing applicants), resume, personal statement, letters of recommendation, and a completed character and fitness questionnaire. Some schools also welcome a diversity statement. Students will be able to review the specific requirements and application deadlines for each school by opening the individual school applications in their LSAC account. These materials become available to applicants when the law school application cycle opens in September or October each year.

If you are interested in potentially applying to law school, you should also check out the Law School Admission Council (LSAC) and make sure to consult with the Pre-Law Advisor.