Going to law school is an ambitious long-term goal for high school students. However, there are some short-term goals you need to consider in order to prepare yourself. Whether it’s improving your writing skills or staying out of trouble, you need to start preparing yourself for law school now. The following are five things every high school student aiming for law school should know.
Strong Writing Skills Are a Must
A law student must have strong writing skills. There are a number of ways you can hone your writing skills through classes, tutoring, and simple practice. However, this is something you cannot overlook. If you’re worried about your writing skills, get help now. As a law student, you will never be able to complete your education and pass the bar without this skill.
Courses That Investigate People’s Activities Are Useful
There are a number of high school courses you can take to prepare for law school. While government and law courses are an obvious choice, sociology, history, and other courses that question people’s actions will be useful in preparing yourself for law school. Take extra initiative by reading books that fall into these categories.
Grades and Scores Matter
Being an average student won’t cut it. An aspiring law student needs to have a high GPA and high scores on pre-college exams, such as the LSAT. Doing poorly in high school will not look good to colleges. You may have a chance to improve your scores in your first couple years of college, but why wait?
Political Clubs Can Help Prepare You
High school students that want to practice law should definitely take part in debate club and student government. These extracurricular activities can help improve your public speaking skills, which are essential for lawyers. Debate club can also give you first-hand experience at what it will feel like to be in a courtroom.
A Criminal History Can Affect Your Ability to Practice Law
Every law school and state are different. While some states may overlook minor blemishes on your criminal record, others won’t. In some states, not having a clean criminal record could result in being banned from taking the bar exam. In other words, stay out of trouble in high school and college! One poor choice could ruin your career before it’s even started.
If you have dreams of being a law student, you need to start preparing now. Take the time to improve your writing skills and grades and to take part in the right courses and extracurricular activities. Doing so can put you on the right track to being a successful law student. Just remember to stay out of trouble!
About the Author: Laurinda Gatten has a high school sophmore aiming for law school. He currently works with Teaneck math tutors to improve his college level math schools and he will be taking an SAT prep class this coming month.
5 Things Every High School Student Aiming For Law School Should Know
