You Just Took the LSAT! Now What's Next?

Congratulations! You just finished the LSAT and are now vegging out in front of your smartphone checking Facebook and Twitter to find out what your friends did with their Saturday morning while you spent yours in a classroom in front of a bubble sheet taking one of the most important tests of your life. You deserve to relax but there is always that nagging question in the back of your head. What's next?

Luckily (or unluckily depending on how you look at it) you have 3 to 4 weeks before you receive your LSAT results. This is the perfect time to work on your law school application. Follow these simple steps and you can have your application ready to submit as soon as you receive your results!

1) Submit Transcripts:
Contact all undergraduate and postgraduate institutions you attended and have them send your transcripts into LSAC for your Credential Assembly Service Report. Since you are relying on other people to submit the transcripts for you, it is important to start the process as early as possible. You don't want a lost transcript to hold up your application.

2) Letters of Recommendation:
Please, please, please tell me you have already asked someone to write you a letter of recommendation. Missing LORs are notorious for holding up applications and delaying the admissions process. If a recommender has not submitted your LOR yet, gently remind them that your law school application deadline is approaching. If you don't have a recommender yet, read my post about choosing a recommender.

3) Addendums:
Depending on the law school, if you have any legal, criminal, or financial history you may need to supply documentation on the resolution of the issue. Use the next 3 to 4 weeks to gather copies of the relevant information and have it ready to submit. You don't want to apply and then have the Admissions Committee turn around and ask you for additional information, especially if you do not have it ready. It slows down the admissions process and can make you look unorganized. Put your best foot forward and disclose everything up front. Admissions Committees appreciate candor and honesty.

4) Personal Statement and Résumé:
It should go without saying but you need to be making the finishing touches on your résumé and personal statement. Editing is critical. Take your time and read and reread your work. Have someone else read and edit it and then go through the whole process again. Eventually you will have to submit your work but before you do embrace change and make edits where necessary.

5) Submit Your Application:
Congratulations! You feel confident that your application is complete and displays you at your very best. Now you are just waiting on that LSAT score. Many schools will allow you to submit your application before your LSAT score is received. This allows the Admissions Office to process your application and they will often let you know if anything other than your LSAT score is missing. Don't think you are jumping ahead of the crown too much though. Your application will likely not be reviewed by the Committee until the your updated CAS Report is received with your new score. But at least you have everything submitted and can sit back and enjoy that mojito while you check Facebook and wait for your results.