Preparing to Apply
In This Section
There is a lot you can do to prepare if you are considering applying to law school, and even more you can do once you have earned a law degree. We are looking for engaged individuals who bring a unique perspective to their work and studies.
Keys to Preparation for Law School
It is never too early nor too late to begin exploring the possibility of earning a Juris Doctor (J.D.) degree. You may be surprised by the variety of different paths that people take to law school and by the range of career choices available to law school graduates.
Berkeley Law seeks students who demonstrate outstanding academic ability, strengh of character, commitment, and genuine intellectual curiosity. In other words, we want to be sure that you can do the work (the study of law is rigorous) and that your experiences and perspective will augment our learning environment. The only way we can learn about you is through what you share in your application, so our application requirements are designed to help us learn as much relevant information about you as possible. You can use the links above to learn more about specific areas of preparation. As you begin to think about your future, also take time to reflect on why law school is your the next best step and why Berkeley is where you want to study.
Each state has established character, fitness and other qualifications for admission to the bar. We encourage you to determine what those qualifications are in the state(s) in which you intend to practice.
Taking Personal and Professional Inventory
It may have been quite some time since you thought about your future plans and how they connect with what you care or are curious about. Here are some questions you might ask yourself when considering applying to law school:
What are my goals? What steps do I need to take in order to accomplish them? Why are these particular goals important to me?
Is now the right time for me to go to law school? Am I ready to apply for law school? Do I have the time and resources needed to put together a competitive application?
To which law schools should I apply? What is important to me about my law school experience? What do I value? What do I need to be successful in law school?
Developing an Application Strategy
If you know that law school is where you want to be, then you should begin to develop a plan for success in the application process. It is useful to recognize where your strengths and weaknesses lie insofar as they are reflected in your application. You can't hide the weaknesses, but you can provide a context. Likewise, don't assume that your achievements speak for themselves.
You might be surprised to discover that the median GPA and LSAT of applicants admitted to Berkeley Law are 3.84 and 170, respectively. Does that mean that you won't be admitted with a lower GPA? Not necessarily, because we don't rely on any one part of an application to determine admission and because there is much more to you than your numbers. However, it does mean that you should present as strong an application as possible. If there is a particular reason you have a lower GPA (e.g., documented illness, the need to work to support yourself during school, a break in your studies with a significant disparity in performance, etc.), or if you have a history of mediocre standardized test-taking, then you should include a thorough explanation in your application.
Is your greatest strength your community work or your ability to juggle multiple and competing priorities? Are your academic accomplishments, or the obstacles you have overcome what distinguish you? Make sure that your application is honest and represents you well. For example, if you write a personal statement about your dream to use the law to fight climate change, but the rest of your application is devoid of evidence of a commitment to that field, we will likely question the disconnect.
Coursework
Selecting Courses
One of the things that makes law school different from other professional schools is that there is no required undergraduate major for admission. Many prelaw students choose majors such as Political Science, Philosophy, English, or Economics. Lots of others major in African-American Studies, Chemical Engineering, Journalism, Conservation and Natural Resources, Anthropology, Spanish, Rhetoric, International Development, Accounting, or Music.
We recommend that you take courses that challenge you to develop your analytical writing, critical reading, and logical reasoning skills. These skills are invaluable during law school where you will be expected to read large quantities of material from different sources and then to summarize, synthesize, compare, contrast, and respond to those materials.
You may want to consider taking courses that offer solid foundations for more advanced studies (e.g., courses in Political Science or Economics) or skills courses such as Statistics, Logic, or Oral Argumentation. Above all, take classes that interest you and do your best work in them. Double-majoring or completing both a major and a minor are fine, but are not required nor even encouraged. You should select those options only if they fit your personal interests and goals, not because you hope they will improve your chances of getting into law school.
There is no disadvantage if you began your college studies in a community college program before transferring to a four-year institution. However, we do want to be assured of your potential and success in a rigorous university setting, so make the most of your years at the four-year school.
