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Recommendations

Many students  at UCF are “Pre-Law Transfer Students” meaning they are 1) pursuing admission to law school and 2) they transferred to UCF from another college or university. If they transferred from a community/state college where they earned an A.A. degree, hopefully they earned good grades there and began involvement in some extracurricular experiences prior to transferring to UCF. See our Pre-Law Student Academic Preparation page and our Pre-Law Student Experiential Preparation page for more information.

Advising for Pre-Law Transfer Students from PHPL Advising

  • We are Individualized in our advising; we are NOT prescriptive in our advising
    • We really try to get to know our students and help them make the best decisions based on their individual life situations (ex. finances, distance/commute to campus, work/class schedules, family responsibilities, hardships, etc.)
  • We are Evidenced-Based with students when we can be
    • We can share evidence from Standard 509 Reports to help students know more about the averages need to become a competitive applicant and we can help you create a timeline for when you could be ready to apply to law schools
  • We are the “Middle People” between the law schools and Pre-Law students
    • We gather information from multiple law schools and provide the information to students to help them strategize ways to become the most competitive applicant to the multiple schools of interest to them

Make SURE You Want To Go To Law School

To help you know if law school is a good fit for you, ask yourself the following questions (from Baylor Law School’s “Is Law School Right For You?“)

  1. Do I enjoy working closely with people regarding significant events or issues affecting their lives? Yes or No
  2. Can I empathize with a client’s situation, yet have the ability to objectively analyze the issues and their consequences in light of the existing law? Yes or No
  3. Do I enjoy educating or teaching a person about a subject which he or she may be ignorant or have significant misconceptions? Yes or No
  4. Am I able to articulate my analysis of a problem to others in a clear and concise manner, whether verbally or in writing? Yes or No
  5. Do I enjoy being an advocate? Can I argue both sides of the question with enthusiasm? Yes or No
  6. Do I like detail work? Do I enjoy searching for the facts of a situation? Yes or No
  7. Do I like to read and study? Yes or No

Lawyers utilize many of these skills on a weekly, daily, or hourly basis. While it is not necessary that you currently possess all of these skills, if you plan to go to law school to become a lawyer, developing them to a high degree will be in your future.

Learn More About Law School & What Lawyers Do

Talk to Practicing Lawyers

If you don’t know anyone who is a lawyer, you can contact most law schools and ask them if they have any alumni in your area that they can connect you with. Conduct an informational interview with the lawyer to learn more about their daily, weekly, and monthly tasks and responsibilities.

Attend Criminal and Civil Trials

If you want to go to a courthouse and watch trials, feel free! Most court proceedings are open to the public, including federal and state civil and criminal trials and bankruptcy trials. Just walk in and take a seat in one of the rows. The court officials usually won’t even ask you why you are attending or whether you have an interest in the outcome. It is helpful to review some general guidelines for attending and viewing court proceedings in advance.

Ask to Attend Law School Classes

Some law schools will allow classroom observations during actual law school classes. For example, FAMU Law in downtown Orlando will allow you to Request Classroom Observations in addition to schedule tours and meet with admissions staff.

Try to Intern or Work at a Law Firm

Learning more about what lawyers do by interning or finding a job at a law firm is the a great way to learn more about the environment. For more information about law-related internships or jobs, go to our Pre-Law Student Experiential Preparation page.

Consider Joining Pre-Law Student Organizations at UCF

Joining a Pre-Law student organization gets you connected to other students who also have the goal to go to law school, can help you build activities for your resume, and can expose you to a variety of law-related information, topics, and organizations.