As a second-year in college, my dream has always been to take the Law School Admission Test, or LSAT, and go to law school. When I first came to Northeastern, I soon realized that preparing for law school as an undergrad through the university’s curriculum was not as helpful as I thought it would be. 

Northeastern has no specific “law” undergrad major, and declaring yourself “pre-law” is essentially useless. While the law and public policy classes are plentiful and incredibly well-designed, there is no built-in preparation for this daunting standardized test essential for law school admission. 

The LSAT is a two-hour and 30-minute test on analytical reasoning and logic. According to the Princeton Review, receiving a high score on the LSAT is the best way to get into a top law school, even if you have a good undergrad GPA. The test is also set up so that the average test taker cannot finish it in the allotted time. With about 100 multiple-choice questions in less than three hours, this test is designed to make you stressed and nervous. Based on this description, it is clear that one preparing to take this exam must be excruciatingly composed. As a nervous test-taker, the LSAT is daunting. 

Many students who prepare to take the Medical College Admission Test, or MCAT, are similar to those who take the LSAT; these students are high-achievers, organized and goal-oriented. While this is true for some, many people who want to be lawyers and doctors do not know the best steps to take, the perfect extracurriculars or the best study techniques. When we put even more stress on the brightest undergraduate minds, how can we expect them to succeed all on their own after graduation? 

Another reason students may not seek help is that people love to say how they are self-made. They pride themselves on “doing it all” with no help from their peers, parents or mentors. This mentality is rubbish. Frankly, I think individuals who would rather succeed on their own than with the help of others are fooling themselves. 

The university we attend is one of the largest investments we make as young adults, and it should be part of that helpful process. The problem with undergrad is that sometimes it prepares students poorly for their actual lives. Why is that? I thought the whole point of college was to prepare us.

I think one of the main reasons that prestigious universities like Northeastern sometimes struggle to prepare their students is because they put too much emphasis on undergraduate education. Yes, this is important, and it can provide a groundwork for future education. On the other hand, an undergraduate degree at Northeastern is only four to five years of your life.  To put it in perspective, if you live to be 70 years old, undergrad is only about 7% of your life. Therefore, undergrad is what you make of it, especially if you are a humanities major at a research and STEM-oriented university. 

Secondly, universities can trick you. They want you to graduate and succeed so their graduation percentage looks better, but they also want money. Sometimes they want money more than they want you to succeed. As a student, you need to not only be aware of this, but you need to hack the system. If you are a third-year student and you have decided you want to take the LSAT, what do you do? How can you utilize your resources here to your advantage? Something incredibly annoying about Northeastern is the difficulty of identifying the resources it offers due to the sheer size of the university. For example, if you are a student in the College of Science, there is free tutoring every Monday and Thursday from 2 p.m. to 7 p.m. in the College of Science Tutoring Center. There are a plethora of resources available to you on the Student Hub, which most of the time go undiscovered and unappreciated. 

These resources are helpful, but not necessarily if you choose to take the MCAT or LSAT. What does Northeastern offer to assist you on these tests? 

In terms of preparation for the LSAT, I have found virtually nothing. The only program that Northeastern has for students hoping to attend law school is the PlusJD program. This program essentially grants students preference if they went to Northeastern for undergrad and want to attend Northeastern University School of Law as well. Its timeline for LSAT prep reads, “Students prepare for LSAT exam.” As you can see, this is not extremely helpful for those who want to take the exam, but do not know where to start. Another unhelpful resource is the unofficial self-designating pre-law track, which can provide some support in terms of advising. If you are interested in this option, you can join its email chain to receive information regarding “pre-law relevant opportunities.” Even its description of resources is vague. 

Northeastern does have a lot of resources, but these resources do not reach those hoping to take the LSAT. Luckily, there are resources outside of Northeastern if you are hoping to prepare for this unnerving exam. 

There are free LSAT practice tests and tutoring options online (if you are willing to pay an arm and a leg). The Law School Admissions Council also provides some free resources for those thinking about law school. 

Northeastern may not have the best options for pre-law preparedness, but if you are seriously thinking about law school, I think the best resource is finding someone who has already been through the process. What Northeastern lacks in pre-law advising is made up for with exceptional professors who have been to law school and can be utilized as mentors. Other students are currently preparing to take the LSAT exam. Using people as your resource is a skill that you can use in your future career, so taking advantage of these individuals while in undergrad is the best preparation. 

Ava Vitiello is a second-year political science major and columnist for The News. She can be reached at [email protected].