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Extracurriculars are one of the many factors law school admission committees consider when accepting students into their programs. Read on to find out the best extracurriculars for law school.
As you begin preparing for law school, it’s important you consider joining extracurriculars while you’re still in your undergrad. Law schools tend to care a great deal about what you do in your free time and whether or not you spend this time productively.
This guide will go over the types of extracurriculars you should pursue as an aspiring law student and how extracurriculars can affect your acceptance chances!
All extracurriculars are important because they show you have the ability to effectively dedicate your time to multiple obligations. That being said, there are certain extracurriculars that stand out more on your application.
The majority of entering law students don’t have law-related extracurriculars. However, if you’re able to join mock trials, public speaking events, political activist groups, or even assist a professor in legal research, it’ll be easier to convince admission committees of your genuine interest in law.
Joining the debate team is an alternative option that also develops your legal skills. While the debate team isn’t necessarily related to law, you’ll be using skills lawyers use daily: forming and articulating persuasive arguments and quickly crafting rebuttals.
As one of the most common extracurriculars for law school, service activities are essential to have on your application. Lawyers work in the service sector and are expected to advocate for and support people in need.
Luckily, there are various volunteer options you can choose from that count as service activities. Whether it be volunteering at a hospital, animal shelter, or with underprivileged students, showing you willingly dedicate your time to helping others is the primary goal.
A popular option for many students is to volunteer abroad in developing countries that require the most support. These types of commitments show true dedication as you willingly leave your own comforts to help make other people’s lives more comfortable.
When picking the right extracurricular activities for law school, you’ll want to pursue those that require a substantial amount of time.
Sports teams are excellent extracurriculars to join since they often require multiple weekly practice sessions. Another option would be to join your school’s orchestra or band since this would require you to attend frequent group rehearsals and practice on your own time.
You may also seek extracurriculars outside of school, such as joining marathons that you have to train for.
Internships and jobs are also huge time commitments that can boost your law school resume. These internships and jobs don’t have to be law-related, but they do have to demonstrate you were able to effectively manage both work and school. Gaining some sort of promotion or award at this job will boost your resume even more.
Lawyers must be able to work independently and be self-directed. So, you’ll want to join extracurriculars where you can take on leadership roles. A good way to show leadership is to show you progressed from being a general club member to becoming an executive member in an organization.
Another option many students choose is creating their own club or volunteer organization. While this is an admirable way to show both initiative and leadership, there are certain factors to consider in order to prevent this type of extracurricular from harming your application.
Creating your own organization in and of itself won’t impress the admissions committee. While it’s easy to start your own organization, it’s not easy to maintain it and get enough participants for it to be successful. Unless you’re willing to put in the extra work to make your organization thrive, it won’t help your application.
You also don’t want to fill up your resume with organizations you created by yourself, especially if the majority of these organizations are still in the start-up phase and have made little impact in your targeted community.
The admissions committee will see right through this and assume you’re insincere and only creating organizations to make your resume look better.
If you feel you have an organization worth starting, you should definitely do so! Just ensure you stick with it for a long time, develop it, and work hard so it achieves its purpose.
While your GPA and LSAT score are two of the most important deciding factors for law school, your extracurriculars can also impact your application. Every law student is required to complete their undergraduate degree as the bare minimum to be considered for admission.
If you only complete the minimum, you’re less likely to impress the admissions committee. Extracurriculars are the extra step students can take to go above and beyond. Extracurriculars can also humanize you, as they can give insight into your character, your passions, and your skills.
Aside from giving the admissions committee more information on who you are, extracurriculars show you can juggle and excel at multiple commitments. Your extracurricular history can demonstrate that you are disciplined and have already begun developing the necessary skills to help you thrive in law school.
Extracurriculars play a significant role in law school admissions, though they are not as crucial as your GPA and LSAT scores. They serve as complementary factors that can strengthen your application, especially when academic metrics are borderline.
Unless you have competitive scores that fall within your school’s medians, no amount of extracurriculars will have a profound impact on admission chances.
So, how much do extracurricular activities matter in law school admissions? Well, extracurriculars can strengthen an already solid application and help it stand out, or help make up for scores that fall on the lower end of the competitive range.
As law schools emphasize holistic reviews of their applicants, every aspect of your application must come together to prove your candidacy for law school. However, certain extracurriculars will be valued more than others.
Extracurriculars that demonstrate passion, leadership, civic engagement, and significant time commitments will be appreciated the most by the admissions committee. Some popular extracurriculars that aspiring law students pursue include:
You should also keep in mind that law schools value depth over breadth. Pick a few extracurriculars you’re passionate about and ensure you make meaningful contributions to them!
Those of you who are nearing the end of your undergrad (or have already completed it) without any extracurriculars may be panicking and wondering if you need to have extracurriculars in your law school application.
Fortunately, there is still hope! Extracurricular activities can enhance your law school application, but they are not the sole determining factor for admission.
While the weight of your extracurriculars will vary depending on the schools you’re applying to, do not let an absence of these activities discourage you from applying.
Top law schools often prioritize academic achievements, including a strong undergraduate GPA and competitive LSAT scores. If you lack extracurriculars, make up for it with scores that go beyond your desired law school’s medians.
You should also write a compelling personal statement sharing your unique experiences and motivations, secure strong letters of recommendation, and showcase any work experience or internships that relate to the legal field, if applicable.
Once you've built a strong extracurricular record and secured your acceptance, your final undergrad summer is a chance to build on that momentum before law school begins. Here are the most valuable ways to spend it:
If you feel nervous about joining law school and want to gain experience in the field beforehand, you can spend your summer pursuing a legal internship. You can search for these opportunities at local law firms, organizations, or universities.
Many universities offer summer internships that help students build skills that will aid them in law school.
A legal internship can help ease the transition into the academic and professional world of law. By working at local law firms, organizations, or universities, you can get a better understanding of the day-to-day tasks, responsibilities, and culture within the legal field.
Reach out to current law students, alumni, or professionals in the legal field through networking events, LinkedIn, or local bar associations.
Building connections early can provide valuable mentorship and insight into navigating law school and the profession. It's never too early to start creating these relationships, and you never know what they'll lead to!
Participating in volunteer work can help you develop empathy and advocacy skills — qualities essential for a successful legal career.
Whether it's helping at a community center, organizing charity events, or working with legal aid organizations, this experience will enhance your understanding of social issues and broaden your perspective.
Another helpful step is to read up on the professors, programs, and clinics aligned with your interests. You can map out a rough plan now — for example, identifying classes you'll need to take to qualify for a clinic or noting when mock trial tryouts occur so you can prepare early.
Understanding the processes for getting involved in journals, moot courts, mock trials, or clinics before starting law school will make these opportunities feel far less overwhelming when the time comes.
If you already have an idea of the type of law you want to pursue, start researching the experiences that can help you succeed in that field. Big Law often prioritizes strong grades, journal participation, and moot/mock trial experience.
Summer judicial internships typically require a polished writing sample, while public interest jobs value demonstrated commitment through clinics and volunteer work. If you're unsure what kind of law you want to pursue, that's perfectly fine too.
By proactively identifying potential experiences to pursue, you can make more informed decisions and feel better prepared to meet the expectations of your chosen path.
Still have questions about the best extracurriculars for law school? Read on to find your answers!
Yes! While they don’t matter as much as other components of the law school application, they still tell the admissions committee more about your character and interests. Extracurriculars can also substantiate any claims you make about your skills and accomplishments!
It’s possible to get into law school without extracurriculars if you have a high GPA, LSAT score and ace the other parts of your application.
Activities that are related to law, involve you giving back to the world, require great time commitments, and/or demonstrate leadership skills look best on your application.
The most important factor to consider when picking extracurriculars is your level of interest. You must have a genuine passion for the extracurriculars you pursue so you can put in enough effort to make a real impact, which is what law schools want to see.
Prioritize quality over quantity. Joining one or two extracurriculars that you are heavily involved in is much better than joining several that you make little contribution to.
No! Most students don’t have any legal experience when entering law school. You can still develop useful law skills like time management, leadership, and perseverance through other extracurriculars.
Yes, it is possible to get into law school without extensive extracurricular involvement. While extracurricular activities can add some extra pizazz to your application, they're not a mandatory requirement for admission to law school.
Admissions committees consider a range of factors, including academic performance, LSAT scores, personal statements, letters of recommendation, and work experience. If you can compensate for your lack of extracurriculars in these other areas, especially your GPA and LSAT score, you can still submit a competitive application!
Harvard requires its students to submit resumes that list their work, volunteer, and extracurricular experience. As such, they do consider extracurriculars in the admissions process and search for the most well-rounded applicants. However, they are given much less weight than applicants’ GPAs and LSAT scores.
Having legal work experience can certainly boost your law school application because it proves your commitment to the legal field and your preparedness for law school. Law-related or not, any work experience will also demonstrate your ability to juggle multiple commitments at once and your time management skills.
However, as an undergraduate student, law schools do not expect you to have significant work experience, and many successful law students have none!
While work experience and extracurricular activities fall under similar categories, they’re not exactly the same. However, many law schools will consider both.
You should pay close attention to the application instructions for your specific school to know whether your work experience and extracurriculars should be listed on a resume, CV, or simply on a list of activities.
The key is to pursue extracurricular activities that genuinely interest you and allow for personal growth. Quality involvement and meaningful experiences are more important than sheer quantity.
Law schools value extracurriculars that require long-term commitment, involve leadership, and help you develop essential skills such as critical thinking, public speaking, problem-solving, and collaboration.
Any volunteer work will also look great on your application since it will demonstrate your commitment to serving others!
Generally speaking, the more recent your activities are, the better. You should prioritize experiences from the upper years of your undergrad and consider leaving any high school experiences off the list altogether.
Former Head of Northeastern University's Pre-Law Office, Northeastern University
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