Getting into law school: The Lycoming Difference

Most people have a top three list of law schools, but little idea of how to get in. Lycoming can help you prepare for that from day one. Most law schools reject 50 percent of their applicants, and more competitive law schools reject a much higher percentage. One of the most important factors in the admissions process is your LSAT score, and that’s where Lycoming’s approach stands out.

Lycoming’s approach is unique

At Lycoming you will take an actual LSAT (from a previous administration of the exam) in your first year. And together with Susan Achury, Ph.D., coordinator for the legal studies department at Lycoming, you will analyze your score and make a personalized plan. Later in your first year, if you choose, you will take a four-session mini-course on the LSAT. That course taught right at the college – which you can repeat as often as you like – will teach you everything you need to reach your fullest potential on the LSAT.

To complement this early and individualized LSAT preparation, we offer an expanded legal studies curriculum that includes courses specifically designed for pre-law students such as “Fundamentals of Legal Reasoning,” “Foundations of Trial Advocacy,” and “Legal Research and Writing,” in which you’ll develop core skills that are central to success both on the LSAT and in law school.

This combination of individualized planning, focused skill-building, and real-world legal practice through internships is what makes Lycoming’s pre-law approach distinctive. Our approach works: Recent graduates have been accepted to law school at UCLA, NYU, Cornell, Georgetown, Vanderbilt, and Washington and Lee, among many others.

We also offer a 3+3 law degree program with Widener University Commonwealth Law School, providing the opportunity to earn both a bachelor’s degree and a juris doctorate degree in just six years.

Lycoming’s approach is flexible

Students can choose any major. Whether you’re studying political science, philosophy, business, or another discipline, our liberal arts emphasis on courses that require careful reading, analysis, criticism, evaluation, and interpretation virtually guarantees that you will be ready for law school.

Lycoming’s approach is practical

Not only do we prepare you theoretically, we offer you hands-on experience with practicums, internships, and work experiences. Working and interning in a law office can give students an edge, and with Lycoming’s convenient location within the heart of Williamsport, most internship opportunities are within easy walking distance of the campus. Williamsport is home to both the Lycoming County Courthouse and a federal courthouse of the United Stated District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania.

In addition to a wide array of private law firm internships, Lycoming’s pre-law students intern with offices such as:

  • United States Magistrate Judge for the Middle District of Pennsylvania
  • Office of the Twelfth Congressional District of Pennsylvania
  • Pennsylvania State Senate District 23 Office
  • Lycoming County District Attorney’s Office
  • Lycoming County Public Defender’s Office
  • Lycoming Law Association

Why Lycoming is the Right Choice →