Many of our applicants who are undergraduate students are headed home for the holidays, and even our applicants who are in the work force might be getting some time off. You might be wondering what you should be doing over the holiday break to help prepare you for law school. Here are just a few suggestions:

1. Take some LSAT practice tests. If you are planning to take the LSAT in the next year, it is a great time to get some practice in. Find a quiet (but not too quiet) corner and knock out some practice questions and tests while you don’t have other classes and projects looming.

2. Visit with attorneys. If you are unsure if law school is right for you, or if you want a better sense of what lawyers do on a day-to-day basis, visit with some attorneys. Reach out to an attorney in your hometown and ask to shadow her or take him to coffee to ask about his practice. The more types of law to which you are exposed, the better!

3. Make a list of your priorities. I am a firm believer that you need to walk into the law school admissions process with your priorities straight. Do you care about ranking and prestige? Cost? Programs? Location? Bar passage and employment rates? What matters the most to you? There are many important criteria to consider when you are choosing a law school, but it is important to know what is the most important to you, so that you don’t get overly swayed by the trappings of law schools.

4. Work on your application. The holiday break is a particularly good time to work on your personal statement and other pieces of writing you might need to complete for the law school application. Get some uninterrupted time and reflect about why you want to go to law school and what traits you have that would best equip you for law school. If you have a personal statement drafted, have your loved ones read it. They are going to be able to tell you if it’s a proper reflection of you and if you are being too humble.

5. Make a list of your spring tasks. Use the break to prepare to come back and hit the ground running. Do you need to contact professors to get letters of recommendation? Do you need to sign up for an LSAT prep class? Do you need to arrange law school visits? Having a list of tasks will enable you to accomplish what you need to in the spring and to not get distracted once school and other work starts piling up.

These are just a few ways you can make use of any time off that you might have. Of course, we hope you rest and cherish time with loved ones, too. Merry Christmas and Happy 2018!

Waco, TX has changed a lot since I first moved to town in August of 2002. The city saw steady growth for several years, but has really taken off in recent years. This is due in large part to the popularity of HGTV’s Fixer Upper and the Magnolia Silos. Thousands of visitors flock to Waco each to week to shop at the famous Silos and eat at the Magnolia Bakery and/or one of the fantastic local food trucks. Additionally, many lifelong Wacoans and transplants who stay after graduating from Baylor have caught the entrepreneurial bug and are opening restaurants, yoga studios, creating festivals, and more. There’s even a tour company called Waco Tours to show you around town!

With so many new attractions and activities, I make sure to “follow” local Instagram accounts to stay up-to-date on what’s going on around town. A few that I recommend are: @wacodowntown, @wacohappenings, @eventsinwaco, @cityofwaco, and @firstfridaywaco. It is also fun to “follow” local restaurants and companies to learn about specials and events. This month alone I have enjoyed Christmas at the Silos (@magnolia), Christmas movies on the big screen at the Hippodrome (@wacohippodrome), and live Texas country music at The Backyard’s Winterfest concert series (@backyardwaco).

Even with all the growth, we Wacoans still enjoy a small-town vibe in our fair city. Waco is a place where you will run into people you know at the grocery store or while dining out at one of our many delicious local restaurants. You can also easily get around town without the headache of bumper-to-bumper traffic. We enjoy a pace of life that is slower than that in a major metropolitan area, which is a great perk for law students. Students enjoy a balance of having activities they enjoy, while not being overloaded with distractions from studying. Location is an important factor to consider when choosing a law school, and we encourage you to come check out Waco, TX!