You’ve taken the LSAT, registered with the LSDAS, applied to several law schools and you have just received your acceptance to one of them. Come this fall, you will be a first year law student. Celebrate! You have every right to be happy, excited, thrilled and beside yourself with joy. Everything up to now has been preliminary, and now that you’re in law school, the real fun begins. If you are like most people, you will have several months from the time you are accepted until classes start. In the meantime, there is much to do and no time to waste.

First, you have to pay for law school. Law school in any form is expensive and at some private schools, it can be extremely expensive. Start early with Financial Aid program. It is not unusual for the tuition alone to approach $40,000.00 per year at the most the most expensive of schools. Add to that rent, supplies, living expenses, etc., and you will quickly see that you could be $200,000 in debt for three years of study. There are scholarships, grants, and other forms of financial aid to cover the costs. Realize up front in this process that the majority of people graduate from law school with a tremendous amount of debt, frequently translating into the equivalent of a monthly mortgage on a modest home. Apply for financial aid and borrow the money for your education.

Secondly, once you get the finances worked through, do a budget for yourself. If you end up paying for your legal education via financial aid, as many do, you will generally receive your money in a lump sum at the beginning of the year or the beginning of each semester. That will be a big check, so budgeting and planning are crucial. You do not want the end of the semester to roll around and then find yourself worrying about how you are going to pay for rent, food or utilities. Lastly, when the financial aspect is done, visit the school if you have not done so all ready. You will also want to take some time and locate a convenient place to live so you can plan to move in before class starts. Look for a place close enough to the school to allow you to get there easily, but not so close as to be tempted to spend all your time at the school. You will need some down time from your studies, having a place that balances proximity for ease of travel to school and separation for your peace of mind will be ideal. Some places do not allow it but you will want a place where you can study without distraction, or with limited distractions. Shop carefully as you do not want to have worries over your residence distract you from you studies when classes start.