Schedule a Pre-Law Advising Appointment

We are committed to serving students and alumni as they pursue a legal education. 

Students and Alumni may schedule Pre-Law advising appointments via Handshake.  Appointment availability is added on a regular basis up to two weeks out. Please note, we have a 24-hour cancellation policy for all appointments.

Pre-Law Quick Questions will take place Wednesdays 11am-12pm EST via phone.  Please see below for instructions regarding scheduling.

The Pre-Law Newsletter is distributed 1-2 times a week and includes important information about pre-law events and opportunities.  Click here for subscription directions.

General Pre-Law Advising Appointments

A General Pre-Law Advising appointment is a 30-minute session with a pre-law advisor to discuss any of the following:

    • Application Planning
    • School List
    • Topics for Personal Statement & Supplemental Essays
    • General Questions

We highly recommend viewing our “What to Do and When to Do It” slide deck before your appointment.

Law School Document Critique Appointments

A Law School Document Critique appointment is a 30-minute, online video session with a pre-law advisor.  A critique appointment will provide you with feedback regarding the substance and content of some components of your application.  Critique appointments will become available to schedule at the start of the fall semester.

    • Each applicant is allowed a maximum of two critique appointments and these must be with the same pre-law advisor.
    • An applicant may use an appointment to receive feedback on up to two of the following documents:
        • Personal Statement
        • Diversity Statement
        • Explanatory Addendum
    • All Law School Document Critiques are online video sessions, scheduled via Handshake.
    • You must upload a draft of the documents that you are seeking feedback on before you schedule your appointment.  If a document draft is not uploaded before you schedule an appointment, your Law School Document Critique request will be declined.
    • These appointments cannot be rescheduled.  If you need to cancel your appointment, the canceled appointment will count as one critique.
    • To maximize the quality of our feedback and your opportunity to write an effective document, we will not “proofread” or “edit” your draft — we will provide you with a focused reader response to assist you with your revision process.

Before drafting your document consult the appropriate resources on our pre-law website. After completing a draft of your document:

      1. Read the document one last time to proofread, check for word choice, and assess the tone.
      2. Submit your draft in Handshake by uploading the document to your Handshake Profile.
      3. Schedule a “Pre-Law Application Document Review” online appointment with a pre-law advisor in the “Appointments” section of Handshake.

To request a Law School Application Résumé Review, please email your résumé to prelawresumes@vpul.upenn.edu and allow 5-7 business days for processing.  Applicants are limited to one review per application cycle.  Reviews will begin to be offered at the start of the fall semester.

Pre-Law Quick Questions

Pre-Law Quick Questions are a time to speak briefly with a pre-law advisor for up to 15 minutes. Quick Questions are held at least once a week during the academic year and an updated schedule can be found on the Career Services Same Day Advising schedule.

During the semester, Pre-Law Quick Questions will take place on Wednesdays 11am-12pm EST.  Appointments will be by phone rather than in-person. Procedures for scheduling a drop-in appointment are as follows:

  1. Navigate to Handshake’s Career Center and choose “Pre-Law Quick Questions (Phone)” under either the “Same Day Advising” or the “Pre-Graduate School Advising” categories.
  2. You must provide a phone number where we can reach you.
  3.  If your appointment request is approved, an advisor will call you at your scheduled appointment time.

Pre-Law Peer Coach Appointments

A Pre-Law Peer Coach appointment is a 30-minute appointment with a peer coach trained in pre-law advising.  Peer coaching meetings highlight campus resources, course planning, and extracurricular opportunities.  Appointments are available via Handshake.

Pre-Law Advising Staff