>> c) have some real sense of what being a lawyer actually means (e.g. they spent at least a couple years working at a firm in some non-lawyer capacity... This

>> c) have some real sense of what being a lawyer actually means (e.g. they spent at least a couple years working at a firm in some non-lawyer capacity... This is the most important factor, in my opinion. Work as a paralegal (or similar job) for a year before you apply to law school.