There are several things that can cause students to freak out when applying to law school. Some students worry about the relative “prestige” of their undergraduate institution and how schools will view that during the admissions process. Some have concerns about their choice of major, letters of recommendation, or that one C they got freshman year. Then there are the students that took the test cold and worry about what that looks like on their application. P.S. don’t take the LSAT cold. The list goes on endlessly.For most students, the fears are unfounded. They are simply a by-product of … [Read more...]
Law School Personal Statements: The Drafting is Never Done
At this time of year, many students are trying to write their personal statements. It can be incredibly tough, so don’t give up! Over the years I’ve read thousands of personal statement drafts, and I want to share one of the most important tips: When you think your draft is final, it’s not. That may seem overly harsh, so let me explain.The Goal is Perfection, and Perfection Takes Time I get it: writing about yourself is no fun and feels uncomfortable. Everybody feels that way. Once you recognize that it’s difficult for everyone, you have an advantage though. The typical applicant wants … [Read more...]
Writing Your Personal Statement, Part 10, Don’t Be Afraid
Although all components of a law school application are important, the most important one is the personal statement. To that end, this series explains some of the pivotal points you should keep in mind as you prepare to write your law school application personal statement. This is a 10-part series that will help get you from starting to finishing your personal statement. Don't Be Afraid Well, we're at the conclusion of this 10-part series on the Writing Your Law School Personal Statement. Now it's time to address the last piece of submitting your application. Fear. Whether or not you like to … [Read more...]
Writing Your Personal Statement, Part 9: Proof
Although all components of a law school application are important, the most important one is the personal statement. To that end, this series explains some of the pivotal points you should keep in mind as you prepare to write your law school application personal statement. This is a 10-part series that will help get you from starting to finishing your personal statement. Proof Once you self-edit and have others read and give feedback on your essay, you're pretty much on the home stretch. If your essay has made it this far, then you're approximately 95% done and only one thing remains before … [Read more...]
Writing Your Personal Statement, Part 8: Involve Others
Although all components of a law school application are important, the most important one is the personal statement. To that end, this series explains some of the pivotal points you should keep in mind as you prepare to write your law school application personal statement. This is a 10-part series that will help get you from starting to finishing your personal statement. Involve Others We get it, it can be really hard to show your writing (be it an essay, short story, novel, etc.) to someone else and have them critique it. You've put a little bit of yourself into this piece of writing and … [Read more...]
The Trap of “Why X” Essays
Many law schools allow you to submit an extra, optional essay that addresses why you would like to attend that school. For example, Duke Law School allows applicants to include the following: “You may submit an essay providing additional information about why you have chosen to apply to law school in general and Duke in particular. We are interested in the factors that have prompted your interest in a legal career and the ways in which you think Duke can further that interest.” These essays are typically called “Why X” essays. In general, writing extra essays is a good thing because it gives … [Read more...]
Writing Your Personal Statement, Part 7: Edit
Although all components of a law school application are important, the most important one is the personal statement. To that end, this series explains some of the pivotal points you should keep in mind as you prepare to write your law school application personal statement. This is a 10-part series that will help get you from starting to finishing your personal statement. Edit Once you have your first draft and a break under your belt, it's time to edit. Typically, you'll follow this write, step away, edit process a few times through a few drafts until you're fully content with your essay. … [Read more...]
Writing Your Personal Statement, Part 6: Step Away
Although all components of a law school application are important, the most important one is the personal statement. To that end, this series explains some of the pivotal points you should keep in mind as you prepare to write your law school application personal statement. This is a 10-part series that will help get you from starting to finishing your personal statement. Step Away The most important part of writing a personal statement is, funnily enough, sitting down and actually writing it. However, the second most important part is not writing. Yup, you heard right: As important as … [Read more...]
Is the 2021 Law School Admissions Cycle More Competitive?
The 2021 law school admissions cycle is going to be extremely competitive. Due to an influx of new circumstances stemming from an incredibly unusual year, we are seeing law school applicant numbers rise significantly and you will have a lot of competition. So, let’s look at the four factors driving this cycle: 1. More Applicants and More Applications The total number of law school applications submitted so far is up 57%, and the number of applicants is up 32%. Of course there is always the chance that more students are simply applying earlier than ever and the number of total applicants will … [Read more...]
Writing Your Personal Statement, Part 5: Embrace Variety
Although all components of a law school application are important, the most important one is the personal statement. To that end, this series explains some of the pivotal points you should keep in mind as you prepare to write your law school application personal statement. This is a 10-part series that will help get you from starting to finishing your personal statement. Embrace Variety Variety is the spice of life. As it turns out, it's also the spice of personal statements. Variety in how you write and approach your personal statement is just as important as the topic you write about. In … [Read more...]
Early Decision Application Deadlines for Top 50 Law Schools
Early Decision application deadlines vary greatly from school to school, and some schools don’t even have an Early Decision program at all. To help you keep track of everything, we’ve organized the Early Decision candidacy submission deadlines for all top 50 law schools (per U.S. News Rankings) in a chart below. A few notes to consider while looking over the info.This is the most recent publicly-released information from each of these schools for the ’20-’21 admissions cycle. We will continue to update this chart as new dates for the ’21-’22 cycle are announced. There are usually … [Read more...]
Writing Your Personal Statement, Part 4: Get Specific
Although all components of a law school application are important, the most important one is the personal statement. To that end, this series explains some of the pivotal points you should keep in mind as you prepare to write your law school application personal statement. This is a 10-part series that will help get you from starting to finishing your personal statement. Get Specific A personal statement is only as powerful as the story it tells, and the story is only as powerful as the details that comprise it. In this installment of "Writing Your Personal Statement," we go over … [Read more...]
Secrets of the Law School Admissions Process Webinar with Dave Killoran
On November 17th, 2020 Dave Killoran hosted a special law school admissions webinar aimed to dispel common misconceptions about the application process and how those misconceptions often lead to students submitting subpar applications. Dave covered the major elements – including personal statements, GPA, recommendations, and more – and gave clarity on how to make each aspect shine as bright as possible. Discussions also took place on how to handle negatives in your application and when to submit an addendum. Don’t stay in the dark on the admissions process any longer and watch the Secrets of … [Read more...]
Writing Your Personal Statement, Part 3: Get Personal
Although all components of a law school application are important, the most important one is the personal statement. To that end, this series explains some of the pivotal points you should keep in mind as you prepare to write your law school application personal statement. This is a 10-part series that will help get you from starting to finishing your personal statement. Get Personal In this third installment of our Writing Your Personal Statement series, we are going to talk about putting the person in personal statement. Scheduling the time to write and carefully planning your personal … [Read more...]