The other night I co-hosted a free PowerScore online seminar on the basics of the law school admissions process. This seminar, known as Admissions 101, covers each step of applying to law school, and it discusses how to approach the application process and what the law schools are seeking from you as an applicant. During this seminar I spend a lot of time answering questions about two things in particular: letters of recommendation (LOR) and the … [Read more...]
3 Pieces of Admissions Advice from the USC Law Fair
The University of Southern California's annual Law Fair was held in November, and I was fortunate enough to be in attendance. Over the course of the day, I spoke to dozens of prospective law students about their LSAT plans, several other test prep companies about their various offerings, and, most central to this blog, an incredibly gracious admissions officer from UC Hastings College of Law.*Our conversation was largely free-wheeling and … [Read more...]
Research Paper vs. Personal Statement: What’s the Difference?
This blog comes from admissions expert and founder of Pen and Chisel LLC, Eileen Conner. After years of working to improve your academic writing, you’re totally prepared to tackle the task of writing a convincing law school personal statement. Or are you?Actually, the personal statement is substantially different from the typical research paper taught in college. As such, it can present surprising challenges to even the most accomplished … [Read more...]
How to Get Killer Law School Letters of Recommendation
When the admissions season starts heating up, our Forum sees an influx of questions about letters of recommendation (LOR.) There's a lot of confusion over who to choose and what they should write. Since a poor recommendation can really hurt your admissions chances, you can't afford to make a mistake here! So, let's talk about how to get the best possible recommendations. Who to Pick The first decision you have is, who should you choose to write … [Read more...]
Personal Statement Do’s and Don’ts
This blog comes from special guest, Dan Brooks, the founder of The Admissions Sherpa. The personal statement allows you to show the admissions committee something they might not garner from the rest of your application. Some call it an interview or an elevator pitch. Here are three dos and three don’ts to remember. The Do Be personalIt’s called a PERSONAL statement for a reason. The admissions committee wants to know about you. If you … [Read more...]
Deciding to Apply to Law School at the Last Minute? Not a Great Idea
Looking at the title of this blog post, you're probably saying to yourself: well, duh. Of course it's a bad idea! A decision as big as spending many tens of thousands of dollars and three years of your life on a law school education shouldn't be something that is made on the spur of the moment! It should be given careful thought and consideration. However, every year around this time, many students say a variation of the same thing.Here's the … [Read more...]
Should You Wait for Your Fall Semester Grades to Apply to Law School?
As you contemplate a timeline for sending in your law school applications, the first (and most important) piece of the puzzle is your LSAT score. Assuming you did well, you'll be ready to click that ominous "Submit" button as soon as you receive your score. Hopefully, you followed our advice and polished your personal statement to the point of perfection, had your transcripts sent in, double-checked if your UGPA is consistent with the GPA on your … [Read more...]
Applying to Law School: To Early Decision or Not to Early Decision
Being a law school applicant is a tougher job than most people probably think. The first and most obvious obstacle to overcome is the LSAT, which is a real (though very slayable) beast. Once armed with an LSAT score, however, a whole new set of stressors emerge with the law school application process. Part of this process necessarily involves winnowing down the daunting list of potential schools you’d like to attend. There are 200+ schools that … [Read more...]
Should You Help Your Recommenders Write Your LORs?
A few months ago, I got a question on our LSAT Forum that tackled a concept that I find comes up rather often in my conversations with students in our admissions consulting programs, namely: "Can I help my recommenders write my letters?" I talked about this in our Letters of Recommendation webinar, but I wanted to expand on my answer for the blog. Open vs Closed Status Letters can be open (meaning you helped in some capacity with it, whether by … [Read more...]
How to Choose the Right Law Schools to Apply To
This blog comes from special guest & law school admissions expert Jennie Goldsmith Rothman of Admit.me. You’ve decided that law school is your next step. But, there are approximately 200 accredited law schools in the US. How do you choose which schools to apply to?Many applicants want to apply to only the top schools, as ranked by US News and World Report rankings or a similar organization. The methodology of these rankings is regularly … [Read more...]
Why Does Your LSAT Score Matter So Much?
If your LSAT administration is swiftly approaching, you’re likely frantically trying to get your LSAT skills honed as sharp as can be. With all the stress, have you stopped to ask yourself why this test matters so much in the first place? Probably not. Not many students do, in fact. In the Great LSAT Score Race, it's easy to miss the forest for the many, many trees. However, asking and answering this question can help you refocus why you're … [Read more...]
Challenge Yourself: Are You Ready for Law School?
This comes from special guest, Ann Levine. One of the biggest questions that I help clients answer on a regular basis is one of the most basic: are they ready for law school? If you’re thinking about law school, here are three challenges to give yourself to help make this incredibly important decision. Talk to 3 Lawyers Law school isn’t an end goal in and of itself. Law school is the major step in the process of becoming a lawyer. So, first … [Read more...]
I Majored in Theater/Arts/Film/etc. Can I Still Get into Law School?
Every year, we work with several students who, right off the bat, are bashing themselves."I didn't major in PoliSci. I majored in Theater. We've got to do some damage control." "I was dumb. I didn't think about the fact that I wanted to go to law school and majored in Photography in college." "Will the fact that I majored in Film affect my application negatively? It will, won't it?"Here's the deal: Relax. Everything is going to … [Read more...]
5 Mistakes to Avoid in a Cover Letter
This blog comes from special guest, Judy Gruen, admissions consultant at Accepted. Accepted has been helping law school applicants gain acceptance to top schools since 1994. Whether you need help brainstorming for your personal statement, writing a strong resume, or prepping for your law school interview, their menu of application packages or à la carte law school admissions services will have just what you’re looking for. Their consultants are … [Read more...]