The LSAT you take—or retake—can have a great impact on your admission chances. Some of you may be asking, “Is the January LSAT too late? Are the February or April LSATs too late?” We survey top law schools yearly with those exact questions to find out admissions deadlines and the latest LSAT each school will accept.Many of the top law schools are still requiring a January LSAT deadline. But, as you’ll see in the chart below, the February and … [Read more...]
Is My Dream Law School Too Expensive?
Finally! Your LSAT’s done, essays have been written, applications submitted, and you’re in at your top choice. But with one caveat… no scholarship. Let’s assume that you’ve employed the negotiation tips from previous blogs and podcasts and the school just won’t budge. You’ve got some other great offers, but the entire process you’ve been dead set on attending XYZ school. What should you do? Working Backwards The first step is to work backwards … [Read more...]
How Many Law Schools Should I Apply To?
If one thing is certain from this blog series, you should expect the answer to be: it depends. There is no perfect number of schools to apply to. I applied to over twenty schools and sat in class next to students who submitted one ED application. Hopefully, this blog will help you determine whether you’re a mass applier (like I was), a targeted applicant (5-10 schools), or an applicant focused on one or a handful of schools. As a general rule, … [Read more...]
How Do I Write My Personal Statement?
You’re ready. You’ve graduated college, taken the LSAT, and started your applications. But you’re stumped: how do I write a personal statement?First, there’s no formula for perfecting the personal statement (like taking the LSAT). Rather, the personal statement is highly subjective and need not be about any specific topic. What matters most is that you show a side of yourself that is personal, vulnerable, and genuine. AdComms read hundreds of … [Read more...]
When Should I Take The LSAT?
You’ve always known you wanted to go to law school. Like Rachel Zane on Suits, taking the LSAT and going to law school has been your calling since before you can remember.Or you’re completely unsure. Law school sounds fun, but you have no interest in being a litigator, and you’re not sure whether it’s worth the time and financial investment. Either way, there is long-term and short-term planning that goes into taking the LSAT. Consider both … [Read more...]
What Undergrad Classes Should I Take if I’m Thinking About Law School?
It’s just about time to register for fall classes and you’re stumped: how can I best prepare for law school? What should I take?There are several things to consider, but the bottom line is: study what you love, try out a law class, and focus on maximizing your GPA. Study What You Love It may sound obvious, but studying what you’re most passionate about will do two things for you: first, it will help your GPA. You’re more driven to study … [Read more...]
Supplemental Essays in Law School Admissions: Yes or No?
Many law schools invite applicants to submit supplemental essays when applying to law school. Surprisingly, the topics you are likely to be asked about do not vary tremendously, and generally boil down to the following. AddendaDiscuss weaknesses or significant trends in your undergraduate record. This is known as an "addendum" and should be submitted if necessary (whether the school asks for it or not). Address issues related to the … [Read more...]
How to Craft a Killer Law School Application
It's application season! And we're getting a lot of questions about choosing schools, letters of recommendation, optional essays, and more. With that in mind, now is a perfect time to share our popular law school application guide "Creating A Killer Law School Application." This guide is a collaborative effort with some of the top law school admissions consultants in the country.All of the contributors came together with one goal; to help … [Read more...]
Should You Add a Conclusion to Your Law School Personal Statement?
Often times our admissions consultants help students trim the fat off of personal statements. We understand! You have a lot you want to say to a school and minimal space to include everything. It's a tough job, especially when every achievement you include seems impossible to take out. When it's almost ready to submit, a lot of students ask whether or not it should have a conclusion. Here are a few reasons of why you probably don't need … [Read more...]
Should I Write the Optional Essay?
I recently got an email from a student. This student was applying to law school, and wanted to know if writing the optional essay listed on the application was necessary, and if leaving it out would be detrimental. This isn't the first time I've gotten this question, so I want to share my thoughts on it.Is writing the optional essay on your law school application something you must do?The question is one that I know students lose plenty of … [Read more...]
The Secret Behind a Stellar Letter of Recommendation
You're working on your law school applications, do you know where your recommenders are? If you don't, you should. We see it every year, the poor LOR gets forgotten until the last minute, never getting the attention it deserves. Applicants seem to consider it a painful and relatively useless part of the application. So, why worry about it until the absolute last possible moment? So sad, and so very mistaken! Letters of recommendation, although … [Read more...]
How Does the Law School Application Process Work?
Unlike applying to college, which is a pretty straightforward process (at least in retrospect), applying to law school can feel a little labyrinthine. Transcripts, Law School Reports, letters of recommendation, the Credential Assembly service, addenda...after a while, it can all start getting jumbled up.Right around this time of year, I start getting so many "I'm confused. Help!" emails that I find myself there was a quick and easy guide to … [Read more...]
The Diversity Rankings That Almost Were
This blog is brought to you by a special guest, Ana the Analyst. As you may have heard, USNews originally intended to release new “diversity rankings” with the 2022 Law School Rankings. The diversity rankings were to be stand-alone rankings that analyzed a school’s demographic break-out and rated schools on how diverse they were. However, due to several controversies (discussed on The PowerScore LSAT PodCast), these rankings were delayed until a … [Read more...]
Top 50 Schools for BigLaw & Federal Clerkships
This blog is brought to you by a special guest, Ana the Analyst. Law school employment reports are out! We’ll be digging into some of the more fun details in a series of posts, but I wanted to start with everyone’s favorite topic: Big Law & Federal Clerkship amounts. What Are ABA Employment Reports? Each year since 2010, the American Bar Association has asked law schools to publish employment reports. These reports provide detailed … [Read more...]