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Law School Admissions Tip #1: Develop Your Law School Admissions Strategy

February 21, 2012 by

Law School Application Strategy

The Top 15 Things Every Law School Applicant Should Know is a series that will teach you the ins and outs of successful law school applications. Stay tuned for the remaining elements. This week starts with “Law School Admissions Strategy.”

Numbers and stats for law school admission are important – certainly more so even than for undergraduate – but the right components of your application can make all the difference in the world.

Does it seem like you just finished your undergraduate applications for admission, and now here you are applying to law school? Or maybe you did your undergraduate more than a few years ago, and are returning to law school after an academic hiatus. Either way, it’s important to know what admissions committees are looking for BEFORE you starting working on your application. You need a strategy.

The first thing to know is that the numbers that schools list on their web sites are real. Yale really does look for an LSAT score in the mid 170’s, whereas Tulane is happy with a 160. So look at the web sites of the schools in which you are interested, and make your list accordingly. Of course, you should always reach for the stars by including a couple of reach schools, but you also need to be realistic.

When making your list of schools, other things to consider include location, and whether or not you are able and willing to move to attend law school. For someone in their early 20’s, this often is not an issue, whereas if you are returning to law school a little later in life, you might be settled where you are and therefore are not able to relocate. From a financial point of view, the local school may also be more affordable.

At least as important as location and affordability is focusing on what kind of law you want to study, what you want to do with the degree, and which programs will therefore be the best fit. Are you interested in corporate law or do you see yourself working for LegalAid after graduation? Different schools have different specialties. Do your research and make sure that the schools you are including on your list match your interests.

Once you have done your due diligence and figured out where you can reasonably hope to be admitted, which schools have the best program for your interests, and which two or three schools fit into the “reach” category, then it is time to assess the potential strengths and weaknesses of your application. Suppose you have an excellent LSAT score, but your GPA suffered your junior year, thereby bringing your overall GPA down. Instead of seeing this as only a weakness, you need to make sure that you frame this in the best possible way. (Our professional consultants and editors can help you.)

After assessing and summarizing your professional, extracurricular, and community service activities, the single most important part of your application is your personal statement. This is your opportunity to make your story come to life and give the admissions committee an authentic look into who you are. Make sure you dedicate the appropriate time and energy into this essay. We’ll cover the personal statement in a later post, but if you want to get started immediately or simply want individual advice, consider hiring a law school admissions consultant to guide you.

For now, figure out your strategy, make a plan, and get started. You’re ready!

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Law School Admissions News Roundup

November 24, 2011 by
  • Does No LSAT = More Diversity?- As part of a conference at the University of Virginia School of Law on improving diversity in the legal sector, a panel of admissions experts didn’t feel that getting rid of the LSAT would increase diversity at law schools. One reason mentioned was that admissions officers might focus on less objective factors without the LSAT. Those in the other camp might point to the fact that Hispanic and African-American test takers have median scores below those of whites. However, “that gap […] is evident across all major standardized tests, not just the LSAT.” Another issue is that some schools rely too heavily on LSAT scores, and perhaps those results should be emphasized less.
  • More First-Time Test Takers Passed NY Bar- As reported by New York Law Journal, of those who graduated from ABA-accredited schools and took the July New York bar exam for the first time, 86.1 percent passed, up by 0.5 percent from last year. However, 69.2 percent passed out of all the 11,182 July test takers, compared to 70 percent, 72 percent, and 74.7 percent in the previous years.
  • Best Law Schools for Externships- The National Jurist has adjusted its externship rankings to only include full-time law students. The rankings are based on a ratio of field placements to enrollment, with University of St. Thomas taking first place. Filling out the top five are Northeastern University, University of Utah, Brigham Young, and Thomas Jefferson.
  • Can Anyone Become a Lawyer?- In an op-ed piece for The New York Times, Clifford Winston argues that anyone should be able to practice law—whether or not he/she has a J.D. or passed the bar. Accordingly, the poor would be able to afford legal services by those with less training, while others can choose to pay higher fees for more formally trained lawyers. Potential competition from “non-lawyers” would also bring down legal costs in general, Winston speculates. He also calls for a better assessment of lawyer quality by consumers, since “in the absence of an open, competitive approach to information about the quality of legal services, the existing licensing and discipline system creates a false sense of security.” Above the Law, among others, takes issue with Winston, noting that he doesn’t differentiate well between quality and quantity, and is not using common sense. A blog from The Washington Post argues that deregulation would not only lower standards, but quality as well. A better solution would be to reform law schools “by offering a better balance of the doctrinal, skills, and values education that students need to become competent legal professionals.” Additionally, the bar exam could become less concentrated, and instead be extended over years and test a number of skills. It seems that whichever side you fall on, some modification of legal education and training is in order.
  • Pre-Law Students Are Facing Reality- Potential law students are taking off their rose-colored glasses. A survey by Veritas Prep revealed that 68 percent of respondents would still apply to law school even with the knowledge that many would not be able to find jobs after graduation, versus 81 percent last year, The National Law Journal reports. More students are expecting to take on loans—49 percent, as opposed to 38 percent in 2010. Plus, the top concern for 73 percent of those queried is to find a job that would enable them to pay back their student loans. Last year, most were concerned with finding an “appealing long-term career.” While location and prestige remained the top two factors in choosing a law school, more students this year are considering affordability as well.
  • Interested in an International LL.M.?- The National Jurist covers everything you need to know, including what to consider when choosing a program, and researching its faculty and courses. While international students are more likely to pursue these LL.M. degrees, U.S. students are increasingly drawn to the courses as well. The article also has a comprehensive guide to all LL.M. programs offered at U.S. law schools.

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New GRE Book Reviews: Wrap Up and Video

September 12, 2011 by

  

This post is courtesy of our friends at Magoosh.

Here are a few hypothetical scenarios to help you figure out what material you should (and shouldn’t!) use while studying for the revised GRE…

If you need help with Verbal:

The strategies in Princeton Review are both clearly presented and helpful. There are exercises that will allow you to practice techniques, and the questions are a good place to start, as well. Once you become more confident, and want to move on to more difficult content, you can use Barron’s. However, do not rely too much on Barron’s strategies, as, more often than not, they might confuse you. Simply use Barron’s for content.

At this point, you should transition to the ETS material. You may want to start off by taking a test from the PowerPrep software. This will set a baseline, and help you focus on the areas that you need the most work on. If you need extra content on reading comprehension, then you can use Kaplan. I’d also recommend buying the GMAT Official Guide, especially if you need help on the critical reasoning component of critical reading.

If you are struggling with Quant:

Pick up a copy of McGraw-Hill’s Conquering the GRE Math. Make sure you are comfortable with most of the basics covered in the book. Do not feel you have to do every problem. Work on the math fundamentals that you are struggling the most with.

At this point, transition to The Princeton Review Math guide. The strategies are helpful, but you may work through the questions quickly. I would also recommend the SAT College Board book. The same range of concepts is covered, and with 600 practice questions, ranging from easy to difficult, you’ll have plenty of practice.

You’ll notice that I’m staying away from a lot of material for the new GRE. Just because it says “New GRE” doesn’t mean the content is the best. Stay tuned for an upcoming post in which I’ll talk about content that, while not developed for the new GRE, will actually help you prep for the new GRE.

In order to not forget the idiosyncrasies of the new GRE environment, you should also start prepping with Barron’s, especially once your math confidence is higher. Then…

If you want to score in the top 90% in Verbal

First off, your vocabulary has to be strong. I’ll be discussing vocabulary in-depth starting tomorrow, but you should know most of the vocabulary from the Word Smart Series, as well as any vocabulary I’ve included in my blog posts.

If you want to score at this level, I’ll assume that you’ve already got a strong handle on strategies, and are simply hunting around for the best content to hone your skills. For Reading Comprehension:

For TC/SE:

If you want to score in the top 90% for Quant:

If you cover the material listed below, there will be little that can surprise you on test day. In fact, a good way to think of it is to imagine you are preparing for the GMAT. You can even take a free GMAT test on-line. If you can score in the top 90% in GMAT, the GRE math should be a cakewalk.

If you’d like more specifics, here are the individual reviews for each of the books:

This blog post was originally posted here.





Filed Under: Grad School Admissions, GRE, MBA Admissions Tagged With: , , , ,

Law School News Roundup

July 21, 2011 by

  

  • In the past, the LSAC (Law School Admission Council) had a policy that test-takers could take the LSAT a maximum of three times in two years. However, a test-taker could always petition a law school for an exemption to this rule. LSAC recently announced that they have changed this policy, and as of June 2011 test-takers can only request an exemption directly from LSAC.
  • The University of New Hampshire School of Law will be opening a new, three-and-a-half-year JD/MBA program in partnership with the Whittemore School of Business and Economics in New Hampshire.
  • A reporter for The Careerist interviewed one of Debevoise & Plimpton hiring partners, Maurizio Levi-Minzi, to find out what qualities the firm looks for in a new hire.  Levi-Minzi explains that getting a call-back from Debevoise does not rely solely on grades. Additionally, Debevoise looks for people who are “creative,” “diverse,” and “authentic.”
  • New York Law School Dean and President, Richard A. Matasar, has announced his decision to step down at some point during this academic year. After 20 years as a law school dean, he explained, “I have become very interested in higher education issues outside of legal education and am considering some exciting possibilities that would allow me to expand my intellectual scope and focus.”
  • Above the Law takes a look at letters written by two law school students—one summering at Cravath, and the other still looking for a job.  The article characterizes the relationship between the have and have-nots of law school students.  When reading the two letters one also senses the hopelessness among the majority of 2Ls and 3Ls about the current job market.

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Law School News Roundup

June 30, 2011 by

  

  • The New York Law Journal  released the NYLJ 100, a list containing the number of attorneys employed in New York’s 100 largest private law offices as of December 2010. There are about 400 fewer attorneys employed than expected, but the numbers have not changed substantially in comparison with last year’s list.
  • The National Law Journal announced that Duke Law School will be launching a master of laws program in judicial studies in the summer of 2012, tailored specifically for judges. The university will also be opening a new Center for Judicial Studies, supporting research on the judiciary. 
  • Above the Law looks at which law firms are ranked as being the most diverse, according to the 2011 edition of the American Lawyer’s Diversity Scorecard. American Lawyer defines the “diversity score” for each firm by the “minority percentage of all U.S. attorneys + minority percentage of all U.S. partners.” Check out the rankings to see what firms you might be interested in.
  • Blueprint Prep’s blog has a humorous post on “The Five Stages of June LSAT Grief.” While they only jokingly look at the five stages of this post-LSAT syndrome—denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance—the good news is that at least the stages end with acceptance!

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New LSAT Withdrawal Policy

May 23, 2011 by

The June LSAT is approaching, and many of you just don’t feel ready. Most Strongly Supported and LSAT Blog report some good news for you: LSAC has changed its withdrawal policy for the LSAT, effective June 2011.

Up until now, you had up to three weeks before the test date to cancel and get a partial refund. After that point, you could either not show up and be marked down for an absence, or take the test and cancel your score within six days.

The postponement deadline remains the same, but now LSAC offers a withdrawal option, in which you can withdraw up to the day before the test, and not have it on your record. The downside is you won’t get any refund for your registration fee. This new policy not only affords you more time to decide, but to study as well, and according to MSS, “MANY students see their biggest improvements in the last three weeks of studying. A lot of students who make the decision that early are doing themselves a disservice.” 

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Law School News Round Up

May 17, 2011 by

  • At least one law school is reaching out to its unemployed 3Ls. As reported by Above the Law, UVA Law will subsidize bar expenses for those 3Ls graduating without jobs lined up. Though commendable, UVA’s actions could also be in response to a number of protests by these 3Ls, including T-shirts and a model of the law building made out of rejection letters. Either way, as ATL put it, “Maybe it’s the least they can do, but there are so many schools that aren’t even doing this much.”
  • While it may seem obvious at first, the Most Strongly Supported blog urges law students to learn about practicing law. While you’ll inevitably learn about law in law school, practicing law is another thing entirely. Since finding a paying job the summer after your 1L year may be difficult, MSS suggests finding public interest work instead, especially if your school will help subsidize it. You can also work with lawyers you know, making sure to ask questions and learn from them. Taking clinics in school can help you gain experience as well, even if they’re in subjects you’re not as interested in. For, “this type of real-world thinking is what many fail to learn in law school and it’s exactly the type of thinking that you need to make sure you’re able to do when you graduate.”
  • The Law School Admission Council and the National Federation of the Blind have finally reached a settlement, The National Law Journal reports. The entire LSAC Web site will be made accessible to blind users—as opposed to now, where they must reach customer support over the phone during business hours in order to complete the forms. The NLJ elaborates that “the technology that the council has agreed to use converts the information on a computer screen into either Braille or synthesized speech, allowing blind users to read or interact with the content.” These changes will go into effect by September, “in time for the next cycle of law school admissions.”
  • Worried about the LSAC recalculating your GPA? Most Strongly Supported says most of you have nothing to worry about. Here are the circumstances that could affect you: On the upside, A+s on your transcript can raise your GPA. As for the downside, “every grade you received before your first Bachelor’s degree will count towards your GPA.” So junior college classes would count, and any post-grad would not. If you’ve retaken any classes through your school’s academic forgiveness program, it’s possible that both GPAs will factor into the recalculation. Withdrawals will only be factored in if they were punitive, yet all Ws will appear on your transcript.
  • It’s evident that the legal sector has gone through drastic changes in the last few years—for a breakdown of post-grad employment figures, see the New York Law Journal. But, could we be heading toward a time in which the U.S. actually needs more lawyers? The WSJ Law Blog discusses a piece in the U.K.’s Guardian that predicts by 2012, “there could be 14% more traineeships than there are graduates eligible to fill them.” While we’re not nearly there yet in the U.S., with the recent drop in law school applications and LSAT test-takers, could there really be a “light at the end of this tunnel” or is it just wishful thinking?

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Filed Under: Law School Admissions, UVA Law Tagged With: ,

Law School Applicants: Beware of Merit Scholarships

May 13, 2011 by

The New York Times has exposed another case of “obtuseness” AKA lack of transparency in law school administration. This time, in “Law Students Lose the Grant Game as Schools Win,” David Segal sheds light on the risky business of merit scholarships. Essentially, a large—yet unpublicized—number of law students lose scholarships each year if they don’t meet the required academic stipulations. According to the ABA, in 2009 more than one in four law students were on merit scholarships. And the prevalence of these scholarships has increased tremendously in the past generation.

Segal attributes this rise to law schools’ obsession with U.S. News rankings: “Unlike undergraduate colleges, law schools share far more similarities than differences, particularly in the first-year curriculum. So a lot of schools regard the rankings as their best chance to establish a place in the educational hierarchy, which has implications for the quality of students that apply, the caliber of law firms that come to recruit, and more.” Since the algorithm used by U.S. News relies heavily on academic credentials—such as, GPA, LSAT score, and bar passage rate—schools are, according to Segal, “buying smarter students to enhance their cachet and rise in the rankings.”

Whatever the motivations are, it seems that the larger issue lies yet again with the lack of clear information. Prospective law students may be told that their merit scholarships are contingent on maintaining a certain GPA, but they’re not fully aware of what that contingency entails. Most law schools grade on a curve, especially in the first year, practically ensuring that a number of students will not make the cut and lose their scholarships.

And as is explained in the WSJ Law Blog, “Students accuse some schools of a bait and switch by offering high-paying scholarships without fully informing prospects of the likelihood that they will be able to do well enough to keep the scholarships. […] If students lose their scholarships, of course, they are in a particularly difficult pickle, because they likely will have to shell out money to complete a degree at a school that they may not have attended but for the now phantom scholarship.” This leads to a crucial point not elaborated on in the NYT, that many law applicants specifically choose a lower-ranked school due to scholarships. Imagine the frustration when at the end of three years these grads not only owe thousands of dollars, but to a school with less prestige than others they had turned down.

This issue has created much debate over who really are the victims here. Above the Law explores both sides, as some argue that the “situation is a result of prospective law students failing to do their due diligence in researching the terms of their scholarship and the curve at their school,” while others feel the problem “has to do with expectations and a lack of disclosure.”

This lack of disclosure is being addressed by the ABA, which is “considering requiring schools to disclose the percentage of students who lose merit scholarships following their first year,” The National Law Journal reports.

And where does U.S. News stand in all of this? In his Morse Code blog, Robert Morse defends the magazine: “Law schools need to take far more direct responsibility for their policies instead of citing the oft-repeated claims that they are forced into these actions solely because U.S. News exerts so much power over law school behavior.” Above the Law takes this response as a good sign: “The tide has turned; pretty much the only people who believe that it’s still cool to mislead prospective law students are people who work for law schools.” Now, if only they can come around…

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Filed Under: Law School Admissions, Rankings Tagged With: ,

Law School News Round Up

April 17, 2011 by

  • As reported by New York Lawyer, Berkshire Hathaway Vice-Chairman Charlie Munger is donating $20 million to the University of Michigan Law School. The money will help fund a $39 million renovation of the Lawyers Club, a law student housing complex built in the 1920s. The law school is also in the process of building a $102 million academic building and commons area.
  • A recent panel discussion sponsored by Catholic University’s law school centered on “the role of law schools in increasing their proportions of black and Mexican-American law students,” The Chronicle of Higher Education reports. From 1993 to 2008, the proportion of black students in law school decreased by 7.5% and Mexican-American students by 11.7%. Some solutions suggested at the panel were to collaborate with high schools and connect with these students earlier, and encouraging them to take off two years once they finish college before starting law school. Gaining useful work experience could then boost their law-school applications.
  • While the national average for law school applications dropped by 11%, Yale Law School’s applications dropped by 16.5% this year. Above the Law’s Elie Mystal writes that people may have gotten the wrong idea from all the recent media coverage about law schools: “The NYT says ‘stay away from law school,’ and applications to Yale drop. But if you read Above the Law, you pick up nuances like ‘stay away from crappy law schools.’ See how much more subtle and informative that is? I know, I know, it bothers me too when the print media sensationalizes things.” An alternative reason why YLS applications are down is their new requirement for a “Dean’s Certification,” which may have deterred some from applying. As Mystal notes, “Not applying to Yale just because it requires more paperwork is not smart. But I suppose the kids not applying to Yale for that reason weren’t going to be Yale Law School material anyway.”
  • According to The Faculty Lounge, now may be the ideal time to apply to law school. With applications down (“to 2001 levels”) and the potential to drop even more in the years to come, “it’s likely a student’s LSAT will go a lot farther in this admissions cycle.” A chart reflects the inflation of LSAT scores in the 25th-75th percentile for select law schools from 2001 to 2009. Accordingly, the chart “suggests, at least, that particularly among the more elite schools, this might be an excellent opportunity for students already certain about attending law school to—shall we say—get more house for their LSAT dollar.”
  • University of Notre Dame Law School professor Vincent Rougeau will be the new dean of Boston College Law School, New York Lawyer reports. The school’s first black dean, Rougeau was drawn to Boston College for its religious affiliation and “mission to advance social justice.” Rougeau would like to devote attention to career opportunities for students, and consider possibilities such as extended internships. He also hopes to “expand Boston College’s network of clinics, internships and externships to ensure the school is producing graduates with the practical skills they need to be successful lawyers.” 

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Filed Under: Law School Admissions, LSAT, Michigan Law, Yale Law YLS Tagged With:

ABA Proposes New Accreditation Standards

April 13, 2011 by

With all the arguments for transparency and changes in legal education, the ABA is finally stepping up—but not without a fight. The ABA’s Standards Review Committee has proposed a number of changes to its accreditation standards, The Chronicle of Higher Education reports.

One proposal addresses the transparency issue, also recently drawn attention to by U.S. Sen. Barbara Boxer in a letter sent to the ABA President. Boxer encouraged the ABA and law schools to “ensure potential students have a full understanding of the costs and benefits of legal education.”

Accordingly, the committee had already proposed requiring law schools to post more detailed job-placement information, such as “the percentage of students whose employment status after nine months is unknown, as well as the percentage with law school-funded jobs. Schools would have to report the percentage of employed graduates who have jobs requiring bar passage and those in non-legal jobs. Schools would have to stipulate how many students are in part-time and full-time jobs, and would continue to disclose the number of graduates in business, government, judicial clerkships and academia.”

Other proposals would allow schools to remove the LSAT requirement from admissions and raise the bar exam required passage rate from 75 to 80 percent. Inciting some controversy, the committee also suggested that law schools not be required to have a tenure system, and could “instead devise their own, possibly cheaper, ways to ensure that professors have academic freedom.”

These potential changes have caused some upheaval for the Association of American Law Schools. As reported by New York Lawyer, the AALS is concerned that some proposals “weaken” legal education, and requests more time to open up the proposals to public debate. The ABA feels enough time has already been invested and that there has been ample opportunity for discussion.  

What do you think? Is the ABA “rushing” or are the law schools stonewalling?

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