Categories: Hiring a Law School Admission Consultant
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Law School Expert has a whole new look and feel. Please check it out today!
Also, for all pre-law students (applying for Fall 2009 and beyond) I have launched a brand new website and consulting service PreLaw Expert and invite you to check it out. I am going to start dedicating a certain amount of time to assisting college students in building their experiences to help them become the kind of quality, well-rounded applicants sought by law schools.
I have a bunch of people to thank for their help in launching LawSchoolExpert and PreLawExpert :
First, the “Law School Expert” Team:
Lorrie Thomas (my web marketing genius), Michelle Shapiro (creative director), Dane Jacobsen (perfectionist web guy)
Second, my former clients that agreed to be featured on my new web site:
Shirley, Judd, Naomi, Brian, Peter and Jessica (see their smiling faces and success stories)
The dozens of clients who happily supplied testimonials about the law school admission consulting services I provide as their law school application coach.
Thank you to all LawSchoolExpert blog readers for your support, comments, and continued readership. I look forward to hearing your thoughts about my new websites.
Have a great day – and good luck on Saturday’s LSAT exam!
Categories: Law School Admission Trends
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I’m excited to report that the last post was my 100th Lawschoolexpert post! Thanks to all of my readers for your support, comments, and encouragement.
Two things today:
Please vote for Brett McKay’s Frugal Law Student Blog as one of the top blogs for Lawyers in Training.
Also, please note that competition is increasing to get into law schools, even though applications numbers are down…..
P.S. Within 24 hours, I’ll have a BIG Law School Expert Announcement – stay posted!!!!
Categories: Law School Admission Trends
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Two headlines of note for my New York area law school applicants (and future applicants):
1. CUNY Law rebounds.
2. SUNY Binghamton is making a bid to create NY’s Third Public Law School.
Categories: Hiring a Law School Admission Consultant
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After getting past the LSAT, many law school applicants then look to hire a law school admission consultant. Here are some things to keep in mind when hiring a law school admission adviser:
1. Have you previously served as director or dean of admissions for any ABA law school? Or, were you merely a committee member or student recruiter? Do you have any experience making admission decisions?
2. How many years of experience do you have in law school admissions?
3. Do you have references from former clients? Can I contact 1-3 of them who are from the same area, who have the same LSAT/GPA credentials, who come from a similar background, who are applying to similar schools?
4. Have you ever practiced law? Why did you leave the practice of law? Are you a member of any state’s Bar?
5. Do you have testimonials from former clients?
6. What kind of track record do you have of helping people get into schools where their numbers are at or below the 25th percentile?
7. Is this your full-time job?
8. How accessible are you? Do you guarantee 24-48 hour turnarounds?
9. Can you be reached in the evenings and on weekends in addition to normal business hours?
Applying to law school is stressful and overwhelming, but it doesn’t need to be. With the right expert and coach at your side, you will feel supported and confident. For more information, here are additional posts on hiring a law school admission counselor and a law student’s account of what’s important in a law school admission coach.
Good luck to all December LSAT takers!
Categories: Low LSAT
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With the December 1, 2007 LSAT a week away, many law school applicants are feeling like the entire future trajectory of their lives and careers are resting on this four-hour exam.
I read all the discussion boards and blogs and I know this is a self-perpetuating stress-inducer. It seems like you’re doomed without a 160 (or 165 or 170 or whatever you’ve decided is the only possible score you’ll be happy with) and you shouldn’t bother waking up in the morning unless you can at least get into Georgetown.
Allow me to put this in perspective for you -
Is the LSAT a serious thing? Yes. Does it matter in the world of law school admissions? Yes. Of course. I’d be an idiot to tell you otherwise. However, please keep the following in mind:
1. The LSAT is an aptitude test – if you prepare adequately, it serves as a statistical indicator for your academic performance in law school and likelihood of passing the bar exam on the first try. However, there are people for whom standardized test scores are not reliable indicators of aptitude. Law schools know this.
2. Your LSAT score is not a label you will wear your entire life. No one but you and the law school has to know about it. You don’t have to advertise it to friends or family members. It’s private, like how much money you make and your preferred method of being kissed. Seriously. If more people kept this information off the web, fewer people would feel as though they aren’t measuring up in life.
3. Your LSAT score is not something employers will ask about – your grades in law school will count though. If a prospective employer asks your LSAT score, I’d say “The LSAT, as you know, is an aptitude test for law school. As you can see, I’m doing very well in law school…..”
4. Getting into a law school where your LSAT is really low for that school is nice and all, but if it means you’ll be at the bottom of the class then perhaps it’s not serving you all that well to be at that school. I believe there’s a lot to be said for being a big fish in a smaller pond. (Of course, if you go to a school where your LSAT is low and still kick butt with the grades, then that’s awesome. You have to know yourself a bit to make this determination).
5. People with low LSATs often do just fine in law school. I kid you not, when I was serving as director of admissions for an ABA law school, an administrative error occurred and someone was admitted accidentally with a 138 LSAT. You know what? She ended up graduating right in the middle of her class! This shows the limits of the LSAT in predicting success.
Ok, so for those of you that aren’t familiar with my work – I’m not against performing well on the LSAT. Right now, I have clients whose scores range between 129 – 180. I have clients who hired me to give them every possible opportunity just to attend an ABA law school, and others who want to make sure they are the ones chosen for the nation’s “top” law schools (and everywhere in between). I’m all for doing well on the LSAT, but don’t beat yourself up over a 155 if that’s the right score for you. After all, with a 155, you’re still outperforming 67% of all LSAT takers!
My wish for you on the December 2007 LSAT is this: Do your personal best, demonstrate your own aptitude, and agree to adjust your strategy for law school admission accordingly. For more stories about people who are admitted to law schools with LSAT scores at or below the 25th percentiles for those schools see here.
P.S. I don’t usually link to blogs of other law school applicants (I don’t believe in having the blind lead the blind….), here is a good article.
Categories: Application Timeline
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You have 9 days to go before the December 1st LSAT. You have a lot riding on this, especially if this is your first time taking the exam and you’re applying for Fall 2008 law school admission.
Some tips on how to handle yourself from now until the LSAT date:
1. Enjoy yourself on Thanksgiving Day. Be with family. Remember what is really important in life. Put things in perspective.
2. On Friday, get back to studying. You have one week left to make a difference.
3. This week, LSAT is your priority. Don’t do anything else for your applications (other than sending in transcripts and arranging letters of rec).
4. Get lots of sleep and eat healthy foods.
5. Kick butt on Saturday during the LSAT.
6. On Sunday, grab some coffee, and get to work on your resume, personal statement, diversity statement or other optional essays, and start filling out the LSAC Common Application Form. Keep the process moving forward.
7. Continue this effort for about 2.5 weeks while you wait for your score. Then, solidify your schools list and submit those applications as they are ready.
If you would like help, support, coaching and advice through the law school admission process, please see my website.
Happy Thanksgiving!
Categories: Law School Rankings
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There are a lot of good posts in the blogosphere about the recent article in National Jurist by Ted Soto (a professor with whom I worked at Loyola Law School) about what law students think is important in a law school and how the rankings don’t take those things into account. Here is a good post about why practical skills and practice-building skills are not taught in law schools (Again – rankings) and why they should be taught.
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Ann K. Levine, Esq., former director of law school admissions for two ABA approved law schools, is a law school admission consultant and owner of Law School Expert,
