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Ann K. Levine, Esq. Chief Consultant and President |
No Grades at Harvard Law?
Categories: Harvard Law Admissions Here’s a very interesting discussion about a potential grading change at HLS on Brian Leiter’s blog. More Public Interest Loan Repayment News
Categories: LRAP Programs Aaron at Equal Justice Works sent me this email today: More info was announced today regarding the College Cost Reduction & Access Act. The U.S. Department of Treasury confirmed that loan forgiveness for public service under CCRAA is not taxable. Great news for lawyers planning on entering public service after law school! Visit the Equal Justice Works Blog for more info. Support Law Students Working in the Public Interest
Categories: Public Interest/Pro Bono Please support the University of Miami School of Law’s HOPE program – in its 10th year “Making a Difference Through Legal Advocacy and Service” – by bidding or donating. Countdown to the October LSAT
Categories: LSAT Ok. I know you October LSAT takers out there are getting nervous with only a week to go. I’m not an LSAT tutor, but I know that the biggest thing that can hurt your LSAT score between now and next Saturday is your NERVES. To that end, this will seem like elementary and rather obvious advice, but if you are feeling the jitters, or psyched out, or getting paranoid, or exhausted, or any combination of the above, here are my suggestions: 1. STOP READING DISCUSSION FORUMS. Seriously. They will only make you crazy. And it’s very addictive to read about everyone’s 175 diagnostic scores and feel really bad about yourself. (See, K.H., it’s not just you ; ) 2. STOP LISTENING TO ADVICE ABOUT THE TEST. If you don’t know the tricks now, you’re not going to know them a week from now. Keep practicing, do what you know how to do, and don’t try to learn anything new that might confuse you this late in the game. 3. CONSIDER YOUR READINESS. Pre-test nerves are normal and expected. The key is whether you can get your head around it and get excited for the challenge. Do you feel ready to show what you can do? If not, then consider why – and whether those factors are things that will change with a day’s perspective or whether they can only be fixed through additional study. GOOD LUCK EVERYONE! Over 30 and Applying to Law School?
Categories: Non-Traditional Applicants Some of my favorite clients to work with are those who are applying to law school in their 30s, 40s, and – yes, even 50s. The reasons I enjoy working with these individuals are the same reasons why law schools like to have these individuals: 1. They are pretty darn aware of what they are doing. To give up a career, a family routine, a significant income, time away from the important people in their lives in order to go to law school is a huge sacrifice. Anyone willing to do this is dedicated to the idea of obtaining a legal education; this is not something being undertaken on a whim. 2. Non-traditional law school applicants understand the financial commitment of a legal education. They make wise choices about where to attend and where to apply because they have – through experience in the working world – gained an appreciation for financial realities. They care less about rankings and more about cost, less about prestige and more about scholarships, less about big firm jobs and more about working their way in to a career from the ground up. This requires humility and practicality, and having your priorities straight. Whether you’ve been in real estate or teaching or medicine or private industry, the move to attend law school is almost always a well-considered decision and not a way to duck out of the work force during bad economic times. So, what do you need to be aware of as you apply to law schools? 1. Transcripts - don’t go to the same lengths to explain a bad semester as a recent graduate would. No one will expect that grades more than 10 years old are much of an indication of your academic abilities anymore. If you have more recent coursework to show for yourself, and you excelled, that can be helpful but is certainly not something you should go out and get just for this purpose unless your grades were really awful. If so, a few extension courses in sophisticated topics might not be the end of the world. (But perhaps not paralegal certificate programs just for the hell of it, ugh..It’s pretty transparent unless you are actually working as a paralegal.) 2. Letters of Rec - this is where most non-traditional law school applicants get frustrated and paranoid. They may look up professors they had 20 years ago (please don’t!) or ask their best friends – all lawyers – to write them letters of rec, or their pastors to write character references. Schools understand you may not want your current employer aware of your plans to attend law school, so think outside of the box. Volunteer work? Do you sit on the board of an organization or business? A former employer/supervisor? A professor from one of the aforementioned extension courses? Here are more tips about LORs for non traditional applicants. I know most non-traditional applicants are really wondering not about these things, but about the following – “How will a law school see me as an applicant?” and “How will a law school treat me as a non-traditional student?” Look, there’s no way around the fact that you’re going to find yourself feeling a little bit alone in the classroom. However, I remember my law school section’s favorite (and nicest) member was Jim, a retired military guy in his 50s or 60s who drove 75 miles each way just to attend law school. And another of the cool people I remember was a mom in her 50s who ended up being on Moot Court Board and the Honor Council. Law schools know you have contributions to make to the classroom environment and to the school in general. How will you be treated? Go visit the school and see. Sit in on a class. Talk to the older students that you see. Is there a part time option? You may be more likely to find other non traditional law students there. Ask the admission office to introduce you to something they think you would be able to relate to. One of the qualities I enjoy in my “older” clients is that they are not ashamed to take initiative, they know how to advocate for themselves appropriately, and they understand they are consumers faced with options and choices. Use this to your advantage and ask questions like a consumer should. For more resources, see: LawSchoolExpert is now on Twitter….
Categories: Uncategorized You can now follow me everywhere, getting little snippets of the advice I give my clients regarding their law school applications, on twitter at http://twitter.com/lawschoolexpert Looking forward to seeing you there! What to Ask at an LSAC Law School Forum
Categories: LSAC Forums I received a great comment on a previous post about LSAC Law School Forums that led me to provide some information about questions you should consider asking law school representatives at forums. Here’s a link about financial aid related questions to ask. And here’s a great list put together by the University of Nevada, Reno Career Services Department. The questions are fantastic. The key is NOT to ask each law school all of these questions. The key is to pick a few that are most important to you and ask them to several law schools so you get some basis for comparison. Here are 3 tips for law school forums: 1. Please remember not to take up too much of any one person’s time. 2. If you do have a meaningful conversation with a law school’s representative, get that person’s business card and send a thank you e-mail or note. 3. Remember it’s in the best interests of the school to encourage you to apply, so don’t take anything they say too seriously or as being extremely encouraging of your application – no false hope just because someone hands you a fee waiver for the application. Happy Hunting! |
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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,
