Categories: Law School Admission Trends
Tags: competitive cycle for law school applications
 2 Comments »
LSAC just released some numbers about LSAT and application trends. Here are the numbers that prove this is going to be a very competitive year for law school admission:
The 2008-09 testing year had 151,398 test takers, an increase of 6.4% over last year. The 2008-09 year was the second highest in the history of the LSAT behind the 152,685 test takers in 1990-91
The June 2009 test had approximately 32,500 test takers, an increase of 12.3% over June 2008. (—-WOW!!!!! – My comment, not LSAC’s!)
(The June 2009 LSAT had new test date change and refund policy updates but we are still speculating that the large number of 20-24 year olds, the general un-employment and the economy played a large part in the increase number of test takers.)
There are approximately 85,069 ABA applicants for the Fall 2009, a 5.2% increase over last year. Those 85,069 applicants produced 562,104 applications, a 6.5% increase over last year. (I’ve personally noticed people applying to more schools in the last year)
Categories: Advice, Joint degree, Law School Admission Trends, Law School Personal Statement, LSAT Prep, Personal Statement Tips
Tags: Blog Talk Radio Show, JD/MBA, Joint degree, LSAT, personal statement
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Thanks so much to Wei Wang for asking me such great, thought-provoking and relevant questions today on BlogTalkRadio. (CLICK TO LISTEN to our 15 minute segment)
For those who missed the interview about my law school admission guidebook, Wei asked me questions about:
1. Prepping for the LSAT as a full time occupation versus studying while working full time.
2. Pursuing a joint degree, such as a JD/MBA.
3. What to do if you’re taking a year off from school and you can’t find a professional job.
4. Choosing what to write about in your law school personal statement.
Please check out our upcoming BlogTalkRadio segments and feel free to ask questions and to invite your friends to listen in.
Categories: Advice, Career, Law Careers, Law School Admission Trends, Law School Personal Statement, List: Law School Admission Advice Books, LSAT, LSAT Prep, Practicing Law, Success Tips in Law School
Tags: blog, Blog Talk Radio Show
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I have three BlogTalkRadio Shows scheduled that should interest readers of the LawSchoolExpert blog:
First, tune in MONDAY at 1 p.m. EST/10 a.m. PST for 30-minute interview and Q&A about my law school admission guidebook. The interview is being conducted by the first prospective law school applicant to read the book and promises to touch upon crucial issues relating to law school personal statements, career prospects and more. We will take questions from callers, too!
Upcoming Shows:
On Monday, June 1st at 1 p.m. EST/10 a.m. PST I’ll be talking with a panel of LSAT tutors about
“Last Minute Tips for LSAT Takers” in preparation for the June 8, 2009 LSAT administration. (45 minutes)
On Monday June 8th at 1 p.m. EST/10 a.m. PST I’ll be interviewing Kevin E. Houchin, Esq., author of “Fuel the Spark: 5 Guiding Values for Success in Law School & Beyond.” For those of you not taking the LSAT on June 8th, but instead preparing to start law school, hearing from Kevin should help you enter your 1L year with your core values in perspective.
If you’re able to listen live, you’ll have the opportunity to ask questions. If you can’t, you’ll be able to hear the interview afterward. Please pass this information along to anyone whom you think might be interested!
Categories: Law Careers, Law School Admission Trends, Law School Location; Law School Rankings, Uncategorized
No Comments yet, your thoughts are welcome!
Thanks to Wei Wang, the first prospective law school applicant to read my book (“The Law School Admission Game: Play Like an Expert”) for interviewing me this morning on a quick 15-minute BlogTalkRadio show about the book. We discussed the chapter in the book about the LSAT and GPA being “Main Ingredients” in the application process and how law schools evaluate LSAT scores and UGPAs that are “mismatched.” We also discussed the reason for the anticipated increase in applications in the Fall 2010 admission cycle.
We’ll be doing a more in-depth version on Monday at 1 p.m. EST/10 a.m. PST. Please tune in. I welcome your questions. In the meantime, take 15 minutes to listen to today’s broadcast. I look forward to your feedback on this – our first BlogTalkRadio program.
Meanwhile, my family has been subjected to a mandatory evacuation order due to the Jesusita fires. We are safe and hiding away in Palm Springs. I appreciate your thoughts for all who are being impacted by these scary and unweildy fires in the Santa Barbara area.
Categories: Advice, Career, Law School Admission Trends, List: Law School Admission Advice Books
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 Now Available for Pre-Order! Finally! The law school admission guidebook I wrote based on my Law School Expert blog is only 2 weeks away from being in my hands (and yours!).
“The Law School Admission Game: Play Like an Expert” is now available for pre-order for its mid-May release. It is available on Amazon.com but SHIPPING IS FREE if you buy it through Law School Expert.
The goal of the book is two-fold: (1) to help you present your best self to the right law schools for you, and (2) to help you make well-reasoned decisions throughout the process from whether to retake the LSAT to negotiating scholarships and deciding whether to send multiple seat deposits.
My intention is that the book will serve as a valuable A-Z resource for law school applicants by providing concrete tips and advice for almost every situation. It’s current – I discuss today’s admission trends and circumstances. It’s really detailed – I tell you exactly what should and shouldn’t be shared in your resume, personal statement, addendum, optional essays, and letters of rec. I talk about the important considerations in choosing a school and how to decide where to apply and where to attend. I go into detail about fee waivers, campaigning off a waiting list, and the risk you take in taking on debt to attend law school.
Basically, I took the issues brought up in my blog and the comments of readers, combined them with the questions asked most often by my law school admission consulting clients, and turned it into a 167 page book. Whether you’re still in college and contemplating law school or in your thirties or forties and feeling lost about how to begin the process, “The Law School Admission Game: Play Like an Expert” may become your new best friend…
I look forward to your feedback about the book – both on the blog and on the amazon site. Become a fan of my book on Facebook for updates and discussions relating to the book.
Categories: Advice, Deferral, Financing a Legal Education, Law School Admission Trends, Re-Applying to Law School, Reapplying to Law School
Tags: interest on student loans, number of February LSAT takers, sallie mae
8 Comments »
There is so much going on in the world of law school applicants right now that I feel compelled to address some of the recent trends. Think of this as a “Super Blog-Post” because it’s going to be long and involved and a little all over the place. I hope it’s also the most worthwhile law school admission related reading you’ve done in a while, and certainly it’s time better spent than reading all the gloating posts on discussion forums from people deciding between Harvard and Stanford.
Topic #1: April Angst
What I like to call “April Angst” is the patent unfairness of having deposit deadlines approaching and still not hearing anything back from many of the schools you applied to. This sucks. It totally sucks. You held up your end of the bargain and applied to law school in a timely fashion and the law schools are not responding accordingly. Be bitter. Be upset. Just don’t do anything rash. This is just par for the course. It happens every year and it happens to everyone. Put in a seat deposit somewhere while keeping an open mind about where you might attend. Don’t sign any leases yet. As schools get deposits back from already-admitted applicants, they will slowly open up spots. Hang in there.
Topic #2. Student Loans.
Please, please, please do your research about the availability of funding options before commiting yourself to an expensive private school in an expensive city. Sallie Mae announced this week that it will be requiring students to pay monthly interest on their loans while in school. This could amount to $500/month, which ain’t peanuts on a student budget when you’re prohibited from working more than 5 hours a week as a full time law student. If this isn’t changing how you choose a law school, then you are probably the person who won’t need any loans in the first place and will simply be writing a check for everything from the get-go. This is a big deal. Don’t underestimate its importance.
Topic #3.Don’t panic.
Right now, many applicants have not heard back from any schools – especially February LSAT takers. Please don’t panic and start thinking about developing a worst case scenario plan. Reapplying for Fall 2010 and/or deferring admission to the one school you’ve heard back from is not necessarily going to be a wise plan this year. Be prepared. Fall 2010 admission is going to be even more competitive than Fall 2009 has been. February LSAT takers were up by 11% and law schools are bracing for a huge influx of applications. Applications will be up overall, applications to top law schools will be WAY up because those schools offer (generally) greater job prospects, and more people will be fighting for scholarships to schools at all levels – thereby increasing the popularity of lower ranked schools. If you get into a decent law school this year and it’s one you can afford, it might be wise to go ahead and start rather than waiting to reapply or defer for Fall 2010 admission.
I will happily address your questions, comments and concerns about this. And, to make sure you don’t miss further updates please subscribe to the blog. Thanks so much!
Categories: Advice, Career, Law Careers, Law School Admission Trends, Law School Location; Law School Rankings, Reasons for Going to Law School, Salary Trends
Tags: law school and the economy
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Two stories of note today for law school applicants/hopefuls in the WSJ:
New loan from Sallie Mae.
Best Defense? Seeking a Haven in Law School
Applications are up as people hide out from the economy in law school. The best schools are becoming even more competitive and this article offers some tips for making yourself more competitive as a law school graduate.
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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,
