Ann Levine Interviewed on LSATBlog

Categories: List: Law School Admission Advice Books
Tags: law school guidebook
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Thanks to Steve Schwartz of Manhattan LSAT Tutor for interviewing me about The Law School Admission Game: Play Like an Expert. He asked some great questions about ranking versus tuition, financial aid, and why it’s important to have specific reasons for applying to each school. You can see the interview here on the LSATBlog.

Amazon Book Reviews Unanimous: 5 Stars!

Categories: List: Law School Admission Advice Books
Tags: law school admission game, law school advice book
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I’m so excited to announce that the first five Amazon reviews for my book have been posted and every single reviewer gave me 5 stars for “The Law School  Admission Game: Play Like an Expert.“ If you purchase the book from the publisher’s website, you will receive FREE Shipping in 2-3 days. If you sign up for my Option A “The Works” Law School Admission Consulting Package BEFORE June LSAT scores are released, you will also get a FREE copy of the book.

I look forward to your comments and questions about the book, and to (hopefully) many more 5-star reviews.

Getting Ready for the June LSAT

Categories: Advice, List: Law School Admission Advice Books, LSAT, LSAT Prep, Multiple LSAT scores
Tags: Blog Talk Radio Show, June LSAT, Law school admission guide, LSAT Preparation, The Law School Admission Game: Play Like an Expert
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We’re about 2 weeks away from the June 8, 2009 LSAT. You should be scoring pretty consistently on practice tests, and you may be wondering whether to go ahead and take the LSAT or wait until September 2009. The following is a brief excerpt from my book, “The Law School Admission Game: Play Like an Expert“ addressing this issue:

How do you know if  you’re really ready for the LSAT?  If you don’t feel ready to take the LSAT, your instinct is probably right. You have a few options. You could take the test and if your score is halfway decent, you can apply. This is a poor strategy that usually goes worse than you expected and becomes something you have to later explain on your applications. Plus, it’s a huge ego-deflater to see a low score. Make sure to take many timed practice tests with five sections. It’s an endurance test and a speed test, so you must practice under these conditions. Practice in distracting conditions, not in ideal ones. It is better to take a test in a noisy coffee shop than in the silence and ideal environment of a library carrel of the 7th floor of your campus library.

The book is coming out tomorrow (!!!) and will be shipped on Tuesday. It can be ordered through “The Law School Admission Game” site for FREE SHIPPING or through Amazon.

For concrete tips and strategies for the week before the LSAT, listen in to my 45-minute BlogTalkRadio show on Monday, June 1st at 1 p.m. EST (10 a.m. PST) called “Last Minute Tips for LSAT Takers.” It will feature three LSAT tutors: Donald Viscardi, Master Tutor at Inspirica, Josh Morrison, owner of LogicPro LSAT Tutoring, and Bara Sapir, director of Test Prep NY.  We’ll be talking about tips for the week before the test and deciding whether you’re really ready to take the exam. There will be time for questions from callers. If you can’t listen in at that time, you’ll be able to listen to the program anytime after by visiting this blog or by going to my page on BlogTalkRadio. I’m really excited about this show – we’re pulling together 3 of the premier LSAT strategists from outside the “big” prep companies and giving readers of the Law School Expert blog a unique opportunity to hear insights from real LSAT experts.

Click here for more tips about getting ready for the June LSAT.

Keep up to date with all new posts to the Law School Expert blog by subscribing. (The sign up button is EASY and on the right side of the screen)

Oh, and I LOVE comments so please consider yourself invited to leave comments and ask questions on the blog – that’s what it’s here for!

Happy Memorial Day weekend, everyone!

Upcoming BlogTalkRadio Shows featuring Ann Levine

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!

Law School Admission Expert Book Now Available!

Categories: Advice, Career, Law School Admission Trends, List: Law School Admission Advice Books

4 Comments »

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.

Pre-order 2009 ABA LSAC Official Guide Today

Categories: List: Law School Admission Advice Books

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Don’t even think of applying to law school without this!

The Worst Law School Admission Book I’ve Read

Categories: Advice, List: Law School Admission Advice Books

2 Comments »

I just spent $32 so that you don’t have to!

A parent of one of my clients told me about a book – “The Law School Admissions Guide: How to Increase Your Chances of Getting Admitted to Law School! Despite your LSAT Score and GPA. Secrets of the Admissions Mystique Revealed.” She said it was great (despite the ridiculously long title)

Here was my first clue that something was fishy when the book arrived: There was no author listed on the cover. And no bio of the author anywhere in the book. It’s also only 75 pages long. (That’s 42 cents a page!)

So today (very exciting) I had a hair appointment and brought along my new book. In the amount of time I waited for my highlights to set, I’d read every word of this book and here are my reasons for saying it’s the Worst Law School Admission Book I’ve Read:

1. Apparently the author’s experience with law school admissions is limited to the following:

• He applied to law school.
• His close friend applied to law school.
• He was admitted to law school (although he doesn’t say which law schools)
• He talked to a couple of law school employees.
• He read the lsac.org website
• He was a “member of the student recruitment team” at his law school which he describes as “a group of students who assisted with administrative duties in the admissions office.”

When I went to his website, I learned that he went to the University of Florida and graduated two whole years ago. I also learned he is related to four other people who are lawyers. Wow. I’m impressed. His website also states that he does application counseling in his down time from being an assistant state attorney.

Why is all of this important? Because law school applicants need to be very careful about where they are getting their advice. There are law school admission consultants and pre-law advisors who are (hopefully!) trained and experienced with helping people apply to law school. But there is a lot of advice out there being shoveled at you (for $32 a pop!) by people who may not be as qualified.

2. I also take issue with the actual advice offered in the book for the following reasons:

• The entire first chapter merely repeats information otherwise available from the lsac.org website.
• This book includes ONLY THREE PARAGRAPHS about the PERSONAL STATEMENT. IS he kidding??????? And it’s all about how a very generous law school admission director called him after the first edition of his book came out and chastized him for not discussing the importance of mentioning overcoming adversity and hardship.
• He concentrates a lot on index scores but this is completely meaningless to a law school applicant. Yes, law schools use something called an “index” score which is the calculation used by that school to determine weight on the GPA and LSAT (developed through a complex statistical analysis of who performs well academically and on the bar exam at that particular institution). But even if you can find out your index number at that school, schools are not going to tell you which pile your application will land in as a result (presumptive admit, presumptive deny, committee review). And schools will never ever tell you how they calculate their index. So what good does it do to know your index as this author suggests?
• There is a chapter on LSAT prep that mentions only three companies and goes so far as to offer a discount to one of the smaller companies that I’ve never heard of. A good page of this book is advertisement for that company
• He talks about the importance of “meeting” deadlines. There is absolutely no mention of the rolling admissions process!!!! Nothing about how important it can be to apply early. Nothing about the pros and cons of Early Decision/Early Notification. Nothing.
• He suggests using a cover letter and fancy paper. PLEASE DON’T DO THIS. It’s annoying and silly and unnecessary and egotistical and arrogant. When I got these applications as a law school admission director, I’d roll my eyes. It’s just extra paper to photocopy and file and if the law schools wanted this, they would ask you for it.
• There are three pages on “Who You Know” and how you should invent personal contacts to network for you to the law schools. Please don’t do this. He even says that law schools hate this. Why do you want to do something that law schools hate?

3. Is there anything in this book that Ann Levine/ LawSchoolExpert actually agrees with? Yes, believe it or not, and here are those points:

• The importance of choosing a law school by its location (but this emphasis is outweighed, in my opinion, by the constant reference to “top” law schools)
• I completely agree with this sentence on page 31: “One of the most common errors students make when applying to law school is the failure to realistically evaluate and make an honest assessment of their chances for admission to a particular school.” I agree. This is why a law school admission consultant/pre-law advisor is helpful – he/she can analyze your credentials, strengths and weaknesses and give you an honest assessment.
• Do not handwrite your application.
• The law school resume is a different beast than the human resources/employment seeking resume. I liked the idea of including names of significant papers drafted during college.

I detest being negative in advice I give one-on-one or on the blog. And ranting like this (I hope my readers know by now) is uncharacteristic. However, I can’t stand someone who I perceive to be taking advantage of law school applicants who are vulnerable to any advice. What is that line from that movie? People are so desperate for leadership that they’ll listen to whomever is talking? I need to find that quote and movie…. If you know it, please leave me a comment so I’m not up all night thinking about this.

And enjoy your Labor Day Weekend with a $32 barbeque on me : )