Law School Admissions -- Next Step Test Preparation

The Law School Admissions ProcessJohn Rood

President, Next Step Test Preparation

John Rood888-530-NEXT www.nextsteptestprep.com

This recorded seminar covers the basics of the law school admissions process.

You’ll need to do some research on your own – this is only an introduction


You need to understand the incentives and challenges faced by the law school admissions committee

1.Assemble a class of eager young future attorneys who will uphold the high standards of the legal profession and represent the school well through a fruitful career.

2.Raise the school’s ranking in US News.


•Application timeline

• Creating a Schools List

• Factors in Admission

•Navigating LSAC and CAS

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Applying early can have big benefits

Next Step Test Preparation 888-530-NEXT www.nextsteptestprep.com


Almost all law schools practice “rolling admissions.” There are more seats available in

October than there are in February.

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The danger of applying late is not necessarily that you won’t get in anywhere or that you won’t get admitted to your top school.

It’s that you likely won’t get into the best possible school with the best possible aid offer.

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Application calendars with LSAT test dates



June LSAT (to start school in Fall of the next year)• Focus exclusively on the LSAT – no need to work on admissions• Wait for your scores to decide on a final schools list• Consider retaking if necessary• Get applications in no later than Thanksgiving

October LSAT (to start school in Fall of the next year)• Focus mostly on the LSAT• Get letters of recommendation going• Consider retaking if necessary• Get applications in no later than Thanksgiving



December LSAT (to start school in Fall of the next year)• You need to get your letters and personal statements started. Your goal should be to

get all materials in no later than the second week of January• A re-take probably means you are delaying law school a year

February LSAT (to start school in Fall of that year)• You’re behind already. You need to have 100% of your admissions documents ready to

go the day your LSAT score comes back. • No chance for a re-take

Application calendars with LSAT test dates, continued


When you have your LSAT score, you can create a list of schools to which you plan to apply.

The average student applies to ~7 schools

If you don’t have your LSAT yet, take a practice test.


Create diversity in your school list• Reach schools: 1-3 schools for which your hard

numbers are below average• Target schools: 4-7 schools for which your numbers are

in the range and which you would like to attend• Safety schools: 1-3 schools for which your numbers are

above average (which you might consider attending)

It’s important to apply to at least a couple safety schools to assure yourself a decent aid offer.

Where can you get in?

For example, let’s say you wanted to go to school in Chicago:

School 75% LSAT 25% LSAT 75% GPA 25% GPA

University of Chicago

173 169 3.84 3.63

Northwestern 172 166 3.81 3.40

DePaul 162 158 3.57 3.11

Chicago-Kent 163 157 3.69 3.21

John Marshall 156 150 3.53 3.00

Source: http://officialguide.lsac.org/release/OfficialGuide_Default.aspx


http://officialguide.lsac.org/release/OfficialGuide_Default.aspx

The results…


The Snowflake Fallacy


Other than GPA and LSAT, the other factor that significantly moves the

needle is status as an under-represented minority (URM)



How to choose a law school1.Prestige

You are seriously fooling yourself if you do not think that this matters, or you do not think it matters for you.


How to choose a law school1.Prestige2.Aid offer/prices

Make sure you understand exactly what is being offered, for how long, and under what condition.


“National” vs. “regional” law schoolsNational law schools can provide their graduates with great job opportunities anywhere in the country and all over the world.

These are the schools your great aunt has heard about, like Harvard, Stanford, and Georgetown

Regional law schools have solid recruiting and networking possibilities in their geographic region.

In smaller places, going to the top regional school can be just as good or better than Harvard.


Why do law schools offer financial aid?• Attract students who help raise the school’s

numbers• Attract students to round out the class (usually

URM)

Law schools are not concerned about your financial hardships. You are expected to take on debt.


How to choose a law school1.Prestige2.Aid offer/prices3.Location

At schools without very successful OCR, you will need to network your way to your first job.


How to choose a law school1.Prestige2.Aid offer/prices3.Location4.Special programs or clinics


How to choose a law school1.Prestige2.Aid offer/prices3.Location4.Special programs or clinics5.Any other factor• Fan of the sports teams• Good climate (different from Location listed

above)• Nice facilities


Numbers supplied by law schools on average salary and placement are VERY suspect.

Example: Law school X reports average first-year private practice salaries of $162,000 on average.

That means that EVERY law student who got a job in private practice works at a big firm in NY, DC, San Francisco, or Chicago

It means that NO ONE decided to take a job back home in Atlanta making $140,000


Why?

• Self-reporting. (Would you tell your law school you work at Starbucks?

• Selective stats. An average salary of students employed at graduation rarely includes salaries of 0 for unemployed students

• Manipulation. If the law school pays a firm to take you, are you

really employed?

LSAT score and undergraduate GPA (UGPA) are the most important factors going into law school admissions


Impo

rtan

ce LSAT GPA

Personal Statement

Letters of Recommendation

Education and Work Experience


What Law Schools Really Care About

LSATGPAEverything that makes you beauti-ful and unique

Note: Every law school says they look at all applications holistically.

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How Many Times Should You Plan to Take The

LSAT?



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Your UGPA may end up being different than what you think it is

(and usually lower)





“But I went to a very good program!”

Law schools take into account the difficulty of your school and your program.

However at the end of the day, they need to report numbers.

(Usually students from Columbia or University of Chicago will have LSATs to compensate for lower GPAs)



Letters of Recommendation

• Most schools require 2-3, but please look at their websites• LSAC now offers “evaluations”, which are like long surveys. (This

is proving unpopular)• You have the right to read letters submitted for you unless you

waive that right. WAIVE THAT RIGHT. • Letters are submitted to LSAC, not directly to law schools• You can send certain letters to certain schools (especially if

there is an alumni connection). • A great letter is not very likely to get you in, but a bad letter will

definitely keep you out



Who should write your letters?

• At least one college-level academic instructor if not more• Pre-law advisors are great• Exception: non-traditional students

• People that know you really well• Start cultivating these relationships now• Plan to take multiple courses from one professor• Take courses that require writing instead of multiple choice

exams• Take courses with significant discussions• Attend office hours



How should you approach recommenders

• Bring a draft of your personal statement, resume, and a sample of the written work you have done for them• You must ask them if they would be willing to write you

a positive letter• Give them at least a month – and feel free to follow up



More is not necessarily better.

Your letters as a whole are only as good as your weakest recommendation.



Ah, the personal statement

This is really your one opportunity to shine.

Focus on being likeable. It’s incredibly easy for admissions directors to deny applicants who sound like jerks.

Make sure you understand what each school wants. In general, the way to go about this is to write a single 2-page, double-spaced essay, then adapt as necessary.

You should plan to spend at least a month on your personal statement.



Personal statement mistakes

• Choosing an incredibly cliché topic, like how study abroad changed your life.• Discussing how as a layer you will “change the world” or you

“want to help people” unless you can back it up• Failing to make it personal – make sure the essay is actually

about you!• Don’t just adapt a statement you find in a book

• Make sure it’s well-written. Get a professional editor or smart friend if you need to. • Pre-law advisors can help with this



More Personal Statement Resources

http://lawschoolexpert.com/personal-statements/top-50-law-school-personal-statement-requirements/

http://lawschoolexpert.com/personal-statements/the-best-personal-statement-samples/

http://www.top-law-schools.com/statement.html



http://lawschoolexpert.com/personal-statements/the-best-personal-statement-samples/



Diversity statements

This is an optional essay. It’s not just for racial minority students. If you have a good reason to write one, you probably should.

But not everyone should. Don’t talk about your 1/16th minority status, or that you have a good friend who suffered discrimination.



Additional Essays

Why do you want to attend Law School X? You should always write this essay if possible. Be honest in your discussion. If there are reasons that aren’t obvious, this can be a great place to get them out.

Many schools require another unique essay like Yale’s famous “250.” Don’t be lazy on these – they weed out applicants who are just cutting and pasting.



Resume

Most schools will ask you to submit a resume that accounts for your time since high school. There’s nothing magical about what law schools are looking for here. Generally:

• With VERY few exceptions, your resume should be one page with normal fonts and margins. (You are almost certainly not an exception)• Normal resume formatting – this is not the place to practice your

design talents• Don’t be shy – experience working at a grocery is a lot better

than a year unaccounted for



Addenda

You have the opportunity to write additional essays explaining unusual (usually negative) aspects of your application.

This is the place to explain unusual, extenuating circumstances. Ask yourself: does this sound like an excuse? (It usually does).

These include:• One very bad course grade• One semester of very bad course grades• A significant gap in your schooling• A criminal conviction

Generally, disadvantages faced in your life can be explained better in the personal statement or diversity statement



Addenda, continued

Do not write addenda if you don’t have to. You will just come off looking terrible.

Situations when you should generally not write an addendum include:• Lower LSAT scores than you wanted without some incredible reason• Multiple LSATs (almost always comes off as whiney excuses for not being prepared the

first time)• Lower GPA throughout all of college including:

• Challenging program or major• Family or work obligations (better in a diversity statement or personal statement)

If you are in doubt as to whether your addendum will come off sounding whiney or not, you probably should not write it.

John [email protected]

773-257-3391

Thank you for listening!

Please contact me if you have any questions about the LSAT or law school admissions.



mailto:[email protected]

Law School Admissions -- Next Step Test Preparation

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Transcript of Law School Admissions -- Next Step Test Preparation