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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
John Rood888-530-NEXT www.nextsteptestprep.com
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.
John Rood888-530-NEXT www.nextsteptestprep.com
•Application timeline
• Creating a Schools List
• Factors in Admission
•Navigating LSAC and CAS
5
Applying early can have big benefits
Next Step Test Preparation 888-530-NEXT www.nextsteptestprep.com
John Rood888-530-NEXT www.nextsteptestprep.com
Almost all law schools practice “rolling admissions.” There are more seats available in
October than there are in February.
6Next Step Test Preparation 888-530-NEXT www.nextsteptestprep.com
John Rood888-530-NEXT www.nextsteptestprep.com
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.
7
Application calendars with LSAT test dates
7Next Step Test Preparation 888-530-NEXT www.nextsteptestprep.com
John Rood888-530-NEXT www.nextsteptestprep.com
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
88Next Step Test Preparation 888-530-NEXT www.nextsteptestprep.com
John Rood888-530-NEXT www.nextsteptestprep.com
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
John Rood888-530-NEXT www.nextsteptestprep.com
•Application timeline
• Creating a Schools List
• Factors in Admission
•Navigating LSAC and CAS
John Rood888-530-NEXT www.nextsteptestprep.com
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.
John Rood888-530-NEXT www.nextsteptestprep.com
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
John Rood888-530-NEXT www.nextsteptestprep.com
The results…
John Rood888-530-NEXT www.nextsteptestprep.com
The Snowflake Fallacy
John Rood888-530-NEXT www.nextsteptestprep.com
Other than GPA and LSAT, the other factor that significantly moves the
needle is status as an under-represented minority (URM)
John Rood888-530-NEXT www.nextsteptestprep.com
John Rood888-530-NEXT www.nextsteptestprep.com
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.
John Rood888-530-NEXT www.nextsteptestprep.com
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.
John Rood888-530-NEXT www.nextsteptestprep.com
“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.
John Rood888-530-NEXT www.nextsteptestprep.com
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.
John Rood888-530-NEXT www.nextsteptestprep.com
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.
John Rood888-530-NEXT www.nextsteptestprep.com
How to choose a law school1.Prestige2.Aid offer/prices3.Location4.Special programs or clinics
John Rood888-530-NEXT www.nextsteptestprep.com
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
John Rood888-530-NEXT www.nextsteptestprep.com
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
John Rood888-530-NEXT www.nextsteptestprep.com
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?
John Rood888-530-NEXT www.nextsteptestprep.com
•Application timeline
• Creating a Schools List
• Factors in Admission
•Navigating LSAC and CAS
LSAT score and undergraduate GPA (UGPA) are the most important factors going into law school admissions
John Rood888-530-NEXT www.nextsteptestprep.com
Impo
rtan
ce LSAT GPA
Personal Statement
Letters of Recommendation
Education and Work Experience
John Rood888-530-NEXT www.nextsteptestprep.com
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.
28
How Many Times Should You Plan to Take The
LSAT?
Next Step Test Preparation 888-530-NEXT www.nextsteptestprep.com
John Rood888-530-NEXT www.nextsteptestprep.com
29
Your UGPA may end up being different than what you think it is
(and usually lower)
Next Step Test Preparation 888-530-NEXT www.nextsteptestprep.com
John Rood888-530-NEXT www.nextsteptestprep.com
30Next Step Test Preparation 888-530-NEXT www.nextsteptestprep.com
John Rood888-530-NEXT www.nextsteptestprep.com
“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)
31Next Step Test Preparation 888-530-NEXT www.nextsteptestprep.com
John Rood888-530-NEXT www.nextsteptestprep.com
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
32Next Step Test Preparation 888-530-NEXT www.nextsteptestprep.com
John Rood888-530-NEXT www.nextsteptestprep.com
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
33Next Step Test Preparation 888-530-NEXT www.nextsteptestprep.com
John Rood888-530-NEXT www.nextsteptestprep.com
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
34Next Step Test Preparation 888-530-NEXT www.nextsteptestprep.com
John Rood888-530-NEXT www.nextsteptestprep.com
More is not necessarily better.
Your letters as a whole are only as good as your weakest recommendation.
35Next Step Test Preparation 888-530-NEXT www.nextsteptestprep.com
John Rood888-530-NEXT www.nextsteptestprep.com
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.
36Next Step Test Preparation 888-530-NEXT www.nextsteptestprep.com
John Rood888-530-NEXT www.nextsteptestprep.com
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
37Next Step Test Preparation 888-530-NEXT www.nextsteptestprep.com
John Rood888-530-NEXT www.nextsteptestprep.com
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
38Next Step Test Preparation 888-530-NEXT www.nextsteptestprep.com
John Rood888-530-NEXT www.nextsteptestprep.com
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.
39Next Step Test Preparation 888-530-NEXT www.nextsteptestprep.com
John Rood888-530-NEXT www.nextsteptestprep.com
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.
40Next Step Test Preparation 888-530-NEXT www.nextsteptestprep.com
John Rood888-530-NEXT www.nextsteptestprep.com
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
41Next Step Test Preparation 888-530-NEXT www.nextsteptestprep.com
John Rood888-530-NEXT www.nextsteptestprep.com
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
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John Rood888-530-NEXT www.nextsteptestprep.com
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 Rood888-530-NEXT www.nextsteptestprep.com
•Application timeline
• Creating a Schools List
• Factors in Admission
•Navigating LSAC and CAS
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.
44Next Step Test Preparation 888-530-NEXT www.nextsteptestprep.com
John Rood888-530-NEXT www.nextsteptestprep.com