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Law School Applications: 5 Reasons Why You Shouldn’t Rush Them in by October

LSAT blog, Law school admissions, law school applicationAs they say at the start of the famous Indianapolis 500, Ladies and gentlemen … start your engines …  this year’s law school application season is about to begin.

If you’re planning to apply to law school, as the summer is drawing to a close, you should at least be in the early stages of planning key details of your application strategy.  This includes familiarizing yourself with the applications as they become available.  But, regardless of how far along you are at this stage, you should not be in a rush to submit your applications in the month or so after they are released.  There are at least five reasons why rushing, and particularly, rushing at this early stage of the application season is not advisable.… Read full post

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Large Firm Job Hopes? Your Law School Choice Can Make a Difference

According to a recent Kaplan survey, roughly four out of ten law school applicants are expecting to work for a large law LSAT Blogfirm.  But, are these expectations realistic?

As the Wall Street Journal’s Law Blog points out, far fewer than four in ten 2011 law school graduates had that chance.  Indeed, according to the American Bar Association’s (ABA) newest data, fewer than 10% of students in the graduating Class of 2011 attained work at firms with more than 250 attorneys.  And, graduates in that group are not evenly distributed among law schools.

Using ABA data to determine the percentage of 2011 law school graduates who landed long-term, big law firm jobs by school, the Journal ranked the 25 schools with the highest percentages.  As you might expect, the list is packed with the nation’s most elite law programs, including those that are typically ranked in the top ten.  Still, there are several schools on the list that may surprise you.… Read full post

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Retaking the LSAT in October – Part Two

The previous discussion covered questions you should ask yourself regarding your previous performance, now we’re looking toward the future …

As you contemplate whether you should retake the test, you need to consider your past performance but you also need to consider:

Will you have the time and peace of mind that you need to effectively prepare for the October administration of the LSATLSAT Blog

After all, some of you who significantly underperformed on the June LSAT did so primarily, if not simply, because you needed more LSAT preparation or you were not in the right mental state on or around test day.  So while perhaps you really should retake the exam again, if you’re probably not going to be able to get what you need in terms of preparation and peace of mind for the October test, there’s a real question as to whether this will be the right time for you to retake the exam.… Read full post

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Updating Law School Applications

If you have been placed on a law school waiting list or still have not heard back from some of your schools, now is the time to update your applications with any new information.  The easiest way to do this is by emailing the admission office of each school and you can also follow up with a hard copy in the mail if you choose.  Keep your updates brief, factual, and to the point.

Be selective in the information you send to the law school – only include information that was asked on the original application.  Always update contact information – especially if you are leaving a college address at the end of the semester.… Read full post

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Life as a 1L: Supplements…Worth It or Not?

This is what awaits you as a 1L

Its mid to late September, you have heard other people mention terms like Hornbook or Treatise.  However, the people you likely hear talking about them are other 1L’s that have a brother, or cousin that has gone to law school and finished in the top 5% of their class.

So you start to wonder is there any validity to this.

You see, you are a in your first year of law school, glad you got in, but somewhat confused as to what it means to “Think Like a Lawyer”, and are starting to hear horror stories about how “different” law school exams are compared to other test in different professional schools, or undergraduate programs.… Read full post

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How to Avoid Law School Rankings Tunnel Vision

Are you that guy?  You know, the guy who says, “I’m going to go to this law school which is ranked at #37 because this other school that I got into is ranked lower, at #56.”  Worse yet, are you that gal who says. “I can’t go to this school ranked at #12 – not when I can go to this other school ranked at #8.  After all, this other program is in the top ten!

If either of these people sounds like you, it’s important that you take a step back and recognize that basing the decision to attend a school solely, and oftentimes, even primarily on its rankings – including the US News rankings – can be hazardous to your educational and career well-being.  There are many ways in which focusing too heavily on the rankings can come back to haunt you.… Read full post

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Accepted to Law School? Time for the Campus Visit!

You have narrowed it down to two or three acceptances and have decided that you want to visit the campuses before you make your final decision.  My first suggestion is that you try and plan your trip sooner rather than later.  Not only because the law school will want your deposit in the upcoming weeks but because they will soon be preparing for finals and will not allow outsiders to sit in on a class.  You want to be able to see a class in action and have an opportunity to talk with both faculty and students before they go into finals hibernation mode.… Read full post

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Accepted! Now What?

So the acceptance letter has come and gone, and the buzz and excitement is now turning to a bit of apprehension and anxiety.  Majority of 1L’s feel this way around the August and September months of their 1L year.

Here are a few tips that I can endorse, by trial and error.  The specifics to how you get through your 1L year, and the remainder of law school, change for each person, but the general destination is the same for all persons.

These are numbered based on what I would have liked to known, and what I feel would be most important to me now looking at it retrospectively.… Read full post

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A Few Questions to Ask After You’ve Been Accepted to Law School

Congratulations!  You did it.  You’ve been accepted to law school.  Now that all your hard work has paid off, it’s time to celebrate … tonight anyway.   Keep in mind though that when you wake up tomorrow (or perhaps in a couple of days) you’ll still have some important work to do.  Fortunately, much of this will only require that you ask some simple questions and do a little legwork.  Let’s consider just a few of the basic questions that you’ll need to cover with school representatives:

  • When is a good time to visit?  And can I sit in on classes? 

Okay, I trust that you’ve researched the school, but it’s probably been quite a while.  If like most applicants, you haven’t yet visited the school, you should definitely do so now (unless serious financial constraints dictate otherwise).  In fact, even if you have visited in the past, it wouldn’t hurt if you were to check out the program one more time before making your final decision and signing on the dotted line.  Also, be aware that aside from the standard orientation that all law schools have in the days prior to the start of classes, most programs now also have an “Admitted Students Day,” to help introduce you to your new law school.  If your school has such a day, like University of Florida’s Admitted Students Day or University of Chicago’s Admitted Students Weekend, then it would probably make sense if you could arrange a visit during that time period.  Keep in mind that while walking the school grounds, sitting in on classes, and talking to students will be at the forefront of your mind, you should also start thinking about other basic needs, particularly housing.… Read full post

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Law School – Apply Now or Wait Until the Fall?

Now that the February LSAT is over and you have had a chance to catch your breathe, you may be trying to decide whether you should apply now or wait until the fall.  The true reality is that you are probably better off waiting until the fall but only you can make the decision of what is best for you.  My goal is to give you as much information as I can to make an informed decision.

You may have your heart set on starting law school in the fall to a point where you are willing to give up on a dream school.  If this is the case then applying now makes more sense.  Get ready to dedicate some serious time to your applications though because some school deadlines have already passed and many are quickly approaching.… Read full post

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