The Two Types of Personal Statements

By on August 24, 2009 in Law School & Legal Life

There are generally two types of personal statements. I call the first one a general or "open topic" essay. The application may limit you to formatting or space requirements (no more than two pages double-spaced, or no more than 500 words, no smaller than 11 pt. font) but does not limit you to a specific topic. You can write about anything you wish.

The second type of essay may ask specific questions such as: Why do you want to go to law school? Why do you want to go to this law school? What kind of challenges have you overcome, how have your overcome them, and how has that shaped you into the person you are today?… Read full post

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The Personal Statement

By on August 20, 2009 in Law School & Legal Life

And now we begin to address the personal statement, which is my favorite part of the application. It is through the personal statement that I felt like I got to know you the person, hence, why it is called the personal statement.

My biggest frustration was the applicant who wrote something like: "I’ve always wanted to go to law school. It’s a very prestigious profession, and I want to make the world a better place. To do that I need to be able to change/create policy, and to do that I need a law degree." What’s wrong with these words? Anyone can write them, so in reality, it is a missed opportunity to set yourself apart from all of your fellow applicants.… Read full post

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Reapplying? How to put your best foot forward.

By on August 11, 2009 in Law School & Legal Life

Today I’d like to talk to those of you who applied last year, were not accepted and wish to reapply this year to some of those same schools. You can do it, and here’s how:

First, call each school’s admissions office and inquire what the reapplication process entails. You might need to complete a new application, submit an updated personal statement, and reregister with LSAC.

Second, ask if you can speak with someone about why you were not accepted and what steps you can take to improve your chances. Generally, either your LSAT or GPA (or both) were not as competitive as the school was looking for.… Read full post

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Evaluating the Author’s Attitude

By on August 3, 2009 in Law School & Legal Life

In any Reading Comprehension passage, it’s vital to keep an eye out for the author’s opinion. Stated opinions will often be used for main point and inference questions. However, there are some questions that concentrate more on the author’s tone than the content itself.

These questions, which typically ask for the author’s attitude, are a nuisance to many test takers. However, they can be more easily managed by utilizing one of the fundamental strategies of Reading Comprehension: locating keywords. Words such as "sadly," "fortunately," and "helpful" give explicit clues to the author’s feeling on any given subject. While reading the passage, these words should stand out to test takers, who should then underline or circle them for later reference.… Read full post

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To ask or not to ask. That is the question.

By on August 3, 2009 in Law School & Legal Life

Whom do you ask to write letters of recommendation on your behalf? These letters are a vital element of your application material; take advantage of the opportunity.

The Kaplan website offers valuable insight into selecting recommenders who will best promote your application. From the home page click here.

In this space I’d like to touch upon two issues you may not be as familiar with. First, when law schools say they require two letters of recommendation, you can generally submit up to four because you have many facets to who you are. For example, you are a senior in college and have worked through school.… Read full post

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Your Academic Transcripts

By on July 29, 2009 in Law School & Legal Life

I’m going to address an easy topic today: your academic transcripts.

As you know, you need to submit your transcripts to the Law School Admission Council (LSAC). For complete instructions on how to do so, please check out the LSAC website: www.lsac.org. On the home page on the left, click on the "Transcripts" button, and you’re on your way.

Now is a good time to request your transcripts. It takes very little effort to do so, and during the time it takes for your academic institution(s) to mail your transcripts to LSAC, you can be working on the rest of your application.… Read full post

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The 50-50 Dilemma

By on July 28, 2009 in Law School & Legal Life

"I can usually narrow down the answers to two choices. Then, I always pick the wrong one."

If this sounds like something you say, you’re not alone. This is one of the most frequent complaints among test takers. The good news is that your performance on these questions is better than you might think. The great news is that there are ways to approach this situation to further improve your odds of getting those questions right.

Let’s start off by understanding why this perception is often flawed. To help, let’s present it as a Logical Reasoning argument:

In reviewing the questions she got wrong on a recent LSAT, a student observed that, on 90% of those questions, she had the answers narrowed down to two choices – the correct answer and the incorrect answer.… Read full post

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Thinking about retaking the LSAT?

By on July 20, 2009 in LSAT Test Prep

It’s one of the most common questions my clients ask me…and one of the hardest to answer.  Let’s say that you’re considering applying to a school for which your LSAT doesn’t quite fall within the 25th-75th percentile range that the school is looking for.  Should you retake the test?

As a Kaplan consultant, I advise you to contact your Kaplan instructor before making a decision.  Your instructor knows you best as he/she has been with you every step of the way.  Maybe you did extremely well on every section but one.  You and your Kaplan instructor can then discuss strategies relevant to your particular situation.… Read full post

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The Application

By on July 13, 2009 in Law School Admissions, LSAT Test Prep

While each law school’s application form is pretty straight forward, I would like to point out a few things.

Some law schools start accepting applications on September 1, others on October 15, or somewhere in between. You’ll find that information on each school’s website. As I mentioned in an earlier entry, you’ll be applying through the LSAC website, and it’s possible that the schools haven’t yet made available their applications for the Fall 2010 Entering Class. That’s ok. In the meantime, check out each school’s website because you may be able to find the Fall 2009 application, which will give you an idea as to the information you’ll need to provide.… Read full post

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Unusual Logic Game Questions

By on July 9, 2009 in Law School & Legal Life

A vast majority of questions in the Logic Games section ask for basic information such as "which of the following must be true?" or "which of the following could be false?" However, once in a while, the LSAT throws a curveball and asks a question that requires extra analysis to determine how to answer it. Here are two such examples (disguised a little so as not to spoil the games should you come across them in your practice):

1.) The ranking of the participants is completely determined if which one of the following is true?

The rules of any logic game will never provide a complete picture of the end result.… Read full post

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