Tag Archives | admissions

Law School Scholarships: Applicants Negotiating Now More Than Ever

By on August 9, 2012 in Law School, Law School Admissions

Since the 1990’s, me and a few of my closest friends have been quietly advising law school applicants on the basic talking points of Negotiating law school scholarshipsnegotiating law school scholarships.  We were happy in our own little world, knowing that our clients were sometimes getting at least a little more money, simply by following a few pointers.  Then, something started to change.

It seemed (to me at least) that more and more applicants were winning scholarships and more were successfully getting them raised.  What was happening is that due to a combination of factors – including a vastly decreased pool of law school applicants nationwide, continually rising tuition rates, the greatly increased cash consciousness of law school aspirants, and the need for schools to maintain their various applicant numbers lest they decline in the US News rankings – more and more applicants were asking for scholarships and scholarship increases, and more and more law schools were competing for their business with greater financial awards nationwide.… Read full post

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Your Personal Statement: What not to put in.

By on August 7, 2012 in Law School, Law School Admissions, Law School Application, Personal Statement

People always want to know what they should write about in their law school personal statement but sometimes it is just as important to law school personal statementknow what not to put in it.  The people looking at your essay read thousands upon thousands of them all on the same topic so you want your essay to stand out for all the right reasons and not be skimmed over for all the wrong reasons.  Let’s start with what seem to be the more obvious things to avoid.

The personal statement is a sample of your writing which is an important facet of a law education.  Do not send an essay with misspelled or auto corrected words and please do not send an essay with the name of another law school.  Read your essay out loud and have someone else read it aloud before submitting it to the law school.… Read full post

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Law School – Apply Now or Wait Until the Fall?

By on February 23, 2012 in Law School Admissions, Law School Admissions, LSAT Test Prep

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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Dead on Arrival: The Worst of the Worst Law School Personal Statements

By on November 4, 2010 in Law School Admissions

This is a continuing series of blogs from our team of Admissions Consultants here at Kaplan Test Prep & Admissions, showcasing various facets of a candidate’s law school application. For the past few weeks, we’ve been focusing extensively on the personal statement. Click here for more information on Admissions Consulting from Kaplan, including our Personal Statement Review package.

If you’ve read the previous blog in this series, then you’re already aware of the key qualities of strong personal statements. As you go about incorporating these elements while you craft your own personal statement, you should also feel energized by the fact that admissions officers aren’t out to get you; they want to be on your side.… Read full post

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Law School Spotlight on the Personal Statement: Brainstorming

By on October 21, 2010 in Law School Admissions

This is a continuing series of blogs from our team of Admissions Consultants here at Kaplan Test Prep & Admissions, showcasing various facets of a candidate’s law school application. For the next four weeks, we’ll be focusing extensively on the personal statement. Click here for more information on Admissions Consulting from Kaplan, including our Personal Statement Review package.

What should you write about in your Personal Statement? Many admissions committees consider this the most important part of the law school application, so the pressure is on to pick an impressive topic. But what? Add to the mix that it can only be 2 ½ -3 pages, has to be well written and organized, may take the place of a face-to-face interview, needs to mention the school you are applying to, should show you to be uniquely qualified -but not be a replay of your Resume, and you’ve got fertile ground for writer’s block before you’ve even written your first word.… Read full post

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Law School Spotlight on The Personal Statement: What it is and is not.

By on October 14, 2010 in Admissions Consulting Series

This is a continuing series of blogs from our team of Admissions Consultants here at Kaplan Test Prep & Admissions, showcasing various facets of a candidate’s law school application. For the next five weeks, we’ll be focusing extensively on the personal statement. Click here for more information on Admissions Consulting from Kaplan, including our Personal Statement Review package.

The personal statement is your chance to show the law school why you are the best applicant for them. You want to shine – in the stories you tell, in your reasons for wanting to go to law school, and in your writing skills.… Read full post

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Law School Application Spotlight: Letters of Recommendation

By on October 7, 2010 in Admissions Consulting Series

This is the second in a continuing series of blogs from our team of Admissions Consultants here at Kaplan Test Prep & Admissions, showcasing various facets of a candidate’s law school application. Click here for more information on Admissions Consulting from Kaplan.

"Nailing Your Letters of Recommendation"

In recent weeks, there’s been a whole lot of hoopla over the incorporation of LSAC‘s new "evaluation" service. But make no mistake about it: letters of recommendation (LOR’s) are, generally speaking, still the most important third-party references in the law school application process. How – you might ask – should you go about choosing your recommenders?… Read full post

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Money, money, money

By on December 14, 2009 in Law School & Legal Life

It’s time to talk dollars…you’ve worked hard to submit your admissions application.  Now it’s time to concentrate on your financial aid application.  There are two categories of financial aid: scholarships and loans. 

Scholarships are "free money" that you do not need to repay.  Some schools may require you to submit forms to be considered for scholarships; other will not.  Be sure to verify the process for every school to which you’re applying.  For many schools, you will not need to apply for scholarships.  Once you are accepted to that law school, the Admissions Committee automatically reviews your application for scholarship potential.  Generally, scholarships are merit based.  Scholarship amounts vary from school to school. 

I suggest that you research other scholarship avenues such as your church or synagogue, and organizations including the Hellenic Bar Association, the Justinian Society of Lawyers, the Hispanic Lawyers Association, the Decalogue Society of Lawyers, and the American Bar Association, just to name a few.  Check out each school’s website as it may include a listing of other potential sources.  Search online for foundations that may provide scholarship support, as well as websites providing scholarship opportunities.  It will take effort on your part and will be worth it. 

Applying for loans is a much more intensive process.  I strongly recommend applying for financial aid right after the first of the year.  Do not, and I repeat, do not wait to be accepted to a law school before applying for financial aid.  Your goal should be to complete your financial aid application before you’ve been accepted so that you will receive a financial aid award letter before your first deposit is required.  If you wait to apply for financial aid, you may need to place your first deposit without knowing your financial aid status. 

The first step is to submit the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, commonly known as the FAFSA, to the U.S.… Read full post

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Full-time, part-time or both?

By on December 2, 2009 in Law School & Legal Life

The application asks for you to indicate for which division you wish to apply: full time or part time (for those schools that offer part time).  For the majority of the applications, you are allowed only to check one or the other.  But some schools allow you to check both.

I’ve learned from working with my clients that most of you prefer the full-time program.  However, I’ve always considered it my job to make you aware of all of your options, and I leave it up to you to make the best decision that meets your interests.

If a school permits you to apply to both divisions, I encourage you to do so.  Why not increase your chances of being accepted?  Generally – and you’ll wish to verify this with the Admissions Office – after you complete your first year of law school, as long as you are not on probation, you should be able to switch divisions.  You can finish your degree as a full-time student, but be aware that there is a sequence of classes that you’ll need to fulfill with your original part-time cohort.  It also may take you an additional semester to graduate, but be sure to verify this with the Registrar’s Office.… Read full post

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Decisions…Decisions…Decisions

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

As I’ve mentioned in earlier entries, the Admissions Committee takes into consideration every element when reviewing your application: LSAT, undergraduate and graduate GPA and transcripts, letters of recommendation, resume, work experience, life experience, personal statement and addendum (should you have needed to write one). 

I tell my clients right up front that I cannot and will not guarantee that they will be accepted to a specific law school, nor will I guarantee that they won’t be accepted to a specific school.  I do not have the advantage of serving on the Admissions Committee and being able to read your application along with the other thousands that have been received for the upcoming year. 

In researching law schools, you noticed that each school indicates a range of LSAT scores and a range of GPAs for accepted students.  This range covers the 25th – 75th percentiles, which means the school also accepts above the range and below the range:

  • Should your LSAT and GPA fall way above both ranges, I’d say that you have a very, very strong chance of being accepted.  As your consultant, I would not guarantee your acceptance because maybe there is something else going on in your application that I’m not aware of, something you haven’t shared with me.  However, the odds are very much in your favor.

    • … Read full post

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