This is a “reblog” of an older article I posted, but I think is still pertinent.
How do I prepare for the LSAT?
The Biggest #1 Most Important Thing Of All Standardized Testing Preparation is to take as many (Testwell.com says ALL TESTS, TWICE) of the real LSAT preptests as humanly possible before the test (but only 2-3 full tests a week, with practice on off days). Tests, tests, tests!
As for me, I took 26 preptests, along with a Kaplan manual of 1000+ questions organized by category. Fact is, all the Kaplan/PR/Nova sample questions are close, but don’t follow the real LSAT formulas. Depend only on the original LSAT questions written by LSAC to monitor your progress.
What should I do about timing my sections?
Also, a HUGE POINT: do not, I repeat DO NOT restrict yourself to a time on practice tests UNTIL YOU ARE SCORING IN THE GENERAL RANGE YOU WANT TO BE IN. Don’t stop at 35 mins per section unless you’re consistently where you want to be. It’s more important to solve each question rather than keep to a time. Speed will come with repetition.
Also, don’t restrict yourself to a time on practice tests UNTIL YOU ARE SCORING IN THE GENERAL RANGE YOU WANT TO BE IN.
Which LSAT course should I take?
I normally don’t comment on other courses, but Testmasters apparently hires only 172+ teachers, which is good (realize they’re still human, though ). The Boston company I worked for, http://www.Testwell.com is the same, and is the most rigorous and thorough course I’ve ever had contact with.
What LSAT score should I be expecting?
For your goal, you should consider your SAT verbal and score at or above that; the formula being a 650 verbal = 165+, 700 verbal = 170+, etc. This should be a minimum goal, and you should score higher if you didn’t have an SAT course, but are now taking an LSAT course.
What books should I get?
– 10 Actual LSAT Preptests (~$22)
– 10 More Actual LSAT Preptests (~$22)
– 4 to 6 of the latest single preptests directly from LSAC.org ($8 ea.)
– Nova’s Master the LSAT (or Kaplan or PR, a main book to explain principles) (~$30)
– Robert Montauk, “How to Get into the Top Law Schools” (~$22)
– Princeton Review’s Analytic Workout for LSAT & GRE (out of print, but excellent games preparation; was only ~$14)
Wow, buying all of these books is expensive! Which can I do without?
The whole application process is expensive, for a college student. Don’t cheap out and not get all the books you need though. Saving $50 or $70 now and losing 2 LSAT points because of lack of preparation is something you will regret for a long time. Trust me, when you get your score, chances are you would pay $500 for 2 more points, if you could.
How much should I budget for to apply to law school?
I will say $800 if you don’t take a course, $2000 if you do. This includes about $100 for the LSAT, 7 applications at $80 each, and $150 in study books and reference materials. Just be grateful you’re not applying to med school, which is much, much more costly. There are fee waivers for financial hardship available though; and if you score well enough on the LSAT, many schools will invite your application for free.
What should I write in my personal statement?
The quick advice is not to give a report of WHAT you’ve done, as your resume and school stuff will show that. The most important thing is to discuss a personal experience or set of events to show: 1) HOW you’ve grown, 2) taken responsibility, 3) made good decisions, and 4) want to lead/fulfill life goals.
I’ve missed the June LSAT. Is October ok?
Relax. October is just fine. I’ll just say to optimize your chances, get all the rest of your application done BEFORE you get your scores back at the end of October and send it all in on or around Nov. 1st. This is still “early application” time at most schools except NYU (Oct 31?). You can’t apply until your scores are in though.
Anyway, anything before Thanksgiving is still considered “early.” Most schools do not even beginning review until early to mid Dec, and very, very few ever hear back by early January.
SO, the wait will be long. Just don’t be that annoying guy calling in asking if your app is done yet/if they’ve made a decision/if they’ve mailed it out… my wife was a staffer in an admissions office (no, not at a law school), and that is so annoying. And then I hear about it at home.
Does taking the December test put me out of the running?
No, not as long as the rest of your applications are already finished, and that you can mail in your applications before the Christmas break. While not ideal to wait past Thanksgiving, it does not ruin your chances.
How do I know if I’m ready to take the LSAT?
It is my opinion that you know you are ready when your recorded LSAT scores plateau and hold steady over a course of 4-6 tests. Typically students find their scores jump all over the place and gradually upwards. However, you will find a point (usually not beyond 20 practice tests) were your scores stall and hold steady. If your scores are steady and you cannot pinpoint any one repeated error or flaw (look at your wrong answers – is there a connection?), then you are ready.
When is it worth delaying my test?
Once registered, it is only about $30 to postpone your test date. You can even not show for the test date and still call in and reschedule (that or the next day) to take the next sitting. This is worth it if you can increase your score at least 2 points in the next 2-3 months. 160 is a whole different category than 158, and 165 is much better than 163 – in the score ranges of the top tier you will see this is the difference between a school ranked #25 and a school ranked #10.
I took a practice LSAT and have scored extremely well. How much more should I do?
If you had a spectacular starting score… and I hope that you push AS HARD AS POSSIBLE to increase your score well into the 170’s. This is the time to shine. Nothing will replace slighted effort on the LSAT. It is worth more than four years of GPA. Just a warning for someone who has started high from someone who has seen some very sharp people get lax and end up getting whupped by the real test. I had a friend get a 172 on his first practice. He then decided to take the LSAT, and was cocky enough to go in without study. He got a 157. Undeterred, he registered for another LSAT, and was beaten down again. Since scores are averaged, and are held for 5 years, he has given up on the law school thing for a while.
Should I have ‘stretch’ applications, or should I be reasonable?
Oh yeah, build your application around your stretch school – the best application you could ever do. Having a “realistic” school limits yourself… If you shoot for the top you only need one. Sure, it’s risky, but it will guarantee you have a bulletproof application because you’ll make it good enough for the best. Note this is a risky strategy.
Most people submit 7 or 8 applications – 2 “sure bets,” 4 schools in their range and then 2 “dream school” applications.
Is GPA more important than LSAT? How does it compare with MBA programs about GPA?
I would say that overall the LSAT is more important. Top schools expect solid GPA’s though. Because the majority of law students come straight from undergraduate, GPA is more important than in an MBA; the coursework is also more academic and theoretical in nature than MBA coursework. MBA programs tend to look for more vision, leadership and entrepreneurship than law, things which are not always tied to GPA – indeed, many captains of industry and CEO’s were wandering minds in college.
I want to go to a top law school, but my record in undergraduate isn’t stellar/not from a competitive school or I’m not really a “stand out” applicant. What should I do to go to a top school someday?
One idea I’ve suggested to people (and was my own backup plan, if I didn’t get accepted to law) is to get a master’s degree at university with more renown than your undergraduate school, preferably abroad. If you’ve graduated from a state school with fair marks but not Yale Law potential marks, perhaps you should look at doing an advanced degree in history or economics or whatever interests you at a top British school, such as Cambridge, Oxford, LSE, University of London, etc. Other English speaking ideas include Australia, New Zealand, Canada – or maybe consider something in a foreign language if you have the ability.
Many foreign universities charge considerably more for US students (although less than an American master’s degree), and in their search for diversity and more cash the standards for US applicants are somewhat less rigorous than their citizen counterparts. Perhaps you will find that going from University of Montana to Yale is difficult, so go from UM to London School of Economics and then apply to Yale after LSE. This way you will round yourself out as an educated person, travel, and show that you can handle what is presumed to be a rigorous academic program.
Ideally, when should I do each step of the application process?
Fall, Junior Year: Get some LSAT texts and start occasional, untimed study to get familiar.
Winter, Junior Year:
Jan – begin serious LSAT study
Feb – start looking around at different programs online and in ABA/LSAC catalog
Mar – Choose the faculty you will ask to write your application letters; ask them ahead of time.
June – take the LSAT
July – review your scores, pick some target schools
Aug – Follow up and ask your recommenders to begin writing now (before they are busy in Fall); begin drafting your personal statement
Sept – Pick up your rec’s from profs, work through 2nd and 3rd draft of personal statement. Have [English] professors criticize it. Rewrite it completely at least once.
October – send in your applications! Enjoy the semester and senior year while others scramble like madmen to figure out grad school apps.
What should I do about my letters of recommendation?
I suggest having 3 different recommenders. Many schools want 2 or 3, some only want one. They will all accept 3, even if they say one, so go with 3. Don’t give more.
Ask 3 people from different areas of school, work, or volunteer areas. For example I chose three professors, one from my major, one from my minor, and one that I had done volunteer work but no class work with yet. Perhaps you will pick two professors and a boss, or a pastor or someone from the community you do service with/for.
The key is to tell them what you would like them to say. Not everything they will say, but the minimum you expect them to cover. In a nice, point form letter, cover where you are applying and why, all of the good things you did in their class/work/service, including any rewards you were given for that (or recognition), and anything else you’ve done with/for them they might have forgotten, and things they might not have realized.
Another key point is that you want them to emphasize 1 or 2 key aspects of your character. Each letter should tell about a different side of yourself. One letter talks about Joe the Writer, one is about Joe the Analytic Thinker, one is about Joe the Politician, one is about Joe the Diligent Employee, one is about Joe the Leader, Joe the Activist, Joe the Humanitarian, Joe the Entrepreneur, Joe the Best Student I Ever Had, etc. Combine some of these together in one letter; you have 4 chances total (including your personal statement) to illustrate the depth of your character – avoid any overlap between letters and statement as much as possible. It was said by an admissions professional that if all three people mention the same key events/successes, then you haven’t done enough yet.
Here is a shortened, fictitious sample of a letter to your recommender, given along with a resume and copy of your transcript (and possibly even a rough draft of your personal statement):
Dear Professor MacKenzie,
I am applying to UC Berkeley law school this fall; I am interested in the school because of their highly regarded patent law program. When I asked you earlier to write a recommendation on my behalf, I mentioned that I would provide a list of things that would be good to mention – since UCB is such a prestigious school, I need your help in proving I am a student of their caliber. In particular I would like you to focus on my academics and the quality of my writing and analysis ability, that you saw in my History coursework.
– I provided quality work in the two history classes of yours I took, HIS 201 and HIS 385; I tried to be at the top of the class
– I was always participating and active in class, helping the discussion
– You kept my paper on Early Modern Spain for future reference and example
– I got 98% on my final presentation in 385, the one with the song and short film I made
– I was the activities leader for the History Honors Society, and put together 8 events and colloquiua
– I was involved with the journal of history…
– {Other details you wish to have this professor discuss}
For my other letters of recommendation, Prof Andersen is discussing my political activism with the environmental foundation and my work with the humane society; my internship supervisor will be discussing my work ethic, business sense and employment related skills. These very different letters will combine together with my personal statement to give different aspects of my character.
Thank you very much for your effort,
Joe Schmoe
What are the advantages of going to Havard/Yale/Columbia over UCLA/UT/UVA? Will you really have that many more opportunities with the big three than the better state schools ?
You are pretty much right with the assumption about academia and judging. The population breakdown of law professors is pretty much in line with the USNWR rankings, with Y/H/S/Col. with the lion’s share of professors nationwide. I would say in the federal court system it’s much easier to get a bench and/or a clerkship from a “Top 6” school (the previous, and NYU and UChicago). Law professors make very, very good money and have relatively light class loads (which means more ‘consulting’ time = $$). Even at a low-tier law school, profs are pulling in $95k+, and much more at bigger schools . Sure, it’s not partner money, but I don’t think there’s even junior associate stress there- and summers off to lounge around the Italian Riviera are a nice perk.
UT, UCLA and UVA are good schools , which do carry some weight nationally… but my main point about ‘local’ schools : IF you know you want to practice in LA, TX or DC, then I don’t think you would be much worse off career-wise than at a Top 6 school. They have tight local networks and you’d get to know the area – indeed, a high percentage of law students end up within 80mi of their school (or so I’ve read). And obviously, once you start working your performance becomes a large factor of your progress. We were told in class though, that the gap (between schools ) in average starting salaries increases as you move to partnership (likely a factor of local law firm $$ vs. national/worldwide law firm $$).
However, I’ll say that with a top degree , leaving school becomes a lot easier because you can pick and choose what you want, and have less of a feeling of ‘taking what you can get.’ The biggest NYC megafirms aside, the real difficulty of the job hunt is just convincing the hiring partner that you want to live in that city. There’s a lot more mobility; and not just within the law …
Is a law degree a really flexible degree?
My opinion only: many law schools (mostly mid-ranked schools ) will tout the law degree as a super-flexible degree leading to hundreds of careers. I’ve gotten several of these lists at events. I think that such degrees are not very flexible – or not nearly as flexible as University of Detroit would have you believe. The most flexible degrees are from the top schools . There you get recruited by banks, consulting firms, and over 600 law firms (Yale and Stanford get a few less, but they still get nearly 2 employers per grad for on-campus interviews – let alone the fact they can cold-call for a job to ANY firm almost worldwide). Unless you know someone, you cannot jump into i-banking or consulting or something else straight from Georgia State, or even Emory.
I’m just saying don’t think a law degree is an MBA – IMO the real “flexible” grad degree in the business world. The only exceptions are Harvard, Yale, Stanford, Columbia, NYU and Chicago, maybe a few others. This is elaborated in “How to Get into the Top Law Schools” by Richard Montauk.
The only time I think I’ve ever recommended to someone who could go higher “just go to a state school,” is when she mentioned she wanted specifically to be a family law lawyer in Colorado (her home). Such local private law careers (esp. as a wife and mother) would be ideal state-school material. Note that all top schools offer loan-forgiveness programs for practitioners of gov’t/public interest law . If you want to be a gov’t lawyer or non-profit in-house for 10 years post-grad, the long-term $ cost to you of law school – even pricey NYU and Columbia – could be $0. If you read law career advice from books or legal career columns such as “Ann Israel,” http://www.nylawyer.com/lawlorn/ , they will almost always tell you to go to the best [ranked] school that you can.
Lastly, it’s much harder to get into law school IMO than the actual work (not that the schoolwork is *easy*, but admissions is the tough game). The biggest investment of time and effort should be in a strong LSAT and application: the low end of the class at Columbia are still getting jobs, whereas at, say, St. John’s, you’re going to have to fight tooth and nail through three years of law school to land a job. The time put in beforehand means a considerable amount less sweat and tears later on.
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Some Advice from Legal Recruiter and Columnist Ann Israel:
Q: [Ivy League or Regional? Been accepted to both]
A:
Dear Anxious:
Well, here we go again! This debate will never end. However, I must still stand by my statement that you should go to the best school you possibly can and that is my final answer.
…
There is no shame and certainly nothing wrong if you end up going to your regional law school. But if you are asking my opinion then you need to be prepared to hear it… and my opinion is the same as it was last week and last year and the year before. If you are deciding between a second tier school and a top tier Ivy League school, go to the school that has the highest ranking. Period, the end. No-brainer. That’s my opinion. So don’t get mad at me when I voice my opinion. This is not the law , nor is it the final word. It is just what I personally have learned over many years as a legal recruiter.
…But if you are going to ask me what I think you should do, then you are going to hear me tell you to go to the school that has the highest ranking. Best wishes!
excerpted from http://www.nylawyer.com/lawlorn/04/ad010504.html
More on ‘the Scar of Attending a 3rd Tier Law School’ and trying to lateral in the big firms: http://www.nylawyer.com/lawlorn/04/ad022304.html
