The Ivey Files blog contains advice and tips to help students navigate the college and graduate admissions process and plan successful careers.
Every law school application I know of asks about some mix-and-match of criminal disclosures. This post is all about helping you figure out what the key words in the disclosure questions are, and how to figure out what a particular school is asking you to disclose. (They are law schools, after all, so the precise language they use does matter.)
For readers who aren't familiar with how LSAC handles international transcripts, you can find their rules here.
At a recent LSAC forum, I met a guy who is a refugee and is currently in the middle of the law school admissions process, as am I. He is studying for the LSAT, but having much trouble due to English being his second language. I offered to assist him in preparation for the LSAT. I have been working with him on this, but he has recently asked me to review his personal statement, and I am unsure of the ethical constraints in such work.
An important reminder this time of year for all the law school procrastinators out there: Talking about doing something is much easier than actually doing it.
If you've been talking about your applications since September but are only now getting around to writing your first drafts, or you're on draft #27 of an essay you could have submitted weeks ago, that's a sign that you're looking for excuses not to finish your essay and send it out.
Have you summoned up the courage to ask a professor or an employer for a recommendation, only to have that person say, "Sure, send me a draft and I'll sign it?"
That happens a lot, mostly with professional recommenders, but sometimes too with professors. It puts applicants in quite a pickle.
Because it's so common, applicants often turn around and ask if we can help them with those recommendation drafts.
Have you heard about the lawsuit against Harvard’s affirmative action policies? Anna Ivey gave this interview recently about how race factors into the college admissions process in the US and abroad. Watch the clip here.
The updated, revised, and expanded version of The Ivey Guide to Law School Admissions (2018) is now available as an e-book on Amazon, with sample essays, résumés, interview tips, disclosure rules, waitlist advice, addendum help, and more. Download your copy to get a head start on the 2018-19 JD application season.
