My co-author Alison and I are thrilled to announce that our college admissions book is officially up on the Barnes & Noble site and ready for pre-orders. It won't hit the shelves until August, but it's starting to feel real! We're very excited and will post more updates as they happen. Stay tuned!
Cleaning Up Your Social Media Profile
Today’s Boston Globe ran an interesting story that you should read if you are hoping to secure a job in the future. So that means pretty much everyone.
The takeaway: your online footprint is easy for people to discover, and potentially very dangerous for your future.
It’s great to hear that schools like Boston University, Boston College, Brandeis, and Northeastern are taking the issue seriously.
Should You Go to Law School, Part II
An article from last Thursday’s Atlantic Monthly — "Law School Applications Are Collapsing (as They Should Be)" — has caught the attention of a lot of people in the legal profession. I’ve had it sent to me by a half dozen friends and colleagues since it came out, and discussed it with attorneys who are practicing in private firms and the public sector.
If you’re even considering the possibility of applying to law school, you should read it too.
Take Your Activities to the Next Level: Show Initiative!
What are admissions officers looking for when it comes to activities? They are looking for evidence of the “Core Four” – passion, talent, initiative and impact. That’s why we encourage you to always look for opportunities that would allow you to show admissions officers that you’ve got the Core Four.
For many students, how to show “initiative” is a bit of a stumper.
Your College Admissions To Do List for January through May
What am I supposed to be doing about college right now? This is a GREAT question and it is one of the questions I get asked all the time. As you are returning to school following the winter holiday, here are the “To Do’s” you should add to your list – organized grade-by-grade. Get these done by the end of the school year and you’ll be right on track!
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Jackie Lacey: From Entertainment Law to Top Prosecutor
Check out this profile in the L.
You're Disappointed With Your October LSAT Score. Should You Write an LSAT Addendum?
Law School Study Abroad
NYU is planning some major changes to its 3L curriculum. Here's the nutshell from the NYT DealBook:<!--break-->
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Avoid the 7 Deadly Sins on Your Personal Essay!
Working on your personal essay for the Common Application? Want to avoid the critical mistakes that too many applicants make? Then steer clear of what I call the 7 Deadly Sins!
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Sin #1. Your personal essay is not your work.
Your essay is expected to be your work, and if an admissions officer figures out that your essay is not your work, she will reject you.
Seniors: Get Your Recommendations Lined Up!
Should You Write About Topic X in Your Law School Personal Statement?
Here's a question I hear all the time: "Should I write about [topic X] in my law school application essay?"
That's the wrong question to be asking, but I completely understand why people ask it: essay prompts in the applications can be bewildering.
Here's a real example of what a non-bewildering essay prompt looks like:
Taking the LSAT a Third Time
Seniors Applying to College: You Need a Plan!
Law School Applications: Evaluation vs. Recommendation
If you're applying to law school this coming fall, you probably already know that you'll have to submit recommendations for most of your applications. When you're setting up your LSAC account, though, you'll see references to "recommendations" and "evaluations," and you might wonder why they're using those two different words.
It's important to understand the distinction between an "evaluation" and a "recommendation," because when you enter information about your individual recommenders in your online account, you'll be asked to label each one as an "evaluator" or a "recommender.
Best Time to Submit Your Law School Applications
I'm trying to figure out my timeline for applying to law school. Harvard, e.g., opens their application on September 15. Is there any advantage to submitting on the 15th rather than the 22nd? If not, at what point in the calendar does the "earlier the better" maxim become relevant?
Great question, and I know you hear a lot of conflicting advice out there.
Start Tackling Academic and Criminal Disclosures Now
As part 5 of my series on getting yourself into tip-top shape to apply to law school this fall (you can catch up with parts 1, 2, 3 and 4), I bring up a topic you'd probably rather not deal with: disclosures. And for that, you'll need to get a head start on thinking like a lawyer.
As future lawyers, one of the tasks you will get really, really good at (and very, very bored with) is called document review.
Rising Seniors: Time to Shift Gears and Finalize Your College List
More Than You Ever Wanted to Know About Law School Recommendation Letters
Marching forward in my little series about preparing yourself for killer law school applications this fall, here is a post devoted just to recommendations. (If you missed the previous installments, here are one, two, and three.) Judging from the emails we receive for the blog, this is a very popular topic.
Early summer is the right time to start thinking about whom you're going to ask for your recommendations, because recommendations can take a while to wrangle.
Running Your Numbers: The LSAT/GPA Calculator
The LSAT
Planning on applying to law school this fall?
Last week, I posted the absolute first step you should take if you want to be prepared to apply this fall.
This week, you'll take step #2: Register for the LSAT. Test dates and registration instructions are here.