Archive for December, 2010

Have you been dreaming of.. a few of  those seasonal elves popping by to work some magic on your law school applications?  We so get it. You’re finally done with exams, you’re taking a well-deserved break from work, doing your holiday shopping, hanging with family and friends, eating, drinking etc.  The last thing you want to think about are those law school applications that await you.  But, you promised yourself you’d use your holiday break to finish (umm, we mean, ‘start’) those apps, and get them in.  So, we thought this might be a good time to remind you of a few of our earlier blog posts on this very subject – just to help you stay motivated (the titles should give you a pretty good hint, but check them out to see and hear what the experts say).  

Best Time To Submit Your Law School Application?  By Thanksgiving or New Years, If Possible

Best Time to Submit your Law School Application?  Early is Good, But Stronger is Better

Check out these full shows to hear more tips on how to make your applications stand out!

Law School Strategic Admission Plan: What You Can Do Now To Help You Get Accepted  

Creating the Killer Law School Application: A Step-by-Step Guide To Creating The Best Application

Law School Personal Statements & Letters of Recommendation:  Where to Begin

Building the Best Law School Application Resume: Resumes to Get You Accepted

Avoiding Application Pitfalls: What Not to Do On Your Law School Application

Mitigating Weaknesses In Your Law School Application:  How to Identify and Fix Your Weak Spots

Take the Logic Games Challenge!  Manhattan LSAT posted Logic Games Challenge #29 and they invite our listeners to join in the chance to Win $200 off any LSAT Course or any Manhattan LSAT Strategy Guide (your choice!).  The latest challenge:  The Reindeer Game.

North Pole Productions is arranging a sled pull and must arrange six reindeer – Prancer, Rudolf, Sam, Tony, Vixen and Yeller – into three rows, numbered 1 – 3 from front to back. Each row has exactly two positions – one on the left side and one on the right – which are adjacent to one another. The arrangement must adhere to the following conditions:

• If Rudolf is in the second row, Vixen must be on the left side.
• If Sam is in the first row, Yeller must be in the second.
• If Yeller is not in the third row, Sam cannot be in the second one.
• Vixen and Sam cannot be in the same row.
• Tony must be placed one row behind Sam and on the same side.

You’ve worked and worked and worked on your application. You’ve slaved over your personal statement. Transcripts, recommendations and LSAT scores are on their way. All that’s left is to attach your resume. Make sure you’ve thought good and hard about it. As with the rest of your application, you want to submit your best possible resume.  We’ve got a new Law School Podcaster show titled Building the Best Law School Application Resume: Resumes To Get You Accepted.  In the podcast, admissions deans and leading authors/consultants give you solid advice on putting together your resume. Some of the issues they’ll address include writing style, format, what categories to include, and how to to highlight your strengths.

Rita Jones, Assistant Dean, Admissions and Financial Aid at Boston College Law School explains that the resume is one of the most important parts of the application and should provide background information in a clear and organized way.  It can include information not provided elsewhere in the file.  It’s also an example of a candidate being concise in getting one’s point across, says Dean Jones.  “I think a résumé should give the reader and anyone on the admissions committee greater knowledge of an applicant’s experience and potential to succeed in law school.  For example, a résumé could reflect one’s level of responsibility, motivation and success in a particular endeavor.  These are attributes that I think are transferable to law studies.  In a way, it expands on the profile.”

Dean Jones has some simple advice to make your resume stand out and to help you avoid the more common mistakes.  Some of these will be familiar.  “Like the application in general, I think typos, misspellings on the résumé, gaps in employment history.  That’s a tough one.  We would actually consider that a discrepancy.  If there’s a gap in employment you better describe it, explain it; that sort of thing.  And also, sometimes [you need to provide] just minimal substance in the descriptions of position responsibilities, for instance.  Sometimes it’s just such a brief listing that it doesn’t tell you too much more.”

Dean Jones and our other guests have lots more of good advice on what to do and what not to do in crafting your resume. Learn more about the best way to organize your resume, what to include and what not to include and some definite don’t do’s in our upcoming show. Other guests on the show include:

• Bill Hoye, Associate Dean for Admissions and Student Affairs, Duke Law School
• Richard Montauk, admissions consultant and author of How to Get Into the Top Law Schools
• Ann Levine, admissions consultant and author of The Law School Admission Game: Play Like an Expert

Don’t send off your resume until you listen to the full show!

 Law School Application Checklist

• Application Form:  √ 
• Personal Statement:  √
• LSATs. Check and remember to check up to make sure sent to right schools.  √ 
• Recommendations. In process.

So, what’s left?  Remember to attach resume.

Wait just a second. As with the rest of your application, you want to submit your best possible resume. We have a new Law School Podcaster show titled Building the Best Law School Application Resume: Resumes To Get You Accepted.  In the podcast, admissions deans and admissions consultants give you solid advice on putting together your resume. Some of the issues they’ll address include writing style, format, what categories to include, and how to treat your experience and activities.

One of the first things you should know about a law school application resume?  Don’t make the mistake of submitting the resume you use to look for a job.  Bill Hoye, Associate Dean for Admissions and Student Affairs, Duke Law School says the wrong type of resume is just a missed opportunity for the applicant.  “In my experience, we sometimes see candidates submit a resume that seems most appropriate for finding a job and then they leave off information that we would really find helpful in making a decision about law school admission.”

Dean Hoye explains that employers and admissions committees are looking for different skills and information about a candidate, so your job resume doesn’t really work as well with the admissions committee.  “So for instance, someone looking for a job might put together a resume that provides a lot of detailed information about their skills in a particular industry [with] jargon language that people in that industry might really understand and leave off a lot of good information that we would want to know about how that particular individual operated within an academic environment, because that’s typically not something that employers might like to see.  So, that’s a missed opportunity that might be great for finding a job, but it’s really not the information we’re looking for.

Dean Hoye and our other guests have lots more of good advice on what to do and what not to do in crafting your resume. Learn more about the best way to organize your resume, what to include and what not to include and some definite don’ts in our upcoming show. Other guests on the show include:

• Rita Jones, Assistant Dean, Admissions & Financial Aid, Boston College Law School
• Richard Montauk, admissions consultant and author of How to Get Into the Top Law Schools
• Ann Levine, admissions consultant and author of The Law School Admission Game: Play Like an Expert

Stay tuned for the full show!

It’s the Monday after an LSAT, so this is the question that’s filling the LSAT-universe. It’s not a pleasant discussion, but let’s get into it. Assuming that you just had a bad test day experience, here are a few considerations you should, well, consider:

1. Was this LSAT considerably different than your usual practice test experience? For example, did you only complete 3 games or RC passages when you usually complete 4? Or did you become violently ill?

2. Were you scoring comfortably within an acceptable score range on your last 2 – 3 practice tests?

3. What is the policy of the schools that interest you in terms of considering all scores, only your best, etc.

First things first:  if YOU KNOW you bombed the LSAT, then you should cancel (unless all your goal schools are firmly committed to only considering your best score).

Now that we have that out of the way, you should start with #3. Let’s say that you have 8 schools in mind. If 6 of them will look at all your scores, then that should steer you towards canceling and re-taking.

If it turns out that most of the schools that interest you consider your top score primarily or only, then you can relax and find out your score.

If, as is more likely, you face a combination of policies – some law schools considering your best score, some considering all, some giving more weight to your best score though taking a look at the other ones – then you need to think more about questions #2 and #1.

Let’s continue our reverse order and think about question #2: If you were at the bottom of your goal score range – in other words, if you were scoring below your goal school’s median LSAT scores on your last 2-3 practice tests, then a slightly bad test day brings you already further below what you need. So, then we’re probably facing a cancel, unless your father happened to build the school library or something similar.

If you were actually hitting the top end of the range you needed, then a slightly bad test day should bring you to the median, which is a decent place to be.

Finally, let’s consider question #1: How bad a bad day was it? If you’ve had practice tests in which you have experienced a similar screw-up – such as dropping an entire game – and you were able to salvage a decent score, then that suggests this event was not an anomaly and you might want to see the score. However, if this – you swear -was  the first time this has ever happened, then you’re looking at a cancel-me-now situation.

Go ahead and play around with the LSAT/GPA calculator that the LSAC helpfully provides. Take a deep breath, and consider this as rationally as you can.

This post is provided by Manhattan LSAT, a leading LSAT-exclusive test preparation provider. To hear more from Manhattan LSAT, listen to Law School Podcaster’s full shows, The LSAT: Everything You Need to Know About the Test and Conquering the LSAT: Tips for Tackling the Test.

Environmental law and green practices have exploded nationwide.

But these four schools are at the top of the class.  Although environmental law has been taught at the nation’s law schools for decades, it has enjoyed new growth, respect and student interest in recent years.

 The result is a plethora of impressive and interesting programs. That also means today’s law students are challenged to find the right school among the many law schools “going green.”  To help, preLaw has created an Honor Roll to highlight the best and brightest. The editors collected information about law schools’ curriculum, campus environment and building trends. Additional weight was given to those schools with a strong green focus in their classes, faculty and other academic offerings, such as externships, legal journals and summer programs.

Four schools received the magazine’s Summa Cum Laude ranking as the best of the best. In alphabetical order they are: American University Washington College of Law, Lewis & Clark Law School, University of Colorado Law School and Vermont Law School. Surprised? Here’s why.

American University

Located in Washington D.C., American University is best described as “a student-orientated law school in a great city for studying environmental law,” said David Hunter, an AU law professor and director of the Program on International and Comparative Environmental Law.  Students also benefit from the unique and long-running Joint Research Program with the independent Center for International Environmental Law. This past academic year, these projects have included participating in the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change Conference of the Parties in Copenhagen and the World Bank and International Monetary Fund Spring Meetings. The law school also has an intensive three-week summer program, which brings in experts from the nearby political center as teachers, mentors and resources, Hunter said.

Another important aspect of AU’s program is its commitment to externships and other experiences that will help its alumnae in the near term, Hunter said. “They not only gives students exposure to practical skills and practicing lawyers but gives them a network to find jobs in the process,” Hunter said.  On the campus side, AU created an Office of Sustainability, and Hunter participates in campus-wide task-forces working on sustainability issues. AU has committed to a Zero Waste Policy and has created a committee to develop a plan to eliminate or divert 100 percent of the university’s waste stream. 

Lewis & Clark

Lewis & Clark consistently ranks among the top environmental law schools in the nation. In 2010, the Portland, Ore. campus was ranked No. 2 in this category by U.S. News and World Reports.  What makes this collaborative campus stand out is its long history and commitment to environmental issues as well as those within the law, said Shannon Davis, assistant dean of admission.  “The Northwest region and the city of Portland in particular, are places where people have led green efforts for decades,” she said. “Our students can benefit from the innovative businesses, community engagement, thoughtful discussions, and forward-thinking green practices of the people who are leading the nation in this movement.”

The law school has a two-week intensive environmental summer school, co-curricular offerings with its well-received animal law area, the nation’s oldest student-run environmental law review and an award-winning moot court. In fact, its moot court trumped 67 other teams this year to once again win the national championship.  “A big part of our mission is to remain relevant and also address the latest issues within such areas as climate change, sustainability, and global environmental concerns. The curriculum naturally translates to our campus efforts,” Davis said.

University of Colorado

The law school was at the forefront of the environmental era, with teaching, the creation of its Natural Resources Law Center 28 years ago, a Natural Resources Clinic more than 20 years ago, and – more recently – the Center for Energy and Environmental Security.

Students also can earn a variety of dual degrees and certificates. Some unique offerings include Juris Doctor/Master of Urban and Regional Planning, American Indian Law Certificate and Graduate Energy Certificate Program.

The school’s deep commitment to teaching and research in these areas complements the school’s physical location in the Rocky Mountain West – a region defined by its vast natural resources, public lands and parks and many Indian reservations.  “The Law School and the University of Colorado campus ‘walk the talk’,” said David Getches, Dean and Raphael J. Moses Professor of Natural Resources Law. 

To that end, the new Wolf Law Building is LEED Gold Certified. And last year, Sierra magazine ranked the Boulder campus as its top “green” university in the nation. It also was ranked one of the top campuses for sustainability by the Sustainable Endowments Institute.  “The area is full of non-profit organizations, governmental agencies and private companies working to solve the nation’s and the world’s environmental and natural resources problems through innovation, education, advocacy, collaboration and better policies,” Getches said. “Law students can get a head start on meaningful careers.”

 Vermont Law School

U.S. News ranks this law school No. 1 for good reason. Its environmental curriculum offers more than 50 courses in environmental law and policy, more than any other school. And nearly half of its first-year JD class is pursuing a Master of Environmental Law and Policy degree.

The coursework, respected faculty and predominance of students who care about the environment separates Vermont from other law schools, said Marc Mihaly, head of the Environmental Law Center.  “You’ve got a critical mass of people talking, thinking and writing about the environment,” Mihaly said. “Some 60 percent of the students who come to Vermont Law School do so because they’re interested in the environment.”

 This commitment also translates into a huge summer school. Every summer, Mihaly helps organize a program that provides up to 40 courses taught by experts, government officials and legal practioners.  “We’ve got 250 to 300 people every summer,” he said. “It’s like [renowned music festival] Tanglewood – there is so much going on here. We’ll bring people in just to be here and hang out.”

 The rest of campus is just as active. The Law School serves local and sustainably grown food whenever possible in its café and at catered events. Vermont also has Composting toilets, motion-sensor lighting and fuel-efficient Zipcars zipping around.  “This is a different kind of atmosphere,” Mihaly said. “We’re pretty determined that we want to change things. … I would never think of teaching anywhere else.”

Top Green Schools

Summa Cum Laude

1.      American University Washington College of Law

2.      Lewis & Clark Law School

3.      University of Colorado Law School

4.      Vermont Law School

Magna Cum Lade

1.      Albany

2.     Stetson University College of Law

3.     UC Davis School of Law

4.    University of Minnesota Law School

5.      University of San Diego School of Law

6.      Wayne State University

7.      Widener University School of Law

Cum Laude

1.      Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law | Yeshiva University

2.      Indiana University School of Law- Indianapolis

3.      Northeastern University School of Law

4.      Thomas M Cooley Law School

5.      University of Georgia School of Law

6.      University of the Pacific McGeorge School of Law

7.      Willamette University College of Law

Honorable Mention

1.      Thomas Jefferson

2.      Maryland School of Law

 This guest post was authored by Karen Dybis and published in the 2010 Back to School issue of preLaw Magazine.  Click here for the digital version of  the magazine or visit the preLaw Magazine website for more great content about law school.

For those in the homestretch of the LSAT-prep marathon, we’ll be posting helpful tips from Manhattan LSAT to get you through to to the finish line….

The LSAT is less than a week away, and people are often asking for final tips about test day.  Here’s my best of:

You might think that law school is a less appealing option these days, given all the gloomy reports of recent law grads seeking employment.  But, they’re still lining up in droves to take the LSAT.  According to a post today in the ABA Journal, “the number of would-be law students taking the Law School Admission Test this fall was the second-highest ever.  In October, there were 54,345 test-takers, a 10 percent drop from the record set last year, the blog Most Strongly Supported reports. A chart published by the Law School Admission Council has the specifics.”

The continued high number of test-takers seems to defy logic.  Slate recently reported that “the job market for lawyers is terrible – and that hits young lawyers the worst. Although the National Association for Law Placement, an industry nonprofit group, reports that employment for the class of 2009 was 88.3 percent, about a quarter of those jobs were temporary, without the salaries needed by most new lawyers to pay off crushing debts. Another 10 percent were part-time. And thousands of jobs were fellowships or grants provided by the new lawyers’ law schools.”

 Given that October 2010 saw the second highest number of LSAT administrations, it seems that those interested in law school aren’t so easily dissuaded from applying.  A recent  Law School Podcaster applicant survey — administered in partnership with Veritas Prep,  and preLaw Magazine — uncovered some interesting insights behind what drives today’s law school applicants.  Notably, “81% of respondents said they would still apply to law school now even if a significant number of law school graduates were unable to find jobs in their desired fields, while 12% said they would postpone applying until placement rates improved. Only 4% said they would not apply to law school.”

You might think that all these LSAT-takers are lured by the prospects of Biglaw’s $160,000/year salaries, but that’s not necessarily so.  Our recent law school applicant survey indicates that those interested in law school have more modest expectations, with “44% of respondents indicating a reasonable desired base salary upon law school graduation to be $75,000-$100,000. Twenty-nine percent expect $100,000-$145,000, while only 11% anticipate base salaries over $145,000.”  

Expectations are one thing, but reality is another.  There just may not be a whole lot of jobs out there that offer salaries in that mid-range, as the blog Most Strongly Supported aptly observes:

“Although the median legal salary between 2006 and 2009 hasn’t changed alarmingly (from $62,000 in 2006 to $85,198 in 2009), the distribution over the same years has become hugely skewed. The legal salaries clustered in the middle—around the $80,000 mark—have been sucked out like a dust pile under a Dyson DC24. Instead of a consistent apportionment, we see a steadily lengthening distribution with spikes clustering around the $50,000 and the $160,000 range.”

Then there’s this.  While there have been calls for more transparency in the way law schools report their employed-at graduation numbers, it seems would-be law students might continue to apply and attend, even with more accurate information at their disposal.  According to a recent Kaplan Test Prep survey of aspiring law students, “only 8% of respondents consider a law school’s job placement statistics to be the most important factor” in choosing which law school to attend.” 

OK, if the legal job market isn’t the most important thing on the minds of law school applicants, what is?  Here’s a possibility, according to a post on the blog of admissions consultant, Veritas Prep. “The majority of respondents [to the law school applicant survey] said they want to go to law school because they are interested in the law and the way it shapes society and business (75%), though some admitted to having more practical reasons: 35% of respondents believe they will always be able to find some kind of job if they have a JD.” 

The enthusiasm for applying to law school in the current job market may seem a bit puzzling, but who knows?  It might inspire a future LSAT question.

Folks, it’s that time of year. The weather is turning crisp, the trees are stripping down for the winter, 3rd grade teachers are changing their window decorations from cut-out turkeys to snowflakes, and LSAT students are burning out.

This is understandable. With such a high-stakes test, prepping for the LSAT generally goes past being a part-time gig and starts becoming an obsession. Yes, practice does improve your score, but there’s a limit. Watch out for the signs of burn-out:

- Your score is starting to droop – and not because of anxiety, but because of weary eyes and a wandering mind.

- You are taking tests but are not reviewing them. Mostly because . . .

- You are angry, deeply angry.

Alright, stop. Here are some suggestions:

1. Take a day or two off. Your brain may actually do better if you give it some time to settle and organize what you’ve learned.

2. Work out. Your brain is a muscle – it needs oxygen.

3. Stop drinking, sniffing donuts or whatever you do for recreation that happily or not impairs your brain functioning. Your brain . . . well, this one is obvious.

4. Change how you are preparing. Try studying with someone else. Try playing the LSAT Arcade. Try doing just 1 or 2 full sections each day for a couple of days instead of full practice tests. Re-do some old sections.

5. Get some sleep. If you’re exhausted, this can be more helpful as doing more work.

6. Create a schedule, and add in breaks. Watch a movie to unwind and let your brain relax.

7. Recognize that you cannot learn much more – these final days are for you to solidify what you’ve learned and get into a routine.

You’re almost there, so don’t sweat it if you’re seeing a dip in scores – instead, change up what you’re doing. And don’t worry if you’re unable to get excited about the LSAT. Test day will bring adrenalin, which will help energize you a bit.

This post is provided by Manhattan LSAT, a leading LSAT-exclusive test preparation provider.  To hear more from Manhattan LSAT, listen to Law School Podcaster’s full shows,The LSAT: Everything You Need to Know About the Test and Conquering the LSAT: Tips for Tackling the Test.