Law School Super Highway…..

If you’re like me, you’ve sat at the computer for hours on end looking, searching for all of the information that others discuss in blogs, websites, etc. You have typed various key words into engines trying to find the specific info needed. Well, I am going to do what I wish someone had done for me….put all of the links in one useful post for reference! Below are websites that I frequent that have TONS of information on the law school process from start to finish. Hopefully you will sign up, post comments, be proactive, and make informed decisions moving forward. In no way, shape, or form am I affiliated with ANY of these sites. I am just passing along places that I,

1. have visited often

2. wish someone would have compiled for me.

I hope that you find them useful. Please feel free to reply with others that you’ve found as well!

http://www.lsac.org   Where you will have all of your transcripts and letters of rec’s sent. You will also upload your personal statements, addendum, and send off applications from this site.

http://www.lawschooldiscussion.org   Where future and current students can sound off, offer feedback, and give info on schools. Extremely helpful if you are wondering how current students like the school, if others have visited, etc. Past, current, and pre-law share advice.

http://www.top-law-schools.com  Do you want a truthful answer as to whether you should retake the LSAT, sit out a semester, apply to one school over another?? Well this site has the folks that will answer your questions HONESTLY…..they are quite frank, blunt, and to the point at times so don’t take it personal…..

www.lawschoolpodcaster.com  Listen to current deans of admission, law experts, etc. offer advice to the pre-law student on how to gain admittance and succeed in law school. A wealth of information.

http://www.lawschoolnumbers.com  Search a schools applicant pool for stats/numbers, a given year, or using your info. You can even search other factors such as URM’s, male/female, etc. Also, keep track of other students with similar stats. This site works on the honor system, so be mindful that the info posted is based on the user putting in correct information to share with others (their gpa, LSAT score, admit/denial from various law schools, etc).

http://www.lawschoolpredictor.com   It allows you to view your chances of admit/denial based on your info when plugged into the calculator. Not 100% because we all know that there are varying factors that admission reps look at when offering admission, but it can give you an idea.

Studying for the LSAT…

We have all felt it….your just too tired to continue. Another Redbull is not going to help because your mind is exhausted, and feels like its going to explode if you have to do one more practice test! ….Have no fear, we have all been there. While you can’t see it now, there is light at the end of the tunnel. My stress always hit me in my neck and upper back. When you feel the exhaustion in your body, your working too hard and its better to step away for a day or so to give yourself a much needed mental break. The LSAT is an important test and can make the best of us stress. Just STOP! Put your pencil and games bible down! The worse thing that I did was take a practice test, or two, when feeling tired. It will definitely reflect in your score. You will end up feeling defeated and wonder what the h*#$ is going on??? Step away from your desk! Here are a few things that I did between study sessions to shake the stress:

1. Workout

Go for a walk, run, or to the gym. It works wonders, gets the blood flowing, and adrenaline pumping. I never used to believed it, but it is so true! I always feel like my best self after some type of workout. Again, if your not a runner, just go on a stroll in the park, on the beach, your neighborhood, etc. Getting fresh air will do wonders.

2. See a movie

This one is a good idea, only if your not sleep deprived. It always can help you escape from reality for a couple of hours.

3. Go out to eat with great friends or family

Nothing takes my mind off of something faster than an evening of laughter, and sometimes hysterics, with my girlfriends or crazy family. Laughter, after all, is the best medicine.

4. SLEEP

If all else fails, hit the snooze button and get some much needed rest! I remember staying up until 1 a.m. saying, “I’m just going to do one more game and read one more chapter in my Powerscore Bible.”….PUT IT DOWN! Doing this night after night for the next 3 months or so will make you a zombie. GO TO SLEEP! Your body (and mind) will thank you for it in the morning.

If you are taking a future LSAT, good luck! Remember, give yourself plenty of time (cramming doesn’t work for the LSAT), use plenty of up-to-date practice tests along with your study aids, and take breaks when needed. A weary body makes a weary mind so listen to yours!

Took the December LSAT…Now What??!!

Well….Now I wait like everyone else for the scores to be released on January 4th. How do I feel? My feelings are mixed. I feel as if I did ok….but on the other hand, one of the sections through me off because I had RC back to back. That is one possibility that I did not practice with when studying. In any case, my applications are in early and being held pending my score. I am hoping that this will be a leg-up on the competition! I read many experts that said it’s ok in the cycle to submit in January, but I wanted to be safe. The weight off of my shoulders is HUGE. My next step is to visit some of the schools applied to in the Northeast. I am hoping that the school visits are not only productive, but also help seal the deal. Good luck to everyone applying for the 12/13 cycle. If you have not done so already, here are a few things that I have picked up on and from reading other blogs that are key factors when applying:

1. Ensure that you read the schools directions for all documents requested.

Some schools wanted 2 page Personal Statements, others 3, and some 2-4. You do not want to write this compelling PS only to find out that your 3 page masterpiece is way too long. Condensing is harder than you think, especially when you are trying to convince Pick Me! Pick Me!….

2. Check, double-check, and check again for errors…..

Oh the horror to submit 5 complete applications only to discover that you misspelled a word or two OR you left a word out of a sentence making it sound awkward…AAHHH…..TAKE YOUR TIME! Ask your roommate, mother, father, husband, wife, etc. to read over beforehand. Reading your own work can cause you to miss small mistakes.

3. Pay attention to deadlines.

Many schools have March deadlines, while others have rolling admissions. Please pay attention to when your applications are due. From reading other sites, it seems the consensus is to get your apps submitted in January as soon as December LSAT scores are released at the LATEST! The reasoning behind this is that if you wait later in the cycle, many seats will already be filled hindering your chances (especially true if you are applying to top schools). These schools admit on a first come basis according to deadlines to fill their Fall seats. Taking the February LSAT is suicide because most deadlines are the beginning of March. Chancing that your scores will get back in time for your file to go complete, in review, and sent to committee for admittance is……well, I wouldn’t do it. It takes weeks for the process from start to finish. But to each his own. You decide….

4. Don’t waste your hard-earned money on applying to schools that you have no business applying to!

Ok, so here’s the thing….I have a friend, God bless her, who has a good GPA (3.6), but scored a high of 150 on the LSAT after taking it twice! Doll, you are not getting into Harvard, Yale, Duke, etc…..Let’s be real people! If your family has not told you, I will! Lets set our sights realistically. I know that daddy and mommy said that we could do anything that we put our minds to, and that’s true!…BUT it’s just not going to happen at Stanford or Columbia. BUT, the good thing is that there is a Law School for just about anyone nowadays, so I am not going to burst your dream! Just go to the website below and take a look at where other applicants with your stats applied last cycle and were accepted if you need reference.

http://www.lawschoolnumbers.com

Good luck, and happy applying!

Take this Journey with Me!

Take this journey with me as I apply, get accepted, and begin law school. My up’s, down’s, high’s, and low’s. I will share the twists and the turns. Hopefully it will inspire others to go after their dreams.