New Year's Resolutions for Law School Applicants

Here is a link to one of my favorite LawSchoolExpert posts ever - New Year Resolutions for Law School Applicants. I posted it a year ago, and I hope this year's class of law school applicants finds it just as comforting as last year's.

Happy New Year.

Law School Expert's Best of 2008

Thanks to all of my readers for your wonderful comments and feedback this year.

Over 63,547 of you visited the Law School Expert blog 93,719 times. WOW. Thank you. I love how many of you left comments and sent me e-mails about how the blog has helped you through the law school admission process.

I'd like to share with you my favorite posts from this year: (There were 122 posts, so choosing them proved difficult)

January: The benefits of attending law school part time. and 5 Things You Can Do To Be Admitted Off the Waitlisted

February: Law School Discussion Driving You Crazy

October: Are You Suffering From Application Panic Syndrome? (my personal favorite post of the year!)

November: Mistakes to Avoid in Law School Applications (with a whopping 32 comments!)

December: How Binding is Binding Early Decision?

Thanks so much for the great inspiration - many of my topics come from questions and comments posted to the blog and things that my law school admission consulting clients express concern regarding.

Wishing you all a wonderful and happy New Year in 2009.

December LSAT Scores Out Today!

Just heard back from my first client about December LSAT scores - Congrats on the big increase, B! Looking forward to hearing more news..... Check your email.... (not to make you totally paranoid, but keep your eyes out!)
Good luck!
And for those of you who haven't yet applied, let's get started ASAP. I'm here to help.

Holiday Cheer

Hello Everyone! In honor of the holiday season, today's blog post exists to congratulate some of my law school admission consulting clients who have heard good news from the following schools:

M - Miami, PSU, Drexel (with scholarship)
R - Cornell, Georgetown
S - UCLA, Georgetown, Berkeley
D - William & Mary
B - Richmond
H - Georgetown
K - Wisconsin, BU, W&M (with scholarship!)
J - Georgetown, Washington University, Fordham (with scholarship!), USC (with scholarship!)
M- Baltimore, Rutgers Newark, Suffolk, Catholic
K - Rutgers Newark
E - U. Texas and UCLA (with scholarship!)
E - U. of Miami
T- Marquette (with scholarship!), DePaul, University of Miami
A- Rutgers Newark (with scholarship), Maryland, Catholic (with scholarship!)
L- Iowa (full tuition scholarship!), George Mason
J - NIU, DePaul, Marquette, John Marshall
M - Whittier (after applying last year to a bunch of schools and not getting in anywhere!)
K - U. Illinois (with scholarship!), W&M (with scholarship!)
A- Quinnipiac, Catholic, Widener (with scholarship!)
N- Case Western (early decision!)
J- St. Thomas
C- Nova
L- UVA, W&M
J- U. Miami


I love to hear about your success stories. Please continue to keep me posted. Happy Holidays to everyone.

How Binding is "Binding Early Decision"?

"Exactly how binding is early decision?"

Thanks to Nathaniel for this great (and timely) question.

LSAC lists obligations of the law schools and obligations of law school applicants in the admission process, and one of the key obligations of a law school applicant is in regard to binding early decision programs. I urge all law school applicants to read this one-page fact sheet.

The bottom line is that, after June 15th, law schools will be able to see where you've submitted seat deposits. If a school sees that you have multiple deposits, the school enforce any policy it has with regard to withdrawing offers of admission.

My personal advice:
You're entering a profession where your success will be based largely upon whether others regard you as being good for what you promise. It's a little early to start playing games with your reputation. Plus, you'll learn in law school that although it's not against the law to break a contract, there are certain liabilities and downsides for breaching a contract. While a law school won't send the police to cuff you, bring you to their campus, and make you pay the tuition, a law school very well might say "Nevermind" to your admission offer, as could the other school where you've submitted a deposit. Then where would you be? And would all of this trouble have been worth it?

For those of you applying for Fall 2010 admission and wondering about Early Decision admission to law school, this link should answer your questions.

Two new reports explore President Bush's legacy

A report from the Governemnt Documents department...

At the close of George W. Bush’s administration, the White House has released a new report that highlights our forty-third president’s accomplishments over the last eight years. Both reports can be found on the Bush Record webpage.

The report is called Highlights of Accomplishments and Results: The Administration of President George W. Bush, 2001-2009. This 52-page document explores President Bush’s legacy and includes an appendix called 100 Things Americans May Not Know About the Bush Administration Record.

Your Law School Admission Questions Answered!

Hello law school applicants! I am currently accepting suggestions for blog topics..... Fire away by leaving a new comment here - and please give yourself a name (rather than "Anonymous").

I look forward to answering your questions.

Ann

Legal News

Today's Legal News

Today's Legal News

Today's Legal News:

101 Ways to A Higher LSAT: Featuring Law School Expert!


I am very excited to announce that I am a featured case study in the book: 101 Ways to Score Higher on Your LSAT: What You Need to Know About the Law School Admission Test Explained Simply by Linda C. Ashar.

If you're just starting to think about the LSAT (especially those of you applying for Fall 2010 admission and beyond), this book is a great, unbiased resource from a company that's not trying to sell you anything.

I look forward to hearing your thoughts on the book.

After taking the December LSAT - 3 tips

You took the December LSAT today? My three most important tips:

1. DO NOT SPEND TIME TODAY ON DISCUSSION BOARDS. If you feel good walking out of the test, don't change your opinion of your own performance based on what the mob says on discussion boards. Why would you trust total (anonymous) strangers over your own instincts? Instead of fueling hits to Law School Discussion and Top-Law-Schools today, rent a guilty pleasure movie (or download it, I'm sounding my age by saying you have to "rent" it), enjoy a glass of wine, and only surround yourself with people who are supportive of your endeavors.

2. Thinking about canceling your LSAT score? I've written quite a bit on that topic since starting this blog. (I can answer a few questions in the comments section, but can't give specific advice about whether you should cancel within the blog format. There are just too many factors to consider.) Please also remember that taking the February LSAT is less than ideal for Fall admission.

3. I know that LSAC said you'd get your scores in January. And they might be telling you the truth. But last year scores were released on Dec. 21st. Just keep this in mind so you're mentally prepared to submit all of your apps before the end of the month.

Enjoy the rest of the weekend, and tell your friends who plan to apply for Fall 2010 admission to take the June or October LSAT so they don't have to go through this agony.

December or February LSAT? 6 Tips for LSAT Test Day.

Here are the 4 most common questions that I'm hearing this week from people scheduled to take the December LSAT:

1. I have the flu. What do I do?
2. This is my first time taking the LSAT and I'm not ready. What do I do?
3. If I postpone until February, is that too late in the rolling admission process?
4. Why do law schools say they will accept February LSAT scores?

If December would be your first time taking the LSAT and you're feeling unprepared or ill, then you have 2 options: (1) take the LSAT and see how you feel about it, keeping in mind you can cancel it if you really feel terrible during the exam, or (2) wait until the February LSAT.

If it's not your first time, you have to decide how you feel about relying on your previous score(s). If you are ok with the options that score will leave you in terms of a schools list, then go ahead and submit your applications and see what happens. If you aren't happy with your results, you can take the LSAT next June or October and apply early in the cycle for Fall 2010.

If you are someone who is scoring in the 140s on practice tests, please don't take the exam when you're sick. You'll come back with a score that won't get you serious consideration at any school, and this is especially true if your GPA is not strong. Plus, you'll have to deal with the ego blow that will haunt you whenever you do retake the test, and you'll have to write a pathetic "Boy, I sure do wish I'd done better on the LSAT" Addendum.

Waiting until February is not ideal, but if you get your applications submitted in the next few weeks you may be able to mitigate some of the disadvantage from applying so late in the cycle. Of course, it's always a gamble to come up with a schools list without a final LSAT score. You can create a schools list based on the range of practice LSAT results you've gotten, erring on the side of your lower scores to be safe and to make up for applying late in the cycle.

Lastly, I know schools say they "accept" February LSAT scores. However, you need to understand what that means. The earliest your application will be reviewed is March, at which point most schools will already have dozens or hundreds of applicants on their waitlists. So, in order for you to be admitted you would need to have an LSAT score that makes them want to take you over the others already on the waitlist. When schools say they "accept" February LSATs, it means they hold out for those really competitive candidates.

6 TIPS FOR LSAT TEST DAY:

I hope those of you taking the LSAT this weekend are ready, healthy, and well rested.
1. Go in with the attitude of proving what you can do.
2. Don't think about your final score.
3. Look at each question as a challenge that you welcome.
4. Don't worry about the guy next to you.
5. Don't talk to anyone during breaks (especially people who talk about already having a 172 but trying for a 179).
6. Do what works for you - eat the snacks that work for you, entertain your own superstitions, and try not to get distracted by rude proctors or clicking pencils. After all, those factors will be present in law school and during the bar exam - get used to them now.

Good luck everyone!

A Note to My Readers

Just a quick note to my loyal readers - I just started running Google Ads as an experiment. For the first 18 months of this blog, I did not run any advertisements. I have decided, however, that I'm not scared that you might learn about my "competition" - rather, I welcome you to learn about other law school admission consulting options. I think, after exploring the options, you'll be rather impressed by all that I offer - particularly my accessibility, affordability, and the quality of the coaching you receive. I welcome your comments about having Google Ads on the blog, as this is an experiment and I want the blog to offer valuable information to law school applicants.

And, yes, I am currently accepting clients who are taking the December 2008 LSAT. I always offer a free initial consultation if you have questions about how we could work together.

If you sign up for my Option A "The Works" package between today and December 15th, you can get 10% off the total price by entering the coupon code DECLSAT.

Good luck on the December LSAT!

The Charge and Embrace of Discrimination

One thing that is distinctive about religiously-affiliated schools is that we very often discriminate in hiring. Specifically, in diverse ways, we favor members of our faith over those who are not a part of that faith. Within our group, we vary from schools that have almost no religious favoritism in hiring to those who hire only from members of the faith (or those willing to live under its strictures). My own school, Baylor, is probably more towards the restrictive end of this continuum-- our University demands a relatively close inspection of a candidate's faith, and our current law faculty contains no non-Christians.

Critics of this type of discrimination properly point out that it limits the viewpoints a student is exposed to, and may restrict the debate within the faculty.

However, those problems are costs which many institutions are willing to bear in order to retain their denominational identity, foster the views professed by the sponsoring faith, and provide diversity to the larger national discussion on legal issues from a place of moral certainty.

What I wonder at times is how intentional all this is-- that is, are we sure we are getting the benefits that would justify the costs?

Transition to a New Administration

As promised in the previous post, we are providing links to sources that will allow you to follow our country’s transition to a new presidential administration.

On the website for 2008-2009 Presidential Transition Resources, the following is noted:

The Presidential Transition Act of 2000 (P.L. 106-293) authorizes the General Services Administration (GSA) to develop a transition directory in consultation with the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA). The Act provides that the transition directory "shall be a compilation of Federal publications and materials with supplementary materials developed by the Administrator that provides information on the officers, organization, and statutory and administrative authorities, functions, duties, responsibilities, and mission of each department and agency." Senate Report 106-348 clarifies that the directory is intended to "assist in navigating the many responsibilities that fall on a new administration" that is "confronted by an overwhelming amount of material."

Among other resources, this site includes organizational charts, a guide to inauguration events, and links to important government documents regarding leadership, recordkeeping, and national security. Two sources are worth special mention: The Plum Book and The Prune Book.

The Plum Book (a.k.a the United States Government Policy and Supporting Positions) is published every four years by the Senate Committee on Governmental Affairs and the House Committee on Government Reform. It lists more than 7,000 federal civil service leadership and support positions in the legislative and executive branches and is used to identify presidentially appointed positions within the Federal Government. This reference tool will keep you informed about the various positions our new president will be required to fill in the coming months, including agency heads, policy advisors, and members of the cabinet.

The Prune Book, published by the Council for Excellence in Government, is also designed for use during the transition to a new presidential administration. It profiles the toughest management jobs in the federal government and is “written specifically to equip the incoming presidential administration with insights into staffing the key appointed positions.” A related resource, A Survivor’s Guide for Presidential Nominees, is a handbook for those who aspire to work in the new administration or those who have been nominated for federal positions. It is designed to answer all your questions regarding “nomination and clearance, Senate confirmation, and compliance with ethics laws and financial disclosure rules.” If you’re selected to work for President Obama, this is the source to consult when making your decision to accept or decline the position.

Change.gov is another good source for information about the transition period. This website will keep you up-to-date on latest news, events, and announcements as America ushers in the new Obama-Biden administration.

Government Documents Highlighted Each Month

At least twice a month, we will be highlighting an interesting government website or online resource. Often these resources will pertain to topical issues or current events. Many of the websites will be online publications produced by the federal government or a federal government agency. Others will be sites created by academic institutions, think tanks, or independent organizations and will provide commentary or analysis on the actions of the government. Occasionally, we will also include sources produced by or for state and local government entities

The first topic we are going to address is the presidency. In particular, we have chosen to highlight a source that examines voting trends both past and present. In the next blog post, we will provide links to resources that address the transition to a new administration.

To view voting trends throughout America from 1840 to 2004, visit the site, Voting America. This site, developed by the Digital Scholarship Lab at the University of Richmond, was designed to explore “the evolution of presidential politics in the United States across the span of American history. The project offers a wide spectrum of cinematic and interactive visualizations of how America voted in presidential elections at the county level over the past 164 years. You can also find expert analysis and commentary videos that discuss some of the most interesting and significant trends in American political history.”

Consolidated analysis of 2008 presidential voting trends is not yet available in a comprehensive or organized fashion. Voter turnout and some demographic trends have been reported in various sources, but, so far, no one-stop reference tool has been created to examine the detailed patterns of American voting behavior in 2008. (If you think that we’ve overlooked such a source, please let us know!)