Top Law Schools

ITT we talk about personal statements, LORs, transcripts, and anything else related to the 2014-2015 law school application cycle. Figured this would be a good place to talk about general concerns related to getting app materials together, before we start applying to specific schools, etc.

Q&A with Former Admissions Officers — a lot of the questions you may have about the application process have probably been answered here (there's a link to a PDF with a lot of the answers in the OP). It is a Q&A with Mike Spivey, who worked at Vandy and WUSTL and Colorado, and Karen Buttenbaum, who was Director of Admissions at Harvard Law.

T14 THREAD OP's: PUT A LINK TO THE SCHOOL'S SPREADSHEET IN THE OP!

LSAT Stats
There were 21,802 LSAT test takers for the June 2014 administration. This figure is down 2,195 or 9.1% from June 2013.
The volume of first-time test takers in June 2014 was down approximately 14% from June 2013.


When do apps open?

T50 Calendar
T51-100

Top 14 Quick Reference

middlebear wrote: August 15 - Chicago, Cornell

August 23 - Michigan

September 1 - Berkeley, Columbia, Duke, NYU, Penn

September 2 - UVA, Stanford

September 10 - Georgetown

September 15 - Harvard, Northwestern

October 1 - Yale

Is applying on X date late? Early? Etc.?

As a general guideline — pre-Halloween is very early, pre-Thanksgiving is early, pre-Christmas is on time, and anything after New Years is on the late side.


Where can I find **legit** employment stats?

Law School Transparency


What are my chances at X school?

Check out myLSN!


When/how will I get my decisions?

See What to Expect When You're Expecting (will be updated with current cycle thread if/when one is created)


How can I figure out what my law school COL will be?

Law School COA Calculator and Comparison Spreadsheet


INDIVIDUAL SCHOOL THREADS - Request a banner for your thread!

Yale
Harvard
Stanford
Columbia
Chicago
NYU
Penn
UVA
Berkeley
Michigan
Duke
Northwestern
Cornell
Georgetown
Texas
Vanderbilt
WUSTL
SMU
Baylor

Poll results!

I like the mod, and I love this thread. I'll be hanging out here a lot

Learn_Live_Hope wrote:I like the mod, and I love this thread. I'll be hanging out here a lot

Hi Mir... LLH

.

smccgrey wrote:Yesss! I was honestly surprised that this thread didn't exist yet...

Thank you xylocarp!

Isn't it a great idea? Did anyone start-finish their PS-DS?

P.S xylocarp I'm loving that 174 on your profile. I'm still chasing my 175+

Checking in!

Learn_Live_Hope wrote:

smccgrey wrote:Yesss! I was honestly surprised that this thread didn't exist yet...

Thank you xylocarp!

Isn't it a great idea? Did anyone start-finish their PS-DS?

P.S xylocarp I'm loving that 174 on your profile. I'm still chasing my 175+

Ugh I've been thinking about PS topics for the last 10 million years and still don't have something I like enough to run with... PS = bane of my existence haha. But I'll figure it out. Anyone else having as much trouble as me?

And LLH you'll make it this time! And if not you can always retake Sept. and still apply super early

I can't wait to have a real live LSAT score so I can stop fantasizing and start planning realistically. This weird limbo feeling has been going on way too long.

dasani13 wrote:Checking in!

Hi Is that a self-tar? If so, what are you glaring at in the photo?

Checking in!

I've been looking and haven't come across a thread about resumes yet... I'm sure it is out there. Is it like a regular resume that you would give to an employer for a job?

Thanks!

.

KAYCEE wrote:Checking in!

I've been looking and haven't come across a thread about resumes yet... I'm sure it is out there. Is it like a regular resume that you would give to an employer for a job?

Thanks!

Yeah pretty much, though as with any job you want to tailor it to whatever you are applying for. I know later on when you are doing OCI etc you will probably want to remove all mention of PI/save-the-world stuff if you are someone who is keen to do biglaw, whereas for LS applications I can't imagine there is anything that shouldn't be on there... maybe your retail/waiter job isn't relevant.

.

ikethegremlin wrote:

KAYCEE wrote:Checking in!

I've been looking and haven't come across a thread about resumes yet... I'm sure it is out there. Is it like a regular resume that you would give to an employer for a job?

Thanks!

Yeah pretty much, though as with any job you want to tailor it to whatever you are applying for. I know later on when you are doing OCI etc you will probably want to remove all mention of PI/save-the-world stuff if you are someone who is keen to do biglaw, whereas for LS applications I can't imagine there is anything that shouldn't be on there... maybe your retail/waiter job isn't relevant.

I think you're also supposed to add an interests section? Which I'd never heard of before LS apps

smccgrey wrote: Maybe it will come to me in some sort of hallucinatory vision

This is what I am hoping haha

xylocarp wrote:

ikethegremlin wrote:

KAYCEE wrote:Checking in!

I've been looking and haven't come across a thread about resumes yet... I'm sure it is out there. Is it like a regular resume that you would give to an employer for a job?

Thanks!

Yeah pretty much, though as with any job you want to tailor it to whatever you are applying for. I know later on when you are doing OCI etc you will probably want to remove all mention of PI/save-the-world stuff if you are someone who is keen to do biglaw, whereas for LS applications I can't imagine there is anything that shouldn't be on there... maybe your retail/waiter job isn't relevant.

I think you're also supposed to add an interests section? Which I'd never heard of before LS apps

Sample resume below, then:

Interests
- I used to have interests until 6 months ago, when the LSAT stole my life.

.

smccgrey wrote:

ikethegremlin wrote: I used to have interests until 6 months ago, when the LSAT stole my life.

Anyone else mid prep notice that whenever someone asks how you are doing, your mind immediately goes to "Well I got a great score on my practice LSAT this weekend! I even got -0 on LG with 2 minutes to spare! So pretty good...you?"

Every single member of my immediate family is intimately familiar with the LSAT. Not voluntarily.

My family and friends are infinitely patient, but there is no longer any pretense at interest in listening to me talk about law schools. Just another service TLS provides.

So do you include an objective and such? Do you put references?... probably not, huh? lol

Gosh I am so ready for our June scores. I'm extrememly nervous too!!! I do not feel very confident at all about mine, but I will be glad to know my standing.

I started working on my personal statement earlier this week. I have one evaluation received and sent out to LORs.

Yes, all my friends know just about as much about the law school application process as I do... it becomes a bit obesessive.

KAYCEE wrote:So do you include an objective and such? Do you put references?... probably not, huh? lol

Gosh I am so ready for our June scores. I'm extrememly nervous too!!! I do not feel very confident at all about mine, but I will be glad to know my standing.

I started working on my personal statement earlier this week. I have one evaluation received and sent out to LORs.

Yes, all my friends know just about as much about the law school application process as I do... it becomes a bit obesessive.

The references bit that would be on a regular resume is pretty much covered by the letters of recommendation you submit to LSAC.

Thanks!

I'm taking summer classes now and next summer. I graduate in August 2015. I'm applying for the fall 2015 cycle. Are law schools going to be leary when I submit my application next month, and they see I have so many credit hours left?

So ready for this. Like OP I have no idea what to write my PS on OP you should make an age poll!

xylocarp wrote:

dasani13 wrote:Checking in!

Hi Is that a self-tar? If so, what are you glaring at in the photo?

ops meant to PM