What In the Heck Am I Going to Write About?

In my last post I listed the many parts that make up a law school application including the personal statement, resume and supplemental essays. I'm going to dedicate this entire post (apologies for its length) to all three of those things especially the personal statement.

Important Side Note: In this post, I have included photo examples. PLEASE DO NOT JUST COPY THEM. You need to make your entire application ORIGINAL & YOUR OWN. I have included them for your benefit but please do not just copy my work because I am here to share my experience and my work is my work... I put a lot of time and effort into it every piece of the application. You should do the same.

The Resume:

My spring semester, senior year, I took a class called "writing for the professions". The course was honestly one of the best that I had ever taken. I learned how to craft professional emails, memos, reports, resumes, cover letters and so much more. I highly recommended taking a course similar to this  if you have the opportunity & your school offers it. I was in class with peers from so many different majors beyond the English major and WE ALL benefited from learning how to create, as well as correspond, through professional documents. 

I would have to say that out of all the documents we worked on, one of the most beneficial was the Resume. Why? Because it applied to my situation right then. I needed one for my for my law school applications. When it comes to crafting a resume, there were many different areas that I struggled with:

1) I had to edit mine multiple times. (& trust me when I say multiple, 

I mean multiple... I'm pretty sure I saved at least 20 different drafts between start and finish)

There was so much fluff to the point were I was almost onto a third page. Resumes are typically a page but if you do go onto a second page its not the end of the world. Just make sure that you're being concise and whatever you include is truly relevant.  

2) I had a hard time writing concisely  - my first couple drafts I felt like I was giving job descriptions that were different from one bullet to the next. My professor pointed out to me that a lot of what I was saying could be done in one or two bullets versus four or five. But I could also do so but cutting down on a lot of the fluff that was there. USE ACTION VERBS TO HELP DESCRIBE. Check out this extremely helpful list of Action Verbs from my Alma Mater. All of this helped with spacing and also forced me to learn to write, describe, explain, etc., in a more concise way.

3) My resume was focused around law school & the applications. So I was highlighting parts of my undergrad career that related to my main focus. But I also included employment, extracurricular activities, projects, etc which took up my time as well. Some of these were tricky because I didn't know how I should describe them.For example I included my most recent summer position as a nanny for work experience... I didn't know what to put down because I couldn't think of ways that it related to what I'd be doing in law school. Though my professor helped by stating that it did in fact  relate because it highlights pieces of my character like being responsible, a leader, etc. etc.

After all is said and done, the best advice that I can give when it comes to the Resume is take the time to make it. Don't rush it. Just like any of the other pieces of the application, its a reflection of your work and dedication to law school (even if it only seems like a small piece of it). Make sure you have someone look over your work too, they can not only catch grammatical errors but they can give some great advice on how to improve your resume. Below I've include a sample template of a resume just so you can get an idea of what it could look like:

The Supplemental Statement:

Some of your schools may require you to do an additional essay on top of the personal statement (some calls these supplemental statements, others use different terms) Now for the schools I applied to (and ones that actually required this additional essay), the supplemental statement required that in so many words I describe Why it is I want to go to THAT SPECIFIC Law School. I made sure to included specifics about the school that drew me to it as well as specifics about the programs or student groups I was interested in. These usually aren't too time consuming or difficult. But like everything else be sure to take your time with it. Don't just give some generic answer, make it personal and from you.. not just stuff you can find on their website. Here are a few examples:

The Personal Statement:

The personal statement is something that you really need to take your time with. This statement is one of the only places where you have the opportunity to tell admissions about yourself and let your individual voice be heard. What's written between the lines is going to prove that you are more than just what your GPA, LSAT Score or Questionnaire define you as you; its a chance to make up for potential weaknesses in other areas of your application as well. This is your one opportunity to distinguish yourself from other applicants and use your own voice to do so. TAKE THE TIME TO MAKE IT WORTH IT!

I spent about a month and a half on my Personal Statement. Although those 6 weeks didn't feel like enough time, especially as my date to submit moved close and closer. I really struggled at first with my topic because I didn't feel like at this point in life, I had accomplished anything too out of the ordinary, or even faced a hardship that others haven't faced.
I'm unfortunately one of those people that has to write out what they are going to type beforehand (some days it' seriously the most frustrating thing). I probably re-wrote just the beginning of my paper about five times before I found something I actually approved of and there were countless drafts that followed after I got my focus down...

How do I choose a topic? 

Well first, you need to check to make sure the school you are applying to doesn't require you to focus on anything specific within your personal statement. Some of mine did, others didn't. I made sure to save a separate Personal Statement for each school so that I wouldn't mix them up. Also MAKE SURE YOU CHECK THE PAGE LENGTH REQUIRED & DO NOT GO OVER IT. Most schools require no more than 2 -3 pages, but definitely check up on it and stick to that length.

As for topics, you can really write about anything (not unicorns and rainbows , something related to the point of the application). When you decide on you topic or points of interest, DRAFT IT OUT. I had so many drafts, and the beauty of this is after re writing it over and over I was able to pull bits and pieces from each draft and eventually I had a finished product that pulled from almost all of them.

Side Note: For more information check out these helpful Personal Statement Tips

Once you do that... Proof read. Proof read. Proof read. I cant stress the importance of this enough. One tip that I have learned to love is to read your piece out loud. It helps with grammatical errors, weird sentences, and even just hearing what you wrote can help immensely. BUT DON'T STOP THERE, I had many many people read through my paper. Friends, family, past teachers. They were all more than willing to read through, edit & give great advice. Any little bit helped and I eventually had a finished product that I was truly proud to hand over.

Side Note: If you have a personal statement that you need a second pair of eyes to peer-review, I would be more than happy to help out if I can! Feel free to email me!

So what do I write about? 

For mine, I talked about my entire journey when it comes to pursuing law school. I began with the initial dream of becoming a lawyer from my childhood admiration of a fictional character, to the curiosity which led to me to enroll in undergraduate law courses. These courses then created a burning desire for something I could not satisfy at a desk but instead through an internship. That internship burned out the light that burned strong for criminal law; it was through my time as an athlete & English major that a new flame ignited for sports and entertainment law.

All of these were great pieces of my journey that I felt have created my identity. These are things that you wouldn't learn from my GPA, LSAT score or even from my questionnaire or resume. My personal statement became my voice that I deemed important in my law school journey, the voice that I wanted admission committees to hear. I could only hope that it would be heard and accepted.

Hopefully I have answered any questions you have about Resumes, Supplemental Statements & the Personal Statement. If you feel that there is something  I have missed or you have questions about, please please please comment or email me!

I Took The LSAT, Now What? Applications, Applications, Applications.

So I finished my LSAT and was really hoping all this Law School Application stuff was going to be a breeze compared to my actual exam.. Oh was I ever so wrong. I had my heart set on two different schools, including the one I will be attending in the fall. But I knew that I needed to look at some others just in case I didn't get in. This is where the LSAC School Search came in handy;

I knew what my undergraduate GPA was so I went and began doing school searches by using my final GPA and plugging in scores that were around the score of my final practice exam in the LSAT course (plus or minus a couple of points). From here I found what many would call "safety schools". I don't like to use that term but its honestly what they are. Basically they're schools that I would almost definitely get into with the last score I received. I know that sounds horrible to say but its like my LSAT instructor said:

"If you want to go to law school this fall, you will go to law school this fall"

Side Note: When you think about it she was right. There's always the option of transferring after your first year which is not completely unheard of. By going to a "safety school" you have your foot in the door. You just make sure you work hard to earn the grades you need to transfer out if that's your plan. && You never know, that "safety school" could end up being your dream school

So I did my search and found about 14 schools. I picked my top 7 to for my first round of applications. I had my top 4 schools that I would definitely go to if I got into any of them and then 3 safety schools that I had a feeling I'd get into regardless. I made sure to really focus on completing my applications within the 4 weeks waiting period I had to receive my scores. Plus it just helped to keep my mind preoccupied instead of driving myself insane.

After I decided on my schools for the first round of applications (I had a second round in mind just in case I didn't get in to any of the first round), I picked a date for when I would submit them all by. My exam was December 5th and my sole focus was on that up to that date. I chose a date that was about 6 weeks after my LSAT date that way I had enough time to take my time with everything and really give my applications my all. ALSO it was important that I pick a date that was in Early January so that I could apply in time to receive any academic scholarships from the school but also be eligible for FASFA.

Side Note: Its important to pick a date to submit your applications so that you don't fall off track and submit your application on time. I encourage picking a date so that you can also be eligible for academic scholarship if you are applicable but also for FASFA. Every little bit will help!

There's many different parts to the application, I've listed the parts in the order of which I found to be most important to get out of the way earliest - depending on when you apply.

1) Recommendation - LOCK THESE IN EARLY ON, I had my two by the end of my junior year. I ended up needing a third one because I needed two academic recommendations and I only had one. I was lucky enough to be on really good terms with my third recommendation and she completed it relatively quickly. 

2) Transcripts (remember I was graduated by this time so I could get my final transcript)

3) PERSONAL STATEMENT - I'm not going to go into too much detail with this because there will be a post on personal statement's and resume's later but the best advice I can give at this moment is give yourself at least a month to write and review this document. It's the only place where you can give yourself an identity beyond the questionnaire and your undergrad statistics. 

4) Resume - Not all schools require this but I chose to send them to all. I think resumes are a great way to sum up the highlights of your academic career especially extracurricular activities. 

5) Questionnaire- EVERY APPLICATION HAS THESE. There's about 14 sections to complete, and honestly I did these when I was home at night or during the weekend when I needed a break from completing my Resume / Personal Statement. The nice thing about doing the applications online is that LSAC remembers the info you plug in after about two times so you can easily fill them out. MAKE SURE TO REVIEW ALL INFORMATION YOU PUT DOWN

6) Supplemental Essays- Some of the schools that I applied to required a supplemental Essay on top of everything else. For example one asked "Why OUR school? What do you have to offer us" the tricky part is you have to write concisely. The supplemental I did was 300 words or less. You need to get to the point but not be too cut and dry like your reciting things from a brochure.

I definitely think you should lock you recommendation letters in early on. I reached out to 2 of my 3 at the end of the fall semester my Junior year. The first was from an academic and the second was from my former coach. Choose people that you know can write on your behalf in a positive manner. But also choose someone who you actually have a relationship with; a professor you had in for one class where you merely existed would not be a good source to use. A professor you had one course with where you built an actual academic relationship with would be a good source.

So how did I go about asking my sources? My poli sci I first asked in person and then when it came time to actually do it we corresponded through email. My coach I also asked in person. My 3rd recommendation letter was unfortunately done through email because I was no longer on campus. One thing I really wish I had done was what one of my friends did. She created a portfolio that listed the schools she was applying to, her current cumulative GPA, a cover letter stating the purpose of the portfolio and then included anything else she needed to. I say I wish I did this so that it was more professional, these recommendation letters are just as important as any other piece of the application. You want people that can speak positively on your behalf so take the time to put in the effort for all parts.

Side Note: Make sure you if you are using CAS you provide the people writing your recommendation letter with the instructions on how to upload the document right to LSAC. This makes it so much easier when it comes to completing the application. All you'll have to do is assign them to each school. 

So here is my "learn from my mistakes" kind of moment.... Once I narrowed down my first batch of applications, I found out that I needed an additional recommendation letter because some schools required two from academic sources. I was fortunate enough to have built a great relationship with one of my professors during the spring semester of my senior year. Even though I only had her for one class, I went to her office quite often for additional help and continued to stay in touch after I graduated. I made sure to reach out to her two months before I was sending in my applications. That way she had enough time to do it and if she said no, I would have time to reach out to another source. THANKFULLY SHE SAID YES.

As for the transcripts, I was already graduated when I requested mine so I included my actual transcript for my application(this helped in the sense that I wont have to send in my official one again to my school). Those who are still in school and applying obviously wont be able to get their official, completed transcript. Either way again make sure you do this in advanced and have your school send it right to CAS (if you purchased it) this way you don't have to worry about sending a list of schools that your transcript needs to be sent to. Also it helps that you'll be sending all parts of your application at once.

Like I said earlier, the Questionnaire isn't something that needs to be done asap. But don't be fooled they do take up some time, I sat down and did all of them in a weekend. I reviewed those things so many times especially when the days leading up to when I submitted them.

But this is all for now. If you get the chance check out this post by Legally Foreign - she created a great timeline to keep up with all that there is to do! Stay tuned for my next post which will cover Personal Statements, Resumes & Supplemental statements.

The LSAT Roller Coaster: Take Two

So as I said in my last post, The LSAT Roller Coaster: My First LSAT Exam , I took the LSAT two times. My first go around did not go as planned, especially when it came to preparing for it. I was pulled in so many directions that I was just not able to solely focus on the exam like I had wished/ needed to do. Unfortunately, I did not receive a score that I was satisfied with and I ultimately made the decision to take off a year and start fresh.

Taking a year off was something that I did for myself. But it was not something that everyone agreed with at first. I received a lot of comments that revolved around the fear that if I took a year off I may not go back. I won't lie and say that I didn't share that same fear. But I've never been one to give up on my dreams. I wanted to prove to not only to them, but most importantly to myself, that this WAS my plan and I WAS going to go to school in the fall.

Now I discussed before the Kaplan Self Paced Prep Option. While this course option wasn't the right fit for me, I really loved the way Kaplan operated and found a better fit through the Kaplan In Person Prep Option. This option gave me a specific time and place to go to every week and receive guidance from an LSAT instructor. It was honestly the best decision that I had made when it came to this exam.

With being out of school, my focus was solely on the LSAT and preparing for it. I made a schedule and stuck to it. I was working full time but I was able to study during breaks and sometimes during slower hours which helped all the much more.

Like the first exam, I signed up for the December LSAT exam. My course began in September and went right up to the week before exam day. So I had about 10 weeks to prepare. My classes were on Saturday mornings which worked out perfectly because I didn't have to stress about getting there right after work two/ three days a week like the other in person option required.

So again, Kaplan sent me all the required hard copy materials and I gained access to the LSAT Channel. I highly recommend spending the extra money to get access to the LSAT Channel. (Not all of the course options have this included). The channel  gives you access to hundreds of live (all are recorded so you can watch them later if you miss the live session) seminars that cover all parts of the LSAT. You get to interact with the professor during the live session and complete questions together; along with receiving answers to questions or you can go back later and watch it without being live. The thing I loved the most about this course option was that not only was it in person so I was forced to go every week (especially with the amount of money I spent on the course) but I was able to learn so much from so many people. My course instructor, classmates - who were both amazing - even the professors and attendees in the live seminars, taught me so much more than I could have imagined. If I needed a little extra help with tackling a logical reasoning question I had so many outlets to turn to.

This time around when test day approached I was... Excited. Confident. Prepared. Ready to Crush it versus the stressed, unprepared and less than confident person I was last time. I had all the tools I needed and now it was time to finally put them all to work for an actual score. I took my instructors advice and treated test day like any other pratice test we did in class or as if I was taking a final exam for a course versus the first exam, quiz, paper, etc for one. At this point, I knew the teachers grading system, what was expected of me and how to prepare. I was ready to hit the ground running and I did just that.

When the scores were released 4 weeks later I had raised my score by 15 POINTS.  I couldn't believe it, in fact I improved my score by 4 points since my final practice test in class. I immediately burst into tears. Now to some 15 points does not seem like a lot but for the LSAT it is... it's that extra point or two that could take you from being in the 25th percentile, for a schools recent class profile, to the median, or the median to the 75th percentile. EVERY POINT COUNTS.

To sum everything up, here's a few steps to keep in mind when it comes to preparing for the LSAT:

The LSAT Roller Coaster: My first LSAT Exam

So now that I've explained the basics of the LSAT, let me give you the low down on how my LSAT experience was: CHAOTIC, MESSY, STRESSFUL. But this doesn't mean that your experience will be the same as mine, everyone's experience is different.

My experience with the LSAT was a direct result of my approach to the LSAT. Let me start by saying I actually took the LSAT twice. I was completely unsatisfied with my first LSAT and I knew that I could do better. There was a major difference in the way that I approached the second exam compared to the first. But for now I will share my first round with the LSAT.

Side note: ITS OKAY TO TAKE THE EXAM TWICE. Not everyone does their best the first time around, and schools recognize this. My only suggestions are these:

- Don't rely on taking it more than once.
Motivate yourself to do the best you can possibly do the first time around. 

- Only take it twice if you absolutely need to. 
If you do great on the first exam there's no need for a second. 

- Don't take it more than twice, 
the chances of you doing significantly better after the second exam lowers. 

The first graded LSAT that I ever took, I was prepared but completely unprepared. How does that even work? Well, my first step in preparing for the LSAT was the right one for me; I signed up for  a Kaplan Course. There are many options to choose from, Kaplan LSAT Test- Prep Options , I decided that the Self-Paced Option was the right one for me. My first mistake in preparing for the LSAT was signing up for the self paced online prep course. 

Side Note: There's are couple points I want to make: You don't have to sign up for the Kaplan prep courses, there are tons out there that are just as good! I chose Kaplan because it was recommended to me by several professors at my undergrad. Secondly, YOU DON'T HAVE TO SIGN UP FOR A PREP COURSE AT ALL. If you feel that you can prepare on your own, then by all means save yourself the money and do it. I signed up because I had no idea what I was doing and needed the help/ guidance. If you are interested check out my page LSAT Info for some great prep options.

The Self Paced Kaplan Course

First off let me say that Kaplan does an amazing job preparing its students for the LSAT exam. They provide you with all the materials you need, and so much more. The self paced course is wonderful in the sense that YOU create your study/ learning schedule in the comfort of your own home (or anywhere really) versus having set days and a set location. Once you sign up, (These courses are not free, and while they can cost a pretty penny, they have great deals all the time! ) Kaplan will send you all the hard copy materials needed and you'll instantly gain access to the online library. From there you just follow the study template they provide. The beauty of it is that you can alter it to fit your schedule/ needs. Be prepared though, the videos that you watch to learn the material are 3-4 hours long and after that you should be spending a minimum of 1.5 - 2 hours each day practicing what you learn. By no means is studying for this exam a walk in the park. Its a full time job, and I can tell you from experience that if you don't keep up with it, or stick to it, its extremely easy to fall behind.

Side Note: My low score had absolutely nothing to do with the Kaplan course. It was a direct result of  my life getting in the way of taking my studying seriously. The self paced version was not the right fit for me, but if you are someone who is able to teach yourself with the tools provided then I HIGHLY recommend the Kaplan Self Paced Course. 

For me, what took priority over test prep was - LIFE. I started my exam prep in May, as instructed by a professor, and was planning to take the September exam before senior year got too messy. This allowed me 4 months to prepare. Shortly after coming home and starting my prep, a close family member became terminally ill and passed away. When this happened, I immediately pushed my studying to the back burner. Thankfully I still had time to study and allow myself to cope with the loss. Unfortunately when I got back on schedule with studying my senior year had begun. Between my class, work and volunteer schedule I found it to be extremely hard to find time to study and give it my all. I even dropped a class to make specific study time but it was still not enough. I ended up pushing my exam back to the December exam, but i to do so I had to pay a date change fee. 

With my new date in sight, I put my best foot forward and studied to the best of my ability. There were definitely times where I was so stressed out that I just broke down. The online course was just not the right fit for me. The material was hard to understand at times and I needed more help than I was expecting. I also couldn't sit in front of my laptop for 4 hours to just watch the seminars and then another 1-2 hours on top of the studying and doing all the required work. I needed to have separate spaces for learning and studying but also nothing else to focus on like school, work, etc. 

Test day quickly approached. Before I knew it, I was waiting in line to be checked into the exam. When I sat down to take my test, I felt a spew of emotions from anxiety to disappointment in myself for not studying more and balancing my school/work/volunteering life with my test prep life. My lack of focus and studying showed in my low score. But the positive that came out of it was motivation to do better and knowing that I COULD do better. The moment I received my score I decided that I was taking a year off after college to focus solely on the LSAT and better yet that I WAS going to law school in the following year.