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June 28, 2010
Asha Rangappa, Yale Law School’s Associate Dean of Admissions, announced on the official Yale Law admissions blog, (203), that rather than let the blog lay dormant during the summer, she will post periodic updates to help next year’s applicants as they embark on the application process.
This marks a departure from her approach to the blog during its last two summers of existence. Where previously (203) went un-updated between May and September, this year Dean Rangappa intends to provide advice to new applicants to make them aware of the dos and don’ts of law school admissions. Mainly, this advice will take the form of . . . → Continue Reading
March 3, 2010
With applicants putting the finishing touches on their applications, the question of how strictly applicants need to adhere to page and word limits is perhaps more popular than ever. Law school candidates naturally have a good deal of information they want – and need – to convey in the limited amount of materials, and getting the important ideas down under restrictive page and word counts is a difficult task. While it might be tempting to run a bit beyond the guidelines to slip in that one extra thought, it’s important to keep the reasons for these limits in mind.
In addition to being a forum for explaining your goals and sharing your story, the essays also serve as a test of the . . . → Continue Reading
February 24, 2010
Law school applicants range from current college seniors to those who have been out of college and working for several years. Today we’d like to offer some guidance to those applicants who have been in the working world for a substantial amount of time and are now interested in going back to school to become lawyers, as there are several ways these J.D. candidates can stand out from relatively younger applicants in a helpful manner.
1. Use your experience to your advantage. For applicants who have spent some time in the working world, it’s important to demonstrate that their professional experience has been valuable to them. This value includes personal growth and a better understanding of one’s strengths and weaknesses, which can . . . → Continue Reading
February 17, 2010
As we’ve stated in other Admissions Tips, the personal statement is the prime opportunity for law school candidates to express themselves in the application process. Therefore it’s important that in this section of the application, candidates present themselves positively, therefore effectively show the admissions committees why they would be good additions to the law school community. We offer some tips below to help law school applicants put their best food forward in doing this and writing their personal statements.
1. Put yourself at the center. In talking about your future goals or in elaborating on your academic or work experience to date, you will want to put yourself in the picture, indicating what you . . . → Continue Reading
February 10, 2010
Picking up our earlier tips regarding essay-writing, we wanted to take some time today to discuss a frequently-made mistake in the application process. In their desire to make their case to their target law schools, many applicants devote sentences and even paragraphs to explaining why the school in question is their “first choice” and arguing its superiority over other schools.
Though certainly understandable, this is actually not a very productive exercise. Let’s consider a few reasons why, from the schools’ point of view:
1. Tell me something I don’t know. A popular strategy – and not always bad one – for applicants seeking to demonstrate their fit with one school above any other is to study . . . → Continue Reading
December 9, 2009
As we’ve previously discussed, most law schools require only one personal statement that has no required topic. Therefore questions of whether to answer optional essays and, if so, what to say, are ones that loom large for many law school applicants at this time of year. Today we wanted to take some time to suggest a few considerations that applicants might want to take into account when making this call.
How can it benefit you?
Many applicants may feel as though an optional essay is labeled as such because all the important information regarding their candidacy is contained within the application requirements. However, answering optional essays is the perfect opportunity for law . . . → Continue Reading
October 14, 2009
Welcome to the Clear Admit Law Blog Admissions Tip, a new feature that will be appearing semi-regularly on our blog to provide law school candidates with helpful advice for the application process. This week, we’d like to provide some guidance for those law school applicants who are thinking about beginning or have started to write their personal statements. Because most law schools offer broad guidelines for the personal statement, it can be a challenging endeavor to find your focus and respond effectively. However, we hope that the following guidance helps make this aspect of the application process a little easier for law school candidates.
1. Take time to reflect: Before diving in and beginning work on your personal statement, it’s often fruitful . . . → Continue Reading
May 8, 2009
The Yale Personal Statement is as follows:
Provide a typed statement of no more than three pages explaining why the study of law is important to your professional growth . . . → Continue Reading
May 8, 2009
The William and Mary Personal Statement and Optional Essay are as follows:
William & Mary Law School evaluates applicants in many areas beyond test scores and academic transcripts. Indeed, important academic objectives are furthered by classes comprised of students having talents and skills derived from diverse backgrounds. Please attach a brief personal statement which might identify factors such as activities or accomplishments, personal or cultural background, career goals, or special talents that you believe would contribute to the Law School community and would support your application to William & Mary Law School.
An additional essay may be submitted. This optional essay should describe an event in your life of which you are especially proud. Provide information not included in your required personal statement . . . → Continue Reading
May 8, 2009
The Washington and Lee Personal Statement and Optional Essay are as follows:
Your personal statement should give the Admissions Committee a sense of the person behind the objective credentials presented in your application and supporting documents and should not be a restatement of your resume in narrative form. Your statement should be no longer than 3 pages of double space, Times Roman, 12 point text. We regularly receive outstanding personal statements that fill only a single page; a lengthy statement is not required
Optional: You may electronically attach a 500 word double-spaced essay discussing the manner in which you dealt with an ethical dilemma. Failure to submit this optional essay will have no negative effect on . . . → Continue Reading
May 8, 2009
The Vanderbilt Personal Statement is as follows:
Please present yourself to the Admissions Committee by writing a personal statement. You may write about your background, experiences, interest in law, aspirations, or any topic that you feel will help readers of your application get a sense of you as a person and prospective law student. If you are applying electronically, please attach your statement to the electronic application form. Please limit your statement to . . . → Continue Reading
May 8, 2009
The University of Washington Personal Statement is as follows:
The primary goal of the admissions process is to enroll students who demonstrate outstanding academic and professional promise and whose background and experience will enhance the diversity of the student body, thereby enriching the law school educational environment. An applicant will be regarded as potentially contributing to student diversity if his or her background or experience would not ordinarily be well represented in the student body. Factors that indicate this diversity include, but are not limited to, the following: persevering against substantial obstacles such as economic disadvantage, family or personal adversity or other social hardships, disability, prejudice or discrimination; having lived in a foreign country or spoken a language other than English at . . . → Continue Reading
May 8, 2009
The University of Virginia Personal Statement is as follows:
Include with your application a personal statement that will give the Admissions Committee any information you believe relevant to the admissions decision that is not elicited elsewhere in the application. The statement is your opportunity to tell us about yourself. It may address your intellectual interests, significant accomplishments, obstacles overcome, personal or professional goals, educational achievements, or any way in which your perspective, viewpoint, or experiences will add to the richness of the educational environment of the School of Law or to the diversity of the . . . → Continue Reading
May 8, 2009
The University of Texas-Austin Personal Statement is as follows:
A personal statement is required of each applicant and is an opportunity to give the Committee insight to individual experiences and characteristics. Personal statements are limited to two, double-spaced pages. However, applicants will have the opportunity to submit optional addenda to explain unusual circumstances such as a period of poor academic performance, academic sanctions, history of problems with standardized tests, history of over-coming disadvantage, prior law school matriculation, criminal . . . → Continue Reading
May 8, 2009
The USC / Gould Personal Statement is as follows:
The admissions committee gives careful attention to your personal statement. We are particularly interested in your motivation for studying law, your academic background, and qualities you possess that may enhance the diversity of our student body. If you are a college senior or recent graduate, you may wish to mention your work history and extracurricular activities. If you have spent a year or more in the work force after college, tell us about your employment experience; enclose a resume to illustrate your chronological work history.
There is no specific word or page requirement or limit for your personal statement. However, the committee values carefully crafted essays that are clear, concise, . . . → Continue Reading
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Clear Admit’s Recent Posts
Discussion BoardsBelow are the five most recent posts from several discussion boards popular among applicants and students.
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Admissions BlogsAggregated posts from official admissions office blogs at the leading schools. Below are the seven most recent items.
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If you'd like us to add your blog to the feed, simply send us an email. School News BlogsStraight from the source. The latest press releases and news items streaming from the leading schools.
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General Topic Blogs
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Concurring Opinions
Community BlogsThe five most recent entries from various sources of information for law school applicants.
Above the Law
The popular self-described "legal tabloid."
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Wall Street Journal on the cases, trends and personalities of interest to the business community.
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