Law School Personal Statement Advice | Interview

I recently interviewed Linda Abraham, a law school admission consultant, via email. Our discussion follows.

1. What are some examples of successful "diversity statement" topics you've seen from applicants who are not traditionally classified as being racially diverse?

Diversity is not defined solely in ethnic terms in admissions. I have seen a background in the arts, sciences, or sports used as an effective diversity topic as well as unusual volunteer or international experiences. I have also seen disability used as a diversity topic. For non-URM’s the lessons and insights drawn from these experiences usually determine the effectiveness of these essays more than the actual experience.


2. Is it possible for an applicant to write a successful personal statement about a traveling experience or time abroad? If so, how?

Yes, definitely. In discussing a travel experience in a law school personal statement, the experience has to be meaningful and influential to the applicant. If it didn’t change the applicant in some way, forget it. The persuasive personal statement using a travel experience could start with a stellar moment on the trip, discuss how that scene is representative and seminal, and finally reveal its impact on the applicant. If the travel experience motivated the applicant to get involved and have impact or demonstrate leadership, all the better. Travelogues should be avoided at all costs.


3. Is it possible for an applicant to write a successful personal statement about why he or she wants to be a lawyer? If so, how?

Yes, but … the theme is neutral (and common). Execution counts. The admissions committee does want to “meet” the applicant through the personal statement, and if possible understand the applicant’s motivation and passion for law. So while not a required topic, it can work. If the applicant wants to use this theme, she must write in specific terms about the experiences that convinced her she wants to become a lawyer, the times she tested that interest, the particular aspects of legal practice she finds attractive, or the qualities and experiences that show she will be an excellent lawyer.


Linda Abraham, Accepted.com's founder and president, has helped many law school applicants gain acceptance to top law schools including Harvard, Yale, Columbia, Stanford, Boalt, and Chicago, and has written and lectured extensively on admissions. The Wall St. Journal, The New York Times, The Sunday Times of London, and BusinessWeek are among the publications that have sought Linda's expertise. You can find Linda at http://blog.accepted.com and http://www.twitter.com/Accepted

Photo by bobaubuchon

Berkeley / Boalt Hall Law School Admissions Dean | Interview

This is the 2nd post in the "Better Know a Law School" series. Edward G. Tom is the Assistant Dean for Admissions at the University of California, Berkeley, School of Law (Boalt Hall). In his spare time, Mr. Tom builds, plays, and collects guitars. Boalt Hall ranked 6th among law schools in US News and World Report this year.

1. Boalt Hall received media coverage in recent months for its "Law School Admission Project: Looking Beyond the LSAT." Would you please comment on your office's involvement, if any? If your office is not involved, what is its opinion regarding the LSAT in light of this project?

The admissions office has been involved to the extent that it provided demographic and statistical information to the research committee and the dean of admissions is a member of the committee. The Admissions Office concurs with the Committee that the LSAT remains a valid tool in determining admission decisions but should be only one of many factors taken into consideration. If there are other valid measurements of success in the profession - something the LSAT does not predict at all - then these tools should be considered for the future.


2. How has the student body changed in recent years?

The student body has evolved in step with society over the years. Perhaps the biggest change has been the level of interest in our interdisciplinary options. Many students are interested in taking advantage of how Berkeley Law can train them to be great lawyers who have a comprehensive understanding of policy issues.


3. In a typical year, what percentage of spots are still open on the day that applications are due?

About 25 percent.


4. In your opinion, what's the best rock band of all time?

That is too hard a question! Too many choices to narrow it to one! Candidates are Grateful Dead, Stevie Ray Vaughn, Steely Dan, Cream, and Led Zeppelin.

Virginia Law School Admissions Dean | Interview

This post begins "Better Know a Law School" -- a new series of interviews with law school admissions deans. First up is Jason Wu Trujillo, the Senior Assistant Dean for Admissions and Financial Aid at the University of Virginia School of Law. Virginia Law ranked 9th among law schools in US News and World Report this year.

1. What percentage of seats are reserved for in-state residents?

While the University of Virginia School of Law does not receive any state funding, we still reserve 40% of our seats for residents of the Commonwealth of Virginia.


2. What can wait-listed / deferred applicants do to improve their chances, and where is the line between an applicant's enthusiasm and obsession?

Wait-listed students can do many things to improve their chances of being made an offer. First, many wait-listed students will choose to retake the LSAT in February or even June. We have made offers from the waiting list due to the results of the June LSAT. If an applicant is still in school, the very best thing they can show is a strong final semester. They should update LSAC with their final grades as soon as they become available. Wait-listed applicants for whom Virginia is their absolute first choice should let us know. I will often receive a letter or email which states that, should an offer become available, the applicant will accept it unhesitatingly. That is a powerful statement and valuable information for me to have. If I have spots available, I will look to those applicants first.

There is a fine line between enthusiasm and obsession. A single letter of interest is sufficient. Even a letter or email once a month is fine. Beyond that, I think you run the risk of being too repetitive.


3. What makes Virginia Law unique? Would you please talk a bit about the student newspaper?

Virginia Law has a unique culture of collegiality. When I was choosing among law schools, I chose Virginia because the students seemed genuinely happy. Unfortunately there is no satisfaction quotient that one can use to measure this. I think the closest measure is the rate at which a school's alumni give back. In our most recent annual giving year, 52% of our alumni gave back to the Law School in the form of a financial contribution. That is #1 in the country and a statistic that truly demonstrates the satisfaction our alums have with their legal education. Moreover, more recent classes have been giving at rates in excess of 90%. If you can get 90% of newly minted lawyers to agree on anything, you are doing something right.

Our student newspaper, the Virginia Law Weekly, has won numerous awards for excellence. It has earned the American Bar Association's Best Law School Newspaper Award three years in a row.


4. Anything else?

I encourage interested students to visit Virginia. You are welcome anytime!

Law School Admission Council | Senior Test Specialist

Who exactly are the people who make the LSAT, and how do they think? What's going through their minds as they write it?

To answer these questions, I found a survey completed by Stephen W. Luebke, a Senior Test Specialist (formerly Director of Test Development), at the Law School Admission Council.

These excerpts will tell you about his responsibilities and background:

Job Title and Principal Duties:

Director of Test Development. Develop test questions and test forms for the Law School Admission Test, a major standardized admissions test required for applicants to most U.S. and Canadian law schools. Acquire test questions. Review, revise, rewrite, edit, and process test questions. Assemble and review test forms. Review and reply to challenges to test questions. Monitor statistical performance of test questions. Hire and oversee staff doing similar work. Participate in test-related research and in test planning and development with psychometricians.


Non-philosophical Background Pertinent to Your Job:

Some knowledge of statistics or educational measurement is useful in this job, but not necessary -- the necessary knowledge can be acquired on the job. I did some graduate course work in psychometrics while working.


How You Obtained Your Job:

I conducted a search for "education-related" jobs for which my graduate study and teaching experience provided an appropriate background. I had held several such positions since leaving teaching. I found an ad for a position at LSAC in the Chronicle for Higher Education. The initial position involved reviewing reading passages and handling copyright issues, but I was quickly moved into a management position and then became director of Test Development. After some reorganization my position became Senior Test Specialist.


Personal Characteristics and Philosophical Skills You Use in Your Present Position:

Reviewing, revising, and editing test questions draw heavily on the analytical skills taught in analytic philosophy -- close reading and analysis of texts, careful drawing of implications, identifying ambiguities and category mistakes. Since much of the LSAT consists of reasoning questions, my specific training in logic and informal logic was directly applicable, along with the general philosophical skill of argument analysis. Working with reading comprehension questions calls upon philosophical skill in understanding and analyzing texts. Other skills used include the ability to see multiple readings and multiple sides of an argument and a sensitivity to issues of fairness and the concerns of various population groups. Writing and editing skills and experience writing questions for classroom tests -- particularly multiple-choice questions -- are directly applicable to writing and revising questions, although for high-stakes admissions tests the standards are much higher than those usually applied in classroom tests. The job draws so heavily and directly on philosophical skills and training that one of my colleagues likes to call what we do "applied philosophy."


Comments:

Training in analytic philosophy, informal logic, and philosophy of language seem most directly applicable to reasoning testing. The major tasks in reviewing test questions are to make sure that they are clear and unambiguous, test for the appropriate skill, and have one and only one best answer. The job is intellectually challenging and many interesting philosophical questions arise in reviewing test questions.