Ask a Law School Admissions Expert Andrea Kilpatrick

Ask a Law School Admissions Expert Andrea Kilpatrick Varsity Tutors brings you insider tips and advice straight from nationally recognized admissions experts. Andrea Kilpatrick is the Director of Law Admissions at Admit Advantage, a leading admissions consulting company that provides admissions assistance for college, MBA, and law school applicants. She received her Bachelors degree from Princeton University, a Masters of Education degree from the University of Oxford, and a JD from HarvardLaw School. Andrea worked as a consultant with McKinsey Company for eight years and held a leadership role in the firms Nonprofit Practice for three of those years. She now lends her expertise in law school admissions to the Admit Advantage team. VT: How much time should be set aside to adequately prepare for and complete a Law School application? Andrea: The time dedicated to completing an application varies by student. For most applicants, we suggest beginning the process a couple of months ahead of their personal deadline to allow recommenders time to complete letters. The time a student must spend on an application depends on the specific law school. Some applications are longer than others and require more time. 60-80 hours is not unreasonable. VT: What is the single most important thing applicants should focus on with this application? Andrea: Applicants must determine how the sum total of their experiences and achievements can be crafted into a coherent and persuasive story that will move an admissions committee to accept. VT: What are the biggest mistakes one can make on a Law School application? Andrea: Telling an admissions committee why they should accept you as opposed to showing it. Admissions committees dont need an applicant to do their jobs for them, but they do need an applicant to include all the experiences, stories, and data for them to do an appropriate analysis. Sometimes, applicants fail to include important information because they dont feel it is relevant from a legal perspective. No one has been a lawyer before going to law school, so admissions committees are looking for evidence of potential success in unusual places. VT: What do Law School admissions officers look for most in an applicants essays/personal statements? Andrea: All law school essays must demonstrate exemplary persuasive writing skills. The content of the personal statement can and should vary by applicant. VT: Is there anything on a students application that would automatically disqualify them from being considered for the program? Andrea: Aside from lying, there are no disqualifying factors. Differences in grades or LSAT scores might dictate the tier of law school to which an applicant can apply, but there are no required majors or prerequisites. Even a legal record can be explained on a law school application. VT: What about the Law School admissions process differs the most from undergraduate admissions? Andrea: Law schools generally have a rolling admissions process. Applications are reviewed in the order they are received. Applying early improves an applicants chances. Therefore it is up to the candidate to complete an outstanding application in the quickest time possible. VT: What kinds of things (experience, grades, etc.) might a student lack that would lead you to advise them not to apply? Andrea: The decision to apply is a very personal one. If an applicants goal is to be admitted to an accredited law school, there arent many reasons not to apply outside of personal or financial ones. However, if a student aspires to attend a top tier law school, we may suggest that the applicant retake the LSAT, or consider additional experiences before applying if necessary. VT: Is there anything you might see on a students application that would quickly put them ahead in the running? Andrea: Every application is different. Good grades, good test scores, and attending a prestigious undergraduate institution help, but they are no guarantee. Admissions committees are looking for a well-rounded applicant and only a strong overall application indicates that. VT: What advice do you have regarding LSAT test prep? Andrea: If you can afford it, sign up for professional test prep. If not, practice on your own using previous tests lots of previous tests. You can learn to perform better on the LSAT through practice. VT: What do law school admissions officers look for in recommendation letters? Andrea: Admissions officers want to see that the recommender knows the applicant well. Getting a letter from a very prestigious recommender who doesnt know you well will not help an application. A recommender has to be able to speak to the candidates skills and character. The specific content of a recommendation letter depends on the candidate. We want to be sure the letter emphasizes those areas of strength that may not have been touched on elsewhere in the application. Visit Admit Advantage for more information. The views expressed in this article do not necessarily represent the views of Varsity Tutors.

5 Tips to Writing a Great College Application Essay

5 Tips to Writing a Great College Application Essay ACT SAT Prep and College Admissions Blog Maybe writing isn’t your best subject in school. That’s okay. Here’s what you can do to make the most of your college essay even if you worry about the strength of your writing skills. 1. Don’t Stress. Do you tell stories to your friends or family? Do you have conversations where you describe things that have happened to you? Then you can write. The hardest part is getting it down on paper the first time. It can only get better from there. Just start to tell a story on the page and see what comes out. The first draft won’t be perfect. That’s why it’s a first draft. You’re seeing what’s there â€" is this story something you can use? Maybe the first thing you write won’t be the right essay topic for you, and you’ll have to try something else. Or maybe one element of the essay is useful, and the rest is filler. It’s still a step in the right direction. It’s easier to work with something than nothing. 2. Know Your Subject. You may not be a writing expert, but you’re an expert on the subject of you. The whole point of the essay is to give schools a glimpse of who you are outside of your scores and grades. So show them! You have hobbies, interests, and significant life experiences â€" these are all fodder for a wonderful essay that allows schools to connect with your individuality. Your essay should be a window into your personality and how you operate in the world. The point is not to have perfect prose (though you should review for clarity/grammar/spelling or have someone proofread for you). Write about something you truly care about and let your passion and your voice come through. 3. It Doesn’t Have to be “Serious.” It’s tempting to write about heavy topics for your college essay. But use caution when considering this path â€" only do it if you can (a) make it specific to you and your life and (b) if you can demonstrate a lesson that you have learned from the experience. Don’t just exploit your personal tragedies as a shortcut to emotional depth. Show how adversity has helped you grow and become a better person. As writer/director Nora Ephron said, “Be the heroine of your life, not the victim.” But your lessons don’t have to be Major Lessons about life and death to be effective. One of my favorite essays was a humorous essay about going to the wrong airport on the morning of a flight, and how it taught the student to be more detail-oriented and better prepared in order to succeed at her goals. 4. Focus on an Individual Incident. You are using an example from your life, not telling your entire life story. Instead of trying to touch on everything that’s happened to you from birth to senior year, pick an individual moment that conveys who you are “in a nutshell,” and describe it thoroughly. Take the readers with you through your experience so they understand what you felt in that moment and why you made the choices you made. 5.Answer the Question. If you feel yourself rambling or getting lost, go back to the prompt and reassess whether you are addressing the question being asked. Don’t worry about doing anything fancy with the style of your essay until you’re sure you’ve managed to do that. Once you have an answer, you can polish your sentences, examine your word choices, and play around with the structure to make your story really come alive. A great essay engages the reader, reveals your personality, and answers the prompt. hbspt.cta._relativeUrls=true;hbspt.cta.load(215486, '6baac2ae-05a3-4610-9d1f-265c8cbd809f', {});