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The Law School Admission Game: Play Like An Expert, 3rd Ed.

The Law School Admission Game, first published in 2009, re-released in 2013, and now re-written and updated as a third edition.

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Ann Levine is a law school admission consultant and the owner of LawSchoolExpert.com (www.lawschoolexpert.com), which she started in 2004 after serving as director of admissions for two ABA approved law schools. She is the author of the Amazon.com bestselling law school admission guide, The Law School Admission Game, first published in 2009, re-released in 2013, and now re-written and updated as a third edition. She has helped thousands of students successfully navigate the law school admission process.

Q. Ann, you first published this book in 2009 and updated it in 2013. What’s new and different in the new edition, to be released on August 1, 2017?

A: I’ve completely re-written this book to reflect current trends in law school applications. For example, schools are relying more on optional essays and interviews in the admission process. In this version, I include a self-study timeline for the LSAT and actual essays my clients have used successfully when trying to address certain strengths and weaknesses in their applications. But some things haven’t changed: it’s still written like I’m speaking directly to applicants, in an honest, non-elitist voice. And, of course, every time I write the book I have additional experience in law school admissions; I tried to include my 15 years of expertise in this one.

Q. For a prospective law school applicant who has read the previous edition of The Law School Admission Game, is there any advice from that book that would no longer be current?

A. Yes. First, the number of times the LSAT is offered and the number of times applicants are eligible to take it. That’s a big one. How grades are calculated by LSAC has changed a bit. Also, the short-lived “recommender evaluations” have died a quick death. There are other little trends too, like an increased reliance on interviews.

Q. What advice do you have for someone who is just now deciding to apply to law school and wants to start law school in the next cycle?

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A. First, I’d want you to be sure this is what you want to do and to not rush into anything. If you’ve already been through the research into the profession and you are ready to move forward, the first thing is to pick an LSAT date and start preparing for the LSAT. Give yourself a minimum of two months, but preferably four, to prepare for the test. Be cognizant of the fact that law schools follow rolling admissions: they admit people throughout the cycle so it’s more competitive to get in later in the cycle.

Q. You say you hate sample personal statements, yet you include some in this edition of the book – something you’ve never done in previous versions. Why?

A. A personal statement should be, above all, personal. That’s why I think it’s a mistake to read other people’s essays. The part you can’t tell from those essays is why the person chose that topic. What was a weakness they were trying to overcome? Why was this experience the most impactful to share? Plus, I want people to sound like themselves. I want people to avoid the pitfalls of starting with a “hook” or a quote that are so common in sample essays. However, people really want to read real personal statements that have been successful. So, in this edition of the book, I share them. But, I’m not sharing them in isolation – I’m explaining why this person needed to address a certain attribute, the weakness we were trying to overcome. I also hope to show people that you don’t have to be “unique” to be successful in the admission process, and you don’t have to overcome poverty to be “diverse.” Hopefully, the essays I share (that were written by my clients, who graciously agreed to share them to benefit others) will take some of the pressure off applicants to be hyperbolic and will encourage them to just be themselves.

The Law School Admission Game: Play Like an Expert, 3rd Edition is available on Amazon.com as of August 1, 2017 and on audio. 

 

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