Where to Find the Best Advice About Applying to Law School
The law school application process can be confusing and difficult. And while the internet is awash in advice, it can be hard to find useful information.
The best sources of information about law school admissions are pre-law counselors, law school websites, and official sources like the Law School Admissions Council (LSAC). Many for-profit admissions consultants and test prep companies offer free resources and videos which can be very helpful to applicants, including the Top Law Coach Advice Hub.
On admissions forums and blogs, anonymous people may claim to have insider knowledge or to know exactly how to get admitted to a top school. In this post, I’ll cover how you can find sound advice that will help you navigate the application process.
Law School Internet Forums
If you are looking for information and advice about applying to law school online, you’ve surely come across a few law school internet forums. Applicants congregate at these forums to seek help and answers to their questions about the process. Though it’s possible to find some good information or make positive social connections on these forums, be wary of anything you read on these platforms. Often, they are filled with misleading and speculative noise, along with elitist mentalities that make admission to top schools seem like getting into Hogwarts.
If you choose to read and engage in law school admissions forums, it’s good to prepare yourself so you are not swayed by the misinformation that can be common. Here are a few things to keep an eye out for.
Don’t Believe the Loudmouths
Often, if a post touts a strong opinion without evidence – positive or negative – it is based more on personal bias than fact. People who claim that a certain law school is terrible, or that another law school is impossible to get into without certain qualifications, are usually basing their opinions on subjective experiences and not verified facts.
It may seem like people who have found success in the admissions process would be good sources of information, but this isn’t usually true. Someone who has been accepted into a top school doesn’t necessarily know more about the application process than anyone else. And the people who are accepted to top law schools and post about it regularly online can be unrepresentative of their class in many ways–and often lack the self-awareness to see this.
For example, I’ve often seen people on internet forums claim that they received top scores on the LSAT because they used specific training materials or a specific method, like taking nonstop practice tests. Of course, the many applicants who used those exact methods or materials, but poorly, rarely write posts about their experience.
As a longtime LSAT instructor and tutor, I know that some materials and approaches are better than others, but there’s no magic key to law school application success. The only evidence-based learning method is deliberate practice: regular, focused, methodical practice at the edge of your comfort zone.
Focus On Specific Questions
Crowd-sourcing information to questions you have about the admissions process may be one of the most valuable things about law school admissions forum communities. Often, it’s possible to find an existing post answering your question, but if no one has asked your question yet, post it yourself! By doing this, you are able to mine the collective knowledge of your community and get pointed in the direction of helpful resources.
However, simply lurking on these forums and obsessively reading other people’s grades and test scores can simply be discouraging and mentally exhausting. Use these forums as resources to help you find answers to specific questions, to help you along the path toward your goals rather than weighing you down.
Remember The Admissions Process is Rolling
It can be disheartening to hear that other applicants have been accepted to schools that you haven’t heard back from yet. In the limbo of anxiety that waiting for decisions is, it’s easy to read into everything. But remember, the admissions process is rolling, and making assumptions before you even hear back from the school may prompt you to make poor decisions.
This can be particularly true if you are waitlisted. The process of getting off of a waitlist is highly uncertain and dependent on many factors beyond your control, like the pool of applicants with similar profiles to yourself. Admissions offices tend to make decisions about waitlists very late in the process. Settle in for the long game and don’t let other people’s experiences get in your head.
Ultimately, internet forums are best used for commiserating, finding answers to specific questions, and getting leads on helpful resources. Any advice, opinions, and cautionary tales you read should be taken with a shakerful of salt.
[Next Read: Building a Target List of Law Schools That Are the Right Fit]
