| Avoid jumping all over the first person
| |
| | #3: Seminars Trump Lectures Why? Because
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| who offers to write you a "great
| |
| | your professors get to know you in
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| recommendation." Recommendation writing
| |
| | seminars in a way they can't in lecture
|
| is both an art and a science, and few
| |
| | classes. The more class participation
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| people do it really well, either because
| |
| | opportunities you have, and the more
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| they don't know you well enough to
| |
| | substantial the writing and research you
|
| address the things admissions officers
| |
| | do for a class, the better able your
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| care about, because they can't be
| |
| | professor will be to discuss your
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| bothered, or because they don't know
| |
| | academic talents. If you're reading this
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| how.Recommender Tip #1: Academic
| |
| | book in your undergraduate years, try to
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| Recommenders Many law schools state an
| |
| | take multiple seminars with a professor
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| express preference for academic
| |
| | with whom you really hit it off. Even
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| recommendations, meaning someone who has
| |
| | better, take on a major project with a
|
| taught you in college and can speak to
| |
| | professor, like a thesis.Seminars tend to
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| your strengths as a student and a
| |
| | be higher-level classes, so you probably
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| scholar. The reason they do that is
| |
| | won't be able to take them until your
|
| because they look to your recommendations
| |
| | junior year, at the earliest. Your
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| to try to predict, as best they can, how
| |
| | professor will need at least the entire
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| you'll do in law school, so they want to
| |
| | semester, if not multiple semesters, to
|
| get a sense of your talents in the
| |
| | get to know you and your work, so plan
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| classroom. If the LSAT score is meant to
| |
| | ahead. You'll need time to cultivate
|
| give them an idea of your intellectual
| |
| | those relationships.Recommender Tip #4:
|
| horsepower, your recommendations (along
| |
| | Willing and Able It's human nature:
|
| with your transcript) are supposed to let
| |
| | People are busy at best, lazy at worst,
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| them gauge what you do with that
| |
| | and don't like writing bang-up
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| horsepower. We all know people who are
| |
| | recommendations except for the few pet
|
| whip sharp but slackers in the classroom,
| |
| | students and employees they really want
|
| and people who have to work their buns
| |
| | to go to bat for. And that's under the
|
| off to perform well -- admissions
| |
| | best of circumstances. With the huge
|
| officers want to figure out where you
| |
| | upsurge in law school applications in
|
| fall on that continuum.If you've been out
| |
| | recent years, professors and bosses are
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| of college for more than two years,
| |
| | bombarded with recommendation requests,
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| admissions officers understand that it
| |
| | and they grant many that they shouldn't.
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| can be very difficult to track down your
| |
| | Why? Because they are usually nice people
|
| old college professors, and they'll cut
| |
| | who don't have the heart to say no, even
|
| you some slack. If you're in a graduate
| |
| | though they don't have the time or the
|
| program, you can ask one of your graduate
| |
| | energy or the knowledge to write
|
| professors to write a letter. If you're
| |
| | meaningful letters, letters that will
|
| out in the working world, you can ask
| |
| | really help your cause with admissions
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| your boss. If an undergraduate
| |
| | officers. So be smart about how you
|
| recommendation is at all possible,
| |
| | approach people. You should ask
|
| though, you should try to drum one up,
| |
| | professors to be candid with you:Do they
|
| and submit a second, nonacademic one (if
| |
| | have time to write a recommendation for
|
| required) from one of these alternate
| |
| | you? Tell them you understand that they
|
| sources.Of your various professors, the
| |
| | are deluged with requests and that a
|
| most useful ones are going to be those
| |
| | well-crafted and effective recommendation
|
| who taught classes that approximate law
| |
| | letter takes time and effort. Ask them
|
| school the best: classes that are heavy
| |
| | politely to decline if they don't think
|
| on analytical reasoning, reading,
| |
| | they can make that commitment right now.
|
| research, and expository writing.
| |
| | This also gives them an easy out if they
|
| Recommendations from classes like
| |
| | don't think they can write you a
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| Theater, Communications, Creative
| |
| | favorable letter.
|
| Writing, Statistics, and Conversational
| |
| | Do they think they can write a very
|
| French won't be as useful.Recommenders
| |
| | strong letter on your behalf? If they say
|
| that are almost always useless for the
| |
| | no, be gracious and thank them for their
|
| purposes of law school admissions include
| |
| | honesty. Make clear that you're happy to
|
| your state senator, friends of the
| |
| | approach someone else if they have any
|
| family, relatives, famous people and
| |
| | reservations at all, and explain that
|
| muckety-muck judges who know you only
| |
| | you'd still love to hear their
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| socially (if at all), your lacrosse
| |
| | constructive feedback for your own
|
| coach, and your choir director.If you're
| |
| | benefit.
|
| still in school or a recent graduate, and
| |
| | If there is any resistance or push-back
|
| you have some experience working in a
| |
| | or wavering, anything less than an
|
| legal capacity (as a paralegal, say, or
| |
| | enthusiastic commitment right off the
|
| an intern at a legal clinic), you can
| |
| | bat, let it go. Thank them and move on.
|
| certainly submit a recommendation from
| |
| | There will be times when you have taken a
|
| the people you've worked for. Just make
| |
| | number of classes with a professor or
|
| sure they are supplemental recommendation
| |
| | worked very closely with a boss who has
|
| letters rather than substitutes for your
| |
| | gotten to know you very well, but you
|
| academic recommendations.If a school
| |
| | suspect that she is not one of your
|
| states no preference for the type of
| |
| | greatest fans for one reason or another.
|
| recommender they're looking for, assume
| |
| | Maybe she doesn't like your writing
|
| they prefer an academic one. And if any
| |
| | style. Maybe he doesn't like your view of
|
| school gives you instructions that
| |
| | Plato, or how you handled the Crisco
|
| contradict what I'm telling you here,
| |
| | account. Maybe she's sick of losing her
|
| follow those instructions.Recommender Tip
| |
| | top people to law school. Maybe you'll
|
| #2: Closeness Trumps Rank Remember poor
| |
| | lose your bonus if he gets wind that
|
| old Matthew from the beginning of the
| |
| | you'll be bailing. Whatever the reason,
|
| chapter? He made a classic mistake: He
| |
| | you're better off finding someone else.
|
| assumed that a recommendation from a
| |
| | Closeness and status don't help if a
|
| Nobel Prize winner was too good an
| |
| | recommender isn't going to say great
|
| opportunity to pass up, and he didn't
| |
| | things about you.Recommender Tip #5:
|
| stop to ask himself what that professor
| |
| | Collaboration Also try to gauge whether
|
| would be able to say about him. Matthew
| |
| | your potential recommenders would be
|
| would have been much better off asking
| |
| | willing to work with you on the letter.
|
| his TA for that class to write his
| |
| | They should be grateful to receive that
|
| recommendation (or picking another class
| |
| | offer of help -- and many will be -- but
|
| entirely for his recommendation). His TA
| |
| | some won't be open to collaboration at
|
| would have been able to base his
| |
| | all. All else being equal, pick the
|
| recommendation on their weekly discussion
| |
| | person who is willing to work with you
|
| groups and weekly assignments that the TA
| |
| | and understand why you're applying to law
|
| graded. Many law school applicants attend
| |
| | school, what you're trying to communicate
|
| colleges that do not enable up-close-and
| |
| | in your applications, and how you're
|
| personal relationships with professors --
| |
| | trying to present yourself.For example, I
|
| some people spend four years interacting
| |
| | recall reading an application essay that
|
| only with graduate students -- and they
| |
| | set forth all the compelling reasons why
|
| shouldn't worry that they are at a
| |
| | that particular applicant wanted to
|
| disadvantage with respect to their
| |
| | leverage his banking and finance
|
| recommendations. The person writing the
| |
| | experience as a corporate lawyer. You can
|
| recommendation should be able to speak
| |
| | imagine my eyebrow cocking when I got to
|
| with experience and authority about you
| |
| | the recommendation letter written by his
|
| in the classroom, and if that means you
| |
| | boss at the bank, who explained that the
|
| have to forgo the Nobel Prize winner,
| |
| | applicant wanted to go to law school so
|
| that's okay -- you're better off with the
| |
| | he could be an "agent for social change."
|
| TA. The same principle applies if your
| |
| | Those things aren't inherently exclusive
|
| recommendation is coming from the working
| |
| | of each other, but the recommendation
|
| world. You're better off requesting a
| |
| | just wasn't in sync with the rest of the
|
| letter from the congressional staffer you
| |
| | application, which hadn't talked at all
|
| worked with and reported to every day
| |
| | about wanting to bring about social
|
| than the bigwig senator who still
| |
| | change. It felt like something the
|
| mispronounces your name or confuses you
| |
| | recommender had just thrown in there
|
| with the aide who worked for him three
| |
| | because he thought that must be what law
|
| sessions ago.Once you've cleared that
| |
| | schools want to hear.How do you make sure
|
| hurdle, if you're choosing between
| |
| | that your messages are in sync? By being
|
| someone with less teaching experience and
| |
| | prepared and giving them the information
|
| someone with more, pick the latter. Being
| |
| | they need to write their letters. Collect
|
| able to speak from the experience of
| |
| | the information that you want your
|
| teaching ten years' or fifteen years' or
| |
| | recommenders to have:A letter explaining
|
| even decades' worth of undergraduates
| |
| | why you're applying to law school;
|
| will give a teacher's opinion more
| |
| | what schools you're applying to (your
|
| weight. A TA won't have been teaching
| |
| | list doesn't have to be final, but if,
|
| that long, and calling you the best
| |
| | for example, you're applying only to New
|
| student he's ever taught won't sound
| |
| | York or D.C. schools, your recommenders
|
| impressive if this is his first year
| |
| | should know that, and why);
|
| teaching.A caveat: While it's generally
| |
| | how you're positioning yourself in the
|
| true that law schools prefer academic
| |
| | rest of your application (if you're far
|
| recommendations over professional ones,
| |
| | enough along with your drafts, you should
|
| there's a tipping point for older
| |
| | include your personal statement or
|
| applicants where it starts to look funny
| |
| | statement of purpose; good recommenders
|
| if you don't provide a recommendation
| |
| | will demand them);
|
| from your employer. Unless you've been
| |
| | which qualities you want them to address
|
| out of college for at least seven or ten
| |
| | in their letters (you'll compile that
|
| years, though, or unless a school
| |
| | list from the individual law schools'
|
| specifically prefers or requires a
| |
| | recommendation forms), along with
|
| professional recommendation, you're still
| |
| | suggested anecdotes and examples to
|
| better off trying to drum up at least one
| |
| | illustrate them; and
|
| academic one if you can.Recommender Tip
| |
| | when the letters are due (i.e.
|
