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