Hello soon to be law students,
Was lucky enough to discover Law School Expert (http://www.lawschoolexpert.com/blog/) this past week. Acting as a welcoming encyclopedia for all law school inquiries, this blog contains ample information on every facet of the admissions process and beyond. Catering to a wide variety of law applicants and schools, LSE is an accessible and free resource. Ann Levine, the creator of the blog, has an impressive work resume that stems from her impressive academic career, which concluded with her graduating magna cum laude from the University of Miami Law School. After authoring several books on the law school admissions process, Ann has become a full time admissions advisor and consultant. Using several mediums: radio, podcasts, and this blog, she has been able to guide countless students to admission success.
Posting every couple days, LSE has appropriately organized its posts to reflect the concerns that temporally parallel the admissions process. LSE almost serves as an interactive calendar reminding applicants what and where they should be in the process in the form of posts. In addition to the precise and poignant material in each post, there are several links to other blogs that provide alternate views on the subjects. I see this is as a viable tool to validate the substance of my posts. Additionally, each post invites dialogue that not only helps to build relationships between followers, but also allows for varied opinions to be vocalized; and they are. Several students are commenting and asking questions daily, assumingly they are receiving responses.
One post that was especially interesting to me was entitled “Looking for an LSAT Tutor.” (http://www.lawschoolexpert.com/blog/2010/01/15/looking-for-an-lsat-tutor/) As I am currently preparing for the June 2010 LSAT, I have spent much time and research deciding what prep program to invest in. I ended up choosing Testmasters, (http://www.testmasters.net/default.aspx) and so far have been very impressed. LSE also provides a laundry list of great options for LSAT preparation. Placing an emphasis on individual tutoring in this specific post, LSE carefully addressed the pros and cons for each of the many companies discussed. The post also compares private tutoring versus an in class experience. Quickly learning from my own preparation that you can never be too ready for the LSAT, this post will be extremely helpful for me to reinforce my Testmasters work with that of alternative resources.
Another post that caught my eye was named “Increase in Law School Applications for Fall 2010 Cycle.” (http://www.lawschoolexpert.com/blog/2010/01/13/increase-in-law-school-applications-for-fall-2010-cycle/) The growing concern that the current and dramatic increase in law school applicants has rarely been appeased by viable sources. LSE debunks some of the rumors pertaining to admission and presents a more optimistic and encouraging forecast for the present and future admission cycles. This for me was a large worry and still is, but has been somewhat alleviated with this post.
Law School Expert is an amazing resource for all potential law school students. Conveniently located on the sidebar is a complete list of categories imperative to successfully navigating the admissions process. While this blog offers advice from an outsider looking in on the admissions process, my blog Against the Odds with Admissions Gods will provide viewers with a detailed journal of my current and future path through the admissions process as I will chronicle each step I take. My personal flare and outlook on the overall process will not only be entertaining, but also a real blunt look at this daunting process that so many endeavor upon.

Hello World

As this period of fiscal irresponsibility has consumed society into an economic recession void of any immediate solutions, many of us approach our college graduations without the plethora of opportunities we had witnessed in years past and had grown to expect. A decade ago: Cisco, Oracle, Microsoft, and HP to name a few, offered entrance level jobs with not only upward mobility, but also strong starting salaries to almost anybody receiving a diploma. Today however, these offers are few and far between. But one avenue to abscond this recession and dismal job opportunities has become the path for nearly 12% of all college students. What promises a bright and lucrative future that allows young adults to evade the job market for three years? Law school. It has become the stabilizing saving grace for young ambitious Americans.
Although the number of applicants have increased an insatiable 41% in the last five years, the average incoming class sizes has remained relatively the same. Thus, getting into law school, especially to the most elite, has become incredibly competitive. Navigating the rigorous admissions process is possible, as most of the determinate factors to one’s acceptance or rejection are controllable: undergraduate GPA, LSAT score, teacher recommendations, and personal statement. All of these factors project an admission process marked by a fair and equal assessment of each applicant, the most deserving being chosen. However, this process is merely a façade disguising the political motivations that drive much of the real admissions process, the extreme preferential treatment towards those solely because of their race and or ethnicity. This is more commonly known as affirmative action.
Originally, affirmative action was created to combat and absolve the inadequate opportunities provided to certain underrepresented factions of society. Although affirmative action was imperative to strengthen and improve society following the Civil Rights Movement, it has become a severe means of discrimination against the majority, dangerously deteriorating America’s foundational morals of merit and equality. Simply viewing an applicant to law school in a different light solely because of race or ethnicity contradicts all the valiant work America has done to rid itself of the naïve and ignorant bigotry that once plagues this great country. I feel it is important to proclaim the pink elephant in the room of affirmative action to provided a blunt yet truthful description of the admissions process.
While this blog will discuss the highly controversial topic of the excessive use of affirmative action in the law school admissions process, it will also scrupulously examine the admission process and provide the best strategies for gaining acceptance to law school. This blog will discuss the pros and cons of taking out student loans, attending 2nd and 3rd tier law schools, taking LSAT prep courses, applying early vs regular decision, and providing updated lists of school rankings and specialties to name a few of the issues to be discussed. So if you are serious about gaining acceptance to law school, Against the Odds with Admissions Gods will be your imperative guide to navigating this daunting process.