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(out of 3 reviews)
How to Get Into the Top Law Schools, 4th edition
- ISBN13: 9780735204294
- Condition: USED – VERY GOOD
- Notes:
Product Description
Richard Montauk, a savvy admissions insider, demystifies the application process and provides the tools to ace every step. Based on interviews with dozens of admissions officers, Montauk delivers a candid view of what leading law schools look for in an applicant. He also gives applicants solid advice on developing marketing strategies, writing winning essays, maximizing financial aid, and assessing and upgrading credentials to better match that ideal profile. . . . More >>
June 20th, 2010 at 3:29 pm
Applying to law schools can be a mysterious and daunting task. There are rankings, scores, essays, recommendations and numerous human factors involved. Sometimes the steps seem pointless and the decisions appear arbitrary. With this book, Montauk attempts to take some of that mystery out of the process by providing concrete information on what the schools are looking for and specific advice on how to give yourself the best chance possible. He succeeds admirably.
I found the most valuable feature of the book to be the quotes from law school admission staff members at various schools. Virtually every topic includes input from admissions counselors and directors. And these aren’t people from “Joe’s J. D. Mill. ” They work at the top law schools in the nation. These are the people who make the decisions about who gets in to a top school and who doesn’t. Their candid advice is invaluable.
As a whole, the book is well-written and informative. Some portions may be redundant to people who have already done a significant amount of research on law schools and the admission process. But it’s all good information and it’s useful to have it in one place.
While I don’t recommend using this book as your sole source of advice, it’s a fabulous starting point. If you’re serious about going to law school, buy this book. It’s well worth the price.
Rating: 5 / 5
June 20th, 2010 at 3:46 pm
I discovered this book last summer when I first decided to put myself through the law school application process (again). What a find! I only wish I had had it the first time around. There are so many little nuggets of advice that are useful to those applying to top 20 law schools. The emphasis on the importance of the LSAT cannot be missed. There’s also a great section on how to get the best letters of recommendation from profs (although the sample letter Montauk includes seems a little unrealistic–it’s almost four pages long). Also, don’t worry if your resume isn’t as solid as some of the sample ones included–those people are NOT your typical law school applicants.
Montauk does a thorough job of going through every aspect of the law school admissions process, including the most important one: Is law school right for you? The first chapter is invaluable in evaluatng whether you’re making the right choice for yourself, since law school is a costly commitment (time, effort and money-wise). There are also countless data tables that examine statistics for each law school and a great chapter on law school rankings.
Overall, I would say that this book is worth every penny for those applying to top law schools (for those who are looking outside of the top tier, I would be more hesitant to recommend it since the data he includes is restricted primarily to top 20 schools).
Rating: 5 / 5
June 20th, 2010 at 6:39 pm
This is the only book you will need to help you apply to law school. The author covers everything from personal statements to Loan repayment programs at top schools. The author focus on top twenty schools but the information should be helpful to anyone. The best part is hundreds of quotes on all subjects directly from the deans of admissions at top schools. It includes quotes from the deans at every school in the top 15 in the U. S. News and world report rankings and a number of other institutions including Boston College, George Washington, USC, UCLA, and Boston University. This is particularly helpful if you are targeting one of these top schools. There are executive summaries at the end of the chapters if you don’t have time to read the entire book. This work will help anyone taking the application process seriously to maximize their chances of getting into the best school they can.
Rating: 5 / 5
June 20th, 2010 at 8:00 pm
I have spent a good deal of time wading through law school admissions guides. Too often, they are insufficiently researched and unscientific. Making generalizations about law school, admissions, and the legal profession can be tricky business, and Mr. Montauk recognizes this from the outset. This is not simply the view of one corporate lawyer, or law student, but instead a comprehensive analysis, informed by the experiences of law school professionals from every geographic region in America. He presents compelling strategies for marketing, based on the preconceptions (or prejudices, if you will) of law school admissions officers. He breaks down the process, and shows you the priorities and challenges faced by those who will determine your admissions fate. Understanding their perspective allows you to fashion the application accordingly, and offset the critiques that will be leveled against you during the decision-making process.
Mr. Montauk, of course, has his own opinions and presents them boldly. He begins the text with a discussion of the question, “why law?” He cites the undeniably large degree of dissatisfaction among attorneys, and draws some conclusions as to why this is so. Inexperienced undergraduates, he suggests, often make poor choices, and select law for naïve and psychologically self-serving reasons. He advocates working after college, in order to bolster experience and maturity. The point is well taken, but nonetheless one-dimensional. The undergraduate transcript is less significant for older applicants, which can put high college achievers at a competitive disadvantage. Also, for those of us who cannot benefit from the contacts and connections of an ivy-league degree, finding impressive employment immediately following college can be extremely difficult. These qualms aside, this is a phenomenal book. It is a must-read for ALL serious law applicants, whether they are Harvard-bound or not.
Rating: 4 / 5
June 20th, 2010 at 10:36 pm
I have spent a good deal of time wading through law school admissions guides. Too often, they are insufficiently researched and unscientific. Making generalizations about law school, admissions, and the legal profession can be tricky business, and Mr. Montauk recognizes this from the outset. This is not simply the view of one corporate lawyer, or law student, but instead a comprehensive analysis, informed by the experiences of law school professionals from every geographic region in America. He presents compelling strategies for marketing, based on the preconceptions (or prejudices, if you will) of law school admissions officers. He breaks down the process, and shows you the priorities and challenges faced by those who will determine your admissions fate. Understanding their perspective allows you to fashion the application accordingly, and offset the critiques that will be leveled against you during the decision-making process.
Mr. Montauk, of course, has his own opinions and presents them boldly. He begins the text with a discussion of the question, “why law?” He cites the undeniably large degree of dissatisfaction among attorneys, and draws some conclusions as to why this is so. Inexperienced undergraduates, he suggests, often make poor choices, and select law for naïve and psychologically self-serving reasons. He advocates working after college, in order to bolster experience and maturity. The point is well taken, but nonetheless one-dimensional. The undergraduate transcript is less significant for older applicants, which can put high college achievers at a competitive disadvantage. Also, for those of us who cannot benefit from the contacts and connections of an ivy-league degree, finding impressive employment immediately following college can be extremely difficult. These qualms aside, this is a phenomenal book. It is a must-read for ALL serious law applicants, whether they are Harvard-bound or not.
Rating: 4 / 5