The Best Law Schools' Admissions Secrets: The Essential Guide from Harvard's Former Admissions Dean (Paperback)

by Joyce Curll (Author)
Key Phrases: prelaw adviser, best law schools, admitted applicants, The Financial Picture, New York, Law Services (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

The ULTIMATE Insider Information on How to STAND OUT and GET ADMITTED!
When trying to beat the tough law school competition, how do you know what will get you fast-tracked to the "yes" pile (or the dreaded "no" pile)?

No insider is better suited to set you on the right track than Joyce Putnam Curll, former Dean of Admissions for Harvard Law School. The Best Law Schools' Admissions Secrets is the ultimate collection of insider advice, direct from one of the country's toughest admissions boardrooms.

Joyce Putnam Curll gives you all the tips and techniques you need to stay ahead, including:

• Preparing your application
• What sets law schools apart
• Behind the scenes of the admissions process
• Taking the LSAT
• Handling the cost
• Planning your career
• And much more

No other law school admissions advice guide can claim this level of authority. The Best Law Schools' Admissions Secrets is sure to give you the edge you need to shine in the eyes of admissions boards everywhere.

About the Author
Joyce Putnam Curll served for 18 years as Dean of Admissions at Harvard Law School, where she evaluated more than 120,000 applicants for admission to the law school. She formerly worked at NYU Law School, as Director of Admissions for 16 years. She lives in Boston, Massachusetts.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 272 pages
• Publisher: Sourcebooks, Inc.; 1 edition (July 1, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1402211821
• ISBN-13: 978-1402211829
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.5 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #52,303 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Law School Admissions, August 31, 2008

By	Margaret A. Carlson - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Ms. Curll has written an outstanding narrative on the process of admission to law school, and advices on how to choose the one that is right for you. She has chapters on how to prepare for law school while still in college, but also reviews the process for those who are starting out later in life. In one of the early chapters she tackles the question of whether law school is the right choice for you by asking many useful questions connected with the career.
As a former Harvard Dean in Law School admissions, she can write with many details about what the admission effort involves,including suggestions for positive interview results. She suggests some helpful work experiences you may want to explore before making a decision, and also reviews some questions on how to finance law school. Finally, she touches on some of the possibilities a law school graduate might consider after graduation, including clerkships, internships, and summer employment opportunities.
This is an extremely readable and informative book for anyone considering law school. She includes many useful anecdotes and personal stories from her own long career and personal experience.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Not just for law school applicants , January 26, 2009

By	Jan Stivers (New Paltz, NY) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I bought this book for my nephew, a college sophomore who is a bright, wonderful kid, but kind of lost about what to do once he graduates. I think this book will help him preserve his options. Curll's advice is, of course, directed specifically at those who are considering law school. But the essential ideas deserve a much broader audience. For example, the chapter on letters of recommendation explains how to select the people best suited to write such letters and how to help them write letters that will be effective. The chapter on how to write the personal statement (part of the law school application) can help anyone who must seize a limited opportunity to "market" him or herself. Particularly useful to my nephew -and to most college students, undoubtedly -is the chapter describing how to make the most of the college years. Curll offers a compelling rationale and specific strategies for choosing courses that develop critical thinking, participating in extra-curricular activities that develop leadership and teamwork, and broadening one's perspective through internships and work experiences.

Curll writes in an accessible, engaging style and uses entertaining vignettes to illustrate her points. While law school applicants are the natural audience for this book, Curll has a great deal to offer all those contemplating graduate study in the professions.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Not all that., December 19, 2008

By	odimebrown - See all my reviews

I really expected Curll's book to be much more detailed and coming from a former Harvard Admission's Dean, this is actually a disappointment. The only really good chapter was on the financial aid picture. Other than that, it was too general. That being said, it's a good starting point for those who have absolutely no idea about how the law school process works. For those looking for more detail, Anna Ivey's The Ivey Guide to Law School Admissions: Straight Advice on Essays, Resumes, Interviews, and More is so much better and filled with nuggets of wisdom. Ivey does a far better job of breaking the whole process down.