Customer Reviews

How to Get Into Law School

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

The author explains in a no-nonsense manner the myths that some of us hold about which schools are the "best" and how such conclusions are reached. While everyone relies on U.S. News's magazine rankings, Susan Estrich emphasizes that the location is what matters the most in choosing a law school. Where will you end up practicing? That is key. And when it comes to recommendations, it does not matter that someone well-known is writing it. The people at admissions will also not care who your father is.

The book is an interesting read and I breezed right through it. That tells you that it wasn't one of thouse long, boring books w/ a whole bunch of fluff.

I came across this book by chance at a bookstore and I was instantly attracted to its no nonsense and completely straightforward attitude. Susan Estrich gives you tips that other books dont even mention, and doesnt attempt to rate schools but instead, shows you how to find the right school for YOU and not only that, how to get IN (really). tips such as how to get an interview, and simple things, as how to get an admissions director on the phone. this book is amazing...simply put.

I just finished my freshman year in college and I found this book to be an excellent starting point for designing my path to law school. It contains lots of info on what makes a good law school and it's not all based on what U.S. News or Princeton Review has to say. The advice in the book helps you to decide the best route for yourself, not just which ivy league to choose. She gives advice useful from your first year in undergrad to your first year in law school. It also has the extra benefit of being written by an insider in the academic world.

Whether this book will actually help you get into the law school of your choice is debatable. First of all, the advice is geared towards students who REALLY want to get into a school that seems to be JUST out of reach for them: it instructs you to stalk the dean of admissions, make phone calls and send follow-ups. This might give you an edge to get in somewhere that your numbers may not ordinarily merit, but in my case, these "tips" simply were not pertinent at all.

Part of what kept me reading was the author's informal language and tone. At first, it seemed like frank advice from a no-nonsense woman. By the end, I was completely put off. Susan Estrich comes across as a complete snob who uses lots of words and drops a lot of names without saying anything. There is no compassion or genuine interest in her audience. It seemed to me like this woman just enjoys hearing herself talk about her powerful friends and berating her readers.

I found it especially irritating that she included a chapter on how miserable lawyers are; how the suicide rate among lawyers is SO high; and how any lawyer would never want his children to follow in his footsteps. Considering this is a book for men and women who either want to go to law school or are already there, it was an awkward choice for Estrich to make.

There were a few good points. I did enjoy reading the author's take on the current system of law school rankings. She also gave some inspiring tips on what makes a good personal statement. The section specifically for female lawyers was interesting, and the book has a feminist slant to it overall.

I read this book in the course of an afternoon. Consider it an entertaining beach read this summer for all you kids applying to law school in the fall.

How to Get Into Law School, by Prof. Estrich, has been abundantly helpful to me as I make my way through the admissions process. Her advice is frankly honest and substantially more insightful than the resources I have come across to date. It cannot do anything but help any law school applicant in their odyessy through admissions. Check out her specific advice on getting the right recommendations letters, how to write your personal statment and how to choose the right school for you. Reading this gift of insider info, left me feeling like I had just been let in on the biggest secrets of how to gain admission. Prof. Susan Estrich KNOWS and delivers more pertinent info than a multitude of the commerical LSAT and Law Admissions volumes put together. Best of luck to you on your journey! Send your prayers above for mine, I. Tanvishut, New Orleans, LA.

I bought this book as someone who was in the process of applying to law school in 2010. I was in need of some advice, and I thought this book could give me that advice. However, I was greatly mistaken. This is hands down one of the worst books I've encountered about the law school admission process and here's why.

Firstly, this author spends a consider amount of the book discussing her experience and views regarding the admission process in regard to when she applied to law school over two decades ago. Times have changed!!! Anyone applying to law school will realize this and realize that most of the advice she's giving is outdated.

Secondly, a lot of the figures (particularly the cost of attendance figures) are grossly outdated. As of 2010, the average reported cost of attendance for law school is well over $60,000 per year with tuition alone comprising at least $40,000 of that cost. The author of this book still has figures in there that state tuition is around $33,000. Anyone in the process of applying to law school should realize how off her figures are when they start reading this book. Also, most people in law school will have to take on some debt to finance their legal education. This debt is significant (the American Bar Association recently reported that the average amount of debt students take on to finance their legal education is now exceeding $80K), and does indeed play an important role in selecting a law school. I get the impression after reading this book that the author seems to think that debt is not all that important to enrolling in law school. In fact, in one part of the book, the author claims that one student will regret her decision to attend Chapman Law School on a full scholarship over not attending some top ranked law school where she would have to take on considerable debt. Really?! Who in today's economy wants $100,000+ in student loan debt?

Overall, I strongly believe this book was written by someone who's never lived in the "real world". If you're looking at this book, you're probably thinking of attending law school, which means you've already been through at least some college. As such, you probably have a good idea of the typical college professor who's only taught her whole life and never lived in the "real world". You know about the nature of the rants she goes on in class, and you know that the advice she gives is just not realistic. Well, at least in my opinion, this book is largely an extension of those rants and unrealistic advice. I highly recommend not buying this book.

Overall, its pretty good compared to several I've read. Estrich has some downsides...she assumes you are applying to a "top" law school. For the thousands of us each year desiring to attend law school who aren't in the elite in terms of LSAT, gpa, etc., or perhaps just dont want to attend Yale, Harvard, Berkeley, etc., this may not be the best choice of book to fit your needs. The advice is really universal, just slanted toward the ivy league as if its the only way to go.

Also, paralegals beware: Estrich will offend you. I believe she writes "why be a lesser version of what you really want to be." Did she say "lesser"? Yes, she did. Ouch. As a paralegal of 10 years, I didn't at all care for her biased attitude. She basically portrays paralegals as people who run a xerox all day and have no place in law school.

The book is useful but to be compared to other authors: this one is too snobbish for me...I got tired of numbers and constant preaching. After finishing it I felt a relief and almost fear instead of motivation and had a feeling like my mom just scolded me. I'm almost 30, American- European, with 2 educations and not easily impressed. What works for me-it's motivation and not put-downs. If you are that person- go for Robert Miller- and you'll derive pleasure, motivation and large knowledge about "how to".

"How to Get into Law School" is perfect for anyone in law school, applying to law school, or thinking about maybe applying to law school. I first read this book three years ago, and at that time I was thinking about maybe applying to law school. "How to Get into Law School" not only convinced me that law school was the right decision for me, but it also provided a road map. By carefully following the advice in this book over the course of a few years, I am pleased to report that I will be attending one of the finest law schools in the country as the recipient of a substantial merit scholarship. Overall, I fared better in the application process than friends of mine with better grades, better LSAT scores and better careers. Take it from me, this book is gold.

Unless you know people who've gone to law school, you really need some advice, and this book helped me a lot. It'll take you through all the steps, like taking the LSAT, getting letters of recommendation, writing your personal statement, picking the school for you and beyond. It's written very clearly and she keeps it interesting as well. I'm going to law school this fall, and this book just didn't help me get in, it helped me get into the right school, one to which I'm excited about going. Remember, it's competitive, you need every edge you can get--read this book!