The Ivey Guide to Law School Admissions: Straight Advice on Essays, Resumes, Interviews, and More

As a longshot applicant, I have already been accepted to or waitlisted by various top law schools (two of the top three law schools, as I write this, are still considering me, despite being told not to bother applying to those schools). But I couldn't help but be intrigued when I saw that a book by a former admissions officer at the University of Chicago would be coming out with big "secrets." Having already been through the process and having been someone who relied heavily on Richard Montauk's "How To Get Into the Top Law Schools," I would say that I didn't miss too much essential information from not having this book available as I applied. If someone told me there was only one book they could buy on law school admissions and asked for my opinion, I would probably still advise they go with Montauk's book. However, I would otherwise recommend that they pick up a copy of Montauk's book, Anna Ivey's book and, if they were African American, copies of Evangeline Mitchell's books...Read more

I've been the prelaw advisor at a medium-sized religious college for more than twenty-five years, and my advice about law school application runs largely along the lines outlined in Anna Ivey's nicely written book. In the future, if a student begins to write me off as a curmudgeon, I'll be able to cite chapter and verse from this author, who's a good quarter-century younger and has a far better claim to speak with authority about such matters than I. So, undergraduates, read and heed.

Nevertheless, I have a few quibbles. One inference of the Ivey Guide is that a great many admission decisions are made on the basis of personal essays, interviews, and recommendations. Actually, as Ms. Ivey would probably agree, most decisions are based flatly and unimaginatively on GPA, LSAT, and minority status (if applicable). My feeling is that the other materials often serve largely as conscience salve for the typical admissions officer (of which Ms. Ivey was certainly not). In my...Read more

I am also a former director of law school admissions and proprietor of www.lawschoolexpert.com. My blog is readily available at http://lawschoolexpert.blogspot.com. I have no connection to Ms. Ivey.

The good things about this book are ms. Ivey's insights about who should write letters of recommendation, what to leave off a resume, what not to say in an addendum, and what law school admissions committee members are really thinking when they read applications. I especially appreciated the comment about dreading applications that landed on my desk with a "thud."

The writing style is easy and this is a great reference for people approaching the law school application process. The only downside to this publication is the sample essays - I would not encourage any of my clients to submit these essays. They are elementary, cliche, and sometimes trite. I also believe that law school applicants fail to recognize some of the weaknesses Ms. Ivey points out in their own...Read more