Name: John Porten

Major: English

Law School: University of Minnesota

How many schools did you apply to? What criteria did you use in picking these schools? I applied to seven schools. My criteria began with geography, I only applied to schools in areas in which I would enjoy studying and practicing. I then applied to a range of schools at which I felt competitive based on my LSAT and GPA. I paid special attention to schools with the top regional reputation.

How did you prepare for the LSAT? Do you have any advice? I spent a few hours in self-study with a Kaplan manual and took a few practice exams. I think that LSAT tutoring may be useful in the Games portion of the test and for people who underperform on exams in general. Otherwise, preparation is mostly useful to gain confidence with the test's procedure and style.

What strategies did you use in networking with the professors and employers who wrote letters of recommendation for you? I did not consider law school until my senior year. I'm not a good person to ask for advice on this one.

How did you go about writing your personal statement? How much did you change your personal statement to fit each school? I wrote a specialized personal statement for my top choice school (Columbia) and the U of M. I felt confident that I would be admitted to the U, but since I had grown up in the area, it seemed easy to use many specifics. For other schools, I added a few details to a general form.

If you had a chance to go through the process again, is there anything you would have done differently? Any sophomore or junior reading this has already corrected my biggest mistake.

Is law school like you expected it would be? Why or why not? No. I don't think it's possible to prepare for the style of education you receive in law school. The competition is extremely fierce and the work is extremely detailed, taxing, and practical.

Any final advice? 1. The "friendly atmosphere" many schools will try to sell you on is BS. You will make friends at any school. You will find people that you help and that help you, genuinely, at any school. But no matter which school you choose, you will want to kick your friend's ass on test day. Trust me, they're thinking the same thing.