Name: Mariah Reynolds

Major: women's studies

Law School: University of Minnesota

How many schools did you apply to? What criteria did you use in picking these schools? I applied to three schools - the U, Duke, UC Berkley. I was also applying to m.p.p. programs as a joint degree student at the time, so I was looking for schools that had good law programs, good mpp programs, and an organized joint degree program. I also followed a lot of the advice in "A Woman's Guide to Law School" which I highly recommend to women who are thinking about law school.

How did you prepare for the LSAT? Do you have any advice? I prepared for the LSAT by buying one of the LSAT prep books with a cd rom. I did all the exercises in the book and many practice tests on the CD Rom. My only advice is to practice as much as you can, and do the practice tests under real conditions (no breaks between sections, etc.)

What strategies did you use in networking with the professors and employers who wrote letters of recommendation for you? I spoke to professors and employers with whom I had developed a relationship, regardless of the grade I got in the class. E.g. one of my recommenders was a professor from a seminar in which I earned a mediocre grade, but I had been in to the professor's office hours multiple times and had discussed my interests with her, so she was happy to write a recommendation for me. I also asked my thesis advisor, with whom I had worked extensively, and the state representative for whom I had interned.

How did you go about writing your personal statement? How much did you change your personal statement to fit each school? I read over some of the guides to personal statements in the books in the cclc, wrote it, and asked a couple of people to proofread it before I sent it off. I didn't change the personal statements a lot to fit each school, although I did have at least one paragraph in each describing why I was interested in that particular program.

If you had a chance to go through the process again, is there anything you would have done differently? I would have started earlier! I did not decide that I was going to apply to law schools and graduate programs until May, so I had to take the GRE and the LSAT over the summer and early fall, and then get all the applications in by January, while working full time. This was doable, but stressful, and I would have liked to spend more time on my personal statements.

Is law school like you expected it would be? Why or why not? I didn't have any specific expectations of what law school would be like, but the first year is definitely more difficult, more stressful, more time-consuming, and more competitive than I ever imagined.

Any final advice? Go to visit multiple law school classes (in any school) so that you can get a feel for what it's like. Talk to current first year students about the workload, the stress, and the amount of free time they have. Then talk to second year students who have made it through the first year to get their perspectives. Be sure that you are willing to make these sacrifices before you invest tens of thousands of dollars in your education. Use the summer before law school starts to relax, and spend time with friends and family while you still have it. Read some of those law school prep books, but then do what works for you once you get started.