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

Anna Ivey
Harvest Books (2005)
ISBN 9780156029797
Reviewed by Rhiannon Kelly Fionn for Reader Views (6/07)

If only Anna Ivey would clone herself; she is needed in high school and college guidance offices in every school in the Union!

Anna Ivey is the person you want to have a leisurely lunch with while in the middle of the endurance test of admissions.  Once Dean of Admissions at The University of Chicago Law School, she has seen the best and the worst of want-to-be attorneys.

She has also managed to pen the ultimate guide for anyone who aspires to become an attorney in the United States.  Any question you can imagine, and many that would never occur to you, are answered by her book, “The Ivey Guide to Law School Admissions: Straight Advice on Essays, Resumes, Interviews and More.”

I know what you’re thinking: Yawn!  No one is going to read an entire book on something as boring as law school admissions.

It’s true.  There are some who will use this as a reference book, and nothing more.  Lucky for them the ten-page index is extensive and thorough and the information is methodically organized.  You could do that and probably fair just fine.

But, glance at the contents page and Ms. Ivey will begin to draw you in with chapters such as “Damning with Faint Praise: Recommendations” and “Prestige and Price Tags: How to Pick a Law School.”

What does that mean?  “Damning with Faint Praise?”  Who ever thought to think so hard about recommendations, besides Ms. Ivey, of course?  As with all of the major and minor topics covered, Ms. Ivey covers every single, possible, itty bitty, and big fat detail that will make a difference for you when you are attempting to grab the attention of those who hold the keys to your hope of being accepted at the law school of your choosing.

She is not holding back.  Once you dig in, you will realize the author’s no-nonsense advice goes down easier with day dreams of diplomas.   Though applying for law school is not on my immediate agenda, after reading “The Ivey Guide to Law School Admissions” I have no doubt I could not only afford to, I would wow everyone involved with the admissions process and thus have my pick of school—since they’ll all be begging for this star to grace their campus with my brilliance.

That is what people will think of your admissions packet if you follow the sage advice in this book: absolutely brilliant!

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