Break Into Law School® Podcast
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Break into Law School® is the podcast for students who are ready to break down generational barriers to law school and walk confidently into their future.
This podcast provides transparent, quality, and ethical law school advice in a way that is uplifting and relatable.
Sydney Montgomery, Esq, is a law school admissions consultant specializing in working with first-generation and minority applicants. She herself is a first-generation graduate of Princeton and Harvard Law School. Through Barrier Breakers®, she and our team have helped over 7,000 students gain admission to law school.
Are you struggling with information overload? Are you getting lost in Reddit and Google? Are you feeling stuck, not sure what to write about, not sure how to even begin the application process? Join a community of students who are choosing to stop the cycle of confusion and missed opportunities and find quality and ethical answers to their application questions.
No scare tactics here. No tearing people down. No shaming anyone. This show is all about leading with love, uplifting you, and encouraging you as you step confidently into your career as an attorney.
Meet Your Hosts
Ep 81: Finding Outside Scholarships for Law School
Law schools aren't the only places that award scholarships. As you navigate questions about how to pay for law school, don't forget about outside scholarships. Join Alice to talk about what these are and where to find them!
Ep 80: Should I Transfer Law Schools?
The right fit is so important in choosing your law school. Join Alice today to talk about when a transfer may be a good idea, why it's a big decision, and how the process works! Let's talk about it.
Ep 79: How to Evaluate Your Law School Offers
You've been accepted to law school. Yay~! However, what do you do now that you have offers and how do you evaluate them? Let's talk about it.
Ep 78: What to Avoid in Your Law School Scholarship Essays
After writing endless amounts of law school application essays, writing supplements, diversity statements, writing another essay for scholarships may seem dreadful. However, it is worth the effort and time if it means earning money to help pay off law school. Today, Alice goes over 3 things you should avoid when writing your law school scholarship essays to help you power through and give your best shot at receiving a scholarship.
Ep 77: Is February Too Late To Apply To Law School?
Is it too late to apply to law school? Alice is going to talk through whether you should apply late and how it can affect your ability to gain acceptance and, most importantly, scholarship money!
Ep 76: Increasing Law School Application Support for BIPOC & First-Gen Students
We have officially taken the next step in making our services more accessible to BIPOC, minority, marginalizing, and first-generation students by housing S. Montgomery Admissions Consulting under Barrier Breakers, Inc., a 501(c)(3) organization.
Ep 75: What To Do While Waiting to Hear From Law Schools
Today we're going to be talking about the long dreadful waiting period. What do you do? When should you reach back out? When do you write a letter of continued interest? Should you send the law school updates?
Ep 74: How To Research Work Experience for My Area of Law
Searching for a job is a scary and overwhelming experience. Today, Alice goes over some tips on how to best research for jobs in your area of law. Learn about what you should look out for and what resources to look into. Hint, building your network is key!
Ep 73: Strengthening Your Writing Style – Part 2
Today we're going to be talking about your writing style in your writing for law school admissions. So often we focus on the content but we neglect the importance of writing style in delivering the strongest personal and diversity statements. We're going to focus on active and passive voice, transition variance, and some general formatting!
Ep 72: Strengthening Your Writing Style – Part 1
Today we're going to be talking about your writing style in your writing for law school admissions. So often we focus on the content but we neglect the importance of writing style in delivering the strongest personal and diversity statements.
Ep 71: Is the LSAT Changing? Tips on Understanding the Situation
You have likely seen the news that the ABA voted to end the LSAT requirement for law schools, but what does this really mean for you? Let's talk about it.
Ep 70: Harvard, Yale, & Others Pulling Out US News Rankings – Whats Next?
You have likely seen the news this week that Yale, Harvard, Berkeley, and now Georgetown have pulled out of the US News and World Report Best Law Schools Rankings. What does this mean for current and future applicants? What changes and what stays the same? How does this impact you? Let's talk about it.
Ep 69: Paying for Law School with Ass. Dir. of Financial Aid, UT Austin Law
How do I pay for law school? Is it even worth applying, when you have no idea how you can afford it? For this episode, I have the pleasure to speak with Abigail Mbuvi, the assistant director of financial aid at the University of Texas Austin School of Law. We go over the whole process of financial aid starting from the types of aid, how to strengthen your chances of receiving merit-based aid, and what resources in general that are available for you to utilize if you or are applying to law school.
Ep 68: Should You Write a Why X Law School Essay?
Today we're going to be talking about "Why X" Law School Essays. Should you write one to every school? Should you write one to any school? How should you best go about this particular type of essay?
Ep 67: Biggest Law School Admissions Interview Mistakes
Today we're going to be talking about the biggest mistakes you can make in a law school admissions interview. Along with that, we'll also give some tips and advice on ways to give the best impression during your interview. So, what exactly should you avoid when you're invited (or you choose) to interview with your dream school?
Ep 66: How to Use Multiple Stories in Your Law School Personal Statement
Today we're going to be talking about how to weave together multiple stories in your law school personal statement. You should always try to avoid the single-story narrative but you also don't want to try to tell 10 different stories in 2 pages. How should you weave together these multiple stories?
Ep 65: Can I Go To Law School If I've Been Arrested Show
Have a criminal record? That shouldn't stop you from applying to law school! In this episode, Associate Law School Consultant Alice Foley talks about how to go about the law school application process with a criminal record. She explains what the admissions staff are concerned about and demonstrates what to clarify for your application.
Ep 64: Is Applying Early Decision to Law School Right For Me?
Thinking about early decision? Alice goes over what you need to know and questions you need to ask yourself when thinking about early decision to law school. Learn about the benefits and drawbacks of an early decision.
Ep 63: Navigating The LSAT Accommodations Process with an LSAT Tutor
Today we have the pleasure of having Jasmeene Burton-Martin, LSAT Tutor and 2L at Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law, joining Monique to discuss LSAT accommodations. Jasmeene goes over the categories of the types of accommodations as well as advice and reassurance that if you need something to test better, you can!
Ep 62: Common Questions and Tips with Law School Director of Admissions
Today we're joined by Alice Foley, Associate Law School Consulting at S. Montgomery Consulting, and Jimmi Nicholson, Director of Admissions at the University of Kentucky J. David Rosenberg College of Law as they discuss the factors that go into building your law school list and how DEI plays a role in that decision process. They cover questions such as:
How do you decide which schools to apply to?
What are the most important yet often overlooked parts of the application?
What is the perspective of the person behind the desk and what signs are they looking for?