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 102: How to Get Fee Waivers for Law School Applications
Are you concerned about the high cost of applying to law school? In this video, we discuss six effective ways to obtain fee waivers for your law school applications. From LSAC fee waivers to admissions events and more, we'll show you how to save money and make the application process more affordable.
Ep 101: Should You Draft Your Own Letter of Recommendation?
Welcome to today's episode where we delve into the intricate world of letters of recommendation. Are you facing the daunting task of writing your own letter? Don't fret, because in this episode, we're here to help.
Sometimes, even when you've done everything right—completed the necessary work, built a strong relationship with your recommender, and asked for their assistance well in advance—their busy schedule may hinder them from writing the letter themselves. In such cases, they might suggest that you write it instead, and they'll simply review, sign, and submit it. But is this the right approach? Is it odd to write your own letter of recommendation? Well, the answer, not surprisingly, is that it depends.
Ep. 100 - The 5 Biggest Mistakes That New Law Students Make with Angela Vorpahl
In today’s episode, guest host LoVetta Jenkins is joined by Angela Vorpahl, a law school strategy coach and the creator of Law School Master Plan. Angela shares some key insight on what mistakes she sees 1L students makes as they enter law school. Some of the biggest mistakes include treating law school like college, not talking to professors, and joining study groups.
Ep 99: Should You Talk About Race in Your Law School Application Essays?
With the recent Supreme Court decision, the landscape has changed when it comes to discussing race. While race itself can no longer be a direct factor in admissions, aspects related to it, like socioeconomics and discrimination, can still contribute to building a diverse law school class. Join us as we explore the various avenues where you can talk about race in your application process. We'll walk you through four key areas where you can incorporate race: the personal statement, diversity statement, why us essays, and resumes/letters of recommendations.
Ep 97: How to Financially Prepare for 1L Year
Starting law school can be stressful, especially when it comes to understanding your new financial future. In this video, we'll walk you through some valuable tips and resources to help you manage your finances like a pro. We discuss how to create a budget tailored to your law school journey using Max PreLaw by AccessLex, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting aspiring law students, as well as YNAB.
Ep 96: Should You Write About Faith in Your Law School Application Essays?
As a faith-based organization, we believe in serving the whole person, providing comprehensive support to applicants beyond just essay guidance. For today's episode, Sydney talks about how you can talk about faith in your law school applications. She advises against using your application to preach or attempt to persuade the admissions committee but instead encourages genuine storytelling about your faith experiences and how they've shaped your perspective and aspirations. She also explores the best places to share your faith journey, such as your personal statement, diversity statement, why us essay, and resume.
Ep 95: Is September Too Late To Take The LSAT?
With July coming to an end, it's time to think about registering for the September LSAT. For today's episode, Alice addresses a common concern: Is September too late to take the LSAT? Don't fret and listen in as she also shares some valuable insights about timing your law school application.
Ep 94: Supreme Court Ruling Impact on Law School Admissions
For today’s episode, we dive into the recent Supreme Court ruling on race-conscious admissions policies, often referred to as affirmative action. The ruling prohibits schools from explicitly considering race as a factor in admissions decisions, leading to potential changes in the application process. If you’re a student of color applying to law school this cycle, you might be wondering about these potential changes. Don’t worry, we have you covered in this week’s episode, and are here to help you understand the implications of it all. We delve into the arguments made by the court and examine the impact on schools and their efforts to promote diversity. We also address the potential impact on law school essays. So listen in as we provide insights on alternative factors schools may consider and offer guidance on crafting strong law school applications in light of the ruling.
Ep 93: What are Soft Factors in the Law School Admissions Process?
Today, Alice discusses the concept of soft factors in law school applications. Soft factors refer to all the elements of an application that are not the undergraduate GPA and LSAT score. For this episode, we focus on three key soft factors: the resume, letters of recommendation, and essays.
Ep 92: How To Calculate Your Law School Loans
In this video, Sydney dives into the topic of law school financial aid, specifically on loans. We discuss the importance of having a plan when it comes to handling law school loans and how to approximate your loan payments. For this video we use AccessLex Student Loan Calculator (but you can also look into SmartAsset Student Loan Calculator), and show you how to use it to calculate your finances at home. We hope this video can help you in your decision-making process for programs and schools you plan to attend, and estimating your current student loan situation and living expenses. We also touch on factors like income, savings, and potential scholarships or grants.
Ep 91: U.S. News & World Report Ranking - What Does It Mean For You?
In this video, we will be discussing the new US News and World Report rankings and what they mean for you. If you've been following the news or listening to other podcasts, you may have heard about the recent changes in the rankings. But should you care? Does it affect your admissions or application cycle? What if you've already decided on a school? We'll address all of these questions and more.
Ep 90: Assistant Director for Law School Admissions: Common Questions
Today, Alice shares some of the most common questions she received while working as the assistant director for law school admissions at West Virginia University College of Law and the University of Kentucky Law School. She's heard it all from "Why should I go to your law school?" to "Can I have an application fee waiver?" Alice provides some honest and practical answers to help prospective law students navigate the admissions process. Whether you're waiting for decisions or just starting to research different law schools, this video has something for everyone. Tune in to learn more about the dos and don'ts of law school admissions and get some valuable insights from an experienced admissions professional.
Ep 89: Best Practices For BIPOC Law School Applicants with Penn Carey Law
For today's video, we have Yolanda Ingram, the Director of Access to Law School Education Programs, Admissions and Financial Aid at Penn Carey Law to talk about the best practices for BIPOC law school applicants. Yolanda talks about her experience as a first-generation college and law student and shares some tips and advice on writing a successful personal statement for law school applications. We also hear more about the various programs Penn Carey Law has in place to increase access for underrepresented students, including high school outreach programs and virtual college outreach programs.
Ep 88: Part-Time & Blended Law School Opportunities with Mitchell Hamline School of Law
Today we are joined by Ann Gemmell, the Vice President for Enrollment at Mitchell Hamlin School of Law, who talks about the unique opportunities for enrollment at the school. We talk about the blended program, which is a mostly online program that allows students to learn both online and in-person
Ep 87: When to Withdraw from Law School Waitlists
Today, we discuss the anxiety and uncertainty that comes with being on a law school wait list. While there's no one magical answer for dealing with waitlist anxiety, we offer a few universal tips to help you navigate this challenging time. Most law schools will ask how long they can make you wait, so it's important to consider how important the school is to you, what your alternatives are, how comfortable you are with uncertainty, and what other responsibilities may require you to make a decision by a certain date. We can't stress this enough that being on the wait list does not mean that you failed.
Ep 86: How to Negotiate Law School Scholarships
In this video, we have Sydney and Alice here to discuss scholarship negotiation, a topic that can be confusing and overwhelming for many applicants who have received offers. We'll answer questions such as what exactly scholarship negotiation means, who you will be negotiating with, and what you can negotiate for. We'll also address common concerns and myths surrounding scholarship negotiation. If you're trying to figure out what school to choose and how to get the most out of your scholarship offers, this video is for you.
Ep 85: All About Claire Sawyer, Future Lawyer with Brooke Bridges
Claire Sawyer is NOW a lawyer! Today we talk with Claire about her journey into law and time at James K. Polk Middle School. Just kidding! Late April Fools! Today, we are joined by Brooke Bridges, the actress who brought Claire Sawyer to life on Ned's Declassified School's Survival Guide. We talk about her time on Ned's, the importance of representation in media, as well as what she's up to now as a mom and entrepreneur.
Ep 84: I Am A Single Parent. Can I Go To Law School?
Yes, you can go to law school if you're a single parent! Today, Alice is here to reassure you and share some tips on all aspects of the law school journey from applications to school environments for single parents. Being a single parent does not preclude you from this path.
Ep 83: Mental Health and Wellness in Law School with Vanisa Siler Brown
Today we're joined by Vanisa Siler Brown, the founder of Foundation of Achievement to discuss the importance of caring for you mental health and wellness while in law school and beyond.
Ep 82: Factors to Consider When Creating Your Law School List
There are many factors to consider when creating your law school list. It can be overwhelming and you may not know where to start. Today, Alice will go over just a couple of factors to build a balanced initial list. We go over some hard factors such as the bar passage rate and programs, and soft factors like location.