Rating: 
Summary: Very Useful For Applicants
Review: I have recently completed the law school admissions process and have been accepted at an Ivy League institution that was one of my top choices. Because my application had some serious "issues" that the book specifically addressed, I sincerely recommend that all applicants take the time to read Robert Miller's work. In my experience as a student, I have found that most of the school admissions preparation books that have been published are quite vague and are not written by people who have had firsthand experience with the process. To this effect, many law school admissions guidebooks are written by professional "experts" or "consultants", not people who have recently been through the actual application and educational experience. This book clearly gets to the heart of the whole law school admissions process by interviewing actual law students and an actual law school admissions officer. It takes the questions and concerns that the students had when they were applying and has the admissions officer answer them in great detail. This discussion does a wonderful job at clarifying the issues confronting a person who actually makes the decision on a file. What do you look for when a person has a good GPA and other excellent credentials but an LSAT score that is not up to the school's par? Why is this school not a realistic shot for this person? Does it really benefit someone to apply earlier rather than later? Under what circumstances should an applicant send an addendum of some sort and how should he/she write it? These are the sorts of matters that Miller talks about with the admissions officer and to students who now know the answers but wish they had known them earlier. I have yet to go through law school. But I can honestly say that I had never thought of some of the issues that the book discussed when I was filling out application forms. I credit the book's specific suggestions with my decision to say certain things on my admissions materials that I believe made a decisive impact in getting me accepted to one of my favorite schools early in the admissions cycle. And while I cannot say that everyone will have the exact same experience, I think that there is a great likelihood that the book will bring up issues and perspectives that many applicants never thought of.
Rating: 
Summary: Honest if a little overstated
Review: I am a 1L that read this book over the summer (more than once!) At that time, I found its no-nonsense approach comforting and helpful, and much more directly useful than what I had seen in other similar books. BUT now that I am at law school I have a slightly altered view of the book. It is too stress inducing! I just do not feel like the tone of the book fits the experience I am having - I work a ton, but it is not nearly as horrible and stressful as the book conveyed. Perhaps it is my school and not this book - but I often have thought while looking at it: Thank goodness I didn't go to UPenn. That said, I think the book is really effective in its practical advice about jobs, the application process, journals, course selection and lots of other non-studying related aspects of school. And the absolute best thing about is is the practical finacial advice and the honesty about the difficulty of loan burdens - something I think aspiring law students too often try to ignore. Overall a very useful book!
Rating:
Summary: Recommended reading!
Review: I bought a copy of "Law School Confidential" after reading a review of the book in the "New Hampshire Bar News". Although I have practiced law for over twenty years, the book brought back vivid memories of the fog of the first semester in law school. Now that I will be -- for the first time -- teaching a class for first-semester law students, I will be recommending Rob Miller's book to my students with enthusiasm. "Law School Confidential" is a straight-forward approach to lifting the fog. I don't agree with all of Rob's suggestions, but they are definitely worth trying by any first-semester student, and most can be easily adapted to one's individual learning style. I particularly liked the chapter on law school "etiquette" which emphasized civility and collegiality, traits that are often lost by the time of graduation from many law schools. His advice on law firm recruiting and interviewing was insightful (without being patronizing). I'd like to see Rob and his colleagues write a follow-up book on their experiences as associates.
Rating: 
Summary: Worth Your Money
Review: My name is Atticus Falcon, and I'm the author of Planet Law School. I've just read Robert Miller's book, and I like it. Officially, his book and mine are in competition, but I think they're complementary. I disagree with him on his advice about preparing for law school, but will save my criticism for the next edition of PLS. Where this book is strong is on the "social" side of the law school experience, and frankly, he covers a lot of subjects PLS does not. Although I still think PLS is better, especially re. how to do well academically, if I were going to start law school now, I would also buy Law School Confidential. After all, if the social side of the law school experience is a mess, it's hard to concentrate on the academics. Law School Confidential is worth the money.
Rating:
Summary: Peeling back that onion!
Review: If you are thinking about law school, do not take another step until you read Law School Confidential. Rob Miller does an outstanding job taking you through everything; the last part of college to getting a job as a lawyer (even getting your new firm to pay for your bar exam prep). I am a few years away from retiring from one career and going law school. This book gave me many ideas and confirmed what I need to do to get ready for the dreaded first year. Thanks Rob!
Rating:
Summary: Six stars!
Review: This is a practical book, which presents the law school experience from the perspective of 10 law students from regional and national schools around the country, from U-Miami to Harvard, as candidly and honestly as possible. There is no nostalgia in this book. It is a practical, "where the rubber meets the road" guide to the experience, by students, for students - which is specific enough to provide advice for nearly every question that you'll have about law school, but general enough to be broadly applicable no matter which law school you go to. It will take you chronologically through the experience -from taking the LSAT and applying to schools, to studying for the Bar Exam, and everything in between - but is written in a relaxed, conversational style that the author seems to have intended to read as if we were having a conversation over a beer. Hey listen- there is no use sugar-coating the experience. Law school is really hard. Will the book apply perfectly to every experience you have? Of course not. But I'm certain that all the advice it contains will ease your anxiety significantly, offer a lot of suggestions about how to study and succeed.
Rating:
Summary: Very Helpful Information
Review: I really found this book to be very helpful. This is just the type of information that I was looking for but was unable to find in any other book. The author really understands the anxieties that go along with law school. I recommend this book to anyone who has ever considered attending law school.
Rating:
Summary: The Anxiety Killer
Review: This book has been a great tool in reducing the amount of anxiety I have been experiencing while waiting to begin law school this fall. Once you've been accepted to law school people seem to come out of the woodwork to tell you what a grind it's going to be. Naturally, most of those people have never set foot in a law school. Even those people you talk to who have been to law school seem to offer more general advice then specifics. This book demystifies the unknown that lies ahead. It lays out recommended courses of action starting from the application process through post graduation job hunting. Reading about 3L issues now will help guide my actions long before I get to my third year. Lastly, the book offers advise based on the experiences of ten former law students. Some say they would go to law school all over again and some say they would not. The perspectives offered by 10 former law students give this book serious credibility in my opinion. The tone is positive and productive and makes for easy reading. I was absolutely glued to the book and went through the first 98 pages without taking a break. I think this book is such a great tool that law schools should send it to incoming 1L's upon receiving their deposits.
Rating:
Summary: Well worth reading
Review: I found this book to be extrememly helpful. As a neurotic law school applicant, I have read many books of this type and found this to be one of the best. The interview with the Penn dean of admission is terrific -- very candid and not the usual "line" at all. Some of the advice is a bit too specific -- I suspect I will tailor many of the study tips to suit me personally. Overall, I was very impressed with this book, both from an applicant's perspective and from a student's persepctive (I plan to take it to school with me!).
Rating:
Summary: insightful
Review: The book is an insightful and practical look at the "law school process". It begins with the LSATs and understanding your motivation for attending law school, continues through law school, and on to the bar exam. The book's author and diverse contributing "mentors" cover many angles and many what-ifs. Before spending three years and many tens of thousands of dollars, check this book out to keep your what-ifs from becoming I-should-haves. As a practicing attorney who stumbled onto this book, I can say that reading this book will be well worth your while.
| 
