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Welcome to CLEO!

Welcome to the CLEO Diversity in Legal Education Blog! On this site we will talk about the reality of a prelaw education, the programs that CLEO sponsors, and the challenges and triumphs you encounter as you diversify the legal field. CLEO staff and colleagues will share practical insights and discuss how to become a competitive law school applicant.

Most importantly, this blog will give voice to our valuable assets...CLEO participants like you!

On this Blog you will:
1. get advice from current CLEO Scholars
2. learn about the CLEO Scholars Program, A.S.A.P., Sophomore Summer Institute, and CLEO Connection
3. share your profound moments

The CLEO Diversity in Legal Education Blog is an open space for us to talk about our experiences, to plan our next steps, and to support one another. The road to law school is rigorous, but as students, advisors, and professionals we can reach our goal.

Now, bookmark our page and create your username so we can get started!
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August 26, 2009
  Getting Ready: What's Your Plan
Each year (from freshmen to senior) you have a series of tasks to complete if you want to be competitive for law school admission. Last year hundreds of students used CLEO's Scholar program: Sophomore Summer Institute, CLEO Connection, and ASAP to moved ahead. Did you? It's not too late.

Let's get started! Law school and the legal profession survive on organization and planning. As a prelaw student you should be able to prioritize, organize, and evaluate your educational and law school admissions tasks. Start by reviewing CLEO's Prelaw Timeline for students and determining where you need to begin.

Next, choose the CLEO program that is right for your experience and register immediately. You will find information for students on the CLEO website.

Finally, seek advice from professionals. Prelaw advisors are available on most of your campuses. You can expect these professional advisors or faculty to guide you through each semester's course selections, choosing a major, getting involved in student clubs and networking. But remember that "Your Education is Your Responsibility - Own it!"

You can test your prelaw knowledge with this online Facebook quiz created by Ellen Grigsby, Pre-Law Advisor at the University of New Mexico.


Follow the advice given by CLEO's experts for each undergraduate year. Together with CLEO, you can develop the classroom, community, and professional skills that will make you a competitive candidate in the admissions process and more importantly a successful student once you enter the law school of your choice.

Freshmen Year:
Attend CLEO's- The Road To Law School


"As a prelaw student, you need to be exceptionally aware of the choices you make. You will make choices every day of your college experience. From New Student Orientation to Graduation, you should consider each choice as an opportunity to bring you closer to the law school experience you want to create. As a pre-law student, every class, club, internship and special project should prepare you for law school. Think of the next four years as practice for your first day as a 1L - by Matthew Niziol



Sophomore Year:
Attend CLEO's - The Sophomore Super Saturday Seminar and Sophomore Summer Institute


"Your advisor will look for signs of strengths and weaknesses in basic skills such as writing, logic, or speaking, clear deficiencies in math and science, or distaste for the controversies of politics and public policy. For all these reasons, you should schedule a planning meeting with your Pre-Law Advisor early in your sophomore year. The sophomore year offers opportunities that will not come again." - by Stanley Clark



Junior Year:
Attend CLEO's - Juniors Jumpstart the LSAT and ASAP


"If you have been planning for law school and working with your Pre-law Advisor since freshman year, you should be right on track to commence the law school application process in your junior year. Skip ahead to the to-do list, enjoy checking off the items already covered, and start the year with a clear picture of the road ahead." - by Dianne Williams



Senior Year:
Attend CLEO's - Juniors Jumpstart the LSAT and ASAP


"As you approach your senior year, there are several strategies to consider in the application process. Your attention should now turn to three important activities: final preparation for taking the LSAT, writing your personal statement, and organizing your letters of recommendation. Your goal is to have all application materials in the hands of the law schools by the time you take the LSAT." - by Jerry Polinard


One last note: Your fellow students are talking to each other. Are you in the conversation? Go to CLEO on Facebook at Facebook.com/Cleo.Scholars.

We'll see you there!

Post a Comment    

    Posted By: Matthew Niziol @ 08/26/2009 09:14 AM     Prelaw Advising     Comments (0)  

August 5, 2009
  Achieving Success in the Application Process




Edited: 08/05/2009 at 11:42 AM by matthewniziol



    Posted By: Matthew Niziol @ 08/05/2009 11:32 AM     ASAP  

  ASAP: Let Me Tell You Something...
I have already shared all of ASAP with friends and fellow pre-law students. I have told friends how I am lucky to be a part of the CLEO family and how it has improved me, not only as a law school applicant, but as a future attorney.

  • The Mock Admissions Committee gave me, and now my fellow pre-law classmates, an insight as to how admissions committee will look at our every application.

  • The Financial Management aspect of ASAP has shown me, and my friends, that law school is an expensive process that requires a lot of thinking over and analyzing.
  • The Law School Forum provided me with lots of materials that I have shared with classmates about schools out of state, and what specific kind of law some schools focus on.


    • Posted by: Christian Mendoza



        Posted By: Matthew Niziol @ 08/05/2009 09:00 AM     ASAP  

      ASAP: So Much To Choose From
    1. What is the most useful aspect/part of ASAP?

    It seems almost unfair to have to pick one most useful aspect of ASAP, since all of the parts were incredibly useful. From me having the realization, thanks to the Financial Management part of the program, that law school is an investment that will allow me to be an attorney for the rest of my life, to the Student Panel Discussion where I could talk to those who have been recently accepted to law school, ASAP has provided me with the tools to choose the law school that suits me best.

    However, since I have to choose one part, then I would choose the Mini Law School Forum. This Mini Law School Forum gave me the opportunity to meet with specific law schools representatives and ask them about their school. Also, I was able to be provided with Application Waivers to schools that I would not other wise had applied to.


    Posted by: Christian Mendoza

    Edited: 08/05/2009 at 10:31 AM by matthewniziol



        Posted By: Matthew Niziol @ 08/05/2009 08:56 AM     ASAP  

      Networking, Finances, Personal Statements: ASAP Had It All
    1. What is the most useful aspect/part of ASAP?

    The networking aspect, whether it is the prospective law school students, the AIE law school students or the deans/faculty. Receiving input from the freshly accepted law school students as well as from the deans of law school gave me a better perspective on the whole application process itself.

    Talking/sharing advice with peers in the same boat as me, was a great "energy booster" (for example there was a positive competitive energy rather than just stress)


    2. What do you consider to be the most important part of ASAP, and how will you put it to work when you leave?

        1. Financial Aid workshop and
        2. Personal Statement/Personal Element of Application

    Cost of the school is very important to me in deciding where I should go. The instructor for that workshop was very helpful in pinpointing what aspects to not overlook (ie. remember to factor in transportation when visiting school--every cent counts!) He and other instructors recommended making a spreadsheet of the different schools I will be applying to, so Ii can clearly see an estimation of this "investment".

    As for the personal element of my law school applications, the most important advice I took from our three presenters is to try to tell as much about yourself as possible in the most concise way. Meaning, try to spread your information about you through your: transcript, resume, addendum. personal statement, letters of rec. so the admissions people can have a clear understanding of you and your desire to attend law school


    4. What would you have never known/done if you had not attended ASAP?

    Personal statements do have weight in an application (I was under the impression that LSATs and GPA were the only factors); you can write an outline for your professor for your letter of rec; and you can explain any discrepency in an addendum.


    Posted by: Nancy Lam



        Posted By: Matthew Niziol @ 08/05/2009 08:53 AM     ASAP  

      Looking For Answers? Look No Further Than ASAP
    1. The most useful aspect of the ASAP program are the three days you spend with the law school admission deans.

    I felt that this was the most fulfilling aspect because the time that you spend with them, you begin to understand what they go through, and what not to do in the process for applying for law school. I also felt a connection to the great advice that they were giving, there was no beating around the bush, and it was strictly business.

    I especially loved their "get it done" style that it very similar to Ms. Cevallos style on persistence and punctuality. The connection to these same people who intake your application was the greatest experience.


    2. I believe that the most important part of the ASAP program was to learn to follow directions.

    Essentially, this is the most vital aspect in life! To follow directions: intake all the information, and then create your analogy for response. I will employ this in my work, school, and understanding my child.


    3. What part of ASAP will I share with friends? Every part.

    I feel that every person who is considering law school, or even applying to undergrad universities should know this information. Many of the tools that were taught at the program can be used in applying to undergrad schools as well as law schools. I will share this experience with my peers.


    4. I would never have known the thought process of the admissions office of any law school, if I had not come to ASAP.

    Although there were a handful of admission deans from great schools, I feel that the information they distributed is similar in applying to all schools. There was a key word that the deans used as they described situations and answered questions: "it depends!" This is why it is very crucial that anyone and everyone follow the detail of the directions given, and make sure to overlook nothing.


    Posted by: George Geiger



        Posted By: Matthew Niziol @ 08/05/2009 08:42 AM     ASAP  

      What I Learned That You Need to Know
    What is the most useful aspect/part of ASAP?

    ASAP has been more enriching than I ever could have imagined. The time we spent with our law school admissions committee panel was invaluable. ASAP has helped me come up with my plan of action, and (through) its consistent emphasis on preparation. I have learned that a good applicant prepares herself for nothing but success.


    What part of the ASAP program are you going to share with a friend or fellow pre-law student?

    At ASAP, I learned how to select schools not by their rankings, but by my needs and interests instead. I think that a lot of students give priority to a school's prestige even when that school is absolutely wrong for them. I will most certainly share the tactics that I have learned regarding school selection with other students at my university.


    Posted by: Katarina Karac



        Posted By: Matthew Niziol @ 08/05/2009 08:37 AM     ASAP  

      What I Know Now, That I Didn't Know Then!
    Had I not attended ASAP, I would not know how to phrase questions in order to get those questions answered completely.

    When speaking with the admission's staff, it is crucial to phrase questions wisely because every school will try to make their program look fantastic. Too much is at stake when it comes to choosing the right law school. I deserve to have all of my questions answered, and so I will not be shy about asking direct questions.


    Posted by: Katarina Karac

    Edited: 08/05/2009 at 09:01 AM by matthewniziol



        Posted By: Matthew Niziol @ 08/05/2009 08:20 AM     ASAP  

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