Meeting Anna Ivey

So meeting Anna Ivey was nice. She is very professional and is very polished. You can tell she has done this so many times.

Key takeaway points from our meeting.

1. My background suggests that I am very entrepreneurial and have strong business sense. She suggested that I might be a better fit for business school. This concerns me not because she might be right [very possible] but because this is what other admissions deans are going to think as well. However, I think I’ll be okay because two years ago, you would have looked at my resume and seen a community service guy. I’ve really changed that up in the past couple of years. Who knows what my resume will look like in a couple more years. I do need to get past this hurdle though, that I’ve made a committed decision to pursue law and I can handle it.

2. Law schools aren’t looking for leaders. Leadership is a value that admissions officers just pay lip service to. Law schools are trying to produce lawyers, and the successful practice of law need not require any sort of leadership ability. This is in stark contrast to the quotes I’ve read in books where admissions officers talk about how important leadership is. Law school attracts risk adverse types, which are people who tend to worry about potential liability than potential opportunities. This is also tied into her idea that I am unafraid to take risks, which is why perhaps I seem better as a business person. She also mentioned that since I am so fit for business, I probably would enjoy corporate law more than litigation.

3. Personal statements from children of Asian immigrants tend to be very similar. I suspected this and she confirmed my suspicions. I must tread carefully if I decide to tackle this topic. The last thing I want is to have a personal statement that echoes the sentiments of the thousands of other Asian American personal statements. She didn’t say it was a bad idea to go for this type of approach, just to make sure there is a strong message that is unique and about myself. She also told me to explore other essay options. Those include discussion about basketball, my start up company experience, and anything else.

4. No matter how you frame it, my grades are really going to hurt me. Though law schools know CMU is rigorous, my grades are too low. I asked her flat out and she told me very honestly that Michigan and Penn are very long shots. I can’t disagree, but it does hurt to hear that your dream schools are out of reach because you made bad choices when you were younger. Not that I’m complaining or anything. She also made some very interesting points on whether going to law school is right for you if you cannot get into certain schools. That is, maybe after a certain threshold, you might as well not go because your current opportunities are more lucrative than those you would have if you graduated from a lesser law school. Interesting things to think about.

So we spoke for a little over an hour, and it was very enlightening. I’m excited to take this journey. I can/must/will submit the best possible application.