I had the opportunity to meet with some high school seniors lately and they demonstrated that they were ready to graduate by asking the unanswerable life questions.  How do we establish connections with other human beings without labeling them?  How do we measure progress without creating limits?  And, how do we deal with the fact that there are only 24 hours in a day?  Meaning, how do we do all the things we want and have to do?

I think a career with a law degree gives you the opportunity to look for answers to those questions. It certainly forces you to address the last one.  There is so much bad press right now about law school, some of it right, that it is important to take the change of the calendar to think about if this is the right next step for you.  Go visit law schools in your area.  All law schools will set up times for you to come in and sit in on classes.  They will connect you with current students so you can ask questions.  Also, think of anyone you know who has a law degree and take them to lunch.  Find out what they do, do they like it, what don't they like and would they get a law degree today, especially with the price of tuition?  If you can't think of anyone, contact the state bar, they have groups that lawyers can join based on areas of practice.  Ask to talk to someone who practices in an area or areas that might be of interest to you.

On a more practical note, the date to sign up for the February test without paying extra money has passed.  You can sign up by paying extra through January 15.

Welcome to 2013!  A new year and time for goals.  A recent study has found that big resolutions rarely work.  Shockingly enough.  However, little goals or small changes can stick and make an impact.  So, I resolve to post to this blog once a week and thereby enter the 21st century.  Whether you are pondering the LSAT or starting law school this fall, your reading skills are going to be hugely important.  Make a goal to increase your reading from wherever it is at today.  If your reading is only on the internet or intermittent, go find a book, any book that you find intriguing and starting reading everyday. Even if it is for only 20 minutes a day.  It doesn't matter what kind of book, as long as it has words, no comic books.  As with everything else, the more you read, the better you get at it.  It does need to be paper format.  It turns out the way our eyes track on the computer screen is different from how they track on a paper page.

If you have gotten your October score back and are trying to decide before Friday (the last day to register for the December test) if you are going to take it again, you will want to ask yourself several questions.  One is whether you could do worse.  Look through your test and check to see that there were at least 6 - 8 questions were either stupid misses or ones you can improve on by December 1st.  There isn't much point in redoing it if you think you can only go up 2 or 3 points.  Finally, ask yourself if you have it in you to push for 3 1/2 more weeks.  If you want to give this one more go, contact us.  We have extra tests and can put you on a study plan.

Wherever you are at in the process, now is the time to request transcripts to have them sent to LSAC.  Contact your schools - undergraduate, community college, colleges you attended for running start, etc - and find out what their process is for requesting a transcript.  Some will let you request transcripts online via your account.  Some will want you to contact the transcripts office.  A few may want the transcript request form that can be found when you enter the school into your account in LSAC.  Not all want this form so it is worth starting with the school first.

Hurricane Sandy is causing problems even for us on the West Coast.  (I am loving that there is a massively destructive hurricane named after me.)  Because of this hurricane, LSAC is closed both today (Monday) and tomorrow.  Thus the scores are not going to be back on Wednesday but Thursday afternoon at the earliest.  LSAC has announced that they will waive the late fee for the December test if you took on October 6.  If you did not take it on October 6, then today is the deadline to sign up without paying the extra $70.

We are anticipating that the scores from the October LSAT will be out any day now.  Maybe even Friday, the 26th but most likely next Monday. Since Monday is the deadline to register for the December test, it seems like it would be unnecessarily cruel to not release the scores until Wednesday and charge you the late fee to register for December.

In the meantime, be working on your applications.  The University of Washington has a more is more approach to applications this year.  They want everything on the resumes, including hobbies and interests.  Might be worth doing two different resumes, one for the UW and one for everyone else.  They are also looking for 2 evaluations in addition to the 2 required letters of recommendation.  Make sure that the evaluations are done by different people that the letters of recommendation.  Also, take advantage of the optional essay.  Pick one and write that additional 500 words.  As always, if you need help with a topic or would like someone to proofread it, don't be afraid to contact me.

Congratulations to all of you who successfully completed the October 6 LSAT.  It is a huge accomplishment just to take the test.  The scores are supposed to come back on October 31st and while we are hoping that they might come back earlier, you should know that the deadline for signing up for the December 1 LSAT is October 29, 2 days before the scores come back.  It is a $160 to sign up for the test and you can get $48 back if you decide not to take it, so consider it a $112 insurance policy if you are thinking you might want to take it again in December.

We are in countdown mode to the October 6 LSAT.  Ironically, you still have a few days to decide whether you want to take this on Saturday.  You can withdraw your registration on the 5th.  You don't get any money back but it does remove it from your record.  Keep up with the studying for the next few days.  Be very protective of your health, both physical and mental this week.  Finally, no studying on Friday.  It is mental health day.  Let your brain recover so it will be rested for Saturday.  In the meantime, figure out where your testing site is, where you are going to park, pack your 1-gallon plastic bag and get your passport photo taken to affix to your ticket.  Make sure your car has gas, a working battery, your printer has ink for printing out your ticket, your driver's license is not expired and you are go to go.  Let us know how things go this weekend so we can go to plan B, whether that is thinking about the December test or working on applications.