June LSAT Scores - What next?

As the June LSAT scores have come out today, some of you are now very happy, happy enough and some need a drink.  Whatever your status, you need a what next plan.  Everyone should be starting to think about your personal statement.  It is a 2 - 3 page, double-spaced essay that you will attach to each application.  The good news is that you are pretty much going to be able to do one and tweak it for each law school.  Almost all law schools ask for a generic personal statement, while they may make suggestions as to what you can write about, they are pretty open ended.  Start thinking about why you are going to law school.  While most people do not write their whole essay on why they want to go to law school (way too boring), it will help with the framework.  The law school essay will be about something you were an active participant in; a job, a volunteer activity, hobby, sport, something that happened to you growing up, travel, etc.  It is not about someone else, either famous or family, nor is it a book report or a laundry list of all of your accomplishments.  When you are ready to start brainstorming with me, contact me and we will set up a time.

If your score has you thinking about taking this test again, you have several questions to ask yourself.  Take a look at your results in your LSAC account and see what you missed.  If you have enough "what was I thinking" and "I am so close to getting that" questions, then it is worth further consideration.  Then ask if you have it in you to put the work in again.  You want to make sure if that if you are going to go through the expense and the bother that you will improve.  If your answers indicate giving this another go, get in contact with us to draft a repeat plan.  There are several options, including taking the class again for $200, just taking mock test on the weekends, etc.  As you gear up for starting this again, start by reading.  Read for pleasure (books or magazines, not the Internet - a different reading skill set entirely).  Then start setting a time for 35 minutes and push your reading skills with some fairly difficult non-fiction.  Work on increasing your stamina and ability to stay focused.

Sandy

Congratulations to all of you June LSAT test takers.  Give yourself a big pat on the back for just having gone through the process.  That is a huge risk that you took and you should give yourself credit for it.  One of the things that you may be asking is whether you should cancel the test or not.  This is the biggest benefit of taking the test in June is that you have two more chances to take the test again.  The first question to ask yourself is there anyway I can do worse?  If no, then do you have the time to put into preparing again for the October test.  If you went into June feeling pretty ready, it was just a last minute debacle that threw you off, then you will not have to do quite as much studying.  If you weren't as prepared as you could have been, then look at your August and September and make sure that you will have the time to focus on this.  If you are sure you could not do worse and have the time to prepare for the October test, the next question is do I want to see how I did on the June test.  If you cancel, you will never know how you did.  The test will be available for purchase sometime about the end of July so you can approximate how you would have done.  If you think there is learning potential from being able to see how you did and most of the schools you are applying to take the higher score (they will, about 95% of schools take the higher score at this point , as they should), then keep it.  You will be able to assess what went well and what you need to work on.  If there is nothing to learn from keeping the score, i.e., I don't do well when I have the flu or I have just been dumped or have a major panic attack that causes me to do one whole less logic game, then cancel and let's prepare for this again in October.

Whatever you are thinking, be sure to contact us if you have any questions.

Sandy

Thanks to a spectacular pollen season, I managed to completely lose my voice last week.  While my kids thought it was the greatest thing ever, it was beyond frustrating for me.  I was apprehensive that it would even make sense for me to come into work.  However, it turned into a great reminder of one of the best ways to study for the LSAT.  Because I couldn't talk, I was having students teach me.  They would tell me what kind of question it was, what they do with that kind of question and then why the wrong answers were wrong.  They were able to get clarification about which kind of questions they weren't really getting and, more importantly, why.  However, the real learning was taking place as they tried to figure out what was wrong with the wrong answers.  One student even learned that a much better strategy for her would be to look for the wrong answers rather than try to make one of the 5 options be right.  I had a flashback to when I was studying for the LSAT and I can remember sitting at my desk talking to the wall.  That wall in the U-District is now an expert on how the LSAT writes wrong answers.  Try this - you will find that you are repeating yourself.  That is because there are very few reasons as to why an answer can be wrong so they are using the same methods over and over again.

Happy studying!

Sandy

The sun is out!  It must be spring then.  There is a Ray Bradbury story that takes place on a planet where there is only one hour of sunshine every one hundred years.  I think about that story on days like today.  Be careful, it is easy to let something like the sun be an excuse not to study.  Make sure you are keeping to your schedule.  The sun will come back.

I am learning about this new technology tool called the internet.  We are hoping to roll out a small Google Ads campaign in the next month or so.  I just learned about Snapchat today.  There is something to make every lawyer shiver.  As much as it promises that the pictures will disappear, I would still use it like your grandma will be seeing those pictures.  You never know what level of access law schools will have.

Speaking of law schools, the University of Washington is having a meet and greet with their fabulous director of admissions, Mathiew Le.  It is Tuesday, April 23 at 5:30pm in Smith 107 on the University of Washington campus. It is an excellent opportunity to ask some questions if you are thinking about applying for the fall of 2014.  I understand food will be provided.

Sandy

I was at a legislative town hall meeting this weekend where one of the state legislators said something was "necessary but not sufficient."  And that was not the lawyer.  For those of you who have not taken our class yet, this won't be as humorous as it for those who have.  For me, it was a good reminder of how the skill sets of law school are needed everywhere.  Especially in Olympia.  Understanding the importance of words and the impacts they can have in everyday life is key to the LSAT, law school and the practice of law.  If you enjoy the power of a good vocabulary and love the use of a well-built phrase, come join us this week.  Our classes for the June LSAT start April 6 and 10, we will help you build on that appreciation and turn it into a marketable skill.

Sandy

So, I fell off the wagon a bit on the weekly blogging concept.  I will keep trying.  A good analogy opportunity for LSAT studying.  It is hard to maintain the intensity to prepare for this test when it is still months away.  Take the time now to schedule LSAT study time.  It doesn't have to be a lot, just an hour or two a day but make it every day.  Schedule it like you would an appointment and treat it as such so that other obligations won't get in the way until you find yourself two weeks out from the test wondering where the time went.  If you miss a day or two, don't compound things by telling yourself that you will make up for lost time until you are staring at a day with 8 hours of LSAT studying in it.  Just get back on that wagon, so to speak, and spend an hour or two studying.  Not unlike blog writing.  :)

Our next class starts in the next couple of weeks.  If you are thinking you might want to go to law school but are scared by the stories in the news, come talk to us.  We promise, we have never forced anyone to go to law school that didn't want to.

Sandy

So, I made this New Year's resolution to write in this blog every week.  As you can tell, I fell off the wagon a bit.  It has been a couple of weeks.  It turns out, I don't really like writing blogs because I don't feel like I am very good at them.  That makes them feel hard.  I don't know what to say or how to write it in an way that connects with others.  Hear comes the LSAT connection (you knew it was out there), just like reading comprehension or any part of the test you don't like, shying away from it won't make it any easier.  It is tempting to give it up altogether or just cross your fingers and hope it won't matter that much but the reality is, that working at it a little bit every day is what makes it easier.  Practice will make you more comfortable and where the insights will come from.  So, I will get back at doing this every week and you will get back to reading every day, whether pre or post-LSAT.  Even if you are post-LSAT, law school is going to make great demands on your reading skills so keep them sharp.

Sandy