You can't have both the cake and eat it

I've always despised this saying. Perhaps because it is so true.

Lately, as the date for the December LSAT approaches, countless students have been asking and I've been responding:
"Should I take the test or postpone it until Feb?"

The LSAT score is weighed heavily during law school admissions. So if waiting until Feb. will significantly increase your score, then "YES!" postpone the test.

"But then I won't be able to apply to law school this year."

Then take the test on Dec. and apply this year, so that you can go to law school.

"But what if I don't get the score I want?"

So postpone the test and take it when you're ready.

"But I'm not getting any younger and that's one more year of not being a lawyer!"

As you can see, this conversation is very circular and frustrating. Fortunately, the new LSAT policy, which asks law schools to report only the applicants' highest LSAT scores, helps resolve this issue (albeit not completely because some law schools still average....a topic for another night).

Today, my point is that students caught in this dilemma (i.e. to postpone or not to postpone?) are often impatient. Most students actually decide to take the test. And most students end up regretting their decision. In the long run what is a few more months of study? If one is serious about being admitted to a top-law school, then one ought to buckle down and study a lil' more. Applying "later" with your peak LSAT score will get you further than applying "earlier" with your sub-standard score.

Having said this, I must address the other extreme of the spectrum: students who have been studying for this test way too long (i.e. 2-5 years!). Law school is law school. You've proven your commitment and passion for the law, so take the test and apply! If you're so serious and motivated about becoming a lawyer that you would study THAT much, then your determination alone will get you far. So instead of chasing that elusive "perfect" score, take the darn test and become the lawyer you dreamt of becoming once upon a time.

Sometimes we need to sacrifice one thing to gain another.

Yoda's logic game tactic...

I just finished watching a scene from Star Wars; Yoda is so awesome! He is truly the master of masters.

Many of us are no Anakin Skywalker when it comes to the LSAT. But who wants to be a pompous, self-absorbed genius, when you can strive to become YODA!

For those struggling with logic games, let me share with you a 3-step study method; it'll transform you into a true Jedi game master. I call the 3-step method, "SuperGames Week."

Gather 15-20 games. Do them ALL! Time upwards (from 00:00:00 to however long it takes you). After each game, write down how many you got wrong and how long it took you (for each game you have approximately 9 minutes). Then follow these steps...

Step 1: Categorize all the games into one of three classes: A, B or C.
Class "A" is all the games that took you less than 10 minutes and you got at most 2 wrong.
Class "B" is all the games that took you 10 minutes or more, and you got at most 2 wrong.
Class "C" is all the games that took you 10 minutes or more, and/or you got 3 or more wrong.

Class "A." You got these and you understand them! Put'em away!
Class "B," although you got the game....it took you WAY too long. Briefly review and evaluate how you could improve your speed.
Class "C," ....you just didn't get these games. Even if you finished the game within 6 minutes, you got 3 wrong (that's 50% of the game)! You need to take time to study these.

Step 2: Take Class "C" and redo the above step! (YAY!) Categorize everything into A, B, and C (again). Ideally, this time around you should have zero Class "C's."

Step 3: After Step 2, if you have more than 10 games in Class "C" go grab a box of tissues and start crying. Cry now because you will need to exhaust these games until you can recite them by heart! I'm being serious. If you're not getting it after several attempts, then your only hope of learning these games is to memorize the logic behind it.

Some may think this method bizarre, but trust me, it's helped thousands! After several "SuperGames Week," you will not only become a Jedi Knight, but Yoda in the games section of the LSAT.

group therapy, getting naked and those peeping toms~

Happy Turkey Day!

Several law schools have started accepting people. And several fellow soon-to-be law students and I have been spending more and more time pouring over law school forums, such as Law School Discussion.

While these forums can be very informative and entertaining, there are times when I feel a tad bit pathetic for checking the same page in 2 second intervals (click....click, click). Perhaps it's group therapy...online group therapy. I feel comforted reading about others who are also experiencing this "torture." To know that I am not alone in being a freak - definitely feels good.

Applying to law school can be (for most of us it actually is) a very stressful process. Taking the LSAT is no small feat, writing a good personal statement can take months (doesn't have to), and those letters of recommendations come on a turtle's back. Thus these forums can help.

And it would be a perfect world, if not for those peeping toms.

Behind the walls of these forums, it's really common for applicants to go completely naked and reveal everything about themselves (i.e. LSAT score, GPA, personal statement, work experience, their inner most deep secrets, etc.). And whenever people go naked, you can bet your money that there will be peeping toms.

In the world of law school forums, these unwelcomed peeping toms are the very people we want so badly to be accepted by: the admissions committee (adcomm)!

I suppose one can use this knowledge to indirectly market oneself (i.e. Look! I'm such a down-to-earth, friendly, kind and cool person!). But really...if you were on the adcomm, day-and-night hashing through 5000-7000 applications of people who are indirectly/directly gloating about their "amazing" accomplishments and "awesome" personality....would you be at all fazed by another quirky online "look-at-me!" attempt?

In this "legally blonde" generation where Elle Woods is our hero, it somehow got lost in translation that law schools are professional institutes. Too much personal information can be just exactly that - TOO MUCH information.

Let's be wise and be wary of these peeping toms, and next time, I hope to see you at the forum wearing at least a bikini (<--- this is being used in its maximum metaphoric capacity).

What your children will look like...

I just finished speaking with a student who is convinced that her LSAT score will determine what school she'll be admitted to, who she'll marry, what kind of mortgage she'll get, how her children will look like and what kind of car she'll drive (she literally listed all of the above).

It's always a challenge to dispel these myths because while horribly blown out of proportion, I don't want to send the wrong message that the LSAT isn't important.

But if we live in a world where a petty set of three-digit numbers will conclusively determine what our spouses will look like, I'd rather not take my chances, but live the rest of my life single.

If you are one to think that the LSAT is going to completely determine the rest of your life, then perhaps you're young enough to remember that the SATs were also going to determine the rest of your life.

Money Well Spent~

Law school admissions is an important process.

Many many many (including me) are willing to spend good money to enhance their chances of being admitted.

If you are going to spend your good/hard-earned money, it's nice to know that you are getting the BEST for your bucks~

Here are two books I highly recommend:

The Ivey Guide to Law School Admissions: Straight Advice on Essays, Resumes, Interviews, and More. By Anna Ivey

How to Get Into the Top Law School By Richard Montauk


Anna Ivey's book, like Strunk and White's Elements of Style, is a must have when writing your personal statement, drafting your resume and prepping for law school admissions in general. As the former Dean of Admissions at the University of Chicago Law School, she has so much insight into the process. Just when you think you've heard all there is to hear about law school admissions (and trust me, I've heard quite a bit), Anna Ivey offers at least a dozen more invaluable advice that could easily make or break your chances. Check-out her website: www.annaivey.com. In my opinion, she offers one-on-one consulting that is absolutely second-to-none.

Richard Montauk's books is the mini-encyclopedia of guide to law school admissions. Perhaps my favorite aspect of his book is the quotes he managed to get from the various Deans of Admissions at the top law schools - it's quite eye-opening to hear directly the opinions of the people who will be reading your application. I think Richard Montauk also offers one-on-one consulting. I'm afraid I don't have his website (sorry).

Personal Statement and Killing Babies~

Professor Sherman, a Harvard Law grad and phenomenal teacher, once solemly whispered to me, "You must be willing to kill your babies."

This was in reference to good writing. =)

I consult several pre-law students as well as teach the LSAT. Today I sat down to read one of my student's personal statements only to call her three-minutes later and tell her to kill her babies (i.e. get rid of some paragraphs). She was offended. She protested that many people were convinced that her paper was magnificent.

Her writing wasn't bad. However, it was excellent either. Understanding who is the audience is an often overlooked prerequisite to good writing.

My student wrote a personal statement that sounded more like high-minded hosh-posh, proclaiming the meaning of justice and the virtues of law. hmmm...she forgot one thing: her audience probably knows more about it and has read TOO much about it than she can ever muster on a 2-3 page statement.

Unless you have geniunely substantive things to say about law practice (i.e. your experience interviewing clients during your internship with the public defenders' office), it's generally a good idea to stay clear and away from the topic.

Anna Ivey gives the best advice yet on the topic of writing good law school admissions statements.