JUNE 2013 Study Group / Study Partner Thread Forum

[RhymesLikeDimes]

Are you guys able to view your School Profiles on the LSAC site yet? They received my transcripts more than a month ago, but still nothing. I really want to see just how awful my school does on the LSAT.

[Daily_Double]

Do you guys think there's any issues if I start doing all my application shit after June 10th? I suppose I could easily start requesting shit now, but I really just want to pound out this test then focus on everything else. I know who my letters of recommendation are coming from, those professors are down to write glowing words, and I think two/three months is enough time for them to write those, leaving my transcripts and I guess a couple other things, I'm really not even sure, I've just been focusing on the LSAT instead of looking at the application part of things.

And I want to submit all my application stuff by 9/1. Thoughts?

[Ixiion]

Do you guys think there's any issues if I start doing all my application shit after June 10th? I suppose I could easily start requesting shit now, but I really just want to pound out this test then focus on everything else. I know who my letters of recommendation are coming from, those professors are down to write glowing words, and I think two/three months is enough time for them to write those, leaving my transcripts and I guess a couple other things, I'm really not even sure, I've just been focusing on the LSAT instead of looking at the application part of things.

And I want to submit all my application stuff by 9/1. Thoughts?

Ditto. I want to get them in ASAP, so I've already asked my profs to start their LoRs. IMO I'd say do it. I started on my PSes a month ago & already have my addenda & DSes written out.

That way if any app calls for a particular thing, you'll have more time to do that & won't be freaking out about all of it together.

[isuperserial]

Do you guys think there's any issues if I start doing all my application shit after June 10th? I suppose I could easily start requesting shit now, but I really just want to pound out this test then focus on everything else. I know who my letters of recommendation are coming from, those professors are down to write glowing words, and I think two/three months is enough time for them to write those, leaving my transcripts and I guess a couple other things, I'm really not even sure, I've just been focusing on the LSAT instead of looking at the application part of things.

And I want to submit all my application stuff by 9/1. Thoughts?

Ditto. I want to get them in ASAP, so I've already asked my profs to start their LoRs. IMO I'd say do it. I started on my PSes a month ago & already have my addenda & DSes written out.

That way if any app calls for a particular thing, you'll have more time to do that & won't be freaking out about all of it together.

Wait, so do you guys think I should send in my transcripts now? How exactly does one go about doing this?

[objection_your_honor]

Transcript and three LRs are already in. Might get a couple more. I haven't even thought about my PS.

I did mine way ahead of time because I no longer live near my undergrad. If you're still in school it's probably something you can get done quickly.

[CardozoLaw09]

Transcript and three LRs are already in. Might get a couple more. I haven't even thought about my PS.

I did mine way ahead of time because I no longer live near my undergrad. If you're still in school it's probably something you can get done quickly.

Whoa 3 LR's in and you're considering getting a couple more? Dude, you only need two! I'm lucky I have all my shit in so don't have to deal with all that good stuff (well, I only have two LR's in contrast to your whopping 3); although I think my PS definitely needs work so have to deal with that after the 10th. Still have a lot of time though.

[Ixiion]

Wait, so do you guys think I should send in my transcripts now? How exactly does one go about doing this?

1. If you already have all of your spring grades, I don't see why not. I'm not getting them sent just yet because I have one incomplete. And come end of fall or if somehow your grades change (like if you take summer semester), you can always send another one to update your LSAC transcript.

2. On the LSAC site, if you click on Apply -> Transcripts, there's a "Related Information" menu on the right. The link "Requesting Transcripts" has all the info. Basically you have to ask your UG to mail the transcript directly to their address. It has to come from your UG, not from you.

Law School Admission Council
662 Penn Street
PO BOX 2000-M
Newtown PA 18940-0993

ETA: They also state that you should use their Transcript Request Form, which is found right in your "degree-granting institution" box on that Transcripts page. They want your registrar to attach that form to the transcript when they mail it to them.

When it comes to that form, I'm not entirely sure what to do with it. My UG does transcript requests online, so it seems like this forces you to do it in-person rather than online, which kind of sucks.

Question: For those of you who have already sent out your transcripts, do you fill out the entire form minus the one registrar box? Also, the box where it says "RE:", what do you put there? Your name?

[patfeeney]

PT 69

Sec. 1 RC: -6
Sec. 2 LR: -3
Sec. 3 LG: -1
Ex. PT 50 RC: -12
Sec. 4 LR: -2

Score: 169

I don't know how in hell I did so poorly on the experimental. I have never done that poorly on an RC section in the five months I've been studying.
I've noticed my RC scores have been dropping. A month ago I'd be getting -2s or -3s.
I'm going to attribute my big issues to timing. I noticed that, on both sections of the test I spent 12-13 minutes on the first passage, then sped through the last two passages. On the experimental, I got five wrong on the last passage alone, which I gave myself six minutes to complete.
Everything else seems like it's as good as it's going to get. My LR scores are solid, and I've been doing particularly well with my LG. Aside from occasional drills for these two sections, I think prepping buttloads of RC, under strict timing, is what I need to do most in the next 13 days. No more untimed sections for accuracy. I think that threw me off.

[SteelPenguin]

Hey everyone, can someone helpt me with a question from PT8? It's the one from LR1-Q18. I realize my answer (C) was wrong because of the word "accuracy," but I don't see what the implicit assumption is that is mentioned in E. I feel like this is something simple that I am missing, but I can't figure it out.

[objection_your_honor]

Transcript and three LRs are already in. Might get a couple more. I haven't even thought about my PS.

I did mine way ahead of time because I no longer live near my undergrad. If you're still in school it's probably something you can get done quickly.

Whoa 3 LR's in and you're considering getting a couple more? Dude, you only need two! I'm lucky I have all my shit in so don't have to deal with all that good stuff (well, I only have two LR's in contrast to your whopping 3); although I think my PS definitely needs work so have to deal with that after the 10th. Still have a lot of time though.

2 academic, 1 work. But it's been another year, I've worked with other people — I think I could grab one or two more, just to be safe.

[SteelPenguin]

Transcript and three LRs are already in. Might get a couple more. I haven't even thought about my PS.

I did mine way ahead of time because I no longer live near my undergrad. If you're still in school it's probably something you can get done quickly.

Whoa 3 LR's in and you're considering getting a couple more? Dude, you only need two! I'm lucky I have all my shit in so don't have to deal with all that good stuff (well, I only have two LR's in contrast to your whopping 3); although I think my PS definitely needs work so have to deal with that after the 10th. Still have a lot of time though.

2 academic, 1 work. But it's been another year, I've worked with other people — I think I could grab one or two more, just to be safe.

I think five would be excessive for most schools, and it might actually hurt you. However, a fourth to schools where you are reapplying might make sense. I have three now, and I'll probably be sending all three to at least the schools I'm reapplying to (instead of just the two from this cycle).

[wtrc]

PT 65. Possibly last PT I haven't seen at all yet.
LR1: -2 (11,22)
LG: needed extra time, counted those as wrong.. -4 (!)
RC: -2 (8,19)
LR2: -2 (20,24)

LG was atypical, and a similar thing happened on 62. Counting those as wrong gives me a 173 scaled, 91 raw. If I went faster on LG, would have been 95 raw or a 177 scaled. And... no idea what to expect on test day.

[RhymesLikeDimes]

I'm a bit worried about my recs. I graduated two years ago as a Chemistry/Pre-Med major. My two main chem professors were grouchy old Chinese guys who were impossible to chat with. I am just going to try emailing some profs I got multiple A's with, even if they probably won't remember me. Hopefully I can use a great LSAT score as leverage, and try to play the "I desperately need this" card.

My GPA keep me out of YS anyway, and I have only a tiny chance at H. So mediocre recs probably won't be that big a deal for my cycle... I hope.

[wtrc]

I'm a bit worried about my recs. I graduated two years ago as a Chemistry/Pre-Med major. My two main chem professors were grouchy old Chinese guys who were impossible to chat with. I am just going to try emailing some profs I got multiple A's with, even if they probably won't remember me. Hopefully I can use a great LSAT score as leverage, and try to play the "I desperately need this" card.

My GPA keep me out of YS anyway, and I have only a tiny chance at H. So mediocre recs probably won't be that big a deal for my cycle... I hope.

How would you frame your email to them that includes the LSAT score?

[Daily_Double]

Hey everyone, can someone helpt me with a question from PT8? It's the one from LR1-Q18. I realize my answer (C) was wrong because of the word "accuracy," but I don't see what the implicit assumption is that is mentioned in E. I feel like this is something simple that I am missing, but I can't figure it out.

PT 8, S1, Q18: Method of Argument

So here we are looking at what method Smith uses to reply to Jones. Let's take a look at Jones argument:

Jones' Conclusion: It can't be correct that these 13k year old tools belonged to people whose parents first crossed into the Americas from elsewhere.

Why?

Because, according to Jones, they would have had to start migrating before 13k years ago and no tools have been found elsewhere before 13k.

Alright, so we can immediately see the errors in Jones' argument. He has geographic issues. So he concludes that since the travelers must have had to be traveling before 13k, and since they're aren't any tools along the route they traveled, that they didn't belong to the travelers. Do you see the issue here? He takes a lack of evidence to mean the non-existence of evidence. Meaning that, since we haven't found any tools along the path they traveled, they didn't have these tools during their quest.

To use an example to point out the flaw here, and assuming you've seen, or read I guess, any of the Lord of the Rings books/movies, just because we can't find evidence of Frodo carrying the ring of power across Middle Earth doesn't mean that he didn't. What if it was dropped into a flaming volcano and that's why we can't find evidence of it?

So now let's look at Smith's counterargument:

Here we go. Smith claims one reason that could account for the discrepancy, the discrepancy being that the tools were found in South America but not along the way to South America, is that the tools decomposed along the way to the Americas, and because of the uniqueness of American soil, some of them were preserved here. What Smith really does here is attack the assumption in Jones' argument that because we don't have evidence of the existence of the tools along the way to the Americas, they were not carried to the Americas by the travelers.

Let's see if we can find the right answer by process of elimination in addition to our prephrase though:

A: Nope, Smith doesn't mention any studies.

B: Nope. Smith doesn't claim that Jones builds a straw man argument, rather, Smith claims that Jones' conclusion is overstepping his premises.

C: Also no. Smith doesn't take issue with the premises in Jones' argument, instead Smith is claiming here that Jones' conclusion goes too far based upon his premises.

D: Way off.

E: Yes. Smith is claiming that just because we can't find the tools doesn't mean that they were not carried. And he supports this by introducing facts which would account for the disappearance of the tools along the way to the Americas.

[sl5uw13]

PT 68 (Dec 12) 180!!!!!! Come at me June!

RC: -2
LR1: -0
LR2: -0
LG: -0

[CardozoLaw09]

PT 68 (Dec 12) 180!!!!!! Come at me June!

RC: -2
LR1: -0
LR2: -0
LG: -0

Amazing. Good work!

[sl5uw13]

PT 68 (Dec 12) 180!!!!!! Come at me June!

RC: -2
LR1: -0
LR2: -0
LG: -0

Amazing. Good work!

Thanks! This is what a year of studying got me and the retake mantra of TLS. this is my third try so I'm really hoping to kill it.

[isuperserial]

Wait, so do you guys think I should send in my transcripts now? How exactly does one go about doing this?

1. If you already have all of your spring grades, I don't see why not. I'm not getting them sent just yet because I have one incomplete. And come end of fall or if somehow your grades change (like if you take summer semester), you can always send another one to update your LSAC transcript.

2. On the LSAC site, if you click on Apply -> Transcripts, there's a "Related Information" menu on the right. The link "Requesting Transcripts" has all the info. Basically you have to ask your UG to mail the transcript directly to their address. It has to come from your UG, not from you.

Law School Admission Council
662 Penn Street
PO BOX 2000-M
Newtown PA 18940-0993

ETA: They also state that you should use their Transcript Request Form, which is found right in your "degree-granting institution" box on that Transcripts page. They want your registrar to attach that form to the transcript when they mail it to them.

When it comes to that form, I'm not entirely sure what to do with it. My UG does transcript requests online, so it seems like this forces you to do it in-person rather than online, which kind of sucks.

Question: For those of you who have already sent out your transcripts, do you fill out the entire form minus the one registrar box? Also, the box where it says "RE:", what do you put there? Your name?

Thanks, lxiion! I'll see about sending those in then. I'm curious to see how my LSDAS GPA or whatever pans out.

[jk148706]

PT 68 (Dec 12) 180!!!!!! Come at me June!

RC: -2
LR1: -0
LR2: -0
LG: -0

Awesome... Any study tips for us taking the Oct exam??

[okaygo]

So I literally miss every single 'weakens' question in each LR section, and its tethering my score down. Any advice?

[wtrc]

So I literally miss every single 'weakens' question in each LR section, and its tethering my score down. Any advice?

Cambridge LR packets, you can order just weaken if you want. Drill that shit to oblivion.

[mqt]

LG was atypical, and a similar thing happened on 62. Counting those as wrong gives me a 173 scaled, 91 raw. If I went faster on LG, would have been 95 raw or a 177 scaled. And... no idea what to expect on test day.

Glad I wasn't the only one who had issues with that LG section. The first game was so fucking easy that I think it lulled me to sleep.

[NoodleyOne]

PT 68 (Dec 12) 180!!!!!! Come at me June!

RC: -2
LR1: -0
LR2: -0
LG: -0

I know you.

Congrats, by the way. Hope for a generous curve (for a 180 )

[Ambitious1]

PT 63: 91/101 for a 170

LR1: -1
LG: -0
LR2: -0
RC: -9

Second time I've cleared 170 ever, in as many days, and I'm very happy about it don't get me wrong but my poor performances in RC really makes me depressed and gives me anxiety. Almost every time I review RC I say "aha! can't believe I fell for that!" and only end up fucking up again.

The one positive I could take away from this is it's my 3rd LR in 4 tries in getting -0, something I hadn't done ever in the 6 months of previous prep.

Nonetheless, I could use some purp right now.