should I take fewer classes? Forum

[anjmissy]

I registered for the june 2011 testmasters lsat prep class and I was wondering if I should cut back on the classes that I take. Normally I take 6 or 5 classes and I was considering taking 4 instead next semester prior to the June lsat. Did anyone do this and if so how did it work out?

[Nonok]

Don't take any prep courses. Self-study is just as good, if not better, and is cheaper.

[Jen Loblaw]

Before I discovered TLS, I registered for a Kaplan online course in preparation for the June 2010 test. I took the minimum number of credits to be considered a fulltime student (although my schedule did include chemical engineering senior design class which I dedicated 40+ hr/week to). I would spend 8am-6pm every day going to class and working on school-related stuff, and then spend every evening studying LSAT. I basically had no life. I wouldn’t recommend taking any classes beyond the minimum unless they are easy generals or something.

ALSO, like the poster above, I’m not so sure I would recommend taking an LSAT class. I ended up with a 166 after the class, but I am pretty confident I could have done the same if not better with self-study.

Good luck with however you choose to study!

[tourdeforcex]

referencing above posters: i haven't decided whether self-study > a course. you definitely save money but i think it's very personality dependent. self-motivated people who can stick to a strict schedule and not be frustrated should probably self-study.

anyways, i'd say take fewer if you can. you wouldn't want to look back come july or august next year and think. man, why didn't i take fewer classes. the lsat is no joke. as for TM, they assign a lot of homework which are basically LR, RC, and LG questions split up by type. approximately 200 questions per session in addition to straight sections. so i think each homework assignment takes about 4-5 hours, depending on how focused you can be. and if you really do it completely, you should put in another 1-2 review. if you factor that on top of your regular academics, sleep, social life (assuming some TLSers have some), and soul-searching, then not much time left.

one more thing. to illustrate how serious this LSAT business is. after lurking on TLS, you will find stories of people who retake 3+ times meaning they could have delayed going to law school 2-3 years after that first administration. from that perspective, 1-2 less classes seems to be the credited response.

[Emeth!]

I would say its up to you. I took 6 (18 credits) during my prep for the June Lsat - it just depends on what sort of person you are. For me more classes meant me being in a more studious mode and so i was more focused, now that i'm only taking 5 and not LSAT preping i find myself in a more lazy mood but, that might not be the case for you.

and in the end I went 151 to 170. I would say that I definitly would not have gone up 19 points if it wasn't for my princeton review because i treated my LSAT studying like just another class which gave me structure and probably prevented me from skipping out on LSAT work when I had finals, big papers, exams, etc. especially becuase i dropped so much stinking mula on it i wasn't about to miss a class when each class cost me X amount of bucks - it served as motivation.

i'd say the whole couse-self study debate is really dependant on what sort of person you are. for me course > self study but, i am deff not represntational of all LSAT prepers