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Posted: **Wed Jun 13, 2012 5:24 pm**

IF YOUR NOT GOING TO BOTHER RESPONDING STOP NOW

Hello.

This is my first post ever (popping the cherry, I know).

I am currently an undergrad student at DePaul University in Chicago and will be a senior this upcoming Fall. Law School is something that I have given hard thought about in the past and today remains the path I choose to follow. As of now I plan on taking the LSAT in February (what's the rush, I say), considering I have just started preparing this summer (today is Day 3).

THIS IS SO MUCH TOUGHER THAN I ORIGINALLY THOUGHT. I picked up the Barron's Pass Key To The LSAT I found at the local Barnes & Nobles and just finished struggling with the Logical Reasoning section. I have heard it's the hardest, longest, and noteably the most demanding section of the test.

Now, of course, I plan on continuing studying (IDK ABOUT YOU, but I don't think it's too early to prepare), but wonder: did YOU (whoever reads this) have as much difficulty as I am having in finding motivation to continue? What are some tips/advice you can give me to keep going? What did you do when you were preparing that helped you continue pushing through?

PS: I am very ambitious and plan on continuing to prepare, however, advice from well advised peers couldn't hurt. So I will appreciate it =)

Posted: **Wed Jun 13, 2012 5:24 pm**

"you're", and TL;DR

Posted: **Wed Jun 13, 2012 5:32 pm**

dude, its day 3. is this how you react to all difficult things? because law school is tougher. if you are looking for motivation to continue, try tapping into your alleged long held dream of law school as well as your "ambition" you mentioned. You are doing the right thing by starting early (just as long as we are clear, you are not applying during the spring of your senior year right?). you will be fine

Posted: **Wed Jun 13, 2012 6:10 pm**

You remind me of me. I got off work early today and I don't have shit to do, so here's my LSAT saga:

I, too, was unnerved by the difficulty of the material the first few times I saw it. I've always been a good standardized test taker, so while I had heard the LSAT was difficult, I was pretty horrified when I actually saw sample questions for the first time, right after I finished undergrad (I already knew I wanted to take off a few years before returning to school--I was burned out and knew I'd benefit personally from W.E.). I tried self-studying on and off for a while but wasn't getting anywhere, and it was difficult to stay motivated. I decided to put it on the back burner and focus on my job, which was going well and increasing in responsibility, but it definitely wasn't where I wanted to get too invested in a career.

About a year later I returned to my old prep book (getting really sick of my job), but still couldn't "break through", if you will. Again, I tried studying on my own, but was not improving at all. I asked around and researched some prep companies; pretty much everyone I talked to recommended TestMasters or Blueprint. TestMasters seemed more established, but I went with Blueprint because the schedule meshed much better with my job. On my first official diagnostic, I scored 153. My biggest problem was LG, RC and LR were so-so. I went to every class, did most of the homework, and at some point (though I can't really describe exactly when), I got "it". For me at least, there was an "it" about the LSAT that I couldn't get on my own, and I couldn't teach "it" to myself, but with the help of an instructor, I finally figured "it" out. I'm sorry, I know that saying there's an "it" isn't helpful, but that was my experience, I don't know how else to describe it. Second time I got a 151 (learning some new strategies, but moving a lot slower!), then 159, 163, 166, 164, and SOMEHOW scored a 170 on test day (adrenaline?). I did most of the homework my instructor assigned, studied one or two hours at a time for most of the course, but then 3 weeks prior, I bumped it up to 3-4 hours every 2-3 days. The last week or two, I was studying 8-12 hrs a day, every other day (yes I was taking Adderall for those last 2 weeks, yes it helped--just being honest!).

Since you mentioned you're in still in undergrad, maybe you're a little burnt out and might benefit from giving your brain a rest. Aside from that, it's completely normal to feel overwhelmed by the material, and I would definitely suggest a prep course if you feel like you're just stuck. It's one thing to slog through some practice problems and start to see improvements, but if you're just plain STUCK like I was, you'd probably benefit from a professional course. Prep courses can be expensive, but for me it was 100% worth it. FWIW, my experience with Blueprint was great. They are really good at breaking down every section & every question-type into its simplest components, which makes it easier to understand and a lot less intimidating.

I pretty much started out in your exact same position, and for me the secret ingredient happened to be a prep course. Best of luck finding your own!

Posted: **Wed Jun 13, 2012 6:13 pm**

I took my first prep test yesterday and call me a dork but I enjoyed it. I've always been the nerd who liked studying for the ACT or got excited for exam week. Not sure why, but I thrive on it.

Posted: **Wed Jun 13, 2012 6:19 pm**

The score you get largely determines where you go to law school which in turn plays a huge role in deciding what type of job (meaningful work and pay) you get after law school. I'm sure you've busted ass on at least a few exams during undergrad, and the LSAT is at least 1,000 times more important than any single one of those exams. Fortunately, the LSAT is extremely learnable, and, with the right prep, a lot of people who struggled with the test initially get great scores.

Posted: **Wed Jun 13, 2012 8:25 pm**

(LinkRemoved)

Posted: **Wed Jun 13, 2012 9:06 pm**

You saw a thread that was too long to read, but then took the time to search for a gif to explain you didn't read the post? Come on now.

Posted: **Wed Jun 13, 2012 9:11 pm**

rinehart27 wrote:You saw a thread that was too long to read, but then took the time to search for a gif to explain you didn't read the post? Come on now.

It took me 2 hours to find that gif

Posted: **Wed Jun 13, 2012 9:22 pm**

First piece of advice - only take the February 2013 LSAT if you plan on attending law school in Fall 2014 or later

Posted: **Wed Jun 13, 2012 10:05 pm**

SickerThanYoAverage wrote:YOUR

Posted: **Wed Jun 13, 2012 10:55 pm**

SickerThanYoAverage wrote:IF YOUR NOT GOING TO BOTHER RESPONDING STOP NOW

Hello.

This is my first post ever (popping the cherry, I know).

I am currently an undergrad student at DePaul University in Chicago and will be a senior this upcoming Fall. Law School is something that I have given hard thought about in the past and today remains the path I choose to follow. As of now I plan on taking the LSAT in February (what's the rush, I say), considering I have just started preparing this summer (today is Day 3).

THIS IS SO MUCH TOUGHER THAN I ORIGINALLY THOUGHT. I picked up the Barron's Pass Key To The LSAT I found at the local Barnes & Nobles and just finished struggling with the Logical Reasoning section. I have heard it's the hardest, longest, and noteably the most demanding section of the test.

Now, of course, I plan on continuing studying (IDK ABOUT YOU, but I don't think it's too early to prepare), but wonder: did YOU (whoever reads this) have as much difficulty as I am having in finding motivation to continue? What are some tips/advice you can give me to keep going? What did you do when you were preparing that helped you continue pushing through?

PS: I am very ambitious and plan on continuing to prepare, however, advice from well advised peers couldn't hurt. So I will appreciate it =)

OP, what the hell is a DePaul and why have they failed to teach you homonyms?

Posted: **Thu Jun 14, 2012 4:40 pm**

Ludovico Technique wrote:First piece of advice - only take the February 2013 LSAT if you plan on attending law school in Fall 2014 or later

Thanks, I've thought about this..I think taking a year off from school would be right for me.

And I think I was just freaking out yesterday. It's not that I don't believe in myself I just wanted to make sure I'm not stranded on an island by myself - I noticed that in person many people I have approached are not too helpful with their LSAT, Law School advice. The world we live in is selfish.

Thanks for the input guys!

OH, and..nice .gif troll.

Posted: **Thu Jun 14, 2012 7:50 pm**

Ludovico Technique wrote:First piece of advice - only take the February 2013 LSAT if you plan on attending law school in Fall 2014 or later

Not sure if serious...

Posted: **Thu Jun 14, 2012 8:03 pm**

boblawlob wrote:
Ludovico Technique wrote:First piece of advice - only take the February 2013 LSAT if you plan on attending law school in Fall 2014 or later
Not sure if serious...

Yes, serious. If you take the LSAT in the spring of the year you intend to enroll, your applications are only complete in March, when most of the class slots are filled. Why would you give yourself the absolute worst chance at admission? Plus, no time to retake.

Posted: **Thu Jun 14, 2012 8:14 pm**

Barrons is garbage. Get PSB and Manhattan. Also, get the prep tests in bundles of 10 (29-38 and 52-61) and the most recent ones individually (62,63,64,65- but save them for last)

Posted: **Thu Jun 14, 2012 8:45 pm**

Don't take February period. I guess if you want to take over a year and a half off...undisclosed test sucks anyway. Take June of next year.

Posted: **Thu Jun 14, 2012 11:13 pm**

boblawlob wrote:
Ludovico Technique wrote:First piece of advice - only take the February 2013 LSAT if you plan on attending law school in Fall 2014 or later
Not sure if serious...

Not sure if serious about your not sure if serious.

Posted: **Thu Jun 14, 2012 11:22 pm**

Dude if you don't really want law school stop now

Posted: **Thu Jun 14, 2012 11:50 pm**

laxbrah420 wrote:"you're", and TL;DR

= Douche Bag comment

Posted: **Fri Jun 15, 2012 12:09 am**

SickerThanYoAverage wrote:IF YOUR NOT GOING TO BOTHER RESPONDING STOP NOW

Hello.

This is my first post ever (popping the cherry, I know).

I am currently an undergrad student at DePaul University in Chicago and will be a senior this upcoming Fall. Law School is something that I have given hard thought about in the past and today remains the path I choose to follow. As of now I plan on taking the LSAT in February (what's the rush, I say), considering I have just started preparing this summer (today is Day 3).

THIS IS SO MUCH TOUGHER THAN I ORIGINALLY THOUGHT. I picked up the Barron's Pass Key To The LSAT I found at the local Barnes & Nobles and just finished struggling with the Logical Reasoning section. I have heard it's the hardest, longest, and noteably the most demanding section of the test.

Now, of course, I plan on continuing studying (IDK ABOUT YOU, but I don't think it's too early to prepare), but wonder: did YOU (whoever reads this) have as much difficulty as I am having in finding motivation to continue? What are some tips/advice you can give me to keep going? What did you do when you were preparing that helped you continue pushing through?

PS: I am very ambitious and plan on continuing to prepare, however, advice from well advised peers couldn't hurt. So I will appreciate it =)

Just make sure that you actually want to have a career in law before you devote so many months and years studying for the LSAT/ classes /bar. Take into account the fact that many many graduates are having a very difficult time finding jobs and that is expected to continue for many years to come. Also, law school is as expensive as a house. Buyer beware.

One last note: as you are likely aware, law school is among the most difficult endeavors in the world of academia. It's like three years of getting kicked in the groin. You likely have what it takes to make it through, but before you subject yourself to the challenge (or hell), please explore other paths that you may be interested in and make an informed decision.

Posted: **Fri Jun 15, 2012 1:17 am**

mrman17 wrote: Just make sure that you actually want to have a career in law before you devote so many months and years studying for the LSAT/ classes /bar. Take into account the fact that many many graduates are having a very difficult time finding jobs and that is expected to continue for many years to come. Also, law school is as expensive as a house. Buyer beware.

One last note: as you are likely aware, law school is among the most difficult endeavors in the world of academia. It's like three years of getting kicked in the groin. You likely have what it takes to make it through, but before you subject yourself to the challenge (or hell), please explore other paths that you may be interested in and make an informed decision.

TCR.

OP, acing the LSAT is the easiest part of this process. I repeat: the EASIEST. You're on a pre-set grading curve, the answers are pretty clearcut and objective, and the learning curve is not nearly as steep as what you'll face in 1L.

TLS is a great resource for prospective law students in more ways than just helping you with the LSAT - browse around these forums a little and take some time to understand why law school is so difficult. It's an expensive gamble with the odds stacked against you, and even if you're one of the lucky ones who get a high-paying job, lawyers still have the highest chances of falling prey to depression compared to other professions. I'm not saying don't go to law school, but you should know exactly why you want to do it and why it would be fulfilling DESPITE the big hurdles that you will have to cross.

I'm still happy I chose this path, BTW, but that's only because I managed to salvage my GPA after a spring semester of absolute fear. I don't know if I could put myself through that again and I hate to imagine another crop of 1Ls going through that.

Ask yourself if your education sets you up for any other white collar profession (other than the academy, which is the only gamble riskier than law school) and whether you'd be happy doing something else, like dentistry. No matter what happens, people will always need their wisdom teeth painfully removed.

Posted: **Fri Jun 15, 2012 1:56 am**

piccolittle wrote:
boblawlob wrote:
Ludovico Technique wrote:First piece of advice - only take the February 2013 LSAT if you plan on attending law school in Fall 2014 or later
Not sure if serious...
Yes, serious. If you take the LSAT in the spring of the year you intend to enroll, your applications are only complete in March, when most of the class slots are filled. Why would you give yourself the absolute worst chance at admission? Plus, no time to retake.

Shouldn't it be "take the February 2013 LSAT only if you plan on attending law school in Fall 2014 or later"?

Posted: **Fri Jun 15, 2012 1:58 am**

boblawlob wrote:
piccolittle wrote:
boblawlob wrote:
Ludovico Technique wrote:First piece of advice - only take the February 2013 LSAT if you plan on attending law school in Fall 2014 or later
Not sure if serious...
Yes, serious. If you take the LSAT in the spring of the year you intend to enroll, your applications are only complete in March, when most of the class slots are filled. Why would you give yourself the absolute worst chance at admission? Plus, no time to retake.
Shouldn't it be "take the February 2013 LSAT only if you plan on attending law school in Fall 2014 or later"?

I'm not good at grammar I guess because those look exactly the same to me

Posted: **Fri Jun 15, 2012 2:02 am**

Ludovico Technique wrote: I'm not good at grammar I guess because those look exactly the same to me

haha I'm just looking at things as if they were in the LR section...

Your version seems to be "If you plan on attending law school in Fall 2014 or later, take February 2013 LSAT."

My version is stating "If you take the February 2013 LSAT, then you are planning on attending law school in Fall 2014 or later" aka "If you don't plan to attend law school Fall 2014 or later, then don't take the February 2013 LSAT (meaning take it earlier than that)."

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