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For budgetary reasons I was waiting until July 1 to register for a TestMasters class, and for the second time this year they cancelled the class I was intending to take! Now the next closest live class is 62 miles away and it is a PowerScore class. I'm not the greatest ONLINE learner which is why I keep trying to find the closest live class I can. This sucks.

Dang sounds like you are royally screwed

jared6180 wrote:For budgetary reasons I was waiting until July 1 to register for a TestMasters class, and for the second time this year they cancelled the class I was intending to take! Now the next closest live class is 62 miles away and it is a PowerScore class. I'm not the greatest ONLINE learner which is why I keep trying to find the closest live class I can. This sucks.

Sign up sooner next time. They're canceling the class because nobody is signing up.

Have you tried self-study? I would check out the powerscore books to see if you like their way. I would then figure out if you are improving on your own, or if you need to drive an hour there and back a couple times a week. I doubt you will think that its necessary.

rabbitrun wrote:Have you tried self-study? I would check out the powerscore books to see if you like their way. I would then figure out if you are improving on your own, or if you need to drive an hour there and back a couple times a week. I doubt you will think that its necessary.

I got the PS books and started on the LG books, but really had to concentrate on school, now I flip through and recognize the processes of some of the easier games, because of repetition I think. Before I decide on another class I will give the books an abbreviated try to see if I am grasping things better than before. My preference is a class but that hour drive each way is the only reason I am hesitating.

jared6180 wrote:

rabbitrun wrote:Have you tried self-study? I would check out the powerscore books to see if you like their way. I would then figure out if you are improving on your own, or if you need to drive an hour there and back a couple times a week. I doubt you will think that its necessary.

I got the PS books and started on the LG books, but really had to concentrate on school, now I flip through and recognize the processes of some of the easier games, because of repetition I think. Before I decide on another class I will give the books an abbreviated try to see if I am grasping things better than before. My preference is a class but that hour drive each way is the only reason I am hesitating.

If you really think you need it to maximize potential, then the drive is worth it (not saying it doesn't suck). If you think you can self-study effectively, then you're wasting a ton of time in the car. Keep the utility cost of the time in mind, as well as the general shitty atmosphere of the car.

I am currently in the powerscore online class and LOVE it. I know many people say you can learn the same information from the bible, but I read the entire LR bible prior to the class and find it very helpful to review the concepts. I feel like it is very personal as there are only 30 students in the class and we use a chat window to type all our questions (which are always answered immediately). I would definitely consider it as an hour car ride sounds horrible!

I am considering the live class and the online PowerScore and the BluePrint online.

kaplan?

jared6180 wrote:I am considering the live class and the online PowerScore and the BluePrint online.

Online PowerScore was awesome. I took it.

PS online worked just fine for me. If you need structured studying buy it, but if not, then self study is what you need. Live classes can be an awful waste of time.

glitter178 wrote:kaplan?

No.

I'd try Manhattan/BluePrint/Powerscore.

Nothing else.

glitter178 wrote:kaplan?

You're asking to be flamed right?

Anyway, OP. Have you taken a diagnostic yet? I would try one, just to see what you get. Depending on the score I would forego classes altogether. There are so many amazing self-study guides and strategies, including free "How-to's" on this site that are tried-and-true.

did a diagnostic, ashamed of my score, but its in another thread so i might as well say it...139, 141. Obviously I need help, and I fee that initially at least it might be beyond what I can effectively teach myself at this time. Once some concepts are better cemented in the way I think than self teaching might be more appropriate.

Honestly, what I say is Craigslist... dont knock it. Find a private tutor. Im using a guy who worked for both test masters and kaplan and he knows his stuff. He knows the courses so is able to adapt tricks from those plus his own. However, be careful to do your homework because there are obviously ones that are scams or will not help you. Also if you do not want one the whole time u can negotiate that with a private guy, not with a class and lose the money u down pay or what not. Start on your own in the mean time even if it means just reading what categories of questions there are in each section.

Could this be related to a demand drop-off for the LSAT intensifying this year?

manofjustice wrote:Could this be related to a demand drop-off for the LSAT intensifying this year?

it could.

manofjustice wrote:Could this be related to a demand drop-off for the LSAT intensifying this year?

In a strange way I hope it is. True, I hate that the class is cancelled because I was depending on the classroom experience, but at the same time the fact nobody in this area is signing up is indicative of a drop in test takers, and thus a drop in applications, and probably a small spike in scholarship money they are willing to give out to make sure I go to that school, it is a great thing for my admissions chances and my potential financial situation in 3-4 years.

I had a similar problem. Kaplan markets itself super super heavily around my campus, they give rather intense discounts to the pre-law fraternity as well. As a result they make it very difficult for other organizations to compete. TestMasters ended up canceling the course I was enrolled in and I had to take their online course. I found the online course to be EXTREMELY helpful and very thorough. The only problem I had with it was staying on schedule without having to go to class. I don't have any experience with powerscore or other programs though. If they're better than testmasters then that's great but you aren't going to screw yourself by sticking with testmasters.

karich wrote:I had a similar problem. Kaplan markets itself super super heavily around my campus, they give rather intense discounts to the pre-law fraternity as well. As a result they make it very difficult for other organizations to compete. TestMasters ended up canceling the course I was enrolled in and I had to take their online course. I found the online course to be EXTREMELY helpful and very thorough. The only problem I had with it was staying on schedule without having to go to class. I don't have any experience with powerscore or other programs though. If they're better than testmasters then that's great but you aren't going to screw yourself by sticking with testmasters.

So what are the alternative explanations? Rural area? Kaplan soaking up demand? How sure can we be that we are seeing another leg down in LSAT demand.

RE: scholarships. I don't know how much more generous schools can get with scholarships. At their conference this month, admissions deans were saying the gravy train would stop after next year.

Next stop: school closures.

manofjustice wrote:

karich wrote:I had a similar problem. Kaplan markets itself super super heavily around my campus, they give rather intense discounts to the pre-law fraternity as well. As a result they make it very difficult for other organizations to compete. TestMasters ended up canceling the course I was enrolled in and I had to take their online course. I found the online course to be EXTREMELY helpful and very thorough. The only problem I had with it was staying on schedule without having to go to class. I don't have any experience with powerscore or other programs though. If they're better than testmasters then that's great but you aren't going to screw yourself by sticking with testmasters.

So what are the alternative explanations?

Online classes

Here it is ladies and gentleman...and here it is:

http://insidethelawschoolscam.blogspot.com/

"Why is TAMU [Texas A&M University] buying a law school, and why is TWU [Texas Wesleyan University] selling theirs? Obviously because both parties think that the price is right -- and that price is quite low. $20 million is less than TAMUOLATWU [Texas A&M University of Law at Texas Wesleyan University...can't they change the name at least?] is charging its JD students per year, at least in nominal tuition. In short TWU -- a quite small (just 1,483 undergraduates) institution -- is dumping what it now considers a fiscally unsound and/or too risky operation, while retaining the operation's most valuable assets (real estate and fixtures)."

manofjustice wrote:
So what are the alternative explanations? Rural area? Kaplan soaking up demand? How sure can we be that we are seeing another leg down in LSAT demand.

RE: scholarships. I don't know how much more generous schools can get with scholarships. At their conference this month, admissions deans were saying the gravy train would stop after next year.

Next stop: school closures.

School closures, honestly would be a good thing. Schools are charging $35k-50k/year for a $5k education. Law school is in a state of flux, things are slowly changing, by the end we won't recognize the current system, which is a good thing for law schools and the profession as a whole.
Forgive me, but universal access to professional schools is insane. If I can't get a 155-160 and get into my local TT or TTTT than I should NOT be allowed to go.

jared6180 wrote:

manofjustice wrote:
So what are the alternative explanations? Rural area? Kaplan soaking up demand? How sure can we be that we are seeing another leg down in LSAT demand.

RE: scholarships. I don't know how much more generous schools can get with scholarships. At their conference this month, admissions deans were saying the gravy train would stop after next year.

Next stop: school closures.

School closures, honestly would be a good thing. Schools are charging $35k-50k/year for a $5k education. Law school is in a state of flux, things are slowly changing, by the end we won't recognize the current system, which is a good thing for law schools and the profession as a whole.
Forgive me, but universal access to professional schools is insane. If I can't get a 155-160 and get into my local TT or TTTT than I should NOT be allowed to go.

Sorry, but thats simply not true. There are plenty of phenomenal lawyers out there who scored below 160 on the LSAT. Universal access is not insane, universal pricing is.

Micdiddy wrote:

glitter178 wrote:kaplan?

You're asking to be flamed right?

Anyway, OP. Have you taken a diagnostic yet? I would try one, just to see what you get. Depending on the score I would forego classes altogether. There are so many amazing self-study guides and strategies, including free "How-to's" on this site that are tried-and-true.

why? I took kaplan and improved my score ten points with minimal effort, and got 75,000 in scholly money to USC. I don't get why people hate kaplan so much, ESPECIALLY if there is nothing else offered where you live (and, at the time i lived in a place where there wasn't anything else)