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Hi all,

First of all, this has been a great resource for me in thinking about law school, so I appreciate everyone's contributions. I hope to contribute positively in the future.

I am hoping to get some advice on studying for the LSAT while working.

Some background:
I graudated in 2012 and have been working full-time since July 2012 in NYC at a financial communications/PR firm. Through this job I have been exposed to m&a and shareholder activism, which I find to be interesting from a legal perspective (not so much from a communications perspective).

I have a 3.8 undergrad GPA and I'd like to shoot for a 174+ ideally. Although I do not know what my baseline score is, I know I will have to study quite a bit and I want to take this seriously.

My questions/concerns:
My current job has a very unpredictable schedule. Some days I work from 9am to 6pm, other days from 9am to 10pm. My firm has a "we are available for our clients 24/7" philosophy and it is taken very seriously. Often times I'll head home for the day only to find that I have emails waiting for me on my BlackBerry, asking me to work. Many times I am unable to eat during the day or sleep during the night, due to the nature of our work (tied to the news cycle) and the speed at which things need to be completed.

Given that, I am not confident that I could commit myself to a studying plan/schedule, especially one where I could have a few hours uninterupted after work, or even on weekends (I'm "on call" every weekend). Similarly, if I enrolled in a prep course, I doubt I would be able to attend every session, or free myself from my BlackBerry during each session. I do not think my employer would be okay with giving me space to have time to study.

For that reason, I am thinking of scheduling the LSAT for June 2014 so that I can adapt my studying schedule based on my work schedule, which is often established day-by-day.

I think the smarter option is to just get a different job. I am considering applying to be a paralegal with a firm like Cravath or Wachtell, where I'd be a 8-5 worker. However, it is likely that a lot of overtime would be required, and that may interfere with a studying schedule or prep course attendance. Perhaps I could get a part-time position (2-3 days per week), or start off full-time and transition to part-time, with the understanding that I'm studying for the LSAT. I'm not sure if any of that makes sense or is acceptable, so if anyone could weigh in on being a paralegal in NYC, I would appreciate it.

Overall, any suggestions/guidance about developing a feasible balance between working and studying would be appreciated. I'm open to new job suggestions beyond being a paralegal, as well.

Thank you and if I can do anything to clarify what I've said, please let me know.

The Cleveland Cavaliers came back from 3-1 down against the Golden State Warriors.

Thanks for the reply, Clyde Frog. I have not done any studying for the LSAT, or looked at any prep books at all.

I wrote an article for TLS about this very topic here:

http://www.top-law-schools.com/lsat-pre ... chool.html

I hope it helps!

.

That should give you some flexibility with your work. I find it hard to stick to strict schedules that call for you to do specific things on specific days of the week.

@LSAT Blog: Thanks for directing me to your article, I gave it a quick skim last night, but I'll check it out more thoroughly soon. I liked the example schedules you gave.

@Clyde Frog: Wow, thank you so much for your detailed posts. That sounds like a great way to approach the material.

I do have a few things going on in my life that I need to take care of, like moving apartments, before I really get into this, but it is great to have a place to start when I am ready. I'm also hoping to take advantage of fall job recruiting for recent grads to try and get a new job. I'd like to try and pursue some of my other professional interests before really commiting to law school. Needless to say though, I am a bit more confident that I could make time to study even with my current job thanks to both of you, LSAT Blog and Clyde Frog.

Also: I've heard a lot about the PowerScore Logic Bible...is that something worth incorporating into a study regimen right from the start, or is it really only necessary if I need intense practice on logic games?

Thank you!

4 words: suck it up, buttercup. You're not working that many hours that you can't find time to study. Deal with it

I work at a V10 in NY and have been studying since October - I will be taking the test on June 10th. I took a prep class with Manhattan, which was fantastic. It is definitely possible, you just have to be disciplined and willing to put the time in. I study whenever I have free time during the work day, and then usually a couple hours after work. I take a PT on Saturdays. For reference, my scores are consistently in the low to mid 170s (up from a 151 diagnostic).

guano wrote:4 words: suck it up, buttercup. You're not working that many hours that you can't find time to study. Deal with it

The more and more I've thought about this, the more I realize you're right. If I'm motivated enough, I will make it happen.

mhmlm23 wrote:

guano wrote:4 words: suck it up, buttercup. You're not working that many hours that you can't find time to study. Deal with it

The more and more I've thought about this, the more I realize you're right. If I'm motivated enough, I will make it happen.

Lots of good tips here:

http://zenhabits.net/top-20-motivation-hacks-overview/

mhmlm23 wrote:Hi all,

First of all, this has been a great resource for me in thinking about law school, so I appreciate everyone's contributions. I hope to contribute positively in the future.

I am hoping to get some advice on studying for the LSAT while working.

Some background:
I graudated in 2012 and have been working full-time since July 2012 in NYC at a financial communications/PR firm. Through this job I have been exposed to m&a and shareholder activism, which I find to be interesting from a legal perspective (not so much from a communications perspective).

I have a 3.8 undergrad GPA and I'd like to shoot for a 174+ ideally. Although I do not know what my baseline score is, I know I will have to study quite a bit and I want to take this seriously.

My questions/concerns:
My current job has a very unpredictable schedule. Some days I work from 9am to 6pm, other days from 9am to 10pm. My firm has a "we are available for our clients 24/7" philosophy and it is taken very seriously. Often times I'll head home for the day only to find that I have emails waiting for me on my BlackBerry, asking me to work. Many times I am unable to eat during the day or sleep during the night, due to the nature of our work (tied to the news cycle) and the speed at which things need to be completed.

Given that, I am not confident that I could commit myself to a studying plan/schedule, especially one where I could have a few hours uninterupted after work, or even on weekends (I'm "on call" every weekend). Similarly, if I enrolled in a prep course, I doubt I would be able to attend every session, or free myself from my BlackBerry during each session. I do not think my employer would be okay with giving me space to have time to study.

For that reason, I am thinking of scheduling the LSAT for June 2014 so that I can adapt my studying schedule based on my work schedule, which is often established day-by-day.

I think the smarter option is to just get a different job. I am considering applying to be a paralegal with a firm like Cravath or Wachtell, where I'd be a 8-5 worker. However, it is likely that a lot of overtime would be required, and that may interfere with a studying schedule or prep course attendance. Perhaps I could get a part-time position (2-3 days per week), or start off full-time and transition to part-time, with the understanding that I'm studying for the LSAT. I'm not sure if any of that makes sense or is acceptable, so if anyone could weigh in on being a paralegal in NYC, I would appreciate it.

Overall, any suggestions/guidance about developing a feasible balance between working and studying would be appreciated. I'm open to new job suggestions beyond being a paralegal, as well.

Thank you and if I can do anything to clarify what I've said, please let me know.

I think it is possible to prepare for the lsat even for Oct/Dec if you truly want to take this test. Its just discipline as many have already indicated. Read this blog from someone who was in a similar circumstance and still managed to take this test and is now in Yale Law School (or probably graduated). You already have the GPA, just commit to studying and you will be golden. Goodluck.

http://lsatblog.blogspot.com/2011/07/ls ... corer.html

Samson's LSAT diary is one of my favorites. He's awesome.

I believe he's now a rising 3L at Yale.