Should I quit my job to study for the LSAT full-time? Forum

[RamTitan]

I posted this in a different forum, and it didn't gain any traction, so please don't hurt me mods

Background: I am a 23 year old who currently works at a small Internet marketing agency and lives at home. I've been studying for the LSAT since June of 2015; I've gone from a 146 to a 171. However, my ultimate goal (like many others) is to get a perfect score and earn admittance into Harvard (3.66 GPA).

Why I'm Thinking of Quitting My Job: In the month of April, just as things are going to get kicked into super high-gear LSAT mode for me, my boss wants me to work every single Saturday to help with business development from 9-4. Saturdays are when I typically take the test. I haven't really enjoyed working at this place that much, and I feel like I haven't learned a lot and probably won't learn that much more. I also feel like quitting would be a moment of liberation. While it may be hard to get another full-time job after leaving, I could teach ESL in China (something I've always wanted to do) for a year before going back to school, become a personal trainer (I'm obsessed with fitness), work at a law office, or maybe I would be able to get my feet back into the marketing industry at a better agency.

Either way, it seems like going for my goal of a 180 and then exploring other options afterwards is what my gut is telling me.

Why I'm Thinking Quitting Is a Bad Choice: I'm worried that it would be difficult to get another job if I was to leave. I also wonder if having a distraction from the LSAT is a good thing, that it allows me to shift focus away from test anxiety. Also, I wonder if law schools would frown upon me leaving an employer, and then not having something concrete for me to go back to once I'm done studying.

Regardless, I want a new job or to explore other avenues at some point before law school, and I really don't want to work 5 Saturdays in a row and have that derail my studying.

What are everyone's thoughts?

[zeglo]

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[Tls2016]

Your plan is too vague. Figure out what you are going to do instead of this job and if you have the self discipline to follow a schedule when you have no external structure.

[Tiago Splitter]

I think you should quit your job if you hate it and plan to leave anyway. Don't quit just to study for the LSAT. You are already in a great score range and don't need to put in full time effort to continue improving.

[galadriel3019]

The above posters bring up really excellent points and financial considerations I imagine are an important part of your decision. One idea I'd just like to add however is quitting your job won't automatically hurt your chances with Harvard (or other schools)… IF you find another outlet for your time and effort. I wouldn't JUST study for the LSAT. But maybe you could volunteer or take part in other activities that fall in line with your overall narrative as an applicant. Our situations are not identical, I was in undergrad when I studied for the LSAT, but I was not working when I applied to law school during my gap year. I was coaching.

It's anecdotal, I know. But not working doesn't mean there are suddenly holes in your resume and candidacy. It's about what you do with your extra time.

[bruceaquizzer1]

I think your LSAT score is already beastly so maybe you should settle for another t10 school with money

[RamTitan]

1. I have zero financial considerations to consider

2. I know exactly what I would do every day: wake up at 6 AM like I normally do, workout for an hour; I'd have 3 study sections each day (one section of LR, AR, Rc for each session, plus BR); 2 days a week I would do full tests and BR them.
I have pretty awesome discipline. I've been using the same study schedule for 9 months now - 1 hour each work day after I workout and before I start work at my job, and a full test on weekends with BR. This discipline permeates other facets of my life (for example, I lost over 100 lbs. when I was 16 and have kept it off for 7 years, workout 6 days a week, etc.)

3. My side projects would be focusing more on my fiction and screenplay writing, and probably starting to design my own blog/web platform. With that said, I have every intention of returning to full-time employment after the test.

[RamTitan]

1. I have zero financial considerations to consider

2. I know exactly what I would do every day: wake up at 6 AM like I normally do, workout for an hour; I'd have 3 study sections each day (one section of LR, AR, Rc for each session, plus BR); 2 days a week I would do full tests and BR them.
I have pretty awesome discipline. I've been using the same study schedule for 9 months now - 1 hour each work day after I workout and before I start work at my job, and a full test on weekends with BR. This discipline permeates other facets of my life (for example, I lost over 100 lbs. when I was 16 and have kept it off for 7 years, workout 6 days a week, etc.)

3. My side projects would be focusing more on my fiction and screenplay writing, and probably starting to design my own blog/web platform. With that said, I have every intention of returning to full-time employment after the test.

My intuition is telling me to go for it, but if I'm missing something (like Harvard would reject my ass for being unemployed for 2-3 months), then I'd probably reconsider.

And something else to consider is that I plan on leaving this job regardless. So it's either start a new job in April before the test, or in June after the test.

[RamTitan]

I think you should quit your job if you hate it and plan to leave anyway. Don't quit just to study for the LSAT. You are already in a great score range and don't need to put in full time effort to continue improving.

I plan on leaving this job at some point in the near future regardless

[RamTitan]

I think your LSAT score is already beastly so maybe you should settle for another t10 school with money

It's not even about Harvard anymore; it's about getting a 180, and I have to have it

[L’Étranger]

You are already in a great score range and don't need to put in full time effort to continue improving.

Is that really true?

3.66/175+ is in a much better position than a 3.66/171, and making that jump isn't easy.

[xael]

I think your LSAT score is already beastly so maybe you should settle for another t10 school with money

It's not even about Harvard anymore; it's about getting a 180, and I have to have it

Lol if this is your approach in life then you might want to reconsider becoming a lawyer.

[xylocarp]

I merged this thread with your other one since they both got replies / only one thread per topic

[RamTitan]

I think your LSAT score is already beastly so maybe you should settle for another t10 school with money

It's not even about Harvard anymore; it's about getting a 180, and I have to have it

Lol if this is your approach in life then you might want to reconsider becoming a lawyer.

Having goals and striving to accomplish them should make me reconsider becoming a lawyer? Are you out of your mind?

[Boggs]

1. I have zero financial considerations to consider

2. I know exactly what I would do every day: wake up at 6 AM like I normally do, workout for an hour; I'd have 3 study sections each day (one section of LR, AR, Rc for each session, plus BR); 2 days a week I would do full tests and BR them.
I have pretty awesome discipline. I've been using the same study schedule for 9 months now - 1 hour each work day after I workout and before I start work at my job, and a full test on weekends with BR. This discipline permeates other facets of my life (for example, I lost over 100 lbs. when I was 16 and have kept it off for 7 years, workout 6 days a week, etc.)

3. My side projects would be focusing more on my fiction and screenplay writing, and probably starting to design my own blog/web platform. With that said, I have every intention of returning to full-time employment after the test.

My intuition is telling me to go for it, but if I'm missing something (like Harvard would reject my ass for being unemployed for 2-3 months), then I'd probably reconsider.

And something else to consider is that I plan on leaving this job regardless. So it's either start a new job in April before the test, or in June after the test.

You should quit. No question.

[xael]

I think your LSAT score is already beastly so maybe you should settle for another t10 school with money

It's not even about Harvard anymore; it's about getting a 180, and I have to have it

Lol if this is your approach in life then you might want to reconsider becoming a lawyer.

Having goals and striving to accomplish them should make me reconsider becoming a lawyer? Are you out of your mind?

Having unattainable ones that are dumb and not within your control are

You would retake a 179? 178? Solely because it wasn't perfect? Is this because you base your self worth off of academic achievement? If so, good luck buddy.

[Tiago Splitter]

You are already in a great score range and don't need to put in full time effort to continue improving.

Is that really true?

3.66/175+ is in a much better position than a 3.66/171, and making that jump isn't easy.

It's not easy but it's not the kind of thing you should quit your job over. If it's gonna happen at all it's gonna happen with 10-15 hours a week for the next few months.

But like I said quitting is fine. Life is short, no need to be miserable especially for something you'll be leaving soon anyway.

[Bearlyalive]

IMO, once you start pushing past the 170 hill, each point becomes that much more difficult to get. At that point you've already mastered the strategies, so it becomes more about avoiding silly errors, which is a lot, lot harder than it sounds. And I really think that at that point in time, it becomes far more valuable to take multiple tests a week than to spend time drilling individual sections. There are people who can naturally sit down and have the mental stamina to get a 178+, but for myself, half the battle was decreasing the mental fatigue towards the last section, or learning to put behind a question or passage that I wasn't 100% sure about and not letting it bug me when I was past it. The best way to work on that is to take full tests, and a lot of them.

Maybe you could make it work, but I don't know that I could have done that with only having one day a week to realistically do a full test. I personally had three full days a week set aside for testing, and kept that up for three months. So, my advice is that if you think that you're past drilling and you really are set on aiming for a 180, then you should quit. HLS and the top tier are not going to care about a 3 month gap. If you're really worried, you can volunteer on off-days (that's what I did). But seriously, I think it's worthwhile. A 3.65 with a 171 maybe gets you a pity scholarship at UVA, but a 3.66 with a 178+ is a contender for probably everything outside of a Hamilton/Rubenstein/Yale, and even then you might get lucky.

Also, as an example of how much little errors can kick your ass where you least expect it: I missed two questions on my exam. One of them was the first logic game question. Yeah. That one. The gimme. The "why would I ever double check my work here" question. My study partner will never let me live it down.

[gtrs09]

I attempted this, with relative success. Looking back at it now part of me wishes I kept my job (steady income) instead of living off savings, even though I was extremely unhappy at the job. Instead of quitting because you must work Saturdays, I would suggest negotiating a different arrangement and if he says no, then perhaps leaving is the right step. Just make sure it's really what you want to do.

[somethingElse]

I'm a big fan of middle-grounds. Is there any chance you'd be able to explain this to your employer (professionally and appropriately) and have your hours reduced to say, 20-25 a week?

I think working part time and studying for the LSAT is a great combo and is arguably preferable to only studying for the LSAT with no job at all.

If this isn't an option, I would still personally recommend leaving the job, as long as you will keep yourself occupied with other things to a significant extent (working out more, starting up a new hobby, reading challenging material outside of the LSAT, etc).

[RamTitan]

I think your LSAT score is already beastly so maybe you should settle for another t10 school with money

It's not even about Harvard anymore; it's about getting a 180, and I have to have it

Lol if this is your approach in life then you might want to reconsider becoming a lawyer.

Having goals and striving to accomplish them should make me reconsider becoming a lawyer? Are you out of your mind?

Having unattainable ones that are dumb and not within your control are

You would retake a 179? 178? Solely because it wasn't perfect? Is this because you base your self worth off of academic achievement? If so, good luck buddy.

I never said I would retake the test if I scored a 179; with that said, I don't train for a 179, I train for a 180.

[RamTitan]

IMO, once you start pushing past the 170 hill, each point becomes that much more difficult to get. At that point you've already mastered the strategies, so it becomes more about avoiding silly errors, which is a lot, lot harder than it sounds. And I really think that at that point in time, it becomes far more valuable to take multiple tests a week than to spend time drilling individual sections. There are people who can naturally sit down and have the mental stamina to get a 178+, but for myself, half the battle was decreasing the mental fatigue towards the last section, or learning to put behind a question or passage that I wasn't 100% sure about and not letting it bug me when I was past it. The best way to work on that is to take full tests, and a lot of them.

Maybe you could make it work, but I don't know that I could have done that with only having one day a week to realistically do a full test. I personally had three full days a week set aside for testing, and kept that up for three months. So, my advice is that if you think that you're past drilling and you really are set on aiming for a 180, then you should quit. HLS and the top tier are not going to care about a 3 month gap. If you're really worried, you can volunteer on off-days (that's what I did). But seriously, I think it's worthwhile. A 3.65 with a 171 maybe gets you a pity scholarship at UVA, but a 3.66 with a 178+ is a contender for probably everything outside of a Hamilton/Rubenstein/Yale, and even then you might get lucky.

Also, as an example of how much little errors can kick your ass where you least expect it: I missed two questions on my exam. One of them was the first logic game question. Yeah. That one. The gimme. The "why would I ever double check my work here" question. My study partner will never let me live it down.

Would it be a problem if I had to recycle tests I've already completed? I think I'm going to quit and go with this strategy.

[RamTitan]

I attempted this, with relative success. Looking back at it now part of me wishes I kept my job (steady income) instead of living off savings, even though I was extremely unhappy at the job. Instead of quitting because you must work Saturdays, I would suggest negotiating a different arrangement and if he says no, then perhaps leaving is the right step. Just make sure it's really what you want to do.

I live with my parents, and don't have to worry about finances, though I have considered going this route. However, since I want to get a new job anyways.....

[RamTitan]

You are already in a great score range and don't need to put in full time effort to continue improving.

Is that really true?

3.66/175+ is in a much better position than a 3.66/171, and making that jump isn't easy.

It's not easy but it's not the kind of thing you should quit your job over. If it's gonna happen at all it's gonna happen with 10-15 hours a week for the next few months.

But like I said quitting is fine. Life is short, no need to be miserable especially for something you'll be leaving soon anyway.

I've been putting 10-15 hours in for about 9 months now, and I feel like I'm going to need something else to break this hump (I've plateaued for 6 months).

[Bearlyalive]

IMO, once you start pushing past the 170 hill, each point becomes that much more difficult to get. At that point you've already mastered the strategies, so it becomes more about avoiding silly errors, which is a lot, lot harder than it sounds. And I really think that at that point in time, it becomes far more valuable to take multiple tests a week than to spend time drilling individual sections. There are people who can naturally sit down and have the mental stamina to get a 178+, but for myself, half the battle was decreasing the mental fatigue towards the last section, or learning to put behind a question or passage that I wasn't 100% sure about and not letting it bug me when I was past it. The best way to work on that is to take full tests, and a lot of them.

Maybe you could make it work, but I don't know that I could have done that with only having one day a week to realistically do a full test. I personally had three full days a week set aside for testing, and kept that up for three months. So, my advice is that if you think that you're past drilling and you really are set on aiming for a 180, then you should quit. HLS and the top tier are not going to care about a 3 month gap. If you're really worried, you can volunteer on off-days (that's what I did). But seriously, I think it's worthwhile. A 3.65 with a 171 maybe gets you a pity scholarship at UVA, but a 3.66 with a 178+ is a contender for probably everything outside of a Hamilton/Rubenstein/Yale, and even then you might get lucky.

Also, as an example of how much little errors can kick your ass where you least expect it: I missed two questions on my exam. One of them was the first logic game question. Yeah. That one. The gimme. The "why would I ever double check my work here" question. My study partner will never let me live it down.

Would it be a problem if I had to recycle tests I've already completed? I think I'm going to quit and go with this strategy.

I can't say from personal experience. Doing three tests a week (6 tests a week in the two weeks leading up to the exam), I didn't run out of new material. But I think it mainly comes down to how well you tend to remember problems. I would occasionally vaguely remember a problem that had been in a drilling section, but my memory would very rarely help me answer the question; my friend, on the other hand, would breeze through a section because he remembered the questions from doing them months before. That said, my friend re-took the exam, and he eventually had to start seriously recycling material. He said that games tended to be easier (half the fun in an exam is running into a game set-up you've never seen before, and recycling mostly negates that), but RC and LR were still challenging enough to make it worth it.