JD-MBAs with Rachel Gezerseh (Ep. 196)
You may have heard the siren’s song of the dual degree—the JD and the MBA. There are JD—MBA programs far and wide. But are they worth it? Nathan and Ben are joined by lawyer and author Rachel Gezerseh to chat about why anyone would want to put themselves on this arduous path. And if you do want to submit yourself to such a grueling course, what’s the best way to set yourself up for success? Tune in to hear the experts chop it up. Plus, Nathan and Ben talk proctoring the digital LSAT, taking the official test multiple times, and they slice and dice a personal statement.
As always, if you like the show and you want to get more from the Thinking LSAT community, check out the links below. You can connect with other folks studying for the LSAT, and get more useful resources from Nathan and Ben.
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Important Dates
7/15/19 – The Great Crossover! This is the first official digital LSAT, though some students will still take a pencil-and-paper test.
8/1/19 – The last day to register for the September LSAT
9/21/19 – The September 2019 LSAT
00:52 – JD—MBAs with Rachel Gezerseh
Amanda writes in and asks the guys about how prospective 1L students should navigate law school if they have their sights set on a Master’s degree (likely an MBA) after nabbing a JD. How can someone best prepare for a JD—MBA program? To help answer the question, Nathan and Ben have Law-Career Playbook author, Rachel Gezerseh (Breaking into Big Law), back on the show to hash it out. Here are some takeaways from their conversation:
Your 1L year will already be incredibly demanding. Think twice before adding stress on top your law school experience with this idea of a second degree.
Seek out professionals who have taken this path—was it worth it for them to acquire two degrees? Did it really help them achieve a better career in law or business?
Check and see whether you can even find a professional who has successfully taken the path you would like to take and is clearly benefitting from their JD—MBA
Consider choosing just one—go into law or go into business. If you feel like the other will help you later on, pursue that goal at that time. Chances are it will be rare that you’ll need both degrees.
It’s never too early to begin building your network—reach out to lawyers, take them to coffee, ask questions, and start working towards a law career you’ll enjoy
15:00 – The June 2019 LSAT
Students are all a twitter about the recent LSAT. And the verdict? The guys say it’s more of the same. Some students thought it was a breeze while others thought it was really tough. Nathan and Ben relay what they’ve heard from the front lines. Plus, they discuss the importance of not cancelling your score, even If you didn’t feel so hot about your performance on the day of the test.
19:32 – Nathan and Ben Proctor The LSAT
Here at Thinking LSAT, we’re always on our grind, dear listeners. We don’t sleep. We don’t stop the hustle. And it’s all in the name of bringing you the best dang LSAT prep you can get yer eyes, ears and minds on. Nathan and Ben talk about a new offering they’ve been piloting: live proctored practice LSATs you can take from the comfort of your home. The guys have been offering students real testing conditions where they move you from section to section in a virtual test center. They talk about their experience proctoring their first few digital practice tests and why it might be beneficial for you to take one.
26:09 – Taking the LSAT Multiple Times
Reed is kind of confused. And it’s no small wonder why. Another LSAT prep company is advising that he only take the official test twice AT MOST. They say that law schools will frown upon multiple attempts at the test. It’s got him worried because he knows the guys offer different advice. It’s true. The guys guffaw at this turd of wisdom. Here’s what they recommend:
Prepare for the LSAT by taking practice tests and working on 35-minute sections.
Work on practice tests until you are consistently scoring in your goal range.
Once your practice test score average is a score you’re happy with, take the official test.
Take the official test as many times as you need to achieve an official score in the upper ranges of your practice test scores.
Yeah. Law schools don’t love seeing six official attempts. But guess what. If you’re capable of scoring a 170, and you get unlucky a few times it’s OK to take the test until you get a 169 or a 170 or a 172! Law schools will care much more about your high score and will forget about how many times you attempted.
31:25 – Personal Statement Teardown
Micah’s got an LSAC GPA of 4.04. Pretty effing sweet, right? And it gets even better. He’s been prepping for the LSAT for the better part of this year, and his practice test scores have climbed from a diagnostic score of 158 to the 170s. Way to go Micah! With some well-earned confidence under his belt, Micah answers the guys’ challenge to send in a personal statement that reflects advice given on Thinking LSAT. He thinks he’s got a pretty righteous personal statement on his hands—with proper semi-colon usage to boot! Micah challenges the guys to shred this baby, and they proceed to burn it down as Ben and Nathan are wont to do.