You Been Waitlisted (Ep. 143)
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Today the guys catch up about an exciting new pilot program from LSAC, what a “very competitive” applicant looks like at Golden Gate, a shoddy email from Stanford, whether the guys have ever disagreed with the test, and more. But before the deluge of listener mail, Nathan shares his latest moviegoing adventure. Ben shares some news about Facebook’s argument regarding your data. And the guys give some updates on the Thinking LSAT YouTube channel(who the hell is watching this and why?), the Thinking LSAT patreon community, and the Thinking LSAT Facebook group.
As always, make sure to check out tons of books, online and in-person courses, and free materials from Nathan and Ben on their respective websites.
11:27 – Email 1—Riiiinnngg-a-ling-a-linngggg! Some of you lucky listeners who are taking the June LSAT may be in for a real treat. It turns out that LSAC is conducting a pilot program in some test centers (or maybe just one—we can’t tell) in which test takers will be allowed to bring a cell phone. That’s right dear listeners. We can hear your collective gasp. The program is simple! Just bring your phone on test day and LSAC will lock it up in an LSAC approved case. What happens if they lose the key? Who the hell knows. But the guys discuss anyway. As they dive in to the finer points of the program, Nathan takes a brief detour to encourage everyone to listen to the first episode of season 3 of Revisionist History so you can get a taste of what it’s like to be a lawyer.
22:10 – Email 2—Abigail is floating on the foggy clouds of San Francisco. It turns out yet another school is offering full rides based on LSAT score and GPA credentials, and Abigail fits the bill. With a 152 on record and a 3.0 GPA, she received an exclamation-point-laden email from Golden Gate University letting her know that she could get that JD fo’ free if only she would apply to GGU. Nathan and Ben discuss all the glorious upside to this golden offer.
33:20 – Email 3—A former student of Nathan’s writes in to thank Nathan for helping him push his LSAT score from a 147 to a 170. Pretty badass. But even though he’s rocking a 170 and a 4.0 GPA, he has dubbed himself the Wait-List King since he’s been waitlisted at Harvard, Stanford, Chicago, and more. But he’s not even sure he wants to attend these prestigious schools. He’s found countless grammatical errors in their marketing materials. The WLK shares his waitlist letter from Stanford as an example, and the guys promptly (and comically) tear it apart.
45:53 – Email 4—Brian is a 40-year-old physician who does LSAT sections for fun. That’s right, dear listeners, he powers through 35 minute sections like the daily crossword. And he wants to know if the guys have ever taken issue with the test. Has there ever been an answer choice that LSAC deemed correct, but that either Ben or Nathan disagreed with? Tune in to hear what the guys have to say.
58:04 – Email 5—Elizabeth has been working really hard studying for the LSAT and she’s been using prep materials that will soon be unavailable to her after her prep class ends. And even though she smashed out a 171 on a practice test, she’s worried about her grasp of the material and cancelled her enrollment in the June LSAT. She wants to know if the guys have tips on how to study once her materials are unavailable. Nathan and Ben offer Elizabeth a few pro tips: get practice tests and study one 35-minute section a day. And don’t cancel any more tests. You’re scoring well and should give yourself every opportunity to get a great score on record; you got this, Elizabeth!
1:04:08 – Email 6—Emily’s been seeing some disappointing fluctuations in her scores. After repeatedly smashing out 172 on practice tests, she received a 164 on the February exam. And she’s seen her practice tests plateau or regress over the past few months ahead of the June and July tests. She wants to know the guys thoughts on some of the test prep she’s been doing, including 7Sage. She also asks a few questions about whether there’s anything she can do to better prepare for the upcoming tests, including how to handle the summer afternoon exams when she’s more of a morning person. The guys weigh in with some helpful advice: relax. Don’t dare read the question stem first. And take a different approach to your review. Good luck on the June test, Emily. You’re gonna crush it.