Trees Grow as Tall as They Can (Ep. 157)
Even though the guys have tried to omit discussions of the weather at the top of the show, the summer heat is getting to Ben. But he’s sweating it out for this action-packed show. The guys share updates about the LSAT Demon and their upcoming weekend course in Chicago. We get to hear some warm and fuzzy stories from your fellow listeners. Plus, Nathan and Ben take a look at a GPA addendum, and answer your standard stack of other LSAT questions.
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3:50 – The LSAT Demon is an artificial-intelligence LSAT prep tool that Ben and Nathan developed for you to do LSAT prep on the go. Pretty awesome, right? The guys talk about some recent updates and give you more information about the tool, including what test questions and explanations you get access to through the platform.
6:03 – The Thinking LSAT live class is going on the road! Thanks to a poll from the Thinking LSAT Facebook Group, the guys are headed to the windy city of Chicago on October 20-21 to help you mid-westerners get a leg up on the November LSAT. Sign up here to join the Nathan and Ben for a weekend of LSAT prep, fun, red hots, and deep dish pies.
7:56 – Email 1—Trevor has gotten a ton out of prep materials from the Thinking LSAT duo. Ben’s free resources, Nathan’s private tutoring, and of course the podcast were instrumental in bumping his July score into the 170s. Thanks for the update, Trevor!
9:00 – Email 2—The guys read a GPA addendum submitted by Mango and offer some feedback.
13:03 – Email 3—Katie enrolled in a…Kaplan LSAT course, and then she found the podcast. Now that she’s a listener, she chuckles out loud at advice from her poor Kaplan instructor. The class is learning some “tips and tricks” for reading comp that we over here at Thinking LSAT would describe as…pretty f*ckin’ kooky. The guys ponder why these terrible “methods” are being espoused.
19:15 – Email 4—Nathan and Ben are challenged on their position that principle questions do not exist. Listen as they duke it out with an anonymous correspondent who sports a very smart nom de plume.
27:19 – Email 5—Now for the “warm and fuzzy” segment of the show. Steve writes in to share that the podcast helped him abandon his aspirations of going to law school. Even though he’s a successful engineer, Steve dreamt of money and prestige that he thought came with being a lawyer. The show made him think twice. Tune in to hear his heartfelt thanks to Ben and Nathan.
32:13 – Email 6—Anonymous just got the green light for accommodated testing. And his practice test scores now show a 20-point increase over his recorded score (from a test with no accommodations). He’s heard that schools can inquire about a big score jump like this, and he’s wondering if he needs to disclose that he received accommodations. Pretty reasonable question, right? Well anon need not worry, because you don’t have to say a damn thing.
37:08 – Email 7—AF is a behavior analyst and she’s been applying “behavioral momentum” principles to her LSAT prep with positive results. She agrees that practicing 35-minute sections is more beneficial than practicing entire tests, and she offers a science-backed reason as to why this might be the case.
42:16 – Email 8—Oh boy. L presents a long list of events that culminated in her dismissal from law school after her 1L year. But to add insult to injury, the freakin’ law school lost accreditation and closed shortly after she was kicked out. Now she’s making a bid for law school again and wants to know if she should include this information on an addendum to her application. The answer? Yep. Actually, you’re going to have to. The guys give some advice to L about how to move forward.
55:19 – Email 9— McKenna asks the guys to share some of their favorite personal statements and what made them stand out. The guys discuss what makes a killer personal essay.
1:03:28 – Email 10—Think studying for the LSAT is hard? Worried about your GPA? Are you sick and tired of being sick and tired of studying for this law school shit? Well, dear listeners, you should be. Because if you do indeed become a lawyer someday you may find yourself quaking in your boots on the other side of a legal battle with College Debater. CD is a college junior. She has a 3.9. AT HARVARD. And she scored a 180 the last two times she practiced the LSAT. And does she think she’s gonna breeze into a testing center and crush it? NO. In fact, she’s considering canceling a trip to Oxford where she will represent her debate team so she can study more. It’s like WTF. How prepared can you be? “Never too prepared,” thinks a savvy lawyer-to-be like CD. Nathan and Ben let her know that she’s probably pretty ready to take the test, and that she should definitely not miss the opportunity to head to Oxford.
1:13:36 – You may have heard the guys mention that there is an ABA rule that regulates if or how much you are allowed to work while attending law school. Well guess what. That rule was actually eliminated. However, Ben and Nathan say that your law school may still have a similar rule you should be aware of. Still, they agree it’s probably not enforced too often. Just a friendly PSA from your friends over here at Thinking LSAT.