Law School Promo Codes (Ep. 242)
LSAC made some wild changes in the past few weeks. The April LSAT is cancelled, and a new test, LSAT-Flex, is being made available to April LSAT registrants. Nathan and Ben give you everything you need to know (so far) about the unprecedented LSAT-Flex. Plus, the guys take a look at some law schools that are getting a little antsy about incoming 1Ls and offering extra discounts to secure their classes. The guys also talk about why Chipotle sucks, gap years, consider a tip for when you’re in the last few minutes of a section, and hear from a student who ultimately decided against law school.
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.
Personal Statement Review Package
Instagram (upcoming events)
Important Dates
4.22.2020 – Scheduling signup for the May LSAT.
4.24.2020 – Don’t miss it! It’s the registration deadline for the June LSAT.
5.18 or 5.19.2020 – Possible dates for the May LSAT-Flex
4.25.2020 – It’s still on, but they’re calling for rain! This is the April LSAT. CANCELLED
6.08.2020 – Get out the sunblock. It’s the first LSAT of the summer!
8:36 – Thinking LSAT Review
Jake is a true believer. He started his LSAT journey in May of 2019 with a 152 diagnostic. After a few months of listening to Thinking LSAT, he saw his score climb to a 169. He got 50% off promo codes at Duke and Northwestern. The guys celebrate Jake’s achievements, but challenge him to look beyond the top 14 for some of those full-ride coupons.
15:26 – LSAT-Flex
Hold on to your britches, dear listeners. A pretty major change is coming to the LSAT. Well, to the April LSAT, at least. Test takers who were registered for the now-cancelled April LSAT have the option to take—drumroll, please—LSAT-Flex! LSAT-Flex is a truncated version of the test administered online in the middle of May. The new test will feature just three sections—one LR, one LG, and RC section. The test will be scored differently than normal LSATs, but it’s unclear how scores will be calculated. Nathan and Ben discuss the changes in detail and answer some burning questions about the new May test from the Thinking LSAT community. The pro takeaway? Just keep studying like you’ve been studying. A shorter test will probably be easier.
Check out a post from Nathan explaining LSAT Flex
Here’s an FAQ from LSAC about LSAT Flex
39:12 – Pearls vs. Turds
Once upon a time, Kaiba was sitting for an LSAT. In the last moments of a section, she reviewed the answer choices of the question she was working on. Answer A looked good. But she looked further to answer choices B, C, D, and E. By the time she finished looking at the answer choices, the final grain of sand had dropped from the 35-minute timer, and she lost the opportunity to select the choice she knew was right all along. Broken-hearted, she vowed to never again be cheated by time and invented a piece of advice. She recommends if you are in the final minutes a section that you select the first answer you think is correct and then change it if another answer beats it. The guys consider this invention, but ultimately put it in the turd pile. Here’s the deal: in the last minutes of the test you should be randomly guessing to make sure you’ve answered every question and then focusing on answering one last question. Don’t cloud your minds with pointless gimmicky tricks, dear padawans!
45:13 – Desperate Schools, Desperate Measures
With all of the pandemic madness, many prospective 1Ls are delaying their decision making around law school. And law schools are starting to panic. Several students have received unsolicited letters from law schools announcing that *gasp* deadlines have been extended, and *double gasp* that additional funds “have been released,” removing the need to pay seat deposits for the upcoming school year. The subtext? Law schools are worried that they’re not going to have a class of 2023 and they’re freaking the eff out. So they’re tightening the belt on their fat margins in hopes of getting as many students as they can in classrooms next fall. What does that mean for you? There are some screaming hot deals to be nabbed for law school this cycle. Do not. Do not. Do not pay for law school.
58:35 – Teaching English In Japan Before Law School
Del’s finishing up her junior year and is planning to take the LSAT this summer. But then she’s hoping to take a gap year. She asks the guys if it’s a good idea to apply for a year of teaching English in Japan. Will it make her a stronger law school applicant? Ben and Nathan give enthusiastic votes “yes” for going to Japan. But not because it will make Del a better law school applicant. Your GPA and LSAT score are pretty much the only things law schools care about. But going to Japan will undoubtedly make you a better person. So go. Have fun. Maybe change your mind about going to law school, or get really confident that it’s the right move.
1:03:29 – On Not Going To Law School
After listening to the show and taking some of the guys’ medicine, anon decided to do some reading up on what a career as a lawyer actually looks like. He didn’t like what he saw. As a result, anon is deciding to work in a law-related field, just not as a lawyer with a crippling amount of debt. Anon shares what led him to that decision and Nathan and Ben discuss why their overwhelming advice is to don’t go to law school…unless you check out the book by Paul Campos, Don’t Go to Law School (Unless).