LSAT Logic is Logical (Ep. 292)
It’s getting later in the law school admissions cycle, and more and more offers are rolling in. Now students are faced with some tough decisions. But instead of playing the game the Thinking LSAT way, students are panicking. They’re worried about getting to school right away instead of starting their career in law the right way—(near) debt free, and with the best opportunities ahead of them. Instead, folks tend to get tunnel vision and reduce their range of possibilities. Nathan and Ben serve up some tough love to a bunch of students trying to decide where to attend in the fall. Plus, the guys hear an excuse of the week and pick apart another LR question from prep test 65.
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Important Dates
04.10.2021 – The April LSAT Flex testing week begins!
06.12.2021 – Break out the short sleeves, registration for the June LSAT is open!
4:32 – Excuse of the Week
Excuse of the Week is the (sometimes) weekly segment in which the guys hear excuses from students preparing for the LSAT and then discuss why those excuses are straight up horse sh*t 99% of the time. This week’s excuse? Please read in your whiniest voice: I don’t wanna take the August test because of the extra section. Nathan and Ben talk about how the LSAT today is easier than ever before even with an extra, ungraded, section. Real talk? Take the LSAT when you’re ready to take it. Don’t short yourself an opportunity to take the test because you’re intimidated by an extra section. Law school and life as a lawyer are going to give you more unwanted “extra sections” than you could ever count. If you start making excuses now, you’ll be one unhappy esquire.
9:41 – LR Question 26 from LSAT Practice Test 65
Nathan and Ben read through the argument and then tackle the question posed in Logical Reasoning no. 26 in section four of LSAT practice test 65. The question asks you, dear test-taker, to ferret out the flaw in the argument. The tricky part is that there are two flaws in the argument. The guys discuss each flaw—the part-to-whole flaw and the relative-to-absolute flaw—and predict how each will play out in the answer choices. Then they slice and dice through each answer choice until they ferret out the correct one.
41:12 – Applying Broadly with Success
Madeline is riding high after accepting an (almost) full ride to Villanova University (nice job, Madeline!). And let’s get real, when you’ve been accepted to seven schools and received nearly one MILLION dollars in scholarships, that’ll put a lil’ spring in yer step. The kicker is that Madeline applied to and was rejected from the same school in 2018, but after studying in The LSAT Demon and bumping her LSAT score by 10 points, she’s going to that same school for (almost) free. Pretty sweet change. The guys talk about the benefits of applying broadly—Madeline applied to 30 schools—and offer up some thoughts about Madeline’s choice to defer to 2022.
52:01 – Help on Picking a Law School
E’s had their sights set on being a lawyer for a while. They’ve been working at a personal injury law firm on Long Island during their gap year and E has aspirations of practicing international law. After applying for the 2021 school year, they’ve got a few offers in hand from regional schools, and they’re hoping the guys will help them pick the best law school. The guys take a look at E’s less-than-savory offers. Then they look at E’s LSAT score of 158 and smokin’ GPA of 3.88 and let E know that they’re making a terrible, terrible mistake if they don’t withdraw all applications, get that LSAT score up, and apply next cycle.
1:08:03 – LSAC Fee Waiver and the LSAT Demon
Danielle got a LSAC fee waiver. She heard on Thinking LSAT that folks who get an LSAC fee waiver can also qualify for a steep discount on the LSAT Demon. She wants to know if that’s still true. Why yes, Danielle, it is true! You can get LSAT Demon Basic for a one-time fee of $30 if you have an LSAC fee waiver. Find out more here.
1:09:35 – University of British Columbia vs. Harvard, Stanford, Yale
Z’s been crushing it. They’ve got a Canadian GPA that puts them in the 75th percentile of all US schools. They used the LSAT Demon to boost their LSAT score from the 140s to the 160s, and now they’re looking forward to applying to law school in the fall. But because they’re sitting so well with their credentials, Z is wondering if it makes sense to shoot for the US top three instead of going—as they’ve planned to do—to UBC in Vancouver. Z asks the guys if they should go for a higher LSAT score and try for a top US school instead of a top Canadian school. The guys discuss the pros and cons of each side of the decision for Z. The bottom line? Where does Z most want to practice law? If they’re staying in Vancouver, UBC sounds pretty damn good.
1:19:12 – Job, House, Boyfriend, Dog, Law School
M is getting ready to apply for the 2022 law school admissions cycle. And after studying with The LSAT Demon for just a bit, M has seen their score jump five points. Pretty sweet start! As they look to the fall, M is feeling like they’ve only got a few options for regional schools to apply to. M’s got a dog. A house. A job. And a boyfriend. As a result? M doesn’t see themselves going too far away from where they are now, and there are only two regional schools that make sense to attend, geographically speaking. Still, applying to just two schools flies in the face of Thinking LSAT wisdom to apply broadly. M wants to know if it makes sense to apply broadly and use other offers as leverage even if they have no intention of going to those schools outside of the two in their immediate area. Nathan and Ben challenge M on the idea that M needs to stay close to home. When it comes to law school, you need to remember you are playing a 20-, 30-, 50-year game here. You need to make the absolute best choices for you at the beginning, so you end up with a career that works for you.
1:32:46 –Deciding after Applying Late
Katie improved her LSAT score by more than 10 points with the LSAT Demon. Then she applied in February to kinda see what sorts of offers she might get this cycle. And in Katie’s eyes, the decision kinda paid off. She got accepted (with a decent offer) to the school she wanted to go to. Now she’s asking the guys what’s to do now that she’s accepted to her top choice even though she applied late in the cycle. The guys offer up some tough love and double down on their advice to apply early. If you apply early to the same school, you’ll likely get a better offer—certainly no worse—than the one you have now, and you may be surprised by seeing what else you’re capable of when you get your apps in to schools in September vs. February.
1:40:52 – Finding the Time to Study
Lys is an Army Intelligence Analyst who’s having a tough time slotting in focused study time for the LSAT with their demanding schedule. Currently, Lys studies in the evening, but is definitely in “brain shut down” mode after their long day. The guys recommend giving the LSAT your best hour of your day. That could be two half hour blocks. It could be one hour in the morning. Whatever it is, find it. This is the rest of your life and potentially hundreds of thousands of dollars.
1:43:34 – Law School Door No. 1, 2, and 3
Julia’s got a few different offers on the table as she looks to matriculate this fall. The only problem is none of the offers are that good. She’s got one full ride (plus stipend) at Wash U., and some other, very different options like sticker price to Columbia. Ben and Nathan point out that the range of offers Julia has don’t quite make sense. They suggest that she withdraw her apps in this ultra-competitive cycle and try again next round following the cardinal rules of applying to law school as prescribed by Thinking LSAT.