Lawyers Are Professional Students (Ep. 354)
Before embarking on a career as an attorney, it’s important to understand what lawyers actually do. Lawyers work long hours hitting the books, doing research, presenting cases, and writing briefs. In a way, lawyers are professional students. Today on the show, Ben and Nathan advise listeners who don’t love school to think carefully about whether lawyering is the right path for them. The guys also review a Pearls vs. Turds submission about creating your own logic games. They share their opinions on JD-MBA programs. And they wrap up the show by sharing their own law school experiences and laughing at a recruitment email sent by a law school.
As always, if you like the show and 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.
6.29.2022 — June LSAT scores released
6.30.2022 — August LSAT registration deadline
7.26.2022 — September LSAT registration deadline
8.12.2022 — August LSAT begins
8.31.2022 — August LSAT scores released
9.9.2022 — September LSAT begins
9.28.2022 — September LSAT scores released
7:19 - Pearls vs. Turds
An anonymous listener shares a piece of advice posted on YouTube by another LSAT prep company. The video recommends that students write their own logic games, including both the questions and the answer choices. Nathan doesn’t hesitate to call this suggestion a turd. Though the exercise may not hurt you, your time is much better spent solving another real logic game. With 400 official logic games available, there is no shortage of practice material. LSAT Demon offers full video explanations for every official logic game that has ever been released.
Scoreboard: 17 pearls, 61 turds, 24 ties
Got a Pearls v Turds candidate? Email help@thinkinglsat.com
15:29 - LSAT Demon
Listener Cassandra writes in to ask a few questions about LSAT Demon. She is mainly wondering about the smart drilling feature and difference between the Premium and Live plans. Ben and Nathan discuss what makes the Demon unique among LSAT prep companies. They want students to develop an intuitive understanding of the test—without relying on shortcuts and gimmicks. Ben explains the Demon’s smart drilling feature. The guys outline the differences between the Premium and Live plans. They also announce an upcoming live class on law school admissions. Read more about LSAT Demon plans here.
51:11 - JD-MBAs and the GI Bill
Listener Dave can’t decide between business school and law school, so he’s considering a JD-MBA program. He asks Ben and Nathan for their opinions on these programs. Ben sees Dave’s indecisiveness as a red flag. Nathan recommends that Dave work for a few years before applying to law school so he can find what he is truly passionate about.
Dave is also on active duty in the military and would like his GI Bill benefits to cover his wife’s schooling rather than his own. He has been using the LSAT Demon Scholarship Estimator to help predict what LSAT score he will need to earn a full-ride scholarship. He wonders whether his future veteran status would qualify him to check the URM box. The guys think not. Veteran status is different from underrepresented minority status.
1:03:25 - Becoming a Prosecutor
Demon student Nathan has aspirations of becoming a prosecutor, but he was not accepted into any of the law schools he applied to this cycle. He later heard from a county prosecutor that law school rank doesn’t matter as much when you intend to work for the government. Nathan asks the guys for their opinions on the matter. Ben and Nathan advise student Nathan not to worry about rank. He should focus on earning his best LSAT score and then apply early and broadly at the beginning of the next cycle. Then, he should go to the highest-ranked school that he can go to for free.
1:09:10 - Applying in June?
Demon team member Kevin shares an email he received from Ohio Northern University encouraging him to apply—in June—for fall admissions. Ben and Nathan warn listeners about predatory law schools and then have a laugh about the sales tactics used in this particular email.
1:18:06 - Ben’s and Nathan’s Law School Experiences
Demon student Jonathan has enjoyed studying with the Demon and has already improved by 20 points! He asks Ben and Nathan to share more of their unfiltered stories about their law school experiences. Nathan says that he found law school “excruciatingly boring.” “Ben shares how his law school experience was different from undergrad.
1:29:36 - Letters of Recommendation
Demon student Alec is almost ready to apply at the beginning of the next cycle. The last thing he needs is a letter of recommendation. A professor who Alec hoped would write a letter for him has expressed that she is unavailable to write one until late September. The guys recommend that Alec focus on getting his applications in as early as possible, even if that means asking someone else for a letter of recommendation. Applying early matters more than having a letter from this particular professor.