Regional School with National Reach? (Ep. 391)
Ben and Nathan assess whether attending a regional school may prevent you from finding work in a more competitive market. The guys double down on their advice to apply broadly even if you’re set on attending law school in a particular location. They also consider whether earlier PrepTests are easier than more recent ones, investigate an elite law school’s URM bump, and shake their heads at the ABA’s continued attempts to eliminate the standardized testing requirement.
2:59 - Pearls vs. Turds
Listener Owen shares some LSAT tips from lsat-center.com. Ben and Nathan detect some turds and implore listeners to reject LSAT gimmicks.
21:19 - Regional Law Schools
An anonymous listener was offered a full-tuition scholarship plus a stipend to attend the University of Iowa. But Anonymous worries that attending a regional school will prevent them from finding work in a competitive market, like Washington, D.C. Nathan and Ben recommend connecting with Iowa alumni who’ve followed similar paths.
28:34 - Apply Broadly
Listener Heidi wants to attend law school in a particular region. Should she still apply broadly, even to schools she wouldn’t attend? Ben and Nathan say yes. By applying broadly, Heidi can better judge her value to law schools and keep her options open.
31:25 - Are Early PrepTests Easier?
Listener Jack was shocked to score 177 on PrepTest A (an official LSAT from 1996) after weeks of scoring in the 160s. How much should Jack read into this score jump? Are earlier PrepTests easier? Nathan and Ben tell Jack not to overthink a single data point and to keep learning from his mistakes.
36:08 - URM Bump
The guys resolve a question about the URM bump in the LSAT Demon scholarship estimator.
42:07 - ABA Tries to Eliminate LSAT Rule
The ABA will try yet again to eliminate the standardized testing requirement for law school admissions. Ben and Nathan remind listeners that law schools will continue to use the LSAT even if they aren’t required to do so.