Halloween & LSAT

Happy Halloween Everyone! 

I found these photos on the LSAT Blog Facebook and wanted to share them with you! 

Have a safe and happy one! 

Preparing for the December LSAT?

If you plan to apply to law school for Fall 2012 and you have yet to take the LSAT, you are probably preparing for the December LSAT.  Or, you took the October LSAT and didn't score as well as you'd hoped and are planning on taking it again. 

I have a question for those of you preparing for the LSAT: How are you preparing? 

What's an Addendum?

In one of my previous post's I mentioned including an addendum in your law school application.  You are probably asking, "what's an addendum?"  An addendum is an optional supplementary document you can include in your application.  According to a law school advisor I have consulted, it is a bit risky to include. 

Attend Law Day at McGeorge School of Law!

Applying to law school is just like applying to undergrad all over again.  You need to take a standardized test, submit an application, write a personal statement, etc.  With that comes figuring out what school is the best fit for you.  To find this out, it is highly encouraged that you visit the school and talk to current students and professors.  Remember that this decision is an investment and you want to make sure you actually like the school you are looking to attend. 

University of the Pacific's McGeorge School of Law is hosting a Law Day at their campus in Sacramento on November 5, 2011.  

Should You Take a Year Off Between Undergrad and Law School?

The idea of taking a year off between getting your undergrad degree and going to law school has recently become the more popular route students have chosen to take.  Why?  Because students, who plan to go to law school, work tirelessly for four years and then find themselves burnt out.  This is the last state you want to be in going into your first year of law school--the most difficult! You want to go in ready to think critically, write, brief, argue, and work yourself like you have never worked before! You want to be a lawyer, right?

How Do Law Schools Review Applications?

There are 5 parts to a law school application:

1. LSAT Score
2. Grade Point Average (GPA)
3. Personal Statement
4. Resume
5. Letters of Recommendation (From Professors/Employers
*Optional: Addendum

When law schools review applications it really comes down to numbers.  GPA and LSAT score.  Your acceptance really depends on if you meet the school's GPA and LSAT range.  If you do, great! That's usually all a law school needs to make a decision. If your numbers are a few points away from the school's range, they will probably look at your personal statement, resume, and letters of rec.  In those sections, the review board is looking for explanations for why your numbers are short or a compelling reason to accept you.

Start Training Your Brain for Law School

A good friend and colleague of mine recently had lunch and we were discussing my frustrations with preparing for the LSAT and law school.  She sugggested that I look into Lumosity! It is a brain training resource that has recently grown in popularity! It offers daily training games that have reported to strengthen one's ability to think critically!

The great thing about Lumosity is that you can play the brain training games from your mobile phone!

Take Classes That Will Prepare You for Law School

Although you can apply to law school under any major it is a good idea to take a few law classes during your undergraduate years to get a sense of what law school will be like.  From personal experience, I can tell you that law courses require a different type of thinking and studying.  They are unlike any other college course I have taken.  It required me to critically read, brief, highlight, and adjust to the socratic method of teaching.  Knowing and memorizing cases and laws were critical and hypotheticals arguments took some getting used to. If your university offers law courses I would highly recommend fitting them into your schedule!  It will help you in the long run, especially at law school!

Other helpful classes to take would be of course, English courses, but philosophy, specifically, logic, will be of utmost help to you! Logic will prepare you for the LSAT.  And English and philosophy courses will strengthen your reading skills, critical thinking abilities, and writing skills!

If your course schedule is pretty limited, try to at least get one law course in before you graduate and if possible, logic.

You will thank me later!