Reports of the LSAT’s impending demise have been greatly exaggerated. The ABA voted last week to uphold the required use of a standardized test, like the LSAT, in law school admissions. On this week’s podcast, Ben and Nathan react to news about the vote and remind listeners that law schools will continue to find the LSAT useful regardless of whether the ABA ever removes the testing requirement. Later, the guys hear from LSAT Demon students who crushed the January test, and they review a listener’s personal statement.
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1:21 - LSAT Survives ABA Vote - Nathan and Ben react to the big news: the ABA’s House of Delegates has voted to keep the standardized test requirement for law school admissions. The guys talk about why the LSAT was created in the first place and why law schools find it so useful.
9:22 - January LSAT Scores - Ben and Nathan celebrate Demon students’ successes on the January LSAT.
26:32 - Smartphone Liberation - Ben shares a New York Times article titled, “The Teenager Leading the Smartphone Liberation Movement.” The guys offer tips to minimize your smartphone’s negative impact on your focus without entirely ditching your device.
32:31 - Don’t Overcommit - Listener Cora struggles to find time for LSAT prep amidst her classwork and extracurriculars. Ben and Nathan advise Cora to drop the LSAT for now to focus on—and enjoy—school.
45:35 - Rolling Admissions - Nathan and Ben explain to listener Diana why law schools’ rolling admissions favor those who apply at the beginning of the cycle. The guys revisit the GLAD method for law school applications.
52:09 - Tracking Costs - Listener Eddie shares his spreadsheet for tracking law school applications and projected costs. Ben and Nathan discuss why Eddie should consider ignoring living expenses in his cost projections.
58:40 - Advice for a Splitter - An anonymous listener worries that their low GPA may preclude acceptance into a high-ranked law school. Should Anonymous apply only to low-ranked schools and plan to transfer out? Nathan and Ben tell Anonymous to apply broadly and not to count on a transfer.
1:05:10 - Personal Statement Review - Listener Nathaniel tried to follow Ben and Nathan’s advice in writing his personal statement, but the final product is a little dry. Ben and Nathan temporarily break their moratorium on personal statement reviews and give Nathaniel some feedback.
1:27:34 - Soft Factors - The guys suggest some useful takeaways from Dean Z’s video about soft factors on law school applications.