LSAT PrepTest 64 (October 2011 LSAT) Available For PDF Download

Just wanted to let everyone know that the October 2011 LSAT (LSAT PrepTest 64) is now available on Amazon.com!

See this list of all LSAT PrepTests.

It's the most recently released LSAT exam and necessary for anyone studying for December 2011 LSAT and beyond.

Law School Application Weaknesses: Addendum or Personal Statement?

The below excerpt about handling weaknesses in your law school application is from A Comprehensive Guide to the Law School Personal Statement.

***

Weaknesses should sometimes be addressed in an addendum to the application, sometimes in the personal statement, and sometimes not at all. You should decide where to address the weakness in your application based on its degree of severity.


Addendum
If the weakness in your application is moderate, and you think your explanation will help your cause, you should address it in the addendum. Your discussion in the addendum should be brief and to the point. It's not a second essay.

Examples of moderate weakness include: a semester in which your grades dropped steeply, a year or two away from college, or lower than expected LSAT scores.

Now remember, you have to think that explaining the weakness will help your cause. If your grades dropped after a major personal setback or because you were working 30 hours a week, write about it in the addendum. If you took time away from college to have an important experience, include it. If you think your LSAT scores were low because you have a learning disability, it might be good to include. However, if your grades were low because you were drinking heavily, if you took time off of college and wasted it, or if your LSAT scores were low because you didn’t study, leave it out!


Personal Statement
If the weakness in your application is severe in degree, you have to address it in your personal statement. As they say in politics, you want to get ahead of the story, to put your spin on it.

You have to put it in context, explain why it happened (without shirking responsibility!) and crucially, you have to explain what is different now.

You can explain what you learned from the experience, how it changed you, and why you are ready to succeed in law school and beyond. In the best-case scenario, you turn your weakness into a strength.

Make it the “struggle” in your story of “struggle and triumph," meaning: “Stealing a car to joyride with my friends was unquestionably the stupidest, most immoral thing I have ever done. However, my rehabilitation process, which included jail time, parole, and mandatory therapy, has been incredible—one of the best things that has ever happened to me.”

If you address your weaknesses with sincerity, contrition, and positivity, even severe weaknesses will not bar you from law school.

Examples of severe weaknesses in your application include: having faced disciplinary action from your college, having a criminal record, having years of very depressed grades, having attended an unaccredited or shakily accredited undergraduate institution (including online colleges) or having a huge, multi-year gap in your record.


Not At All
If your weakness is mild, do not explicitly address it in your personal statement, or the addendum. If you spend time and space explicitly addressing mild weaknesses, you run the risk of annoying your reader, who will think, “Who cares!? This person is too obsessive!” Everyone has mild weaknesses in their application. Don’t dwell on them. Instead, highlight your strengths.

Examples of mild weaknesses include an outlying low grade in one class, having an unexciting extracurricular record, or having attended a less-than-stellar college.

Photo by jjpacres

Michigan Law Admissions Dean Interview

In this LSAT Blog post, I interview the University of Michigan Law School’s dean of admissions, Sarah Zearfoss. Our discussion follows.

1. To what degree do you use the LSAT's Writing Sample?

A lot of applicants appear to make an assumption that the LSAT writing sample never gets looked at–and that’s not a safe assumption!

We use it in a lot of different ways. At the most basic level, we always at least glance at it, and that means someone who uses only three-quarters of a page out of the available two pages will stand out, as will the folks who draw pictures, or write repeatedly, "I know you’re not reading this." And I don’t mean that they stand out in the way that one hopes to in the admissions process.

For some applications, we routinely take a much closer look, particularly when we have reason to be concerned about writing abilities (based on a major or something else in the background suggesting a lack of writing experience, or based on a comment in a recommendation letter, or based on writing quality elsewhere in the application). The standard in those cases isn’t a highly rigorous one, to be sure, but we’re looking for a lack of mimicry between the question and the answer, a facility with basic grammar and spelling, and a reasonably coherent argument. It’s surprising how frequently people don’t meet that minimal standard.

And apart from how Admissions Office staff views the sample, there are always the faculty, an unpredictable lot. At Michigan, faculty don’t have a heavy involvement in reviewing files, but I would say at least 50% of those who do look at files consider the LSAT writing sample as the single most interesting element of the application materials. No, I’m not kidding. My colleagues at some other schools have confirmed this idiosyncrasy.

Bottom-line, applicants would be well-served to approach the writing sample with seriousness. You have to sit there for the duration anyway, so you might as well put a little effort into it, right? Treating it cavalierly could leave a big negative impression on a reviewer.


2. What are some changes that students at Michigan would like to see, and what is Michigan doing to implement these changes?

I hear a pretty steady drumbeat of requests for a more tropical climate, but we resist this–I have the power, absolutely, but I choose not to use it because I think it would cut down on study time and ultimately result in less-prepared graduates. I have only the best interests of our students at heart.

In all seriousness, I don’t think there are any Major Issues that we see student concerns coalescing around at the moment. If there were, I have no doubt that they’d get a lot of swift attention from the administration, which in my experience is remarkably responsive. But that said, there are certainly often small coalitions around certain topics, and when they come up, sustained attention gets devoted to figuring out the right answer, a process that can take some time.

One recently solved example: we have heard from students in recent years that they would like a clinic with an international law focus. The challenge was how to put that into effect while being committed to Michigan’s vision of clinical work, which involves considerable hands-on involvement by the student attorneys–as opposed to assigning students one small paragraph in a giant brief being actually written by a faculty member for filing with an international court, an experience we didn’t think would provide much pedagogical benefit. The answer has turned out to be, one, an international transactional clinic focusing on microfinance, which just took off this year, and two, a human-trafficking clinic, which will get started next year. Both will involve considerable client involvement, a core value, while having a central international-law component. Those new clinics didn’t come about quickly; it took us a couple of years between starting to get the requests and figuring out the best way to effect the project. But the end result is terrific, and much better for not having been knee-jerk.

Another issue that has been the subject of sustained dialogue between students and administration in recent years involve public-interest funding, and how to come up with more institutional support. That’s an area where we’ve already seen some wonderful changes, such as a commitment to 2L summer funding for public interest jobs--but we’re also in the midst of trying to think of other new, creative solutions.

And a third issue that has been consuming some energy and attention recently is the question of grading and curves. There have been changes at other schools, so some students have naturally questioned whether we should reexamine our own approach–in fact, our faculty and administration raised the question themselves, independently. But that’s a puzzle we’re at the beginning of solving, and it’s not an easy one; we have concerns that moving to, for example, no grades or no curve could result in risk-aversion by legal employers about hiring our students–employers tell us that they worry a lack of grades means a lack of engagement by students, with the result being a poorly educated lawyer. No one wants to do anything that makes it harder for students to get the jobs they want, obviously. So we’re continuing to grapple with these issues; while we may not have come up with a solution yet, it’s not for lack of approaching the question seriously. That, ultimately, is what students should ask of their institution–not that they get a "yes" answer on every request, but that the requests be given attention and consideration.


3. What are some of the most common / funniest mistakes you've seen in students' applications?

Certainly the most common mistake is sending in an impassioned essay about why an applicant desperately wants to attend.... some other law school, not Michigan. Meanwhile, someone in Charlottesville is scratching his head about why the same student is writing at length as to Ann Arbor’s merits as the ideal student community. We try not to hold that against anyone, though, and only rarely do we actually weep at our sense of rejection.

The funniest kind of mistake I see is beginning an essay with a quote that is misattributed. Given that one of the most fundamental skills of a lawyer is research, this usually strikes me as dispositive. I first started as an admissions dean at just this time of year, when a lot of deny letters had already gone out. One denied applicant, very aggrieved, insisted on meeting with me. I now know how completely unproductive these meetings invariably are, but I was very idealistic at the time and agreed to the meeting, thinking I could give some helpful guidance (even though I hadn’t actually been the admissions dean who had made a decision on her application). The first thing I pointed out to her was that her essay misattributed a famous poem to the wrong author, and that the mistake made a really bad first impression. Her reaction was outrage; she said it showed beyond doubt that she had written her own essay, and hadn’t paid a professional to do it, and that was to her credit. Certainly, the quick thinking was to her credit, but doing her own work was a basic expectation, and her argument didn’t result in a different outcome.

***

Bio: Sarah Zearfoss is Assistant Dean and Director of Admissions at the University of Michigan Law School. A member of the Michigan bar, she stays active in the practice of law as a volunteer attorney for the ACLU.

Photo by 51170735@N02

Logic and Games

* Deciding whether to go to law school? Check out this great advice from a lawyer/author. [LSAT Blog]

* The Tea Party doesn't like being compared to Occupy Wall Street. [NYTimes]

* College student pulls self up by mythical bootstraps, implies Occupy Wall Street protesters are lazy. [Persephone Magazine]

* Some super-religious Jews try to force a recreation of the Rosa Parks saga. [NYMag]

* After a recent SAT cheating scandal, the College Board is cracking down. [NYTimes]

* Anyone planning to dress up as a sexy sea turtle for Halloween? [YouTube]

December 2011 LSAT vs. February 2012 LSAT

The short version:

If you haven't had the expected amount of time to study and are feeling that you won't be ready to take it in December, I recommend you bite the bullet, take the LSAT at a later date, and apply next cycle. A higher LSAT score means you'll get into better law schools and/or, potentially, more scholarship money. 1 year could be well worth the wait.

On the other hand, if you are feeling there's a decent chance you'll be ready by December, then take it in December as planned. The February exam's generally too late for it to be a good idea to take it and still apply this cycle.

***

Law schools consider applications on a rolling admissions basis. The earlier you apply in the admissions cycle, the easier it is to gain acceptance. The cycle begins in September.

For top law schools, it's especially important to apply relatively early in the cycle because admission to these schools is particularly competitive.

December, of course, isn't early in the cycle, but it's not too late either. A few points higher than you would've gotten if you'd taken it in June or October will make up for not being early. However, if you're thinking that you won't be ready for December, February's a bit too late for this cycle. Many top law schools (such as Columbia, Harvard, NYU, and Stanford) don't even accept February LSAT scores for that cycle.

(This means you can't take the LSAT in February 2012 and apply to start at those law schools in the fall of 2012. However, you can take the February 2012 LSAT and use that score to apply to start at those law schools in Fall 2013, of course.)

Even some law schools that aren't typically considered "top law schools" have application deadlines that are before February LSAT scores are released. This means, of course, those schools don't take February LSAT scores (for that cycle), either.

Given enough prep time (and the right kind of prep), most people are capable of scoring decently on the LSAT. However, a month or two generally isn't enough time to adequately prepare.

If you're not feeling ready for the LSAT now, you'll likely do better on it if you prep more and wait. Taking it in February, June, or October and applying next cycle will give you enough time to work through some version of my LSAT study schedules. You've probably started working through some of the materials mentioned there for December's exam, but perhaps you haven't gotten past Logic Games - there's still Logical Reasoning, Reading Comprehension, and several recent full-length practice exams that you should complete before taking the exam. It simply can't all be done in a couple of weeks.

One thing you don't want to do is take it when you're not ready and have multiple scores on your record if you can avoid it.

Some top law schools (such as Columbia and NYU) consider the average of multiple scores, rather than only the highest. Fordham does not disclose whether it takes the average of multiple scores.

Even if the law schools you're considering explicitly state that they take the highest LSAT score (and most do only take the highest when computing your LSAT and GPA), they'll still see your other scores. Ideally, you'll only take the LSAT once and get it right the first time. Try not to take the LSAT until you're as certain as possible that you're fully prepared.

If you're only shooting for less competitive schools, it won't matter as much if you take the LSAT in February and still apply this cycle. However, there's some debate as to whether it's worth going to less competitive (i.e. 4th-tier) law schools at all. See Anna Ivey vs. Ann Levine on this issue.


Photo by lifeontheedge

How To Increase Your College GPA For Law School Admissions

While the LSAT's numero uno in law school admissions, GPA's also important.

Many of you are still in college and have time to do something to boost your GPA.

(To those of you with low GPAs are already fixed in stone, I'm sorry. You'll just have to make up for low GPAs with a rockin' LSAT score.)

My friend Cal Newport over at Study Hacks has made excerpts of his best-selling college advice books available for free on his website.

If you're still in college, his books are worth checking out. Not the common-sense advice you're used to seeing on the shelves. Check out the dozens of positive reviews on Amazon and see for yourself.

Excerpt from How to Become a Straight-A Student: The Unconventional Strategies Real College Students Use to Score High While Studying Less

Excerpt from How to Win at College: Surprising Secrets for Success from the Country's Top Students

I'm kind of shocked that these are only around $10 each - they're worth far more. I wish I'd had them when I was in undergrad.

Photo by ryanicus

Logic and Games

* Take the October LSAT? Hope you rocked it! If ☺, read about admissions. If ☹, see this retake advice. [LSAT Blog]

* How to write an impressive personal statement (even if you didn't start an NGO to save orphans from smallpox). [LSAT Blog]

* Are law schools and bar exams necessary? [NYTimes; AboveTheLaw]

* Cooley Law School asks court to drop graduates' fraud claims.

* Fun with correlation and causation when linking teen violence to soda consumption. [National Post]

LSAT Reading Comp Solutions PDF

I've written explanations for over 1,000 LSAT questions.

You can get the full LSAT PrepTest explanations for TONS of exams HERE.

Law School Decision Game Book

I just received a copy of The Law School Decision Game: A Playbook for Prospective Lawyers from law school admission consultant Ann Levine.

In her new book, Ann gives some great advice about how to make the decision about whether to go to law school.

Among other topics, she covers:

-how to decide whether law school is right for you
-how much money lawyers actually make
-how to pick a law school
-how to decide which area of law to specialize in
-how to decide whether to go into BigLaw, solo practice, or alternate careers

Among the most important aspects of Ann's book is the fact that she devotes a good deal of space in her book to the fact that many of you will take on significant student loan debt in order to pay your law school tuition.

Ann surveyed more than 300 practicing attorneys about their experiences, both with regard to the practice of law and with regard to current economic realities.

In short, her book is a welcome response to the many recent articles about the current state of the legal profession and will be a much-needed dose of reality to those whose reasons for attending law school stem primarily from John Grisham novels and To Kill a Mockingbird.

Cornell Law School Admissions Dean | Interview

In this LSAT Blog post, I interview Cornell Law School’s dean of admissions, Richard Geiger. Our discussion follows.

1. What's special about Cornell's international law program? What can someone specializing in international law do during their time at Cornell and beyond?

International law has been a signature program at Cornell for a very long time. What makes it special at this point is that it covers not just the curricular elements you would expect from a top law school, but the programmatic and institutional elements as well. For example, even though we’re a relatively small law school, we have formal study abroad relationships with 15 different law schools around the world; we offer summer institutes in Paris and Suzhou, China; and our degree possibilities include two different U.S./French law degrees, a U.S./German law degree, a three-year J.D./ LL.M. in international and comparative law, and a J.D. with a specialization in international legal affairs. We’re also part of a truly wonderful university that has a wide range of international area studies and other programs that are available to our students for course credit, or just for enrichment. All of this means that our students end up with excellent career options in both private and public international law.


2. The FAQ section of your website emphasizes that all applications are read thoroughly. Would you please describe the typical application review process and how much time is devoted to each part of the application?

Our process is aimed at getting to know the answers to two basic questions: (1) is the person likely to thrive academically at our school; and (2) will he or she be the kind of person who will actively engage not only the classroom environment, but everything else that goes on here. To assess these things, we rely on every part of the application. There is no real formula to it because everyone is different. In fact, we shy away from numerical cut-offs and mechanical approaches precisely because we don’t want to miss people for whom the numbers simply aren’t good predictors of success. Remember, we’re a small school and we can’t hide admissions mistakes. This gives us a strong incentive to get it right.


3. Your website makes it seem like professors are accessible to students 24/7. While I'm exaggerating here, are they really that down-to-earth and open to student contact? How do they have the time? Shouldn't they spend their time writing in journals and taking cases to court?

Great question. How is it that our faculty can consistently be rated as top scholars and top teachers, and still have time to engage with our students personally? The short answer is that the faculty/student culture really encourages and supports full engagement. Our faculty are consumed not just with their scholarly activities, but with having a real impact on our students. Plus, don’t forget that many of our students are already very accomplished people who faculty enjoy getting to know as individuals. The long answer will require a visit to our school. Spend a day here while we’re in session and all will be made clear! I promise.


4. Anything else?

Just a couple of things: First, city people are often worried about what it will be like in Ithaca for three years. My response to that is to remember that we’re part of a very large university (19,000 or so) and that Ithaca is a very lively place. But more importantly, remember that the law is essentially an urban profession. The common denominator for most of our graduates is that they end up in a major urban area. So, for most of our students, their time in Ithaca may literally be the only time they’ll be able to experience the wonderful lifestyle that a place like Ithaca offers. Second, most people tell me that once they start to get to know more about Cornell they are amazed at the wide range of possibilities we are able to offer our students even though we’re relatively small and not located in a big city. Of course, once again, a visit is the best way to discover the surprises that Cornell and Ithaca offer.

***

Bio: Richard Geiger is Cornell Law School’s Associate Dean for Enrollment and Communications. He received his law degree from Boston University and after clerking for a federal district court judge, practiced at law firms in Washington, D.C. and Boston. From 2003-2005, he served as Chairman of the Board of the Law School Admission Council.

Photo by 51170735@N02

Logic and Games

* LSAT medians may fall in the future as law school application numbers drop. [The Faculty Lounge]

* Muammar Gaddafi killed as Libyan forces take control. [NYTimes]

* The demographics of Occupy Wall Street. [Gawker]

* San Francisco judge orders circumcision measure off the ballot. [ABA Journal]

* Fun with the iPhone 4s. [Shit That Siri Says]

* Mark Zuckerberg's sister gets into the social media business for herself. [NYTimes]

Law School Admissions Resume Tips

Unlike the LSAT and law school personal statements, I don't happen to be fascinated by the intricacies of the law school application resume.

However, you guys will have to put one together. For this reason, I've compiled a list of the best links I found with law school application resume tips.

Law School Admissions Resume Tips

Resume Writing for Law School Applications

Sample resumes from Anna Ivey's Guide to Law School Admissions (PDF)

Sample Law School Admission Resume (PDF)

Written Supplements to the Law School Application: Resumes and Addenda (PDF)

Resumes for Law School Applications (PDF)

Photo by oliviercharavel

LSAT Logic and Libertarian Seasteading

LSAT Blog reader Jason wrote the following LSAT-style analysis of a real-world situation. Please share your questions for him, and thank him for sharing his analysis, in the comments!

***

I read an article on "libertarian seasteading," oil-rig-like platforms floating in sovereign waters outside the reach of -- and free and secure from -- partisan politics, excessive taxes and politically-inspired moralities.

The argument in favor of seasteading:

-assumes (depends upon/takes for granted) that a practically defenseless "country" is able to remain sovereign for any reasonable amount of time.

-could be strengthened by adding that such libertarian nations plan to fortify, significantly, by hiring private navies to patrol international waters surrounding their "seasteads."

-could be weakened by the fact that piracy on the high seas has been on the rise since the end of the Cold War and subsequent decreased emphasis on naval presence by both the U.S. and Soviet navies.

-could be weakened by the fact that since "seasteads" cannot be entirely self-sufficient, they must be located close enough -- within 50 miles -- to traditional nation-states for service of consumables. That "seasteads" have a tendency to drift more than 50 miles at a given time. That, of course, assumes that the "seasteads" will drift into the direction of the neighboring nation-state's sovereign zone and not away from it. And, that the neighboring states are not libertarian. And, that a temporary trespass of a "seastead" would be treated like a ship entering a nation-state's zone of influence rather than a unique event -- drift of a nation-state towards another. At that point, for example, in the absence of prior custom, would the permanent nation-state's influence supersede the "seastead," or vice versa?

Of course, the possibilities for trap answers (citing a timeline on the drift and distance, etc) and other logical fallacies are endless.

To spice up the answer choices, a "blogger" could be cited as a source. For example, in this case, "Joe Opinion from 'alwaysperfectlycorrect.web' (I felt tempted to write something like 'alwaysright.web,' but that certainly violates LSAC's directive to try and keep things unemotional) says that this is a bad idea because it's just not practical." Or, "It's a terrible idea, a country free from moral obligation will likely be an outpost for prostitution and drugs."

Then we work in an appeal to (non-credible) authority, appeal to emotion, appeal to a certain moral directive. And, of course, improper prediction of inevitability.

(Come to think of it, I haven't seen a "blogger" cited in any of the questions I've yet studied. As my background has been the advertising industry, I love the logic flaws presented in the "Advertisement" prompts.)

And, of course, we could focus the question as the 2-speaker, counterargument style:

CRITIC: "Ultimately, it won't achieve it's goal of lower taxes because the out-of-pocket costs to ensure the safety and security of the 'seastead' essentially amounts to a tax."

In LSAT language, this changes the meaning of a key term.

Logic and Games

* In this interview, a former writer of actual LSAT questions for LSAC explains how he got the job, among other things. [LSAT Blog]

* ABA weighs fines, loss of accreditation for law schools that misreport jobs data. [New York Law Journal]

* Take a break every once in a while. [Harvard Business Review]

* A baby tries to use a magazine like it's an iPad. [YouTube]

* An infographic mocking infographics. [Visual.ly]

December 2011 LSAT Questions / Answers

The December 2011 LSAT might seem far off, but it'll be here before you know it. What would you like to see on the blog between now and then?

Please leave your questions for me (and for each other) in the comments, I'll do my best to answer as many of your questions as possible between now and December.

Also, if you're looking for general advice on improving in Logic Games, Logical Reasoning, or Reading Comprehension, please note that I've already written plenty of blog posts on these topics and have integrated them into my LSAT study schedules.

Quick request: please leave a name rather than posting as "Anonymous." It makes it easier for everyone to respond to specific comments. Thanks!

Photo by lwr

Law School Fee Waiver List

Want to know which law schools offer fee waivers, and how to go about getting them?

I was recently forwarded the following description of a list containing law school fee waiver information (in spreadsheet form).

(Elisabeth also created a list of law school application deadlines.)

Those of you trying to save some money (read: everyone) will likely find it useful:

Aloha y'all!

We recently visited law school websites to collect application fee waiver information for our university's pre-law advising center.

Our Unscientific Process: If we found this information within a couple minutes of searching the law school website, we added it to a Google spreadsheet (law school name, URL, description/policy, and date accessed).

This is not a definitive list, but we hope that it will be helpful to applicants with limited financial resources. Applicants should contact the law schools for the most accurate information.

Please feel free to share what we found - https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0AvlERSqOc_jJdGd4cDBWUUxkQmhuVlVaakdOcExGZEE&hl=en_US

Thanks!

Elisabeth Steele Hutchison
Director of Admissions & Special Projects
University of Hawai'i at Manoa | William S. Richardson School of Law

Please thank Elisabeth in the comments for compiling this useful list!

Photo by aresauburnphotos

LSAT Logic, the Environment, and Vegetarianism

LSAT Blog reader Emily wrote the following LSAT-style analysis of a real-world situation. Please share your questions for her, and thank her for sharing her analysis, in the comments!

***

I based the following on an article titled: Becoming Vegetarian Can Harm The Environment.

The study in question claims that "A switch from beef and milk to highly refined livestock product analogues such as tofu could actually increase the quantity of arable land needed to supply the UK." This statement is not entirely well summarized by the title of the article, "Becoming vegetarian 'can harm the environment". After reading through the clip, the limitations of the study become clear, and the notion that vegetarianism is more detrimental to the environment than eating as an omnivore appears more and more fallacious.

The important question that this article highlights, and that is probably what draws most people to read it after noticing the title, is about whether modern vegetarianism is actually good for the environment or not. Can vegetarianism harm the environment? Despite leading us to believe otherwise, that is not a question that can be answered by this study. Several dubious assumptions are implicitly made in drawing this specific title from the research that is presented.

For one, the study deals exclusively with British interests. Collins claims that eating processed analogues can harm the environment, yet from what we read we see that the research is very particular to qualities of the United Kingdom. The study compares the pro's and con's of raising livestock for meat in Britain, and in importing processed vegetarian alternatives. Given that Britain is an island, the environmental "con" of importing goods is much weightier than it would probably be in most other countries. It is thus misleading to generalize geographically about the environmental costs of importing food.

It is also wrong to generalize based on the idea that meat is produced more responsibly domestically. If Collins is to claim that replacing meat with tofu can be environmentally irresponsible, he should note that if you live in a country where farming practices are poor (unlike the United Kingdom) then the reverse may be true.

But neither of these ideas would really be relevant in the end, because it makes no sense for meat production to shift to less regulated countries when more people become vegetarian. If the British farming industry suffered, it would be because demand was reduced, not because people were buying more imported meat. In addition, there is no explanation for why crops like soybeans would have to be produced abroad rather than at home, were the number of vegetarians to increase in Britain.

Extending this initial claim beyond the borders of Britain shows a myriad of other discrepancies in logic. It would be one thing for the whole population of Britain to become vegetarian. Perhaps more land would be cleared elsewhere for other crops if Britain could not sustain its own tofu industry.

Yet were the logic to be applied on a global scale, the results would be different. There is no clear comparison of how many acres of land it takes to produce a unit of tofu compared to a unit of beef, but it seems unlikely that beef would require less land. Therefore, the claim that replacing meat with meat analogues uses more land in general may be wrong. Additionally, if meat eaters around the world were replaced with vegetarians, there is no evidence here that the net amount of transportation required for food distribution would increase. Presumably food would need to travel from one place to another either way, even if those pathways were sometimes reversed or shifted.

Lastly and most crucially, Collins makes the assumption that transitioning from eating meat to not eating meat means replacing animal products with processed analogues on a 1:1 basis. He does not explain whether the trade-off is made by weight, volume, calorie, etc., but regardless of the conversion factor it is a faulty assumption.

Nowhere in this research, to my knowledge, does it say that residents of the United Kingdom eat an equivalent amount of analogue products to their previous animal consumption when they become vegetarian. Based on the study, the ONLY way that vegetarianism could potentially harm the environment is if people consume products like tofu at a rate equal to or higher than their past meat consumption, and this seems to be the most far-fetched assumption yet made.

The research is presented by Collins in a way that first traps the eye and leads one to think that broader and better substantiated claims are being made in what is about to be discussed. Unfortunately, while the research itself appears sound, it is not the wide-sweeping blow to vegetarianism that some may have hoped for. Interesting study, but extremely difficult to generalize from.

Photo by texhex

Logic and Games

* Is it worth going to law school? Law professor says "yes," former lawyer says "no." [National Jurist, Forbes]

* LSAT Reading Comp "passages are so utterly dull that if a deranged homicidal chicken were to somehow make an appearance therein, even the most astute readers would likely not notice." - former student

* LSAC may start auditing the law schools' reported LSAT scores / GPAs after recent scandals. [TaxProf Blog, Lawyerist]

* Law school grads answer a survey about hunting for their first jobs. [ABA Journal]

* The Winklevoss twins still haven't paid their attorneys, even after getting a $200 million settlement from Facebook. [Gawker]

* How weak DNA evidence railroaded—and then rescued—Amanda Knox. [Ars Technica]

LSAT Diary: Reviewing After Test Day

This installment of LSAT Diaries comes from Kinish, who's serving in the military overseas. He took the October 2011 LSAT.

In this LSAT Diary, he talks about applying the lessons of the military to his LSAT preparation strategies.

If you want to be in LSAT Diaries, please email me at LSATUnplugged@gmail.com. (You can be in LSAT Diaries whether you've taken the exam already or not.)

Please leave Kinish some encouragement and advice below in the comments!

Kinish's LSAT Diary:

I’ve been meaning to write an LSAT Diary for quite some time now, but for the past six months I’ve been deployed overseas and I seldom have adequate time to read the blog, let alone study for the LSAT. I made it happen, though. Now that I’ve been home for the past few weeks and the October 2011 LSAT is over, I thought I’d provide everyone with a few observations from the perspective of a military officer and law school hopeful.

Obviously, my line of work requires my full attention at unpredictable times and under a wide variety of circumstances that are unique to my line of work. That being said, I decided that I wouldn’t let that stand in the way of pulling off the best LSAT score I can. I can say with conviction that I decided quite a few years ago that I wanted to go to law school in order to one day transfer to the JAG corps and continue serving in the military. I’ve been in uniform for about 12 years now and I can honestly say that I can’t imagine my life as a civilian. The military really suits me and I have yet to wake up in the morning unable to stomach going to work or looking myself in the mirror.

I was a cadet at a military academy before being commissioned as an officer, so I knew in advance what it was going to take to apply myself to preparing for this important test. From my experience both personally and professionally, everyone is capable of achieving their goals if they choose to. Performing to one’s potential requires focus. Exceeding one’s potential requires one to accept a considerable helping of constructive criticism in addition to pure drive.

Success on the LSAT requires that a serious test-taker go even further and self-criticize without resorting to self-deception. Deep down, I know I’m not as smart as everyone else, nor am I especially predisposed to pulling off great marks on standardized tests like the LSAT. But I’m smart enough. Not only that, I’m smart enough to get through law school like everyone else and contribute to the legal profession in my own way. Limiting beliefs have the only effect of dissuading otherwise capable people from carrying out their dreams and ambitions. I’ve met people that pulled off amazing marks on the LSAT yet have avoided filling out applications for admission because they still question their abilities in relation to others. Deep down I always smile because I know I won’t be competing for admission with one of these people.

As all of us wait for the results to pour in, I’d just like to say that no matter what happens, I’m planning to sit the December 2011 LSAT regardless of my result on the October LSAT. Truthfully, even if I was accepted to Harvard, I’d still choose my local university over the Ivy League…This is partly due to the fact that I’m Canadian and our law schools, despite being few in number, are all Tier 1 in the American sense of the term. I’m shooting for law school admission and not academic glory. But the rest of you should! This is my second attempt at the LSAT, and I can say unequivocally that I credit Steve’s LSAT blog with not only my success in rocking the LSAT, but in honing my resolve to pursue my dream. I really feel that the sense of common purpose I derived while following Steve’s blog helped me stay motivated and block out all the distractions that managed to wrangle me away from my preparations.

Expect an update from me in the near future that provides a more detailed account of this particular saga of my life. In the meantime, I recommend that those of you who wrote the exam and feel that you might need to sign up for the upcoming December exam take a page from the military and write a letter to yourself to be opened on Saturday, December 3rd. In the military, we call it an “After Action Report”. You should describe, in your own words, EVERYTHING you can remember about Test Day. What time you woke up, what you ate for breakfast, what the test booklet looked like, the spaciousness of the test room, how you felt you did on each section, etc….Leave no stone unturned! You’ll appreciate it when December 3rd comes and you’re that much more familiar with the process when you enter the test centre. Nerves can seriously affect your performance and it’s in your best interests to alleviate this problem right away!

Photo by bdorfman

Law School Personal Statement Tips and Advice

The Pre-Law Advisor at Elon University, Dr. Nim Batchelor, has graciously agreed to share some of his excellent thoughts on writing a law school personal statement.

Please thank him in the comments!

An Approach to Writing a Personal Statement

By Dr. Nim Batchelor

Elon University, Fall 2010

When I advise students about how to approach writing a personal statement for their law school application, I begin by posing the following question:

Suppose that the law school admissions committee were to invite you for an interview. You walk in and take a seat before the full admissions committee. The chairperson says, “We have studied all of your application materials—your letters of recommendation, your transcripts, and your resume—and we feel that we have a clear sense of the 'paper you'. However, before we make our final decision, we’d like to get to know the 'human you'. Given that we are somewhat short of time, in the next five minutes, please tell us about the 'real' you that we could not appreciate from your other application materials."

What would you say?

Now, suppose that you had several days to compose your response and that you will be allowed to read your response to the committee. What would you include? How would you organize it?

Once this framing question is in place, I encourage my students to proceed in the following way:

1. Think back across your entire life. As you do this you will come across a set of 10-20 episodes, vignettes, or stories that you commonly use to tell others about your life. Sort through them and select four or five that:

1. represent “who you are as a person,”
2. that exemplify a core trait about which you are somewhat proud, or
3. that reveal something deep about yourself.


2. Next, imagine that your life is a novel. You are both the main character and the author of this novel. Episodes from your “life story” are among the things that shape and reveal your character. You have made many choices and those also reveal something about you. Most importantly, if you are actually living your life—rather than just letting it happen to you—there will be motifs, patterns, tendencies, and a direction in your life story.


3. Your application is a signal to the admissions committee that you believe that three years of law school, passing the bar exam, and taking a job in the legal profession is a natural extension of your life's story. But why is it a "natural" extension of your life's story? The central task of a personal statement is to persuade the admissions committee that this is true about your life.


4. [This is where you start your personal statement] You need to select and very briefly recount three episodes from your life. Each story should both reveal and provide substantive evidence for your claim to have a particular set of character traits. In addition, when taken together, these three stories should make it evident that you’re your life story contains a “must go to law school” motif. That is, from reading these three stories, it should be clear that attending law school is the next logical chapter in your life story. [By the way, if you discover—in all honesty—that your life story does not include a “must go to law school motif,” then you ought to schedule a conversation with your prelaw advisor just to verify that applying to law school is your best move. Of course, it might be; but it is worth the conversation.]


5. The conclusion "therefore, you should admit me to your law school" should remain implicit. However, if you have chosen well, it should be an obvious implication of your essay.


I remind students that this essay needs to be the best writing that they have ever produced. They should expect to go through at least five or six drafts. I also remind them that they should read their early drafts aloud and that their later drafts should be read and critiqued by at least four or five very bright people.

I find it efficient to preempt difficulties by describing a few of the most common mistakes that applicants make in their essays.

* Applicants often devote too much space describing an event or activity and not enough space talking about their own character. It is like what interior decorators say, “Your frames should accentuate your paintings, not dominate them.” Analogously, I press my students to remember to make themselves the centerpiece of their essay. Thus, for example, I often end up saying something like, "No! You’ve written an essay that tells the committee more about our university or more about your parents than it does about you."

* The mere fact that you did something is far less interesting than what it meant to you or how you integrated it into your life. Don’t merely tell the committee that something happened to you; tell them how you reacted to that event or about how it shaped and influenced you. The more you can describe your inner thoughts, dispositions and values the better.

* However, it is not enough merely to say that you have a particular virtue. For example, you can’t simply say, "I'm a very caring person." You need to provide evidence for such claims and you do that with your vignettes. So, for example, you might say, “When I was a kid, my teachers gave me an award because I would play with the handicapped kids when others chose to ostracize them. Ever since then, I am amazed by how often people comment on my sensitivity to the plight of those who are struggling in life.”


Once students see these points, they get what they need to do.

I conclude my advising session with two reminders:

1. I tell them that most people report that faithfully carrying out my recommended process is a genuinely difficult soul-searching exercise. It can be psychologically challenging and frequently results in a few tears. If it feels a little bit like you are exposing your personal diary to the world, then you are probably doing the task well.

2. Finally, I remind them that they are not in an oppositional relationship with the admissions committee. Applicants and admissions committees are collaborating in an effort to discover whether they are a “fit” with one another. It is your job to tell them who you really are. Then, since they know themselves far better than you know them, it is their task to render a judgment about whether you are a fit for their program. If you try to play that silly game where you attempt to say what you think they want to hear, you will thwart this process. So, be honest and be yourself.

Of course, I don’t suggest that this is the only way to go at this task. However, after years of advising, this captures what I’ve settled in on saying to my students.

***

See more law school personal statement tips.

Photo by Allie Brosh / CC BY-NC-ND 3.0

LEEWS Primer Ebook PDF

The vast majority of stuff here on LSAT Blog is, unsurprisingly, about the LSAT. As you might have guessed, that's my main area of interest.

But I know several of you still read my site even though you're well past the LSAT. And even if you're still preparing for the LSAT, remember that law school exam prep will soon be your new obsession.

So, I did some research and discovered The Law Essay Exam Writing System (aka LEEWS), created by lawyer and teacher Wentworth Miller. 

(And, in case you were wondering, it's his son of the same name who stars in the TV show Prison Break.)


Anyway, after some back and forth, Wentworth Miller, Sr., has agreed to release a digital edition of the LEEWS Primer!


Click here to get your copy for only $49.97:

Fun Facts:

-This is a PDF available for instant download after submitting payment via PayPal. Download Adobe Acrobat Reader at http://get.adobe.com/reader/ and ensure that your copy of this software is up to date.

-If you're already registered with PayPal, the instant download link will be sent to your PayPal email address. Otherwise, it'll be sent to whichever email address you submit.

-You don't need a PayPal account to complete your purchase. If you don't have one, simply select the "guest checkout" option.

Logic and Games

* A disproportionate number of law students are wealthy. Surprise, surprise. [ABA Journal]

* Do people choose law schools based on subway ads? [Above The Law]

* Due to budgetary issues, the city of Topeka may stop prosecuting domestic violence cases. [NBC Chicago]

* A new law in England will allowing non-lawyers to offer legal services. [WSJ Law Blog]

* Brilliantly smart-ass responses to completely well-meaning signs. [Happy Place]

LSAT Blog Bingo Game

The LSAT repeats certain words and phrases enough to make you sick, and studying for the LSAT get boring, so I figured I'd do something to spice it up.

I pulled some words from my Logic Games Vocab, Logical Reasoning Vocab, and 15 Common Logical Reasoning Topics blog posts and mixed them all into a Bingo game.

I've included 1 game board below. I'm linking to boards 2, 3, 4, and 5, so you can play with a few friends.

If you're the drinking type, you can turn your study group into a party and do a shot each time you cross off a square. You might do a lot less studying, but you'll have a lot more fun.

(You might also discover that members of your study group are more attractive than you previously thought.)

What are your suggestions for future versions of LSAT Blog Bingo?

Enjoy!
























Photo by labellavida

LSAT Percentiles and Various LSAT Scores

Wondering how to converting LSAT scores to percentiles?

Here's a chart containing LSAT percentiles for various scores (click to enlarge):

Please note that this chart covers LSAC data for the period from 2007-2010.

Percentiles shift slightly over time based upon the pool of test-takers.

Also see: All LSAT Raw Score Conversion Charts.

Photo by pforret

LSAT Diary: Taking the LSAT with ADD, without Accommodations

This installment of LSAT Diaries comes from an anonymous commenter on one of my recent LSAT Blog posts. The post was about a test-taker granted extra time on the LSAT due to ADD and a learning disability.

In this LSAT Diary, our commenter talks about the struggles involved in studying for the LSAT with ADD and succeeding despite not having extra time.

If you want to be in LSAT Diaries, please email me at LSATUnplugged@gmail.com. (You can be in LSAT Diaries whether you've taken the exam already or not.)

Please leave our commenter some encouragement below in the comments!

***

LSAT Diary:

I have ADD and a visual processing disorder. As a student, I have the option to take exams in a separate, private, distraction-free room, to have extra time, to use a computer for essay exams. Sometimes, depending on the nature of the exam, I make use of the accommodations to which I am entitled. Sometimes I don't. It depends on the type of exam and the time allotted.

I took the LSAT twice. The first time, I didn't bother to apply for accommodated testing because I didn't want that little asterisk by my name. I was seated right by the door and lost a ton of time looking up every single time someone got up to use the rest room. I ran out of time on two sections and got a 165.

I also didn't ask for accommodated testing the second time around. I figured that LSAC would see a score in the 92nd percentile and immediately reject my application. Instead, I politely asked the proctor to seat me somewhere away from the door and she was kind enough to do so. If she'd declined, I'd have lived with that. (It wouldn't have mattered that much anyway. Unlike my first time, everyone in the room was glued to their seats until we were released for break.) I ran out of time on one section due to my own stupid mistake in diagramming a logic game. I scored a 173.

Could I have done better in a room by myself? Probably. Could I have done better with extra time or breaks? Abso-freaking-lutely. That having been said, I don't think that my ADD inhibits my ability to perform so badly as to merit extra time, and certainly not double time. Without ADD, I might have managed to score better my first time around, and maybe instead of a 173, I'd be looking at a 175 or so for the second time out. An extra five minutes might have been the difference between a 173 and a 177ish. An extra 35 minutes might have been the difference between a 173 and a 180. If I could have asked for just one accommodation, though, it would have been permission to drink from my water bottle during the exam. My meds leave me with severe dry mouth, and I'm never without a beverage.

I'm an adult. I have a disability that I have worked hard to learn to manage. Some things are harder for me than they are other people. That's life. I think I brought more advantages than disadvantages to the LSAT. English is my first language, I learned to read at a young age and never stopped, I'm reasonably intelligent, and because I *knew* that I'd be taking it as a person with ADD and one for whom logic games would be especially challenging due to my visual processing problems, I studied my butt off. I ran myself through 6-section prep tests with 30 minutes per section so that I could acclimate myself to working quickly and accurately. I studied in busy restaurants where the people around me were a hundred times more distracting than a room full of test takers. Instead of asking LSAC to accommodate me, I came up with ways to accommodate myself.

That being said, even without ADD, the average LSAT test taker isn't scoring a 173, or even a 165. I worked *hard,* yes, but I'm someone for whom any accommodations on the LSAT would mean only a few points, numerically, and even fewer points as a percentile. I might feel differently if I was scoring around 150. (Of course, if I was scoring around 150, I probably wouldn't be applying to law school. The employment prospects of the schools I'm looking at scare me to death, and I'm barely looking past the top 14. The thought of trying to find work out of a second- or third-tier school makes me ill.)

Photo by bobaubuchon

Logic and Games

* LSAT Blog's featured on ATL for Wednesday's story about test-takers granted / denied extra time on the LSAT. [Above The Law]

* Law firms are suing 15 more law schools over falsely reported post-grad employment rates [Above The Law, Inside Higher Ed]

* Supreme Court Chief Justice Roberts says, "What about Jimi Hendrix?" [ABA Journal]

* The ‘Occupy Wall Street’ protests and the First Amendment [WSJ Law Blog]

* JFK's Harvard application was less than impressive. Ah, the benefits of being a legacy. [Gawker]

* Why cleavage is bad for crime-fighting. [Jezebel]

Should ADD Test-Takers Get Double-Time on the LSAT?

While LSAC is denying nursing moms extra time on the LSAT to pump breastmilk, they recently granted double-time to a test-taker with ADD.

The Star-Tribune reports that LSAC just reached a settlement with the Justice Department over the following case of a test-taker with ADD and a learning disability:

As part of the settlement, the council agreed to double the standard testing time on each section and to allow the complainant breaks between sections, a separate and quiet testing area, permission to use his own computer for the writing section, permission to use scratch paper and use of an alternative answer sheet.

The test-taker in question has "received testing accommodations from elementary school through his graduation in three years from the University of Minnesota in 2009, including on national standardized tests such as PSAT, SAT and Advanced Placement exams."

So, instead of 3 35-minute sections back-to-back, followed by a 15-minute break, then followed by 3 more 35-minute sections back-to-back (including the writing sample), this test-taker gets 70 minutes to complete each section and plenty of breaks.

Given the time pressure that LSAT test-takers are under, this is the law school admissions equivalent of getting a Golden Ticket to Willy Wonka's magical chocolate factory.

Continuing this ironical journey down the rabbit hole (yes, I'm mixing childhood metaphors - deal with it) the attorney for one complainant who got double-time stated:

"They [LSAC] are of the belief that giving extra time is giving an advantage, but there is no credible proof that that's the case."

This is the same attorney who filed 7 different lawsuits against LSAC arguing that his clients should be given extra time on the LSAT.

***

Most importantly, what will happen to these would-be lawyers when they have to take their law school exams and the bar? Will they get double-time then, too?

What happens when they have to enter the real world? Do you want them doubling their billable hours on your case?

Leave your thoughts in the comments!

***

Further reading: How to apply to get extra time on the LSAT

Photo by flickerbulb

Should Nursing Moms Get Extra Time on the LSAT?

While LSAC recently granted double-time to a test-taker with ADD, the ACLU reports that LSAC denied a nursing mother's request for extra time on the LSAT to pump breastmilk for her 5-month-old baby.

The ACLU argues (emphasis mine):

LSAC has a blanket policy of refusing such requests from women who are breastfeeding, because they are not considered “disabled.” This puts breastfeeding women at a significant disadvantage. Babies typically eat every two to three hours; if moms are away from their babies and aren’t able to empty their breasts on the same schedule, it causes pain, possible infection, and reduction in milk supply. Without sufficient time to pump, Ashley, and other moms in her position, will become increasingly uncomfortable as the test progresses—a serious distraction that could lead to a lower score, not to mention the health risks.

What do you all think?

Are women who nurse unfairly disadvantaged by being denied extra time to pump breastmilk?

Or would all the other test-takers be disadvantaged in comparison by getting a shorter break than nursing moms do?

Leave your thoughts in the comments!

***

Further reading: How to apply to get extra time on the LSAT

Photo by topinambour

Law School Personal Statement Guide

I do a lot of LSAT prep here. After all, it’s in the name: The LSAT Blog 

But as we all know, there's more to getting into the law school of your dreams than just getting a killer score on the LSAT. 

Today I wanted to highlight something I’ve put together to help you conquer that elusive beast:

The Personal Statement

Personal statements can be hard because you have so much freedom. You can basically say anything you want, and that lack of guidance can cause a serious case of writer’s block. 

Behold, your worst enemy.

In situations like this, a little bit of direction can go a long way --

So I’m about to drop on you a ton of direction from personal statement consultant Margaret Klein Salamon.

Personal Statement Triumph: A Comprehensive Guide to the Law School Personal Statement gives you all the tools you’ll need to create something that can put you over the edge when it comes time to apply for law school. 

That’s not to say you have to wait until you're done with your LSAT prep to write a personal statement. It can actually be a welcome distraction if you feel like you're hitting a wall after your 500th Logical Reasoning question.

So what’s in this little gem? Well, chapters include:

- Cracking the Code: Conceptualizing the Personal Statement

- Connect to Stand Out: The Four Goals of the Personal Statement

- Soul Searching Meets Strategizing: Planning the Personal Statement 

- Where the Rubber Hits the Road: Writing The Personal Statement

- Obsessives, Welcome Home: Editing the Personal Statement

And each of those chapters has several sections within them. The book's short enough that you'll actually read it (31 pages), but it goes into some DEEP detail on some of these.


Ready to get started?

You can get Personal Statement Triumph: A Comprehensive Guide to the Law School Personal Statement for only $19.97:

Not sure if this is for you?

Here's a free sample from the book: 

Most applicants realize that a goal of the personal statement is to impress, but they are usually incorrect about how that goal should be accomplished. People think that the way to impress is to load up the essay with impressive content. For example, “After returning from scaling Kilimanjaro in record time, I founded 3 clubs at my school to benefit underserved children, which now command a total budget of $250,000.” This strategy— which I call the “resume blast”—fails badly because readers do not like being blasted by your accomplishments, no matter how great they are! Admissions officers, just like anyone else, do not enjoy listening to, or reading, bragging. 

You should impress your reader with your essay, itself. Imagine your essay like an acting audition. If an actor came into an audition and started talking about what a good actor he was, the director and producer would be annoyed. They would say, “If you’re so great, show me!” That is what you need to do in your personal statement. A compelling, sincere, well-structured, well-executed, and flawlessly edited personal statement is extremely impressive. It shows several talents and abilities, self-reflection, poise, confidence and thoughtfulness. 

This is not to say that your essay has no room for (some of) your accomplishments. It does! You should include impressive content in your essay; you should just use a very light touch. Remember, being impressive is the SECOND most important goal of the essay, and the first goal, being liked, should not be sacrificed for it.

You can get Personal Statement Triumph: A Comprehensive Guide to the Law School Personal Statement for only $19.97:

Other stuff:

-This is a PDF you can download instantly. You can use Adobe Reader to open the file. 

-The instant download link will be sent to whichever email address you submit.




P.S. This guide paired with my Unlimited Edits service is a lethal combination.

Sincerely,

Steve "takin' care of admissions business" Schwartz



P.P.S. If you consider how much money you'll make from getting into a better law school...or getting more scholarship money...$19.97 is such a tiny drop in the bucket.