Logic and Games

* My recent post about the steep decline in law school applicants was picked up by a few legal news sites. Some good discussions about the potential impact on tuition (or lack thereof). [Above the Law; WSJ Law Blog; ABA Journal]

* The ABA Journal picked up my post discussing why pre-law students are losing interest in political careers. [ABA Journal]

* An article in defense of superstition argues that being illogical can actually bring some benefits. Sadly for some, that's not the case when it comes to the LSAT. [NYTimes]

* Apparently, college makes people care less about racism. [Gawker]

* An awesome new machine allows paraplegics to avoid using wheelchairs. [YouTube]

* Bad spring allergies? Consider using a neti pot. I just started, and the verdict so far is "weird, but effective." [The Hairpin; Wikipedia]

Law School Applicant Numbers / Applications in Steep Decline

For updates, see my series of posts on recent trends in law school admissions.

***

The Law School Admission Council's latest numbers indicate that law school applicants and applications for this past cycle have dropped precipitously compared to the previous cycle.

Applicant numbers are down 15.6%, and applications submitted are down 13.6%, according to data submitted through 3/30/12.

Read more »

True Life: I'm in the Baylor Law Email

You may remember that, last week, Baylor Law's Director of Admissions accidentally emailed a spreadsheet containing individual names, LSAT scores, and GPAs, as well as race and scholarship information, to over 400 admitted students.

While we've heard a lot about the information in that spreadsheet, we haven't heard much from the students to whom that information belonged. What do they think?

I recently interviewed one of the affected students (a former LSAT Blog reader). Since her info's already been a little too public lately, we'll call her "Kelly."

Read more »

Logic and Games

* When asked whether he reads the NYTimes every day, Justice Clarence Thomas says, "Oh, God, no!" [ABA Journal]

* Larry Summers and Bob Kerrey are backing an online "Ivy League" university. [The Atlantic]

* The guys who brought the death penalty back to California now want to ban it - because it's never too late to say "I'm sorry" when it comes to executing people. [NYTimes]

* Florida prosecutors say 'Stand Your Ground' should be repealed. It's about time. [WSJ Law Blog]

* Whatever your politics, you may find this tumblr amusing. [Texts from Hillary Clinton]

* A look at what the Occupy Wall Street movement was up to over the winter. [YouTube]

Why are Pre-Law Students Losing Interest in Political Careers?

The percentage of pre-law students considering a career in politics has dropped from 54% in 2009 to 38% today, according to recent survey results.

This decline was preceded by a similar drop in the percentage of lawyers in Congress over the past 4 decades.

I turned to my pre-law audience for answers, and the explanations I received generally fell into two broad categories:

Read more »

LSAT Diaries: Reducing Test Anxiety

This LSAT Diary is from Anthony, who improved his original LSAT score from the 140s to a 161 on the February 2012 LSAT. (Read the first half of his LSAT Diary, too.)

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.)

Thanks to Anthony for sharing his experience and advice, and please leave your questions for him below in the comments!

Read more »

Baylor Law Emails LSAT Scores / GPAs of Admitted Students

Update: See this interview: True Life: I'm in the Baylor Law Email

Baylor Law's Director of Admissions accidentally emailed over 400 admitted students with a spreadsheet containing the students' LSAT scores and GPAs, among other personal information, on Tuesday afternoon.

Read more »

Logic and Games

* Baylor Law's Director of Admissions accidentally emailed individual LSAT scores and GPAs to 400+ admitted students. Whoops. [Above The Law, Baylor Lariat]

* An undocumented immigrant (who discloses his status) is allowed to take the bar exam and passes. Now he might be denied admission to the bar. [Miami Herald]

* Unpaid interns are suing their employers over lack of educational benefits (a violation of labor laws). It's about time. [Atlantic Wire]

* Teacher fired for refusing to hand over Facebook password to administrators. [The Consumerist]

* High school student sues for right to wear T-shirt saying, "Jesus Is Not a Homophobe." [ABA Journal]

* Aaron Sorkin's upcoming show on HBO, The Newsroom, looks promising. [YouTube]

What To Expect In Law School Video

The below 10-minute video gives a great overview of what you'll face in law school. It covers various aspects of law school life, including:

Methodology
-The Case Method
-Clinical Programs
-The Socratic Method

Read more »

LSAT Diaries: Improving from 140s to 161

This LSAT Diary is from Anthony, who improved his original LSAT score from the 140s to a 161 on the February 2012 LSAT.

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.)

Thanks to Anthony for sharing his experience and advice, and please leave your questions for him below in the comments!

Read more »

Logic and Games

* Write about why you want to go to law school for a chance to win 16 hours of free tutoring for the June LSAT. [180 Degrees LSAT]

* A proposal that the LSAT actually test knowledge of the law (shudder). [Constitutional Daily]

* Yale Law School's assistant dean of admissions says to let her know if another law school acts shady towards you. [Above the Law, 203 Admissions Blog]

* Supreme Court approves strip-searches for people arrested for any offense. Solution: wear classy underwear 24/7. [NYTimes]

* Who wants to become a sketchy lawyer like Saul Goodman from Breaking Bad? Anyone? [YouTube]

* One high school's Black Student Union has a white president. Some people are confused. [Washington Post]

Logic and Games

* A satirical take on the incoming UVA Law Class of 2015. [Virginia Law Weekly]

* Did you know that alien abduction insurance is a thing? [Wikipedia]

* St. Thomas School of Law loses its U.S. News ranking over "error." (It reported its graduates' employment rate to be 80.6% when it's actually 32.9%.) [Star Tribune]

* The Supreme Court issues a 5-4 decision on where to order lunch. [McSweeney's]

* A high school kid was expelled for tweeting the F-word. [Above The Law]

* This webcomic features someone drawing an unexpected conclusion based upon evidence about Cadbury eggs. [xkcd]