On the Road to Admissions

So you want to go to law school? Questions from the road pt. 2.

Q.  So, the LSAT.  I saw a bunch of books at Barnes and Noble, but I also have friends that are taking classes.  What do you think I should do?  And how far in advance should I be preparing?

A.  Do what works for you.  If you are a really diligent studier and are disciplined with keeping schedules, you could probably buy the LSAT test prep books you see at your favorite local or online bookstore and get in the practice that you need to score pretty well.  BUT, if you are more like how I was when I was prepping for the LSAT (meaning, a little bit more scatter brained and running from thing to thing), taking an actual class is probably your best bet.  When I was studying for the LSAT I was living in Chicago and working full-time.  I decided to take an actual review class because I knew I couldn’t trust myself to take independent time after a tiring work day to study or do practice problem sets in “test-like conditions.”  Left to my own devices, I probably would have sat down in front of the television with Project Runway on and tried to do a practice reading comprehension passage on “Rock Formations in Burma,” all while I was starving waiting for my Chinese delivery to arrive. Less than ideal. If you take an LSAT review class they will give you will have classes you need to attend, homework you need to complete, and a schedule you need to follow.  I knew I was someone who needed something like that.

As for the timing, from what I remember, my class was about two months long and ran up until the week of the LSAT.  I have a lot of eager freshmen and sophomores ask me when they need to start studying, and my answer usually is similar from that experience I had when I took the review class.  The LSAT is NOT a test where you can actually learn material that will be tested like a final or midterm you may have in your Comparative International Underwater Basket Weaving class.  What you can do, however, is familiarize yourself with the types of questions that are asked on the test and work up your endurance and accuracy so you can efficiently and effectively take the test.  No need to treat LSAT prep as your other undergraduate major.  However, if you want to get a jump start I would recommend buying a book or two during your early college years so you can familiarize yourself with what the LSAT is actually all about.

So you want to go to law school? Questions from the road pt. 1.

I’m finally back in LA after just over two and a half weeks of traveling to all types of law school and career fairs.  It was an amazing experience, and I had the opportunity to talk to a number of really inspiring students.  At the fairs I noticed a number of frequently asked questions.  I will try to post and address them here on this blog one by one.

Q:  I’m a freshman or sophomore and I’m really interested in going to law school.  Is there something in particular I should major in that would best prepare me for law school?

A:  Major in something you want to learn more about and find interesting.  Undergrad is one part of your education, and law school is a whole different beast.  While it is true that a lot of law students majored in things like business, political science, or philosophy don’t feel like that is the only way to be successful in law school if you don’t actually find those subjects or majors interesting.  People come to law school for a number of different reasons, and the paths they take to get there are all unique.  Some people go straight through from undergrad, others take a couple years off and then realize law school is what they want to do, and there are also definitely students who have families first and/or make major career changes.

I myself majored in Advertising and Visual Communications, and went to grad school for further studies.  After that I did some freelancing and mostly waited tables.  I loved my undergraduate major and it really taught me a lot of things.  The best part about law school is hearing all the different perspectives different students had that were all informed by their unique experiences.  I mean sure if I had majored in economics or business I would have maybe heard of some theories that we covered in first year property, but at the end of the day I was never disadvantaged by majoring in something else.  Law school is an intense three years of your life, and it will be an academic environment that you never could imagine.  My advice is to enjoy and get the most out of your college years, and big part of that finding a major you care about and want to gain knowledge in.