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I retook a class and went from a C to an A. From my understanding the LSAC counts both. However on my transcript it has both grades but the first one has a 0.00 credit therefore not changing my Undergrad GPA. Also next to the C there is a status column that includes an "E" which according to my schools website means "Repeated course; grade is excluded in cumulative grade point average; hours are excluded from hours earned."

So with that said, does the LSAC count the original grade when there is zero credit given? How could they assume the credit possible? Or would they just go to the second grade and take that credit and apply it to both?

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As it is a point of distinction for NWPSL, there really isn't much material out there for us to prepare for this, so I thought I might share with you how I went from being unable to answer any questions in the given amount of time to answer every and any question they threw at me with ease and dexterity (and maybe you can see how much the process parallels the preparation for LSAT, and see how well preparing for LSAT can be a highly transferable skill if done properly). My starting point is probably lower than most of you. I deathly fear public speaking and interviews, and have had traumatic experiences that still make my forehead sweat and my hair stand when I think about them. But just like when I bomb an PT, I took a deep breath and chose to look at these failures as learning opportunities, and fuel to help me go farther.

Luckily for us, everything we need to succeed in the NWPSL interview is already given to us in the form of the Kira App.

I practiced the the whole month of Jan in conjunction with my LSAT prep, every day for 15-30 minutes. I will break down my experiences and results week by week.

First week: I was not able to formulate any answers, and I embraced that. I didn't try to brute force the questions and ramble off answers. Like with the LSAT questions stems, I tried to systemize my approach to these questions. So even though I wasn't able to answer any of the questions, I just kept listening to the sample questions, categorizing them, and breaking them down. By the end of the first week, I was confidently able to put every question they offered into one of four categories in a 2x2 matrix. On the x axis were the two types of questions: one, the X, Y, and C question types, which I define to be "tell me about a thing (X), why (Y) did you choose this thing, and conclude (C) what it meant to you" - an example in their words would be something like: "tell me what you are most disciplined in, and why?"; two, the S,T,A, and R question types, which many of us have heard about before, and is an acronym for situation, task, action, and result - an example in their words would be something specific like: "tell me about a challenging professional situation, how you resolved it, and what did you learn." or something vague like: "tell me a time you had to change someone's perspective." On the y axis were the two styles of responses I believe they expect: one is the professional business style interview response; and the other is the informal, coffee chat style interview response. I believe they want to see both sides of you. You will be able to differentiate these two based on the interviewer and their tone of voice. By the end of the week, with this matrix, I was able to start matching a few experiences to broad concepts that can apply to a bunch of questions. This simplification and streamlining process is key for those of us who are not natural speakers, since we can reduce the number of things we think about, and use a few flexible experiences to respond to almost infinite questions.

Second week: I was able to formulate broken or half responses to some of the questions. To clarify, in case it wasn't clear by this point, I used a notebook to write down my X, Y, C, or S, T, A, R's, and took notes on the questions and analyzed my responses for every question. Reviewing the recording is key, just like how you can learn a lot about your weaknesses by watching recordings of your PT, you can see every single mistake you make in interviews and try to fix them. By this point, I realized that the crux was that finishing early was a much better alternative than not finishing, and that rambling was the worst possible outcome next to complete silence. So I created some concrete rules for myself, such as: one, no tangents or background stories unless I still have 3/4ths of the timer left; two, start concluding before the 2/3rds timer mark. Background information doesn't matter; this is not a short story; you aren't graded on narrative; just get to the point. Pay attention to the timer. One minute is incredibly short, and we cannot treat this interview like any other. Just like the LSAT, it is better to skip certain things and get to the end, than to not finish. By the end of the second week, I was able to answer a some questions by rote that I have seen a handful of times at this point. I also realized, by practicing everyday, at different times of the day, that I answered much better in the afternoon/evening, than in the morning. Another thing that I noticed was that proper framing and recording techniques mattered, so what I mean here is: that your camera should be eye level; the frame should show a bit more than the top of your head on the top, and a bit more than your chest on the bottom (preferably show your hands to gesticulate); you should be either in the center of the frame, or slightly to the side, but if you are off centered, then it looks better to turn your body towards the camera.

Third week: I was very familiar with my matrix and was able to fairly confidently draft and talk about any topic the questions threw at me, but still had some rough edges. I was still tense, and often looked away from the camera when the topic was unfamiliar to me. Luckily, my brother was visiting me at the time, and I asked him for some feedback. He is younger than I, but was the social one of us, and he gave me one advice, to talk as if I was talking to a friend. This really helped, although it was a little unnatural at first. To further compensate for my nerves, I discovered that I was much more relaxed and better at the interview after I worked out, and something else that I did that helped, but I don't recommend, is I drank a ounce of wine 15 minutes beforehand. By the end of the third week, I was just going through the motions, and everything was pretty much just clicking into place, like some 1 or two star LR questions.

Fourth week: I only had a few days left before I needed to do the real interview, and was getting a bit nervous due to the impending deadline. But I told myself to believe in the system and the process. For the last two days, I was just practicing as if it were the real interview. One thing I discovered this week that helped was that if I had the chance to meet with peers or friends to chat earlier that day, my responses came out more friendly and more naturally, so I organized a lunch on the day of the interview to chat and catch up with friends.

Actual Interview: Almost everything I prepared for came in exactly as I needed. I was relaxed and natural. The categorization helped put me into a flow that just helped ideas slide out. It was like antifreeze for my frozen brain, especially for topics I was unfamiliar with. The only thing that I did, but turned out to be unnecessary was that I differentiated responses that were 1 minute long and 1.5 minutes long. On the actual interview, all my questions only gave me 1 minute. Most of them were formal, 2 of them were informal. About half of them required the XYC format, and half required the STAR format. I just wore my comfortable clothes, which included sweatpants, and alumni jacket for my undergrad college.

In conclusion, everything's coming up Milhouse? This process was so helpful, I wish I could pay to have access to it again. It was such a wonder way to practice for interviews in general.

I apologize for the long post, but I thought maybe someone would appreciate the detailed process.

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Hi everyone,

I just took the January LSAT.

After the break, we had a RC section, an LR section, and the writing sample.

I had been feeling ok about things before the break and since I like RC (I know...I'm a freak) I was kind of thrilled to see the second RC section when I opened to it after the break.

About six or seven minutes in, the person sitting next to me raised his hand and was waving it in such a way that I was aware he was trying to get the proctors' attention. I tried to ignore this and carry on with my test. Not super successfully. The proctors were not noticing him, I guess, so eventually he had to ACTUALLY SAY, "Excuse me, sir..." At which point a proctor came over. Me: still trying to focus, though dismally unsuccessful at it by this point. I did not look up to see what was going on, but he did get up, walk behind my chair, and left. Then a few minutes later, he came back. Such a disturbance.

CAN YOU IMAGINE the wrench this threw in my game? I totally lost focus. I could not (not that this is to my credit, but is true) get my game back on after he came back and sat down because freakout. I ended up vaguely doing 3 sections in the 4 section LR. Just not able to take in what I was looking at. When I went on to the next section, which was an LR section, I was still freaking out about having screwed up the RC. And so it went. Not good. Tres sad, actually.

After the test was finished, I went and spoke to the proctors and asked them to write the incident up because I am going to write to LSAC and formally state that I feel certain my score suffered as a result of the disturbance.

Since my application deadlines are 1/31(they do accept the January test scores), do you think I should write an Addendum about this incident and state that I've sent a formal complaint to LSAC and include it with the rest of my application material?

This is my first time taking the LSAT.

BTW, I learned that the person next to me had a nose bleed, is what it was all about. Poor guy. Poor me. Argh. Life sometimes...

I'd really appreciate any and all input.

Thanks and I hope everyone else did ok.

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Hey everyone,

I noticed that a lot of people treat their law school applications like a long-distance race: they lope along, fiddling with their essays, and then sprint at the end.

These applicants have it backwards. You should sprint at the beginning and slow down at the end.

If you're wrapping up your applications, take your time to proofread and make sure you got everything right. Much more info on our blog:

https://classic.7sage.com/last-minute-tips/

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I'm an American citizen but also French and I've lived for 6 years in China- studied there a year and a half and got my bachelor's in France. Also was homeschooled...

So first, how do law schools view foreign educated people?

I got 164 LSAT on 3rd try but my foreign degree from France is supposedly only B level even though they are thought of as good scores in France, and my addendum will be that I actually didn't even speak French when I started the bachelors lol.

I got my transcripts evaluation back only a month ago and it says the studies I've done are not equal to an American bachelor's degree... does that mean I should throw all I've done out the window? Will no top law schools accept that?

Also how much will my international/weird background help me out? or not??

I just don't know where I should apply realistically. I've heard law schools don't really care about foreign GPAs because they don't need to report them.

Thanks a lot for the help >.((/p)

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Here's what I hope will serve as a Chicken Soup for the Soul for those who have yet to hear back and are starting to doubt or even despair...

I received my acceptance to a T13 about two hours ago. I submitted my application on Halloween (or October 31st, for those who are not familiar with Halloween or its variations). I also applied to the same school in 2016; I submitted my application around late-November and was accepted on January 4th back then.

In other words, about 6-7 weeks elapsed before I heard back from the school during the 2016-2017 application cycle. This cycle? About 12 weeks. So, all other factors notwithstanding, it took me almost twice as long to hear back from the same school.

Now, I said "other factors notwithstanding." Chances are there was at least one factor (e.g. the fact that I'm a reapplicant) at play. Not to mention that this is just a datum out of tens of thousands. But I just wanted to tell y'all that things are still happening.

Also, I received my acceptance email around noon (PST) in 2017. This year, however, I received the email around 5 p.m. (also PST). So it seems that at least one school doesn't have a strict temporal guideline for sending acceptance emails.

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Many of your say that you've made your peace, and are ready to accept any outcome that comes to you.

The thing I would say is that, it doesn't sound like you're truly ready to move on. It doesn't sound like you've sincerely internalized the possibility that you won't get into anywhere you like, and can move on, because if you have, then you wouldn't be anxious. Embrace that other side of the coin flip, because that's what this is, it's out of your control now, and simply a coin flip.

I would say that you should focus on other things, things that are in front of you, and things that you've put off because of law school. Learn to love fate, wherever it takes you, and whatever it gives you. The likely truth is, you will be just as happy, if not happier, without law school, and you've learned a lot about being a logical and good person from this experience either way. Look at the long run, 5, 10 years down the line, there is no guarantee that having gone to law school would mean you would have a better future. The legal job market is more competitive than ever before, people are working more hours and taking longer to make partner; relationships suffer; you might be making more money, but there is no guarantee that you will be happier; IIRC, turnover is higher than ever before; you would have spent 3-4 years in a grueling bootcamp, and another 2-3 years insufferably working 80+hours a week. Is losing this future really worth getting anxious about? Don't let the delusions of law school success blind you. Sure, it sounds good, and prestigious, but do you need that in life? Remember there is survivorship bias in every area of life. Even if you got into law school, what's to guarantee that you would do well, or even not flunk out or not fall into depression like so many current law students?

Every close friend I have spoken to, who is a current student or alumni, talk to me about law school with shades of regret and sadness, and they're all incredibly successful relative to their peers in T14 schools. This has helped me understand that law school, like anything else in life, is not all it promises to be, and that the grass only looks greener on the other side, but isn't really.

Hope this ramble helps you feel better. Cheers

PS: I'm glad that everyone has such positive outlooks. Know that I'm not saying everyone going to law school is going to be miserable, as you should be able to do with so much practice with MBT questions. All I'm saying is that this is a possibility, and life is unpredictable, and any path you take, will be a good one, as long as you choose to walk it with a positive attitude.

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I am especially excited about a specific program that the school that I'm applying to offers, so I noticed that my essay is basically only about that one program. I discuss how I feel that I can learn a lot about it through the excellent professors, and how I feel that I can go into that field when I graduate etc.

But my question is, should I talk about other types of law too and how I feel that I would be a good fit for them as well... or is sticking with the one topic okay? Is it weird to just really focus on a single program and make that the sole reason I want to go to this school? Please #help

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I am submitting my law school apps this week and would appreciate any advice regarding my resume and any errors I have made. I want it to be perfect and all advice is appreciated.

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I know this might be a silly question, but do letters of recommendation need to explicitly say that anywhere on the letter? I ask because I understand there is a distinction between a letter of reference and a letter of recommendation, and one my recommenders included "this reference is provided at..." It would be easy enough to have them change it and maybe this is trivial, but I'd appreciate all of your input. Thanks!

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I currently have DACA, which ultimatelys rules out any financial aid that comes from the government, and I believe my current financial status would qualify me for need based aid.

I was accepted ED to Georgetown but before that I was accepted to WashU Law. I withdrew all of my other applications today except for WashU Law because they notified me they're giving me a full scholarship.

I haven't received my scholarship info from Georgetown just yet but I feel so stressed.

Should I email Georgetown to ask when I should be expecting to be notified of my scholarhsip award?

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Hi all,

For those who cancelled a score, what did y'all indicate on apps that asked you to list when you took your lsat and your score? It doesn't allow you to write "C" for cancelled for example as it only accepts numerical values. Not sure if it's wise to leave it blank... Thanks all!

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I know this isn't very timely, but we've updated our lesson on early decision with more information about who it helps and how much.

This is the relevant section: How much ED helps depends on where your LSAT scores and GPA lie relative to the school’s medians. Our data show that if your LSAT and GPA are both stronger or both weaker than the school’s, ED doesn’t give you a measurable boost. Applying early decision helps most for splitters: candidates who have one number (LSAT or GPA) at or above a school’s median and the other below.

Full lesson here: https://classic.7sage.com/admissions/lesson/apply-law-school-early-decision/

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All,

I've been obsessing over the my law school decision letters and received my first rejection the other day. I studied for the LSAT for nearly three years on and off with a full time job, and I took the exam 3 times. I'm ready to move on, but it's just been a painful process and even more anxiety-inducing as I'm waiting.

Any advice on how to deal with the anxiety and defeated feelings?

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Does anyone know if T14 schools view the recommendation letters from tenured professors more positively than non-tenured/junior/assistant professors? Or, would they focus on the content of the letters? Would a solid letter from a tenured professor 'look better' than a solid letter from a non-tenured professor? I'm assuming that these schools have a similar method in weighing the letters.

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Hello,

I emailed a couple of schools asking for fee waivers in November and some of them said that they needed my LSAC GPA to grant me one. My transcripts just got evaluated and since I am an international applicant, I did not get a GPA but a vague ranking (superior). Should I follow up on this and ask for a fee waiver again with this information?

Thank you!

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