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dimakyure869

Joined: Apr 2025
Subscription: Free

General · Graduated yesterday. 154 diagnostic headed to big law. Thanks 7sage.

dimakyure869

Monday, May 13 2024

@noramiller47 said: Woah, CONGRATS!!!!! Time really flies—I feel like we were JUST brainstorming essay topics last week. Thanks for letting us be part of this chapter, it's been a pleasure. Wishing you the very best of luck with everything that comes next!

It does. Thanks Nora... I definitely couldn't have done it without you!

General · Graduated yesterday. 154 diagnostic headed to big law. Thanks 7sage.

dimakyure869

Monday, May 13 2024

@jy-ping said:

I'm so happy for you!

Thanks man. Bro... Jackson still talks about you to this day.

General · Graduated yesterday. 154 diagnostic headed to big law. Thanks 7sage.

dimakyure869

Monday, May 13 2024

@jackgrados6922 said:

Hey I am very interested in joining and just want an idea on how to even approach this course. Currently I am thinking about going through all the curriculum(I have 8 hours a day to spend on this), taking a diagnostic test, seeing where I am at, going to sign up for either a class or coach version, take drills and get a custom study plan. Is this a good plan, what plan do you suggest? I also want to know how do i know when to take my prep tests, do you guys offer any type of timing or anything so i can know whether or not I am taking an exam to early or too late. Also what is the difference between the coach plan and a private tutor. I mainly just want to have a structured plan (without me having to guess when I have to take a exam etc) while also getting real feedback?

I'll defer to someone more familiar with the current version of the site. But generally, a class is going to give you the same review of foundational concepts you'd get in the core curriculum, so doing one right after seems redundant. Once you collect all the conceptual tools required to take the test, I think it becomes more of a performance task... like a sport or playing an instrument, where the question changes from "do you know" to "can you do." That is where individualized instruction can be useful.

IMO, PTs are for when you've done adequate work to expect a performance increase. They're to provide data on the efficacy of your methods much more than they are a means of improving in and of themselves. You'll get different opinions on this but I don't think unpurposed content consumption is the best way to improve.

I'm sure someone else more qualified will be along shortly to give you a better answer.

General

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Sunday, May 12 2024

dimakyure869

Graduated yesterday. 154 diagnostic headed to big law. Thanks 7sage.

I was a community college to state school grad that pieced together a bachelors degree from random credits and studied for the LSAT while working and supporting a family. I started with a 154 and took the LSAT seven times. My application was a C&F nightmare and reading the first personal statement I applied with makes me cringe so hard I get a headache.

This community, including @"J.Y. Ping", @"David Busis", @"Cant Get Right", @Mike_Ross and way too many other people to mention, helped me unfuck my approach to this test and admissions. @"Nora Miller" basically got me into law school and set me on a path to become the somewhat serviceable writer I am today. Three years later, I've won multiple national bar association essay competitions, published with HLS, and worked as a law review editor. I've taught written advocacy for our LLM program and at our local prisons, and worked death penalty cases that I'll (hopefully) be taking with me as part of my pro bono practice. I've CALI'ed four classes and "passed" the UBE with an approximate 98th percentile score. Doing a second non-UBE bar exam before heading off to a big law litigation job.

Hopefully that doesn't sound too pretentious. The points I'm trying to make are (1) that if I can do it, anyone can do it... including you, and (2) I wouldn't have achieved any of that without 7sage and the great people here—the people I learned from, the people who allowed me to tutor them (a great way to improve your own understanding of the test), and the people who were willing to candidly tell me all the ways my application sucked or how dumb my essay about surfing in Boston was.

Do hit me with any questions, but like most people who pass through 7sage, my time here is probably done after this. Besides, I think I have to retire the username now that I haz JD. Make use of this great community, help each other out, and don't give up.

It's been real. Thanks 7sage.

Admissions · Age

dimakyure869

Wednesday, Feb 14 2024

So long as your app doesn't flag maturity issues, you'll be fine with good stats. Maybe just make sure your ECs are decent to show some kind of experience. I'm at a T14 that skews younger. One of my clinic partners is graduated UG at 17, did a masters, and will be 21 when he gets his JD. We also regularly admit UG juniors as part of a 3+3 program. I think plowing through school "early" is fine for professionals that know what they want to do.

Admissions · What are my chances?

dimakyure869

Thursday, Jan 18 2024

@spourian18484 said:

@dimakyure869 - is URM on the basis of ethnicity / race still relevant for the application process?

Yes

Would being a first generation college student entail being a URM (e.g. parent's highest-level being high school)?

No, though it would likely still be a favorable fact.

Also to the preceding comment, addendums are great for explaining anomalies that would otherwise leave an app reader with questions and provide a nice opportunity to succinctly exhibit your writing and additional facets of your background. But having (1) worked with admissions offices, (2) friends who are/were admissions officers, and (3) helped dozens of applicants compose applications, I'd advise against any illusions that an addendum is going to carry sub-median stats to an admit. Is that always true? Of course not. Might they carry the day for the right app reader? Sure... but don't bet on it.

Admissions are a business, and stats are by no means dispositive but they typically control. No one is saying, "oh, this person has an excuse for their low GPA/LSAT so lets take the hit." A better strategy IMO is to use circumstances that contribute to low numbers as positive events to relate your strengths... ideally coupled with a higher LSAT score.

Admissions · What are my chances?

dimakyure869

Tuesday, Jan 16 2024

Unfortunately not great, though better if you are a URM. Ideally get your LSAT up. Failing that, invest in your essays and apply broadly... I'd expand beyond the T14. Your numbers aren't bad and work experience is great, but below median is below median. That's a heavy lift for the rest of your app.

Admissions · Personal Statement

dimakyure869

Sunday, Jan 14 2024

Don't try to cram it all in. Write about one maybe two things well. It shouldn't read like a resume, manifesto, or life chronicle, but an engaging story about an event that compels your reader to think a certain way about you. You can tie events together but don't force it. Your entire app paints the broad picture of who you are. Your PS uses a discrete story to provide insight and also serves as a writing sample. It isn't to cram your whole life's story into.

Also keep in mind that legal writing is crisp, punchy and concise. Concision is a skill—a highly valued one in this profession. Unless you're submitting to Berkeley, no weird 4 pagers. Stick to 2 pages. Use 12 point font, no cheating the spacing and margins. I review essays now and those tricks are noticeable and make me wonder why you had to resort to tricks instead of just editing. And trust me when I say you do not want to saddle your reader with a wall of text jumping from one event to another. Pay attention to the cognitive burden you impose, because it affects how a reader perceives your essay. Your essay should be engaging, like a good book you can't put down. Not a chore. Of course this is all subjective. You may get an app reader that doesn't care... but I woudn't risk it.

You can also save your military experience for a DS... thats what I did. I'm a T14 3L, former tutor here, writing instructor for our LLM program and the university, law review editor, and have racked up a few national bar association essay scholarship wins. Feel free to reach out if you have questions... happy to help another vet/7sager.

Admissions · Law School Acceptance with 140s Range

dimakyure869

Saturday, Jan 13 2024

@avneetshops371 said:

@agiovanelli09693 Really?!?

I used LSAC to find the school that fits my UGPA/LSAT & it listed about 18 schools that I have over 50% chance to get in. So I thought I can get in somewhere at least.

LSAC has a pecuniary interest in getting you to apply to schools.

And even if that were the case, that "somewhere" would likely be somewhere predatory. You don't want to find yourself with loads of debt and no job. But really, a sub-150 score is just not viable. The test is learnable... get that score up.

Admissions · Part-Time Student in Final Semester of BA

dimakyure869

Friday, Jan 12 2024

Anecdotally, no. I'm at a T14 with several part time (and community college) semesters, and have several classmates and colleagues with less traditional transcripts. And if there were a risk, say for faculty review at Yale, it's so subjective that theres no way to predict. GPA matters far more than anything else.

Admissions · Applying After January Test

dimakyure869

Sunday, Dec 31 2023

You will see effects, though perhaps less severe due to the slowness of this cycle. Some schools, particularly higher ranked ones, will have their classes locked in. I'd expect more WL's that would have been A's earlier on. Also if this is your only score, your apps won't be complete until the score posts in February. So lower, yes. Exponentially, no. And not to say you can't have a great outcome... I'm at a T14 via a February app. But be prepared to reapply if necessary.

General · How to increase the speed?

dimakyure869

Wednesday, Dec 27 2023

Don’t worry about PTs until you’ve completed the core curriculum. The problem sets provide timing exposure.

I had thought it was suggested to start timed test earlier.

Where is this suggested?

General · How to increase the speed?

dimakyure869

Wednesday, Dec 27 2023

Speed is largely a product of mastery. Having just started, focus on acquiring the core skills first. Trying to force speed now does no good because to be frank, you don’t know what you’re doing yet. You have to correct and slow before you can be correct and fast.

Admissions · Low LSAT Addendum

dimakyure869

Tuesday, Dec 26 2023

If you post a higher score in Jan it might be worth explaining the disparity (some schools explicitly ask you to), but a school will generally view you as your highest score regardless, idiosyncrasies aside. That said, I'd think really hard about pushing to the next cycle. A February app is not ideal (I was a February applicant) and a 4.0 will get you into literally any school you want if you can bring your score up.

Sub-160 scores usually indicate foundational deficiencies, meaning you don't yet have all the tools to take the test. Also meaning that many of those missing points can be picked up fairly quickly. A 10 point test day penalty is big but not unreasonable in that scoring range where we expect more volatility.

Unless school choice and scholarships are of no consequence, I'd recommend trying for a higher LSAT and putting that GPA to better use. Feel free to message if you want some troubleshooting.

LSAT · Weakening Qs - Any Tips?

dimakyure869

Friday, Dec 22 2023

Many people forget that its a comparative selection. You don't need a good answer... just the least worst. You can also have several answers that weaken and answers that would be correct if the correct answer weren't there. You can have 5 incredibly bad answers... one will still be correct. Keep that in mind and combine with a solid question type strategy, e.g., make the conclusion less likely to follow from the premise, and a solid standardized LR attack (e.g., translate, articulate, prephrase, and hunt). Also stuff like your common flaws, scientific method, causal reasoning and conditional logic should be automatic.

LSAT · Should I give up on this test date?

dimakyure869

Sunday, Dec 03 2023

This may or may not apply to you but it's worked for many of my students still missing those last few points. Speed work on easy stuff.

A lot of those last few points are careless errors which typically go unnoticed when committed. So being able to blast through that first game or those level 1-3 questions gives you more time for another look at your work. This test is about efficiency, which is a balance of speed and accuracy. So when you are as accurate as you can be say on that level 1 sequencing game, ask if you are also going as fast as you could be, i.e., picking up those points in the most efficient way.

LSAT · How to Proceed after scoring bad again!

dimakyure869

Sunday, Dec 03 2023

Your scoring should call your timeline. I wouldn't retake until you reasonably believe you can achieve your goal score. What you've been doing so far isn't working. What will you do differently this time?

Sub-150 scoring typically indicates issues with foundational concepts. The CC (or any basic course/prep system/book) should get you into the high 150s. But you have to (1) do the work, to the point that you (2) actually understand the concepts.

Admissions · Character and Fitness

dimakyure869

Saturday, Oct 28 2023

Have you pulled your abstract/court records? I think that'd be the logical first step.

General · question about my gpa on lsac

dimakyure869

Sunday, Oct 22 2023

Your LSAC GPA is in your Academic Summary Report, toward the bottom under "Cumulative GPA." That is the number that matters.

Credentials & CAS --> View Transcript Status --> Academic Summary Report

General · Same LSAT Score

dimakyure869

Friday, Oct 20 2023

You should be reviewing (ideally in writing) your performances and drilling to address the deficiencies that caused that score. You can't just keep taking PTs and expect to miracle yourself to a higher score. Think of any other performance activity... playing an instrument, a sport, a martial art, driving a car. It's not enough to see what you did wrong. You need to train, such that your brain builds connections that allow you to perform at a higher level the next time. Just watching a video and saying oh I get it allows you to remember that you made the same mistake again for the 10th time on a similar question. But thats not helpful.

Use your analytics to identify problem areas. Review to (1) ensure you understood the content, (2) identify where you reacted to that content in a less than ideal way, and (3) output an actionable plan to improve. Then execute your plan to a predetermined benchmark. Only then do you have a reason to take another PT—you expect that you've improved, uncovering the next level of issues to work out. Otherwise you're just burning content.

General · Are ya'll happy about the LG removal starting august 2024?

dimakyure869

Friday, Oct 20 2023

LG is almost a free section to anyone who puts in sufficient time. The main barrier is a psychological one as it never feels like you'll make it. Given this move, I'd be interested to see if they also do away with LR questions that lend themselves to diagramming.

Interesting how we've come full circle back to 2 graded LR sections. I've been in it long enough to remember 5 section paper tests where you did 6 section PTs for stamina and people were taping phones to their heads to video their PT takes. My first official test was LR LR LG RC RC... did not go well.

General · LSAT & Application Advice Needed- Apply now or wait?

dimakyure869

Friday, Oct 20 2023

I wouldn't worry about that until you have your Nov score. You don't have the info required to make that decision yet. Maybe your Nov score is viable but you think you can do better. Maybe you bomb or have to cancel. Maybe you nail it and it becomes a non-issue. Focus on realizing the last outcome for now. Stress is worrying about things that are beyond our control... and that takes away from what you should be doing right now.

General · What I wish I knew before 1L. Reflections from a Harvard Law Student

dimakyure869

Monday, Sep 18 2023

@melisulusel212 said:

@ryanrt579 said:

@melisulusel212 Great post... good to see you in here. Funny how some of us keep hanging around. I think it says a lot about how great this community was for us. What market you headed to?

Absolutely man.. love 7sage

Going to NYC what about you?

Los Angeles! Commercial litigation.

Admissions · UGA Personal Statement

dimakyure869

Monday, Aug 21 2023

Do they have some kind of idiosyncratic prompt? David has a lot of excellent PS examples in the admissions materials and podcast.

Admissions · What happens if you breach your deferral contract?

dimakyure869

Sunday, Aug 20 2023

Good to see you around still! No definite answers here and mandatory "I'm not an attorney and this is not legal advice" but some considerations:

A new app may ask if you've assented to any deferral contracts. The bar you ultimately apply to will have access to your law school application.

I've never heard of the bar pulling apps other than the one for the school(s) you attend, not to say they couldn't get them. Inconsistency between school applications and bar applications are a major flag.

I've never heard of a school going after someone for breach, but sure they could. It would not be difficult for someone from one admissions office to figure out what you did if they were so inclined.

admissions offices don't talk to each other nearly as much as some people seem to think or imply... but they can and sometimes do. There is definitely a non-zero risk of having your deferral yanked and then not getting into the new school.

the questions for my bar's moral character component would not have captured this issue... others may. You can look up a state bar's C&F app. Be careful of broadly worded questions as you would not want to omit something reasonably covered by the call of a question.

one thing you absolutely do not want to signal to the bar is dishonesty.

my GPA/LSAT are right at the 25% for this school

The deferred school or the one you want to apply to? Either way, I'd say that weighs toward sticking with your current acceptance... if the latter, slightly more so.

Efficient breaches happen all the time and your reasons and the particular schools are also significant factors we can't evaluate here that likely change the balance. But for me at least, given the info available, this seems a bit too risky.