Subscription pricing
Hi 7sagers, my name is Eliza and I am struggling with my morale and confidence with the LSATS. I need your advice/encouragement from all you long term studiers/full time jobers/low gpa-ers/need scholarship-ers who might have been/currently in the same boat as me.
I've been studying since the beginning of Feb 2018 while working a full time job and signed up for the September 2018 test. I used Kaplan for the material (only because I got a $1200 need based scholarship from my university). The best I've ever gotten was a 158, BR: 170. It's been 7 months and though my score has improved from a diagnostic of 144, it is still no where near the score I need. I am starting to lose fire and confidence in my ability to even reach upper 160s.
Please share practical tips on:
Please read the "lil background about me" section for the context of these questions:
Lil background about me:
I graduated with my Electrical Engineering bachelors in May 2017. I decided I wanted to go into IP law with my stem background after learning about this field my junior year (+other personal reasons). However, after 4 difficult years of intense courseloads at a top engineering school while working two part time jobs including every summer (my family is broke and can't pay for my education), my UGPA is awful. It's a 3.2 (we use the plus and minus system with an A+ and a regular A that counts as 4.0 with an A- that counts as a 3.8). Even if I had known I wanted to go to law school and knew before going into college how important my GPA is, I don't even think I would've been able to do anything differently regarding my grades (ie. withdraw from classes/retake low grade classes using freshman forgiveness) due to the fact that I didn't have the financial means for that type of freedom.
I gave myself two years after graduation to get into law school because I don't want to prolong it and potentially have life get in the way. I figured a year of studying for LSATs should be sufficient. I didn't realize that schools give better scholarship opportunities/highly suggest applying early in Sept-Nov so that is one reason why I am trying to take the September test rather than a later test... but at the same time... I also need a high LSAT score to even be considered for a scholarship. I also want to take it sooner rather than later because I feel that I am starting to get tunnel vision in the way I am studying and losing steam. I know most people will say that I shouldn't even sign up for a test until I have an average score of my target. But I'm wondering if it would even make a difference if I did take it later. Would I really do that much better? I also barely have a social life or time for much anything else-- as all my time is filled with work then study. My mental wellness is at a major low point and is affecting my anxiety and ability to think clearly.
Thank you so much if you have read this novel of a post. (3(/p)
Goal school: George Washington University for their IP program, Dream: Georgetown University
#advice #anxiety #engineer #lowGPA #morale #help #sadness #GWU #fulltimejob #successstory
@ said:
Hi @. I have been studying for quite some time too. We have similar scores, current and diagnostic. My first take I was studying relentlessly and I only improved so much. I learned a great deal from that and I have my experience to share with you on how I combated the state of mind you might be in.
I think the most important aspect that helped me was deep down changing my attitude and perspective. At the end of the day, this test is learnable so as long as you stay determined and don't loose sight of you main goal. I would suggest having a sit-down with yourself much like I did. I came to this point because I understood that I am the only person that will control whether or not I do the extra, study that much more focused, or really dig down deep into what I am messing up on. Realizing I almost lost my drive and I had really bad anxiety contributing to it (not wanting to fail again) and resulting from it (feeling I'm not doing what I need to).
I went in my room with the lights off, closed my eyes and relaxed. In this time, I tried to be as calm as possible and let my mind just relax, because it felt like an engine redlining for months on end without a break. I imagined a conversation with myself. I'll add that I dreaded studying at this point. So, I asked myself, why are you doing this? No person is forcing you to go to law school, so WHY are you doing this. I immediately pictured myself at my desk happy as can be when I interned at a firm. I vividly saw the thankful faces of those who were helped. I was just nostalgic in that moment. Ultimately, it really hit me why I wanted to even be a lawyer. Then I asked my self again, well then what is getting in the way and why can't you get yourself to do it? I realized it was failure. Much like you, I wasn't where I was at, even after giving it my all. But you have to know that this is EXACTLY where the separation between high scorers and lower ones manifests itself. Either your attitude is, damn.... another low score or it is looking at each mistake with an attitude of opportunity. Each mistake is awesome, because every instance gives you an opportunity to get better. Learn from it, find more mistakes and move on to the next PT never making it again. Make small goals. I have a notebook of mistakes and tendencies I want to rid myself of. Each test I'll note more mistakes and celebrate the instances where I was faced with a similar problem or what not and I handled it the correct way, rather then falling for the same mistake a second time. Each LSAT score is a measure of mistakes then, so rather then looking at the score to measure how you are doing, look to see how you are improving within each question. This will not make you get so caught up in a "score" when the ultimate decider is the processes of getting the score and working to find tune this process. Working on the small goals will transfer to a higher goal and that has helped me with accepting a low score as more opportunities to iron out my thinking, as opposed to measuring my intelligence or lively hood for that matter.
I have been watching this man on youtube who does hypnosis. I always thought that hypnosis was solely a stage performance used to make people act like chickens, but this man on youtube different-----he sends a strong message in each of his hypnosis demonstrations. He stresses that the subconscious is the most powerful determinate of one's motivation. To show this point, he told a hypnotized person on stage that their hands will become a intertwined, forming an inseparable single block of wood. When the person wakes up, subsequent the suggestion given to his subconscious, he tries his hardest to no avail. The subconscious, no matter how irrational, is imagining the hands are actually together as a block of wood and controls the body and mind to act accordingly. He then gets to motivation and asks the audience "who here would say that money motivates a person?," not surprisingly, most people say yes. So, he offers the man $300 cash if he can separate his hands. He begins to do everything he can, leverage and all, but yet he still couldn't pull his hands apart. You might be asking, why is this relevant? Each day we have that goal of a particular score in mind. Lets say someone studying for the LSAT was on stage and told them that they would have a legitimate score of a 180 if they pulled their hands apart, but they couldn't. That man could not pull his hands apart to get that money because he subconsciously did not believe he could. This is where it hit me. A score or even a law school is analogous to the hands here. If you subconsciously don't believe you can achieve a score or get into that law school, then no matter what motivation you may have, it won't happen. You asked the question "Is there even hope for me to get 170s?" My answer is this: I don't care if every person on planet earth says it's impossible for you or not.
It. does. not. matter.
Only once you truly believe, and I'm talking down to the core of your being all the way to the deepest roots of your subconscious, that you are capable of any score, then with this change of attitude and hard work, you have answered your own question. Motivate yourself by believing you can do this. You graduated college. You have a bachelors with a great GPA. Don't discount yourself. You can do this.
Cheers.
Thank you so so so... much for this. Literally in tears. Thanks for giving me meaningful encouragement rather than empty advice. Thanks especially for that story/analogy. Thank you for taking the time out to read my novel and to respond with so much thought and care. I am happy that I am not alone and that you have found this way of thinking-- and that you are able to share it with me. Thank you.