Thanks for this post! I just recently posted about getting in and starting in the fall, but I love this community even though I'm mostly a lurker... I am hoping it works to do what others in similar threads have suggested and that is to look at law school like a full time job, cramming as much in the typical workday hours - between classes and on campus- as humanly possible so that my weekends and evenings can have some semblance of normalcy. I'm really lucky to have gotten a great, unexpected merit scholarship, so this is very affordable thankfully (with 2 kids in college) and my state school that I'll be attending is only about a 20 minute commute from home.

I never really found my way to the right career, so regarding the "what are you thinking? you should be looking at retiring" comments or thoughts -- I am just so eager to do this and feel challenged and engaged, it is what is exactly right for me at this point in my life. Everyone is so different - my mother worked at a job she loved until well into her eighties which for me at 51 is quite a ways off! As I look at the women and men I know who aged well, they stayed excited and interested in learning and life - so we are on the right path there, I think.

Also -thank you to @oceanlee14450 for those super inspiring news story links!! Holy crap - those women are truly amazing.

I have no idea how long I can keep peeking at these forums and staying engaged here now that I'm done with the LSAT, but I too love the thought of staying connected. Good luck!

@kyoungmokim846 said:

Congratulations! Stories like yours inspire me! I've been out of school for eleven years and sometimes I doubt whether I can still do this. Congrats for a merit scholarship! Any more tips ?!!!

My only other tip would be to own it!:) I wrote my PS very focused on the path that took me here and how being 51 years old is exactly why this is the best time for me to do this. I also was sure the school I was applying to appreciated and had many career-changers and older students and I spoke to some, so I was sure it wasn't just spin.

Thanks again all!

Thanks and @cmarolda1791 - absolutely! DM me, I would LOVE to keep connected. The more support and the bigger the network the better! Good luck with the study slog. I was so sure I would be taking again in the fall, I'm still stunned I don't have to.

Definitely agree with all this advice, want to add a second voice for meditation, it has been a game changer for me. I have had anxiety / depression issues on and off and meditation has been able to provide me just a bit of space between the feelings and the experience of those feelings (aka - I am not what I feel). I recommend looking up Tara Brach, she has great books and great (many free) guided meditations that can help you be an ally to yourself. The LSAT is such a brutal MF'er and it can be so hard to keep your spirits up when the needle only moves a teeny bit for a while. (Also any book by Pema Chodron.)

I had a therapist for a bit that utilized EFT/Tapping which can be really helpful to tame intense situations, particularly anxiety. It can seem a little kooky at first but it helped gain focus, overcome negative thoughts, see my goal, etc. (EFT=emotional freedom technique).

Good luck and stick with it, you are in good anxious company here (haha) and it is doable!

@ebs1995601 said:

I live a few blocks from Seton Hall so I'll be taking the test there.

Good luck! Like I said - once we all got in, it was a breeze. I was so happy and surprised that it was quiet and went so smoothly. Hoping they fix the long line stupidity before your test. :)

@xadrianas6x881 said:

@lindajanealang756 said:

I'm inspired by the defense attorneys (public defenders included) throughout America whose names we all might not know but who are standing between the state and the individual. I've been watching "The Staircase" and leaving aside thoughts on Mr. Peterson's guilt or innocence, the actions of the state in that case are nothing short of astonishing. Shout-out to all the defense attorneys that take on the state each and every day in America, you inspire me.

This. For those wondering how PDs can do their job, I really recommend buying one a cup of coffee and talking to them about their job. I did it and its very enlightening about the realities of our justice system.

plus whatever number we are at for the book "Just Mercy", Bryan Stevenson.

I'll add Matt Murdock to the list.

+1 Bryan Stevenson. He's so very inspiring. Ditto the PD conversation - I've done the same and agree it's super enlightening.

Senator Elizabeth Warren

Thank you - I love this!! Good luck all - we got this!

Hey there - I am 51 and sitting for the June LSAT and I would definitely agree with everyone that you're (we're!) not too old! I'm not making loads of applications at this point (just one hail mary app for fall 2018) but the one in-depth conversation I had with a law school admissions person was so encouraging. She said in many ways they love the older students because of the life skills and experiences they can add to the academic community and classroom discussions. So good luck! :)

I second the Headspace app recommendation, there is a good one for Focus that has helped me a ton. Also I think being sure to get good rest and deep relaxation on your off time is also key to keeping the test stress at bay. I LOVE LOVE LOVE this Insight Timer night meditation to get to a good deep sleep: https://insighttimer.com/jenniferpiercy/guided-meditations/yoga-nidra-for-sleep.

When I notice my mind being drifty in RC or LR, I push myself to visualize the text. I know this sounds obvious and something that is repeated often, but it truly does help. Even something like economics or government, you can figure out some little mental picture to go with it. @katrakkade441 - your reminder that everyone else is also finding it difficult is SO helpful to me. During the day, I also try to read like I'm testing, trying more carefully to retain and see the structure of something like a dense article in the New Yorker or NYT.

I totally share your stress... in fact, the other day I had the thought that these last four weeks are like when you hear "there are five minutes remaining" (ahhhh!!!!). When I feel like you describe, my strategy has been to re-orient myself to the present moment and see what the next thing I can do could be to forward that goal. Sometimes if I'm stuck doing some mundane task/work, I can mentally run through the list of flaws, or do a visualization of myself killing it on 6/11 or whatever. Sometimes it is get up and take 5 minutes to do a few games. But you can only do what you can do, focus on breathing, meditation, yoga, have all been helpful for me to get "above" the anxiety and stress and to let them go. -See them for what they are, just a feeling in this one moment that does NOT encompass the truth of the entire situation. You got this. You're prepared. You are deserving, etc! :smile: Good luck!

Thanks @msirchia692 for the inspiring and encouraging post! Happy to hear that the perspective that comes with age helps with the stress (as I have plenty of age to go around :smile: And I appreciate your encouragement to join student organizations and get involved. Best of luck!

@leahbeuk911 said:

That same cost would have been $895 for last year, making this a roughly 14% increase in cost. That is a crazy amount. I was frustrated that the test center/date change fees were $100 last year, $125 is nuts. Particularly the test center change, it costs them literally nothing. $125 with no expenses is so much.

Yeah I am totally with you on the test change fee - $125?!? Really? That's a silly amount of money for a small administrative change.

I would also suggest trying to visualize what you read. As simple as that sounds, it can help with the brain fog that for me is what would cause me to read and re-read to figure things out. To be sure, my visualizations are inexact but it's enough to pull me through or out of that 'what the hell am I reading' mode/fog. That being said, there is always at least one or two that baffle me on an LR section and I just skip them and (hopefully) get back to them. Fresh eyes can usually clear it all up too. Oh, and I definitely read the question first.

Wow this is a brilliant idea... thank you thank you thank you. I have a 4 hour drive tomorrow and am dropping some things in my Audible cart right now.

I use Headspace (premium) regularly and I really like it. I had been meditating prior to the LSAT studying but not consistently. I meditate daily now, just 15 minutes or so and sometimes again in the evening if I am having trouble sleeping. I find Headspace has a lot of options, you can meditate with a lot of guidance or a lot of silence, depending on what you feel like. I also just tried the Calm app but I don't like it as much. I think with meditation, it can be a lot about "fit" and whether you just simply like the person's voice or not! :)

Meditating has most definitely helped me with test-taking in that it allows you to more readily not identify with your thoughts, to "see" your thoughts, for lack of a better word. I have tremendous text anxiety, even when just taking PT's in my home office and it has helped a lot with that.

My other de-stress techniques are getting myself out for a hike with my pups and just exercise in general. Another decent meditation app is Insight Timer. I just use the free version and mainly without a guided mediation, just for the timer and some bells at different intervals, though they have some great guided meditations too.

Best of luck --

I love this thread :) And I hate anything bio related in RC and for no good reason at all - they just intimidate me having never really studied nor had any interest in it since high school. Totally agree on riddled basins too, yuck.

I can totally relate to the focus/exhaustion thing and agree with all the above. I would also definitely recommend breaking down your study sessions so that you give yourself a reward after 35-45 minutes. I usually get up and get a cup of tea or a piece of fruit, check Instagram - (or play with my dogs, check the forums here, you get the idea)-whatever, but just a 5-ish minute breather. This idea is from this: https://www.coursera.org/learn/learning-how-to-learn

which was recommended on one of the threads here. I have to admit to not finishing the entire course but I watched most of it and found it helpful to have a better understanding of exactly what it is our brains are doing (and why it can be so draining). I also use the toggl app to help me track my time studying. Good luck!

I would say yes, since the TV show host's opinion is that TV is NOT the cause of the moral decline, either by inviting guests (-- or bad talk show hosts :) or violence on dramas or whatever --) these reasons are secondary since his point is they are wrong and are NOT the cause. So in a sense, it doesn't matter what you want to articulate about them, they are not the cause. This is where they disagree. He isn't saying, "TV is not the cause of the moral decline but inviting these crappy guests ARE responsible..." the inviting crappy guests falls in the world of TV show and TV show is not the cause.

Also, to answer your actual question - no! not that I've ever heard anyway (call to service being a negative)...

Wow this is super encouraging and helpful - many thanks!

I am in no way a seasoned LS applicant, still being early in this game, but I'm also a later-in-life applicant coming to this with the same desire to serve under-served communities through law. I have also seen all the warnings about not explicitly stating that you want to "help people" and I think these responses do touch on a lot of the reasons why, particularly with regard to debt vs. future salary... however I am beginning to realize that much of this advice doesn't necessarily apply to me or perhaps others applying post-40 years old. Unlike those at the start of their careers and just post under-grad, we have a perspective that is unique and "seasoned." We are more established in our homes, families, commitments (mortgages!) and less able to be impulsive about the commitment and equation a law degree/career entails, and therefore much less likely to naively write a PS over-emphasizing helping people in a way that sounds un-informed or simplistic (or worse, insincere). I also hope I'm not offending anyone, since the community here on 7Sage also doesn't sound like the folks those warnings are meant for... I find 7Sagers of all ages here to be thoughtful and wise beyond their years. But again, as I get further along in this process, I am starting to filter out some of the standard law applicant advice that I honestly don't think necessarily applies to those of us future OWL's. And for the record, my PS doesn't really mention my desire to help others at this point, though it is tricky to weave it in somehow, knowing that there is this unwritten "don't" attached to it.