My first take will be in September but- diagnostic of 148 in March, now PTing at 160. Varying weekly study schedules, probably at 200-250 total hours of study thus far. Aiming for 160+ on test day, would be super happy with 165+.
Thinking back on diagnostic and early tests, LG scared me so much because it was like a foreign language, now I love LG.
Have you used the analytics feature? If you go in the Resources tab, you can go through the data from the tests you've taken and it will highlight the question types that are highest priority for studying. That can be a good place to start to at least figure out what you can focus on.
I feel you. I'm sometimes not sure if I'm considered a nontraditional student- I've had to work my whole academic career, on many occasions sacrificing school for work and taking multiple breaks from school to stay afloat, but, I completed my B.A. a year ago so it's not like I've been out of school for a long time either. I've been interested in the legal field on a serious level academically and professionally since 2013, so it's been something I've thought about for a long time, and usually thinking it would be impossible. My recent job was a corporate gig that was pretty soul sucking- it was good money but I had already climbed as high as I could there and with no enrichment. I knew I didn't want to stay there forever, so coupled with my decision to start studying for the LSAT, I decided to leave then, since I'd be leaving anyways. My situation has some unique elements- I actually got married recently as well, and my husband's support is a big part of what has enabled me, a perpetual worker bee, to feel comfortable taking a pause from the workforce for study.
Everyone's situation is going to be different. Not bringing in an income will always stress me out, but, in this case, the negative stress of my job as well as the negative impact it had on my studying made it the right choice for me. Depending on your financial and support situation, I would honestly evaluate how long you can go not working if that's the route you want to go. Also keeping in mind that if you are ready to work again, it will likely take a while to find something else comparable. I understand how part of the stress may be related to leaving a law firm job- I worked as a paralegal previously and I do sometimes ruminate that it would have been ideal if I could have stayed there perpetually, but, it was not the fit for me at the time, because working there full time+ made it impossible to complete my B.A. coursework.
Good luck to you! I really empathize- I know first hand how hard it is dealing with nontraditional or non K-JD problems. It's not impossible to overcome, but it does require honestly assessing your situation and making the right call for you.
From what I’ve read, it seems the most that would happen would be that LSAC allows you to cancel your score (before seeing it) and schedule a retake. It seems like there were a fair amount of test centers that started late, so I almost wonder if LSAC would consider that to be par for the course.
@leahbeuk911 said:
Thank you so much! Are you applying to PNW schools too? It was such a hard decision. This year I was thinking even more seriously about staying nearby to be close to family and such, and I love the NW. But, it's very hard to pass up the flexibility of the T14. I'm sure at some point I'll end up back here though, it'll always be home! (3(/p)
Yeah, I’m in the LSAT study process for the fall 2020 cycle. With my UG gpa, I’ll be a splitter, working to get above 75th percentile LSAT for PNW schools to maximize scholarships. I am curious if you or anyone else happens to know, how does being a splitter affect scholarships? Like if you’re 75th for LSAT but 25th for GPA, would it even out to median level scholarships, or would even more still be possible? No worries if you don’t know as both of your stats are excellent!
Many congrats to you! Also nice to see recent scholarship amounts for the PNW schools. So awesome that you were able to get such great scholarships for two T14 schools!
So excellent to have this feature. And the trees thank you.
Disregard this
Thank you JY and 7sage! So exciting that we’ll be able to PT digitally.
I didn’t realize that the tablets would be Microsoft Surface Gos; I study on a Surface Pro so that’s a nice bit of peace of mind. For anyone who’s never used them before, they’re my personal favorite tablet/portable comp- there shouldn’t be touch responsive issues like some were worried about, and the kick stand is nice to have.
That is a pretty average age for law and graduate school in general. Even for undergrad it’s not crazy at all- everyone’s circumstances are different.
I’d say it’s actually better to have work and real world experience so that one can fully appreciate the mangnitude of what law school and practice entails.
Assuming I start fall 2020, I will also be 27.
Curious if anyone in the Portland metro area is currently studying with 7sage. I’m still in CC myself currently but would love to get a study buddy routine going for weekly or biweekly in person meetups to review and drill. I’ve really gotten a lot out of and enjoyed focused study groups in the past.
I’m working towards taking the September LSAT for the fall 2020 cycle.
To add on to the how long did it take to study, do you remember roughly how many hours per week you put in to get such a great score jump from your diagnostic in six months?
Do you plan on staying in biglaw, or do you eventually want to transition to a different kind of practice?
Thank you!
Nice. ATL has (+/-)s for those that have moved spots: https://abovethelaw.com/2019/03/leaked-2020-u-s-news-law-school-rankings/
Am I remembering incorrectly, or did University of Washington used to be in the top 20s years ago? Now it's barely top 50.
Edit: And Lewis and Clark got bumped out of top 100. Eesh, not great for NW schools.
I’m curious as well. My first time taking the LSAT will be after this change takes place.
@leahbeuk911 said:
Happy to answer if you have any more specific questions! I’m not really well versed in these, but I’m applying for the 2nd time this year so I’ve just been hanging out on these law school forums and researching for quite a while haha. Hope some of that helps!
Your analysis of NW schools and employment are very on point and similar to what I’ve gleaned as well. Definitely agree that going to a NW school could make it hard to find employment elsewhere. As an Oregonian, I am jealous of your potential in-state tuition for UW! Having lived in both states, I internally cry at the lack of reciprocity for residents of border states.
Do you think you want to stay in the NW, or practice elsewhere? I have lived in the NW my whole life, and know I’ll eventually want to practice here, whether it ends up being WA or OR. Having said that, my inclination would be to attend the very best school I possibly can, unless a local school would offer significant financial aid. If you maybe want to end up practicing in a different state, I would definitely prioritize national ranking and employment prospects.
It seems like you’ll have some great options this cycle- exciting stuff! 😄
@leahbeuk911 said:
So far I'm 5 for 6 - in at Seattle U, U of Washington, UCI, WUSTL and (my big win) Cornell. Just got WL at USC. 😑 Those "safety schools" can sneak up on you haha. Still waiting to hear back from Berkeley, Northwestern, Michigan (just applied a couple days ago though so no expectations hah), UCLA, Lewis & Clark, and U of Oregon. I may throw out another last minute app or 2, but that is probably just my anxiety and lack of confidence talking haha.
Are you NW based? I’m at the start of the LSAT process, studying for the fall 2020 cycle, and I’m really curious what the experience for NW schools- UW, UO, and Lewis and Clark- is like, and what they offer for scholarships. I have heard from alum that Lewis and Clark is stingy, though, I don’t know what their admittance stats were.
Best of luck to you! If you want to practice in the NW, you can’t beat UW for a school in the region, so kudos on that acceptance.
I had two LGs found flower to be ridiculously hard and the other perfectly normal so I assumed flower one was experimental and the other one was standard. LOL