Sometime in the past couple days Columbia decided that if you graduated less than two years ago, you are required to submit two academic letters of recommendation. I graduated in 2018.

Unfortunately, I took a break from school for five years and when I returned as a part time student I took one professor several times for my major and then I took a handful of other professors just once. None of them would have much to say about me assuming they remember me at all, nor would the ones I took in 2009-2012 at this point. Getting another academic LOR is just not an option for me. Do I give up on Columbia or stubbornly submit anyway?

I'm not sure if this is a dumb question or not but do I still need to worry about bringing an analog watch to the September LSAT? The digital test format has a timer similar to the beta digital tester on 7sage, correct?

Hey there,

As a re applicant, I was wondering if it is ethical to email the admission office of my desired law school and inquire about how to improve/ build on my application from the year prior? Would that be frowned upon, or put me at a disadvantage for this year? Any help would be greatly appreciated!

I have about 9 weeks till the LSAT. I have the Powerscore bible trilogy. Right now that will be the only resource I can afford till 2 weeks. Do you think Powerscore, buying LSAT official tests on Amazon and video explanations on 7sage and youtube are enough resources to make around a 170? Even in the Powerscore bible 2 month study guide, its suggesting I get the workbooks (around $60 each) and a couple of other books. I already spent $110 on the PS and $200 for the LSAT. With all of the suggested resources from PS, that would total up to more than $300.

Also I know a lot of people suggest taking a cold timed diagnostic test, but I have heard some of companies saying that its best to study a bit before taking an initial test and don't time it till you get closer to the test dates. What do you guys think? http://s3.amazonaws.com/studentcenter/self-study/2-Month-LSAT-Study-Plan.pdf this is the PS 2 month study guide

While I am in the progress of attempting all the PrepTests and i'm nearing completion, I swear that I have seen the same questions in other tests or similar reiterations of such. Am I delusional at this point, or is there some type of validity in what I'm seeing?

I was talking to a friend of mine who took the last LSAT; apparently LSAC has done away with the experimental section and instead incorporated experimental questions into the five sections of the test. That way students have no ability to cross reference with other students to find out which exact section is experimental. Does anyone know about this?

Thanks

I'm filling out Harvard's application and it has a section in which you have to describe a "significant piece of writing under the direct supervision of a faculty member or employer". I'm a PhD student, so I have a ton of these, but I'm only allowed 300 characters. Is it appropriate to attach an addendum, or do I just say "see résumé"?

My test center has these large overhead lights throughout the large room (seats 70 ppl). There are like many rows of these big bright lights. It was helpful with the paper test as the area was very lighted.

But with the digital, No matter what angle I tilt the tablet, it just reflects a different set of lights. So when I look at the screen, I see 2-3 big bright lights reflecting in the screen. The glare is Kinda annoying/distracting and doesn’t feel great on my eyes. Any advice on how to fix or reduce this glare? Thanks.

Title says it all

Can anyone explain to me what CLIR is and how I can apply the technique on my own when I drill/review LR?

I've been looking for the Loophole, but it's still not available to buy/ship to my area.

I would highly appreciate any tips!

I wonder if I am being overparanoid about this, and from what I've read across many law-related forums may sense is that these are irrelevant issues, but to set my mind at ease, I've decided to post this question. I want an honest opinion from everyone here as to whether I should write addendi for either or both of these items:

I have a couple incidences from my teenage years that I am uncertain whether I should disclose on C & F, as they neither involve any contact with the law or with any post-secondary educational institution:

A. One is that I was suspended a few times in middle school for either fighting other students (I was bullied a lot) or on one occasion because I had apparently made comments threatening violence to the school (this one I remember essentially nothing about, other than I got suspended for this reason, I don't even recall the action itself)

B. The second is that the first time I took the SAT, my score got cancelled for an irregularity. During one section, the proctor called out for everyone to stop, I kept working for a few seconds after like a nervous idiot, the proctor spotted me, and my score was later cancelled for this.

Hi all,

Looking for a little reassurance because I'm kinda stressed after taking my LSAT Writing. I feel I made a really strong argument but it took me to the last second to finish. When I looked it over I realized with horror that I had made a couple of grammatical errors and big one repetition error ("This person should choose this should choose option this because blah blah blah..") in the very first sentence T_T

How much will that hurt me? Do they care about computer/editing errors more then content or am I okay since I made a solid argument?

🍪🍪🍪

I noticed a repeating pattern of argument structure that some may find useful. I call the form "Cost Benefit”, below I will discuss how it functions and why it matters.

The argument structure offers one benefit as a premise and concludes from this that the benefit is compelling to make a statement about the original “thing” being good overall.

Let me give an example:

The Dirt Devil vacuum cleaner has the most efficient suction system out of any vacuum on the market, moreover, the Dirt Devil is the most cost effective option on the market. Therefore if you are in the market for a vacuum, look no further than the Dirt Devil.

Here our premise holds 2 benefits (most efficient suction system, most cost effective) out to conclude that the Dirt Devil is the best to buy.

The assumption here and with every “Cost Benefit” argument is that there is not a cost being overlooked that outweighs these benefits.

So,

To Weaken such an argument: Introduce a cost that may outweigh the benefit

To Strengthen: Block out the possibility of potential costs, introduce another benefit, or emphasize the importance/relevance of the benefit.

Additionally, this argument structure is often used for Necessary Assumption questions. The NA simply stating something to the effect of: “The benefit is not outweighed by certain costs” or “The benefit is not unimportant to making a judgement about the original thing”.

The “Cost Benefit” argument also has another cookie cutter form. It uses a cost as a premise and then concludes that something is not good or we should not do something. This argument structure works the same way as the above one, except the assumption is that there is not an overriding benefit.

Cookie cutter arguments matter because patterns of reasoning are finite and LSAC re uses many of the same forms, just dressed up with confusing subject matter. For example to make a “Cost Benefit” argument more difficult, they may make the subject matter abstract or create an argument that makes perfect sense intuitively.

Boiling questions down to empirical structure is like distilling their blue prints and from there you can think about how new questions may spawn from them. Hopefully this is helpful, if so I will make some similar posts in the future!

The model of other websites (manhattanprep, lsathacks, powerscore) all organize PTs and discussion the same way. You have a list of all the PTs, then inside the PT a choice of LR/LG/RC, then a list of the questions. This organization is very conducive to both finding the discussion (a necessary condition to learn from/engage in discussion) on a question and providing helpful insights or questions of our own.

Even if access to PT questions, the videos and their explanations are for paying members only the organization can really use an overhaul. I see a lot of people posting individually, using no uniform nomenclature for easy searching, and a lot of those questions get 0 responses.

Thanks! Love 7Sage, argued with a buddy that he should stop his course and switch to 7S just yesterday.

I'm taking the LSAT a week from today in Chicago (Loyola). My ticket's now available, and it just lists the address of the building - no room number or anything. Those who have taken it before, are there usually just signs / instructions at the security desk? Or do other locations list the room number?

I'm planning to call LSAC when their offices reopen on Monday, but I'm feeling nervous and wondered if anyone here had any experience they could share.

Since my first year of law school started last week, I've been thinking about starting a journal to help me process things and reflect. I think that maybe by working through how to articulate things, I feel like I exert some control and agency. In any case, this is one of those times where it seems like it could be of value. I also thought that a candid and contemporaneous account from someone going through it could potentially provide some value to future students. So instead of opening up a word document, I figured I'd make a thread.

Throughout the life of this thread, I'll make updates through the comments rather than amending the main body. That way, any comments will track with the content.

So the digital test clock counts backwards from 35 minutes to 0. This threw me off when I took my first digital test because Im so used to using an analog watch. For those who have taken the digital test do you know if we are allowed to use an analog watch during the test?

Decided that I should get a tablet to start practicing and PTing since paper exams are long gone.

My SO and I agreed to go half/half on a tablet since she will start doing more digital art stuff. I've read the Fire Tablet is as close as it gets without spending Microsoft Surface money. She has been using Wacom here and there and wants to get one, I don't care as long as I can practice, she can do her thing once I'm done and we don't spend hundreds of dollars. Y'all have experience with tablets that can do all those things?

Hey! Does anyone know where I can find a copy of The Loophole in LSAT Logical Reasoning? I ordered a copy on amazon, but it won't ship until the end of September/ beginning of October. Please let me know, If you guys know of any book stores in NYC or online that sells it. Thanks in advance!

I have been pting around a 155/156 for the last few weeks. My goal is a 157+ and I am taking it in October and November.

My breakdown from yesterday:

LR: 14/25

LR: 19/26

LG: 21/23

RC: 14/26

So at this point I am trying to close the gap on my LR sections and bring up RC. I typically struggle with SA questions and flaw. If I could get that RC score up and close the gap in LR I would be golden. Any tips on how to get those scores up and stay consistent? I have gone through the CC and I typically drill weak spots, do timed sections, and about one 5 section PT a week. I would love to be PTing at a 160 so I can have some wiggle room come test day.

Thanks so much!

I am having trouble brainstorming for writing a diversity statement. I have definitely had experiences that have given me a unique lens, as well as equip me to view issues differently than others. The main 2 that come to mind are my summers volunteering at a camp for children with autism, and overcoming a serious eating disorder. Both give me a lot to write about, but I am unsure if understanding others who have mental disabilities or speaking about my own mental "illness" struggle would be wise.

Are these topics that do not warrant a diversity statement, or that are not along the lines of what diversity means to most law programs?

It took over 2 years, but after all the blood, sweat, and tears, it's really encouraging. Huge thanks to this great community. Hope the momentum will continue into test day next week!

Hey everyone,

So, I have been in my PT phase for a couple months now, and realize that LG is my worst section. It's weird to realize that, given it is generally the easiest section to improve on. I vary widely in my performance (sometimes missing 2 or 3, sometimes up to 10 or 11). If I could be consistently scoring -2 or 3, my scores would be meeting what I am looking to get on the real test. I've tried a lot up to this point (buying every released PT and fool proofing games by PT, going through all of the core curriculum, revisiting games that gave me trouble, etc.). Does anyone have any specific study schedules they took on to improve their LG section? Should I stop PTing and focus on games exclusively for a couple weeks? I don't want to lose "proficiency" in the other sections... I know it's silly to be complaining about the most learnable section of the test, but if anyone has been where I am and has gotten their LG misses to be more consistent, I would greatly appreciate advice.

Hi,

I'm not entirely sure why but I seem to come across a mental roadblock when it comes to taking full-length practice tests. I schedule them for Saturday afternoons, but then I find myself pushing them off week after week. I just always feel really under-prepared for them, regardless of how much I actually studied. I also don't really know where I stand right now in terms of my score, although I would guess in the low 160s, based on timed,35-min sections.

I think I might be scared to face my timed score at this point in my studies. I've been studying for over a year and I have a pretty strong grasp of the fundamentals. However, I find myself wanting to give up before even sitting down to take a full practice exam.

How do I get over this fear? Do you guys have tips/tricks for this kind of thing?

Any help would be most appreciated, thank you.

Hi folks, on my past two PTs I met, then exceeded, my target score. For context, I got a 173 on the first and a 175 on the second, both taken under realistic conditions. This increase comes after a plateau at around 169. Clearly, these two data points are not, by themselves, evidence for any change of timing. I have been planning to take around January. However, I can take quite a few PTs between now and November. Should I consider trying to sign up for the November administration, taking 2 PTs a week up until then? Also for context, once I am done with the LSAT, I have to start preparing for the GRE. I would appreciate any input!