Hello everyone!

I am a foreign attorney and since I'm planning to live in the States, I want to have a J.D. My dream is to go to a Top 15 Law School, but since I don't know if I'll be able to get the score (My highest score was 164 this week, but I've been averaging 161 the past month), I have considered applying to both LLMs (in which LSAT is not required) and JDs. That way my chances of being admitted to a top 15 would increase. But lately, I've been having serious doubts and I would like to hear other opinions regarding the following options:

-Would it be better to have a Master's from a really good school like Harvard or Yale and then transfer to another school (not every school accepts LLM to JD transfers), or would it be better to be admitted to a top 25 school JD program, and then trying to transfer on the 2L to an even better school?

-Do you think that it would be counterproductive to apply to both the LLM and JD program within the same school? Let's take for example Columbia, which is my dream school. In case I don't get admitted to a JD program, I could still get admitted to the LLM. But I am afraid that the admissions council would think that I am just applying in a "volume" format, trying to send as many applications as I can or that they might say "Well he has a good JD profile, but he would definitely be a better fit to our LLM program".

Does anyone know someone that has applied to both programs?

Since I am planning to spend a lot of money on application fees (crying), I really want to make the correct decision. Moreover, the deadline for the LLM programs is December 15th, which means that I won't have my LSAT score by then.

Please feel free to comment and share your thoughts since I am really looking for help!

Hello,

Just wondering, is it too late to the February LSAT for fall applications. Most schools I have chosen, have deadlines starting in March. Thank you in advance for your feedback.

So I finally got my nerve up to do blind review on the September LSAT, aka PT 82.

I got a 179, after a pretty lax review.

I made at least 5 mind-numbingly obvious mistakes, including one that I definitely just mis-bubbled.

I want to punch a wall. I could have reached Everest!!!! Aaaaaaaah!

Trying to spin this into, "in december, I won't make dumb mistakes, and I'll crush it!" But it's gonna take a minute.

Sorry for ranting, hope maybe anybody else in the same/similar situation can take comfort in knowing you're not alone! Next time friends!!!

So since the September scores came out I've tried my very best to keep a positive outlook and mentality. I took a few timed sections and did fairly well (-2/-4 LR, -0 LG, -1 RC) but in the back of my head I can't shake the feeling of that just being a fluke. I feel like I'm somehow cheating myself and that those scores are not really representative of my ability. I justify it by looking at my September results (-13 LR, -0 LG, -7 RC).

I tend to be someone who likes to offer motivation and to be encouraging to others. A lot of the time I'm even able to internalize it myself. But lately that's just not happening.

I now feel like T-14 is not possible for me. As someone with a crap GPA and an LSAT that doesn't impress, I'm just not going to get into the schools I want to. I KNOW I am capable of being successful in law school. I KNOW I could handle a T-14 and their work load. I just feel extremely restricted by my past and have no way of expressing that to these schools in any meaningful manner.

While I understand that a 163 is not a score to laugh at, a 163 coupled with a 2.7 cumulative gpa pushes me really far down the ladder of schools who will consider me. Even with a compelling story (4 years in the Marine Corps, 70 credits of 4.0 after the Marine Corps) I feel there is nothing I can do to make up for my discretion when I was 18/19 other than a high LSAT.

I know no one likes to hear people complain. I know I'm not the only one in a situation like this. I know I need to suck it up and be positive. I just can't seem to flip that switch right now.

I am sorry for the long post. When I try to talk to people in my life about this all, they just don't understand. I'll try not to be too much of a negative Nancy in the community...I just need to get this off my chest.

If I choose to upgrade to the ultimate+ course will I have access to video explanations of all the PT's RC questions as well as LG questions? I hate only being able to see the explanations of the games. From the list of what the higher package says it sounds like it does but wanted to be absolutely sure before dropping another $400 bucks.

Hey All,

If my graduating GPA was a [] and I received summa cum laude at graduation, but my LSAC GPA is a [] (darn you high school college courses...and I also transferred from a university where my GPA was a bit lower), should I indicate summa cum laude on my resume? I'm having a hard time figuring out how to present my GPA in general, considering the drastic difference between my graduating GPA and my LSAC GPA...Should I indicate both? I was originally planning on leaving my GPA off, considering they have my transcripts, but 7Sage's admissions course recommends adding your GPA unless your GPA is horrendous.

Thanks.

Hi

Can anyone tell me why this question " the reasoning above is questionable because it fails to exclude the possibility that." is not "fails to include"? Doesn't "fails to exclude" imply that the reasoning included such idea, and by doing to, the logic fails?

I thought the reasoning was flawed, because the possibility was not considered in which case the question stem should read "fail to include".

https://classic.7sage.com/lsat_explanations/lsat-31-section-2-question-18/

Hey everyone,

I know I posted something like this a few days after the LSAT scores were released but I've come to realize that at that point I didn't mean it. I'm not sure if this serves any particular purpose but hopefully someone who reads this finds themselves in a similar scenario and it looking for a comparative experience.

Just as some background for those of you who didn't see that previous post, I received a 165 on the September LSAT and was devastated. I had been PT'ing in the low 170's and seeing a 165 in that email was gut wrenching. After initially opening the email, my first instinct was to criticize the test and the perhaps undue worth that applications officers give it. I mistook that anger for fuel and claimed to have rededicated myself to studying. However, over the last few weeks I have done some LG, taken a PT which I got a 169 on, and reveled in my anger. Over that time, I have come to the realization that even if the LSAT is overvalued and there are issues with the test, it is what it is. I realized that I had practiced "willful ignorance" leading up to the September test. The margin of error between the 170's and 160's is so slim that I had been getting lucky on the questions that pushed my scores into the 170's. With that being the case: I need to get better at timing my RC, start filming my PT's for insight, get more consistent with LG in order to go -0 consistently, and hold myself to a higher standard on BR. Criticizing the test gets us nowhere, bettering my own skills will.

So for those of you who underperformed your expectations, take some time and face the hard truth. The score is what the score is. The LSAT is what the LSAT is. You can either chose to criticize circumstances, or work to change them for December. Below are some quotes that I've been reading over from my Bartlett's book the past few days and if you've gained nothing else from my ramblings, maybe these will make your attention worth it. Good luck to everyone and their studies.

“Many of life's failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up.” -Thomas Edison

“Never confuse a single defeat with a final defeat." -F. Scott Fitzgerald

“If you fell down yesterday, stand up today.” -H. G. Wells

Has anyone had luck studying while working out - particularly doing cardio? I've tried drilling while on the treadmill but find it tough to write steadily. Any ideas/suggestions on other ways to be productive while at the gym?

I still don't understand how to do NA questions. I'm having a lot of trouble with this. I've watched the videos but for some reason it's still not clicking. Is there any advice or different approach that I can take for this type of question? Thank you!

Studying all day, everyday at this point. Been using Kaplan, Blueprint and 7Sage methods. Anyone in LA area?

Hi 7sage after a year away! I was going to apply last year but a few big things took me away from the process & I'm coming back for this year.

I'd love to swap PSs for a peer review with someone else returning after significant time away (>7 years.) I'm in my mid-30s and my PS is necessarily covering why do this now; I'm curious to know how you are handling it and also curious how you're efficiently summarizing your road to date.

Anybody? Let's do this!

Hey guys, I wanted to hear the general opinion on explaining medically backed semester drops. I had to withdraw from an entire semester, but my G.P.A was unaffected because of documentation. On my transcript, it clearly states that the semester in question was a medical drop, but I was wondering if it would be necessary for me to disclose why the drop occurred. Thanks in advance!

Hey guys! Two questions.

I am going to take the test in December, which coming up pretty quickly. My timed tests are consistently at 160 and my BRs are 166-170.

Would I be able to make my BR score a reality in two months?

Also, I am currently doing two PTs a week and BRs between the two, but I have trouble concentrating when doing BR and so even just the two days between the two PTs feels like it's not enough time for me to learn much.

Should I switch to doing only one PT a week and spend the rest of the week with BR?

I just can't even understand what this question is saying, let alone understand the logic underneath it. Can someone shed some light as to what makes this stimulus so hard to understand?

If someone can really break this down that would be awesome...like a total ELI5 (explain like I'm 5)

https://classic.7sage.com/lsat_explanations/lsat-35-section-4-question-20/

As title. Am I allowed to use the Core Curriculum as I'm going through my BR?

Hello everyone,

I'm struggling a bit with this question. It is a Necessary Assumption question, and when I read it, I thought I had identified the assumption. I thought "To be considered a planet, a celestial body could not have formed in orbit around another planet". The question that seemed must appropriate was E, which stated kind of the same but worded out differently (And it was actually the correct answer). What threw me off about E was the last part of the AC "It must have formed around the sun exclusively". The stimulus never refers to he sun, nor to this solar system specifically. It just says "Pluto is not a Planet, because it formed around Neptune". Maybe, if the AC said "for a celestial body to me considered a true planet within our solar system, it must have formed in orbit around the sun exclusively", it would've made more sense to me. What threw me off is that there could be other unknown ways in which a celestial body is formed in other solar systems that do not involve "the sun" (taken that "the sun" is exclusively the only star that is within our solar system and not other stars). What if a celestial body in another solar system also is considered a planet because it was formed in orbit around their star/sun? Then that celestial body would not be considered a planet according to answer choice E.

Any help is appreciated!

https://classic.7sage.com/lsat_explanations/lsat-66-section-4-question-17/

This is an emotionally-charged topic that has sometimes led to threads being closed by @"Dillon A. Wright" but there's a great article in the New Yorker about the topic. https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2017/10/09/the-limits-of-diversity Highly recommended for anyone interested. I think it could actually be made into a really good RC passage.

I have 2 degrees, in Art and History and I did well in both. I am absolutely the worst on both types of passages in the RC. Literature throws me sometimes, but not as consistently as the former. I know that bringing past knowledge can sometimes screw with you in answering the questions, but even topics I have no previous particular study, I still can't seem to grasp what they are asking me. I was wondering if there was any outside study guides anybody used that really helped them get a grasp on these types of passages? I am getting -0 on law and science passages, but blowing my score with -3 (timed) or worse on the passages I would've thought I would do well.

Does anyone know if law schools can see when you've opened their applications? I am wondering if opening and beginning to fill the applications out would affect my chances of receiving a fee waiver from those schools, as they might already consider the fee a guarantee from you based on the interest demonstrated from beginning the application. Money is tight for me right now, but I feel embarrassed to email schools to ask if I would qualify for one of their waivers. I've received some merit fee waivers already. I'd appreciate any advice about how to go about requesting them if I should.

Hi Guys!

I currently drilling Games and as per JY's advice I've printed out multiple clean copies. I was wondering if anyone has any advice on how I should space out doing a game.

I find that I have trouble on a game the first time but after watching the explanation its crystal clear and when I do it again I get great timing and 0 wrong. Should I keep doing the game multiple times in a day and then move onto another one or should I do it until I feel confident and revisit it in a few days and see if I'm consistent?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated!!

In questions such as these "the author implies that paintings with religious subjects included buildings bc..." or "the author suggests that Venetian paintings were painted by authors who..." or "which of the following can be inferred from the passage about pumps that are currently available" or "it can be inferred that most legal scholars would agree"

I consistently find them more difficult and get them wrong more often than not... does anyone have any tips on how to tackle these questions? Should I be treating them like another kind question type?

Thanks!!

I'm going to be the 9,000th person to post this thread on 7sage, so I'll cut to the chase. Here are my stats: 3.78 LSAC GPA, 166 LSAT (first take), solid PS, and (what I'm assuming will be) great LoRs since I'm so close to these professors because of all the work I did with them in undergrad that I'd call them friends. I'm 26 and have been out of college for going on four years. My average LSAT score is a 169 and the errors I made on the September test were almost exclusively due to test-day stress and strategic fumbles. It's a bummer that my score is below my personal average, but I am confident that buckling down on procedure and timing (coupled with the comfort of my first score being a good one) can boost my score in December.

So here's the issue. My PS is good, I'm happy with it, and I think it sends an important message about me. The editorial work I do professionally is freelance and the furthest thing from earth-shattering, but the flexibility has made it possible to commit my time to the LSAT for the past year. I have led a pretty ordinary, comfortable life, so that paired with my lackluster work life has made me pretty attached to this statement/terrified of what in the actual hell I'd write about if I had to reapply to my target schools, which are Cornell and Georgetown. Everyone around me is saying "just apply to Cornell and GULC this cycle super early and then reapply if you need to." I could realistically get my applications out by the end of this week (10/20), but again, the thought of writing an entirely new personal statement if I need to reapply is giving me nightmares. My gut is telling me that I should just wait until even earlier next cycle, much as it pains me to do so. Essentially, as most other people who post this sort of thread, I'm probably just looking for validation that waiting is the smarter thing to do here. That said, any and all thoughts are welcome. Thanks!

Hey Guys, anyone able to help me understand this question?

I interpreted it as:

Terry: WDJ (want decent job) --> C (go to College)

Mark: it is not the case that WDJ --> C. there are other reasons for wanting to go to college than wanting a good job.

So you can translate Marks statement into: WDJ some C.

I have no idea what answer choice is right, though i initially thought B. So lost with this one.

Thanks in advance!

Hey all,

I just went over the September 2017 exam and realized how many silly mistakes I made. Out of the 11 LR questions I missed, I really should not have missed 7 of them. In RC, I shouldn't have missed 3 - they were all super easy in hindsight. Over the past few months I've been thinking of what I did wrong on and leading up to test day, and I thought I'd post the biggest mistakes I made in hopes someone might learn from them (including me :) )

1. Being a night owl, but waking up early.

For the last two weeks leading up to the exam, I forced myself to wake up at around ~6am every day, eat breakfast, get ready to take a PrepTest by 8:30am. Thing is, I'm definitely a night owl, and I never really got used to waking up early. Additionally, when school started to really hit (I'm a senior in undergrad), I wasn't going to bed till 11 or 12am, yet I was still waking up at 6am because I felt I had to condition myself.

All this ended up doing was making me really tired all the time. I was averaging 4-5 cups of coffee a day, and consequently I definitely did not feel 100% on test day. I think you should condition yourself, but don't be uncompromising in it. As in, if you are lacking sleep, get sleep!

2. My no-burnout strategy backfired.

Everyone told me not to do a PT a day, so I thought - I'll just do a PT every other day leading up to the exam! Guess what. Still burns you out. I did that for the last two weeks leading up to exam week - I think I was still burnt out come test day.

3. I got to the test center too early.

I was really paranoid I would be late to the test center on test day. Consequently, I woke up at around 5am that morning - had my coffee, ate breakfast, and got to the testing center by 6:30/7am. Unfortunately, we didn't actually start the exam until ~10:15 - 10:30. So while others had only been awake for 2/3 hours, I'd already been up for 5!

4. I was a chatty-Cathy before the test.

Okay, this is a bit embarrassing to admit, but I met this girl who got to the testing center as early as I did. We talked for like the whole 3 hours straight leading up to the exam. It was amazing. It was like a movie - two starcrossed lawyers find eachother during the LSAT - like some kinda rom-com. We talked about our goals, our life ambitions, our childhoods, everything!

But all that talking actually wore me out, leaving me tired before we even started taking the exam. I think before the exam, you should try to hone your mind. Focus, get in a zen-state if you will (some 7sager talked about meditating beforehand).

5. I overdid it on the caffeine.

As soon as I woke up, I had a breakfast with a coffee. Then when I got to the testing center, I started sipping on a 5-hour energy. This left me jittery and nervous through the exam, especially at the beginning, and compounded the effect of #6...

6. I flipped shit at the experimental section.

I actually started crying. I had experimental RC, and it was all going really well! The first three passages seemed really easy, and in fact they all were about topics I'm well-versed in. But, before I even got to the last passage, the proctor called 5 minutes. I started tearing up right there and then. All the hard work and studying leading up to the exam felt like it went down the drain. It would be 7-8 questions I would miss automatically, kissing my 170 goodbye. I carried that defeated feeling through the rest of the exam, and it showed.

7. I threw the strategies out the window and tried to mind-muscle my way through.

Being distraught about the experimental section, I just lost all grasp of the strategies. I wasn't even diagramming logical chains for inference questions. Simple contrapositive answers felt like a foreign language instead of ez pz lemon squeezy. I forgot the distinction between necessary and sufficient assumptions. I wasn't identifying the conclusions, I wasn't rephrasing referential phrases. Nerves got to me and I threw all techniques out the window.

I still ended up getting a 167 on the exam, but that was 6 points lower than what I had averaged in previous PTs. I hope you all can learn from my mistakes, as I hope I will come the December test. I think bottom line is you have to find what works best for you. A lot of people were pushing me to wake up early all the time, and it didn't pay off. I let nerves get the best of me and I didn't follow J.Y.'s wisdom.

But December 2 is a new day, and I'm hoping to kill it :)