LSAT's Transferable Skills

LSATHopeful-2

Hey Everyone,

I've been studying for the LSAT for about 2 and half months now and I had a question - one that I think a lot of people could benefit from. I understand that just by prepping for the LSAT one develops and betters their reasoning skills. Be this looking for inferences, analyzing arguments or formulating one's own strong arguments. Now the question remains - How does one apply this to school - specifically not law school programs.

I'm currently doing a double major in Politics and Philosophy so you can see the appeal of using the skills I learned here, in essays and class discussions. However, I'm a bit unsure of how to actually go about using these skills. To a degree I think I will unconsciously analyze things at a higher level, but really I want to consciously strengthen my work to get better grades.

I think this would apply more to essays and papers so - any ideas?

Ron Swanson

This is tough to gauge because everyone is different..but I'd definitely say that being good at the lsat will help you read more effectively, and understand what's important and what's extraneous information.

I was also a Poli Sci Major and in those courses there's tons and tons of reading you have to get through (just like law school). I think that training RC and LR helped me to just get through readings a lot easier, being able to just know what's important and what isn't. Let's face it..every page of every assigned reading isn't important. Your prof. is going to zero in on key passages and themes. I felt that my LSAT training helped me understand that easier/actually get something out of the readings instead of cramming last minute.

As far as writing papers/class discussions or debate..I'm not sure how exactly the LSAT would help you in a way you'd recognize

CalPoliSci

The LSAT helped me understand structure better, which in turn helped me write my papers more coherently. I am able to present my argument by including the appropriate premises, strengthening them, dissecting the kind of assumptions I'm making and then fleshing them out so my reader understands what I'm thinking.

Keep in mind the LSAT is purposely written to be tough to understand, and you don't want to write that way in real life whether in conversation or in papers. So in a way the LSAT is instructive on how to NOT write. One habit I have picked up is speaking more in negatives and even double negatives, as I've become more comfortable using them. But most people probably don't appreciate having to parse negative or double negative statements.

Ron Swanson

@CalPoliSci

Haha I definitely agree with the speaking weirdly thing. I sometimes mentally catch myself speaking in "lsat" language, or I'll recognize conditionals when I'm sending a text or something. Pretty crazy how we've trained our brains

LSATHopeful-2

@"Ron Swanson" I definitely think you're right about that. I'm excited to see how this semester of courses goes with that more 'pick-a-part' mindset. And @CalPoliSci - I was just thinking about that! Addressing any glaringly obvious assumptions will strengthen my argument overall. Thanks guys!