Frustration?

TheDesertGrandfather

Hi everyone:)

I probably wouldn't be comfortable posting this in any other forum but....everyone in here has been so kind to me thus far so, I figure I can be a little annoying haha!! In my previous post I mentioned that i'm not done my UG but I suspect my GPA should be about 3.8-3.85. I'm not exactly a natural at the LSAT however (137 diagnostic lol). I find myself being someone who tends to easily get frustrated with intellectual work sometimes. I always give it my all nonetheless and I like to think I do good work, but because studying for the LSAT will presumably be frustration beyond frustration (at times anyways), does anyone have any advice on how to manage the frustration and discouragement that I assume comes with months of studying for something and only seeing gradual improvement haha?

Thanks everyone!

cm214998

You just need to keep on pushing along. If the LSAT were easy, everyone would get a 170, 172, etc., but it's not, which makes it very challenging. I know I've experienced that frustration before. It's part of the whole experience. You need to humble yourself to the test and realize that you have a lot to learn, and that the LSAT has a lot to teach you. To be honest, although the LSAT is test for law school applications, I think it's more of a test of character. That's why those who can't manage to humble themselves, ultimately will not master the test. So just realize that and keep working, no matter how long it takes. You'll get there eventually.

Sami

Hi : )

So, people usually describe me as super energetic and someone who does not get frustrated or angry for anything. But after 5 months of studying for LSAT I have to say I have actually lately been frustrated and stressed. And I do think this has started to reflect in my scores and just everything I do. Even work.

So I am starting a few things which I have heard around from sages and other people:

1. Meditate: this helps people just relax and get calmer and focused. I have downloaded Headspace, which is an ios app to help with guided meditation. But I read great reviews about "Calm" as well. @bjphillips5 can probably answer more questions about that.

2. Have a schedule: I like to plan my next day out in advance and I have recently started to set reminders for me to help me with that. This helps with my stress because it doesn't let me waste time and makes me feel like I have something to rely on. Over all, using me day effectively does make me feel happy at the end of day.

3. Take breaks: Have an hour a day for yourself. Watch movies, hang out with friends, play with your dog, go for a run. This is my reward for having an effective LSAT day. Moreover if you study effectively, you tend to enjoy that hour more without guilt : )

4. Make friends: 7sage offers BR calls and discord and the forum as well to post questions. Having likeminded friends who are motivated and on the same journey can be so very very therapeutic. They are likely to understand where you have issues and help you. Studying for LSAT can be a very lonely process, so its always nice to have people who understand what you are going through

5. Be Kind to yourself: I don't think anybody has stated this directly but I think, we tend to be very very critical of ourselves. If we miss anything in our schedule, or get something wrong, or don't score where we want to, we tend to have issues in self-confidence and think a lot of awful things about who we are and our intelligence. I think I have started to learn to extend the kindness I offer to others to myself as well. Now when I don't wake up at the time I had planned to study, instead of being stressed I see it as an opportunity to learn about my sleeping habits and also as a practice at self control; for example maybe the reason I couldn't wake up to study early was because I didn't go to bed early. Each mistake is another chance to learn about myself and get better. When I don't score where I want to, I have started to say, " Oh well, this is my chance to learn more about myself and logic". I really believe LSAT is teaching me new ways of how to love myself, this lsat journey, and a lot of patience with myself.

I hope you don't get frustrated in your lsat studies but if you do, know that we all go through with this and the important thing is to "just keep swimming"

https://68.media.tumblr.com/2c247bfb15a93c1c384338aac7192096/tumblr_n42ext7qd31sial0xo1_500.gif

DEC_LSAT

@cm214998 said:
You just need to keep on pushing along.

simple and effective. that is all you can do.

wilderness

I was in a similar boat to you. I attended one of those top-10 colleges with a <9% acceptance rate. I got two questions wrong on my SAT, and perfect scores on math and writing. I got a 156 on my first diagnostic.

This was incredibly heartbreaking for me. Confidence wise, I felt shattered. <i>Damn, I thought to myself, all my life I considered myself the naturally smart kid. What gives?
The thing about the LSAT is that it is incredibly humbling. You need a little bit of natural intelligence and work ethic to really succeed on the test. In my opinion, neither on their own is sufficient to give you a 170+. Hell, maybe there are some LG geniuses out there that defy my theory, but I haven't found that to be the case for me.

I decided to dedicate myself to studying for the LSAT with 7sage. Previously, I'd tried both Powerscore and Blueprint. Neither really worked for me. The biggest hurdle for me was getting over the sense that if I fucked up on the LSAT, I was a failure.

Unfortunately, the only way to improve is to know just how much you need to improve by. You need to know your origin to understand how best to reach your destination. This is humbling, heart breaking, confidence shattering work. But it needs to be done. Because you need to face reality and move from there.

The LSAT is a bitch. There's no doubt about it. I've given my life over the past few months to this damn test, and it's negatively affected my social life, relationship (now ex relationship), etc. But I know that I want to be a lawyer. And I know that I will do whatever it takes to achieve that goal.

What helps me in terms of motivation is: (1) watching silly shows like Suits or The Grinder or Better Call Saul to remind me that this is something I WANT. Also (2) taking some time off from studying to remind myself that there's an outside world. Reconnecting with friends helps a lot. And of course (3) treating yourself.

This isn't easy. A lot of people/your peers won't understand why you're doing what you're doing... and they'll only be able to offer banal platitudes to cheer you up. At the end of the day though, if this is something you want, then go out there and get it.

Good luck!

DEC_LSAT

@wilderness said:
The LSAT is a bitch. There's no doubt about it. I've given my life over the past few months to this damn test, and it's negatively affected my social life, relationship (now ex relationship), etc.

i understand your struggle. sometimes ppl don't understand how much something means to you and they try to make you feel guilty for being focused on your goal. and they give you banal platitudes to cheer you up. keep pushing. we can do this, even if it's a lonely process!

Creasey LSAT

Saul pushes through adversity with a middle finger

Cant Get Right

I think it's worth the effort to try and enjoy studying for the LSAT. There are ways it can be really interesting. I started doing Logic Games in the morning when I drank my coffee. It was just like doing a crossword or sudoku or something. In RC, I really like to look up the topics I'm reading about.

[Edit: I suppose the rest of this post is a bit of a spoiler, so if you haven't taken PT 73; spoiler alert]

Today, I was breaking down a passage about a Victorian photographer and looked her up. Turned out, she had done some of the famous photos of Darwin- a fact that wasn't even mentioned in the RC passage. Some of her photos were really cool too, and I really saw what the author of the passage was talking about. Here's some of her work which I found most intriguing:
http://quod.lib.umich.edu/b/bulletin/images/07101_03-ic.jpg
http://www.atgetphotography.com/Images/Photos/JuliaMargaretCameron/cameron12.jpg
http://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/624/cpsprodpb/5B6F/production/_86870432_may_day_julia_margaret_cameron_1866.jpg
I love how the people in these photos are just so not having it. They're clearly miserable (and want you to be miserable too) and it makes for really intriguing portraits and scenes.

Little things like this can make the LSAT really interesting. You've just got to look for ways to enjoy it and then let it happen when you can.

Giant Panda

Am I frustrated? Hell yes I am. I am doing RC. While only missing maybe 1-2 questions on each passage, but that isn't 170+ level of performance isn't it?

And as always, I try to keep myself clam and carry on and let the previously learned knowledge to sink in. You have to somehow trust yourself and your brain. This thing does need a little bit amount of time to work itself out.

For example, remember when JY introduced all this group 1,2,3,4 stuff? I was so impressed that he could go over each words so quickly during his flashcard video. But so what? You just got started so hold your horses and calmly carry forward.

The best recommendation that I can give is that just look at the "next step" and that's it. I just finished Reading Comprehension Practice session 6, so the only thing that I am looking at is Reading Comprehension practice 7.

Keep clam and carry on. And you will get there.