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Advice for a Student Struggling with Consistent Studying and Stress
LSATWARRIOR
Member
Hey everyone! I am a relatively new user to 7Sage, and I was just hoping to vent some frustrations that I have had with my LSAT progress. Hopefully this is an appropriate forum for such things, and apologies if this post is overly long or disjointed. Throughout my entire LSAT experience, I have felt really alone because I did not have any close friends to get advice from and my school did not help me with any resources. And with there being such a saturation of LSAT prep services available on the market, it was hard for me to wade through it all and select a service. I began my LSAT journey last January, and have had a bit of an inconsistent time with studying since then. I started with the LSAT Trainer, which was recommended to me by a tutor that I reached out to, and I had a good experience working through this book. However, as I said, I did not follow the study schedule that the author Mike Kim recommended (I was working 20 hrs per week and taking an intensive course load), and so I didn’t get as much out of that as I would have liked. I finished the LSAT Trainer in June, and then felt like I was not where I wanted to be. I also made the mistake of taking practice tests untimed while I was reading the LSAT Trainer, which I realize is very stupid now, especially after learning about JY’s blind review method. After that, I looked for a new prep course and came across 7Sage. I also took about two months off to dedicate for job hunting, and when I eventually found a job I turned my focus back to the LSAT.
Now, it is August, and to be honest I was panicking. I felt like I had wasted the past months not taking preparation for the LSAT seriously, even though it means so much to me to go to a good law school. For reference, I have a 3.92 LSAC gpa and have good soft skills as well, but I have unfortunately warped the LSAT into a seemingly impossible mountain to climb, and this has really been negative for my confidence. I recently took a practice test and I got a 145 (with a 166 blind review), and this scared me as well. I feel like I've made every mistake in the book, but I am still determined to beat this test. And deep down I know that I can, but it will take a lot of hard work and WAY more consistent studying.
I have also found that it has been hard for me to stick to a regimented schedule in studying with 7Sage, and I’m not sure if this is the right prep service for me to continue with. This has been totally my fault, and I am not criticizing 7Sage at all as I think it is a wonderful service. I just think that I might benefit from a more structured course with face to face learning with an instructor, like with Blueprint or Princeton Review, even though I’ve heard horrid reviews of the latter. So I suppose my question is this: for someone who has been studying for the LSAT kind of on and off for some time, how did you finally pull the trigger and devote your energy and time to achieving your best possible score? And for people that have been in similar positions as me, how do you not let the stress overwhelm you and grind through the uncertainty? Finally, has anyone had any experience taking the Online Course with BluePrint? I realize this might not be the right place to ask as 7Sage is so popular for many students, but I would appreciate any advice. Perhaps the best thing for me to do is to power through 7Sage and be patient. Thank you!
Comments
My suggestion for you is to wait off this application cycle and apply next year. Since you already have a job (inferring from your mention of a job haunt), your resume won't make you look like you're exclusively studying for the LSAT in the meantime. With your GPA, a 170 LSAT score can get you almost anywhere, and it is very much possible. From now until June/July next year, your primary goals should be as follows (in order of priority):
1. Stay alive.
2. Don't get fired from your current job.
3. Studying for the LSAT.
I recommend that you go through the entire 7sage core curriculum (if you haven't already). After that, start doing PTs and work your way up. Ration them so you don't run out of fresh PTs before June. On days that you're not doing PTs, you should be drilling LG, re-doing past LR/RC questions you got wrong, and BR-ing (in case you didn't BR on the same day you took your PT).
On days that you're too stressed or tired, take a day off. Take a walk, play some video games, watch some Netflix, or go work out.
Register for the June LSAT (or an earlier one, if you feel like you're ready), and also the one in August so you have backup. I'm sure that by then, after months of repetition/studying, you'll get a much higher score.
If you're only taking away one thing from my comment, it is this: taking large amounts of PTs may not be sufficient for a high score, but it is absolutely necessary. And we're all in this together, including me. I'm taking the LSAT for the second time next week.
Good luck!
@ashen03 Thank you so much for your comment! At this point, I am not confident that finishing the core curriculum would be right for me as I have been trying to do so since early August (and struggled to progress through the lessons), and I think I might try going in a new direction and start a live online course with Blueprint that starts soon and ends in late December. I was also thinking that if this does not work out I can always come back to 7sage and go through the CC. Does this seem reasonable? Sorry if that's an impossible question lol
@ashen03 Also good luck to you as well! I hope you do really well on your retake
@LSATWARRIOR thanks! in my opinion it doesn't really matter which course/tutoring services you choose. what matters is that you stick with it and go through all the lessons systematically. they may sound boring and hard to understand at first, but they will make your life much much easier when you start to PT. This is especially true for LG.
7sage CC is going to require consistent dedication, but if you want to make this happen that is necessary anyway. I think you should find a group to study with. This advice applies regardless of who you choose to use as your study service, but real time accountability may be necessary for you. I do not mean a text partner that says "hey, study today" though there is nothing wrong with that, but people to either actually study with or to break down lessons after studying with. Look around on the forums. I'm biased because I love 7 sage and think it's the best there is, but that is definitely one of the things that is a huge bonus here. You can find a study buddy if you look. You can also sometimes find free tutors. I unfortunately have not had the time but many people take advantage of the great practice that tutoring gives in their preparation. Others just want to give back. Post some comments about both, check the study buddy and sherpa sections of the website, really try to make 7 sage's community work for you before you give up here.
Hey LSATWarrior!
First of all, I really appreciate your willingness to post about this. I think a lot of us (myself included) always want to put our best foot forward, and it's important to have a space to talk about some of our struggles.
I completely understand how hard it is to stick to a grind every single day... I think the #1 most important thing for motivation is to remember why you want to go to law school in the first place. For me, I just turned 30 and I realized that the thing I had worked really hard to achieve during all of my 20s wasn't satisfying to me anymore. I realized that I wanted be an advocate for others, and use my voice to create change. Through the study process, I'm constantly exposed to new ideas that keep me going. I love how much I'm reading these days, and how even in the few short months that I've been studying, I'm able to articulate my thoughts more clearly. It's exciting for me to think about becoming a really great writer. Whatever your reasons are, coming back to them can be really inspiring.
One thing that has helped me over the years is writing down weekly goals and daily schedules. Some weeks I'm better about it than others. (I'm definitely not perfect) But first, decide how much you want to accomplish in a week. (If you stick with 7Sage, a section of the CC, for example) Make it a reasonable and realistic amount. Then from there, set up a daily schedule for yourself to get there. Even if you don't stick to it every single day, it's still a helpful guideline and you'll probably accomplish more that way than if you didn't do it at all.
I think it is super crucial to find what works for you. We all have such different ways of learning. It's definitely not one size fits all, and it may take you a couple tries to figure out what really helps. I think the key is to recognize when something is not working for you. When I first decided to start studying, I bought the LSAT Trainer because I had heard it was a good tool and I didn't want to sink a lot of money into something that I wasn't sure I wanted to pursue. The LSAT Trainer didn't really do much for me. I realized at a certain point that it just wasn't in depth enough... it was a fantastic overview but it didn't provide the kind of nitty gritty detail that I needed. Mike Kim really advocates relying on your intuition, but sometimes people need more of a foundation to develop their intuition in the first place, before they can reliably fall back on it. So I actually didn't finish the last few chapters of the book, and I moved on. I'll probably return to them at some point, but for now I've moved on to stuff that works better for me. I personally like 7Sage. One reason is, even if I don't understand the way JY explains something, I know there will be at least one person in the comments who explains it in a way that I get. However, I completely understand the need to talk stuff out with someone and have that dialogue. Don't give up! Just keep searching until you find what works for you. If you don't feel like you have the LSAT support you need in your daily life, there are many people on 7Sage looking for the same kind of support. Getting a study buddy might be the answer for you.
Lastly... I completely get the confidence thing. It is SO important to remember that innate ability does not get you very far. It IS the hard work that matters. Keep grinding and don't give up. You mentioned that deep down you know that you can do it... remember that, even on days when it feels like such an impossible mountain to climb. Just the other day, I was literally sobbing on the phone with my boyfriend. He has absolutely zero studying experience for the LSAT (he's a comp sci guy), but his brain works in such a way that he gets, and I'm not kidding you, like 90% of the questions correct. (I joke that he is my part time tutor) I was frustrated because I felt in that moment like he was so much smarter than me, and I was never going to reach his level of understanding. But he very kindly reminded me that it's not a question of being smart. We all have areas where we excel, and areas where we struggle. But ALL of these skills are learnable. It is important to pinpoint exactly what you're good at, where you need to improve, and go from there. Accurate self-assessment is key.
This may sound super cheesy, but there is no timeline on your dreams! If you get into Law School and it's the right path for you, it won't matter if it's this year or the next, or even the one after that.
Anyway, sorry this was long winded... I hope it helps!
Hey! I'm in a somewhat similar position to you, regarding the inconsistent studying. I got the course back in March and only now am I seriously studying - aiming for the Feb 2021 exam. I am struggling with keeping up the 35 hour a week study schedule plus working a full-time 40 hour corporate job. Working from home is a blessing and curse. It gives me more time to study after work, but I feel like I'm glued to my computer for 13 hours a day which isn't healthy. For me, I think I hit a breakthrough when I realized that the only way I was gunna get this down was to suck it up and study. I am aiming to finish my 7sage CC by November and practice test until Feb. I would definitely recommend holding off on applying until next cycle, which is what I'm doing! I have a similar GPA as you and finished grad school this year but don't think I will be a strong candidate if I rush the LSAT and try to apply now. In terms of stress, I'm less stressed and more exhausted with my schedule and afraid of burnout/lack of motivation to continue. But I know that even if I don't take the Feb test, I have plenty of options before Fall 2021 applications open!!! Feel free to reach out to me if you wanna chat/help each other stay on the right track!
@sophiapoirier10 I greatly admire your dedication (really, I do not think I or most other people could do it) but I am concerned for your health studying like a full time job and working full time. My concerns are 1: don't burn out and 2: take some you time and at least rest your eyes. Not to sound patronizing, you know yourself best, but for me at least I will not be at my best if I am working 13 hours a day, especially in front of a screen for all of it. Sometimes a focused 2-3 hours is better than a tired 5 hours. Especially if it makes your affective filter go up. Mad respect, but take care of yourself too. If you are delaying a cycle you have time. Regardless, great work everyone and keep up the grind. I believe that you really can make it happen even if it is taking you longer than you hope. Make your dreams come true whether you continue here or elsewhere. Even if you do move elsewhere for your study materials you do still have access to the forums and message boards.
@VerdantZephyr Thank you for your response! I couldn't agree more - my biggest concern right now is burn out. And yes, sitting at a screen for 13 hours a day is just unhealthy. Luckily, I've been able to move through the Curriculum and problem sets quicker (not needing to watch all the explanation videos for Problem sets, etc.). I usually only do 2-3 hours a night thank goodness!! I have a good routine where I take a big break between work and studying. I really appreciate your kind words' it's so nice to interact with people in similar situations.
Ditto to all that has been said above! I wanted to emphasize your 145 actual and 166 BR score. That's AWESOME. Obviously this shows you have the skills, you just need to translate them to a timed exam, all which comes with timed practice over and over again. Don't forget to celebrate the little victories throughout this process -- they're little things to keep ya going.
And try not to compare yourself to others. This is something I've really struggled with throughout this entire process too, but just remember your law school journey is YOUR journey, no one else's. Hold yourself accountable and stay disciplined but remember to take care of your mental and physical health too. WE GOT THIS!
Hi there,
My name is Rob. I have a 3.92 GPA and I am PTing 150-160 with BR at 170+. I will be studying and prepping until my score is consistently over 170. I don't care about what cycle that puts me in.
I am looking for someone who really wants to succeed at the LSAT and wants to help me succeed.
If you are interested in a rigorous and concentrated approach with no B.S. allowed, I am in. I'd be happy to jump on the phone and talk or zoom to get more into details.
The study schedule that I can reasonably accommodate right now (through May 2021) is as follows:
Monday: Full Exam/Blind Review (3-5 hrs)
Tuesday: Single Section (30-45 min)
Wednesday: Single Section (30-45 min)
Thursday: Single Section (30-45 min)
Friday: Deep Review/Analysis (3-5 hours)
Saturday: Full Exam/Review (3-5 hrs)
Sunday: Review/Off (0-2 hrs)
I can foresee a "study buddy" relationship being as follows:
If you're interested, message me directly. I only want people who are SERIOUS about this.
Best,
Rob