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Audiobooks to help your RC

PacificoPacifico Alum Inactive ⭐
I know most people have a pretty hard time with RC and there are a host of issues going on. One issue that I think trips up a lot of people is familiarity. If you were an art history major who hates science, then that passage on chemistry is probably going to suck for you. The opposite is also true, as many of the writings on the humanities or law may be difficult for STEM experts. With all of the work everyone is putting in simply to go through the curriculum, learn the test, drill questions and do PTs, there isn't much time left to follow the common advice to read Science, Nature, The New Yorker, The Economist, etc. So what's an aspiring law student to do? One word: audiobooks. I searched the forum and couldn't find any mention of using them and so I thought I'd offer it as a possible solution for developing familiarity, and it won't even cost you a dime. A few months ago I got my first library card since I was a kid and started checking out a variety of audiobooks to listen to during my commute to work (~60-90 minutes roundtrip). While at first I grabbed whatever was new, or seemed to have an interesting premise, I eventually realized that I should use it to familiarize myself with areas I hadn't studied in a long time. I can't begin to say how much it has helped me on RC, as well as on a small handful of random LR questions that were a bit dense with scientific terminology. Simply passively listening to books on chemistry, cosmology, physics, etc. has helped me read scientific passages more easily, to the point that I now get somewhat excited when science passages come up whereas I used to slog through them. I find it is also much easier to read these passages once you have heard many of the words out loud rather than reading them on your own elsewhere and not knowing what they sound like for sure.

So in the interest of building this thread as a catalog of possible choices of audiobooks to go find at your local library, here are a few I have both enjoyed and found helpful so far:

The Disappearing Spoon And Other True Tales of Madness, Love, and the History of the World from the Periodic Table of the Elements by Sam Kean (very entertaining book about chemistry through the lens of the periodic table, he's also written a couple other books I'm going to hunt down since I like his writing/reading style, they're called The Tale of The Dueling Neurosurgeons, and The Violinist's Thumb)

A Brief History of Time by Stephen Hawking (pretty heady physics and cosmology for casual listening but generally it's amazing)

The Grand Design by Stephen Hawking (a much more accessible and more recent work)

I haven't done this yet but I want to do it before the end of this month, if you go to this link you can download oral arguments from the Supreme Court and then put them on your phone or MP3 player or a CD and then listen which should help with some of those dense law passages we encounter: http://www.supremecourt.gov/oral_arguments/argument_audio.aspx

If anyone has any other audiobooks or other audio resources to suggest just post them here and I'll add them to this list so everyone can find a quick and consolidated list to help save time while passively learning new things. Good luck everyone and I hope this helps y'all in your prep!

Comments

  • Dr. YamataDr. Yamata Member Inactive ⭐
    578 karma
    Oh definitely.. things "sink in" subconsciously when you listen to them. I won't go to the gym or for a jog now without doing a few games and then looping the video explanations of them.
  • LSATman1LSATman1 Alum Member
    386 karma
    I've started making a list of common terms used in science, law, art, literature, etc. and their definitions to improve my RC. Whenever I see a commonly used term on an RC passage or article from Scientific American or the Economist that I don't understand, I add it to the list. This has helped me understand basic biology concepts better, which is important since many passages and LR questions often deal with biological concepts and because I haven't taken a biology course since high school.
  • PacificoPacifico Alum Inactive ⭐
    8021 karma
    @LSATman1 I think that's a great idea, and I'd encourage you to share it with the community if you ever get the chance. I'm sure there are plenty of people out there that could benefit from that kind of approach.
  • LSATman1LSATman1 Alum Member
    386 karma
    @Pacifico Definitely. I just started it a few weeks ago, and it is in pretty rough form right now. Once it is more polished and I have more terms, I can share it
  • nicole.hopkinsnicole.hopkins Inactive Sage Inactive ⭐
    7965 karma
    @Pacifico said:
    If anyone has any other audiobooks or other audio resources to suggest just post them here and I'll add them to this list so everyone can find a quick and consolidated list to help save time while passively learning new things. Good luck everyone and I hope this helps y'all in your prep!

    I listen to law podcasts, but also check out PocketJustice. It's an app and has plenty of audio of SCOTUS opinions etc. which can be streamed or downloaded.
  • lpadr009lpadr009 Free Trial Member
    379 karma
    this is awesome
  • bruno.dalsantobruno.dalsanto Alum Member
    edited August 2015 94 karma
    This is an old thread I found
    http://7sage.com/discussion/#/discussion/417/helpful-outside-resources-for-the-lsat
    where JY gave suggestions of great audiobooks and other people also added their favorites. I have been listening to it since then and really helps me a lot in both LR and RC. Thank you @Pacifico for starting this thread, outside resources can be very valuable especially if you have more time to study for the LSAT.
  • harrismeganharrismegan Member
    2074 karma
    oooo, law podcasts are a good idea.
    Do you have any suggestions for Humanities/Social Sciences/Law?
  • PacificoPacifico Alum Inactive ⭐
    8021 karma
    iSCOTUSnow and pocket justice are both good options in the App Store if you have any apple products... I am sure there are some similar offerings for android and others.
  • g1oriaaag1oriaaa Alum Member
    31 karma
    just saw this post. Best thing ever and will be trying. thank you!
  • twssmithtwssmith Alum
    5120 karma
    @g1oriaaa thanks for finding this:)
  • AtcolsatAtcolsat Free Trial Member
    22 karma
    Harry Potter
  • PacificoPacifico Alum Inactive ⭐
    8021 karma
    "The Laziest Troll" by Deepak Chopra
  • DumbHollywoodActorDumbHollywoodActor Alum Inactive ⭐
    7468 karma
    3 Billy Goats Gruff
  • noobie1noobie1 Member
    266 karma
    I don't mean to nitpick but I can't imagine the average LSAT student benefiting from reading Science or Nature. The articles in those journals are impossible to understand unless you have prior knowledge of the subject.
  • The AviatorThe Aviator Member
    69 karma
    Just want to share a source to listen to great debates between college professors, lawyers, and researchers.
    http://intelligencesquaredus.org/debates/past-debates
    Their arguments are just awesome. What's better is that you can listen to them through Soundcloud app on your smartphone, and they seem don't cost much of your data plan... Perfect listening materials for people who have long commute each day.
  • stepharizonastepharizona Alum Member
    3197 karma
    Nice! I am also a big fan of using accessibility features to read me my study notes or LSAT related books while driving.
  • Cant Get RightCant Get Right Yearly + Live Member Sage 🍌 7Sage Tutor
    27809 karma
    I particularly love audiobooks for nonfiction. I tried to read 'Rise and Fall of the Third Reich' for years and could never really get going. Put on the audiobook and burned through it in a month. Working on 'Decline and Fall of Roman Empire' now. 126 hours!
  • PacificoPacifico Alum Inactive ⭐
    8021 karma

    I'd definitely throw Sapiens on this list now.

  • jyarmojyarmo Alum Member
    350 karma

    Wow this is a brilliant idea... thank you thank you thank you. I have a 4 hour drive tomorrow and am dropping some things in my Audible cart right now.

  • hawaiihihawaiihi Free Trial Member
    973 karma

    @harrismegan said:
    oooo, law podcasts are a good idea.
    Do you have any suggestions for Humanities/Social Sciences/Law?

    I really like More Perfect (RadioLab's Supreme Court podcast). In terms of history, Hardcore History (while long) is really great––they're long, one person speaking (like reading a passage) and he uses a lot of quotes from historic figures as well. But it's also so entertaining and wonderful!

  • Do the right wayDo the right way Alum Member
    181 karma

    any suggestions for philosophy based podcast channels?

  • Frank JaegerFrank Jaeger Alum Member
    144 karma

    @"Do the right way" said:
    any suggestions for philosophy based podcast channels?

    "The Partially Examined Life" is worth a look.

  • Do the right wayDo the right way Alum Member
    181 karma

    @solidsnake Thanks for the suggestion.Appreciate your help :)

  • theknightsofwardtheknightsofward Alum Member
    edited April 2018 42 karma

    This is such great advice. I would recommend listening to (and reading) 19th century novels. Many classic 19th century authors like Dickens and Dostoevsky write in the kind of way that encourages your eyes to glaze over from information overload. You can get to the end of the page (or 5 minutes of listening) and ask yourself "What did I just read?" The sentence structures employed in the 19th century can be long and complex which makes them perfect for RC training. Listening to the stories on my commute gives me great PAY ATTENTION training. Plus reading/listening to classic novels gives my mind a break from thinking about the LSAT and my job. I am partial to Dostoevsky's Brothers Karamazov. It is an incredible story and great reading training.

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