Wednesday, November 21, 2007

Countdown to the December 1, 2007 LSAT

You have 9 days to go before the December 1st LSAT. You have a lot riding on this, especially if this is your first time taking the exam and you're applying for Fall 2008 law school admission.
Some tips on how to handle yourself from now until the LSAT date:

1. Enjoy yourself on Thanksgiving Day. Be with family. Remember what is really important in life. Put things in perspective.

2. On Friday, get back to studying. You have one week left to make a difference.

3. This week, LSAT is your priority. Don't do anything else for your applications (other than sending in transcripts and arranging letters of rec).

4. Get lots of sleep and eat healthy foods.

5. Kick butt on Saturday during the LSAT.

6. On Sunday, grab some coffee, and get to work on your resume, personal statement, diversity statement or other optional essays, and start filling out the LSAC Common Application Form. Keep the process moving forward.

7. Continue this effort for about 2.5 weeks while you wait for your score. Then, solidify your schools list and submit those applications as they are ready.

If you would like help, support, coaching and advice through the law school admission process, please see my website.
Happy Thanksgiving!

5 comments:

  1. Excellent time line. I've been feeling the pressure to get a score to make me competitive for the schools I want to get into, and I feel I've overlooked the meaning of tomorrow. So yeah, I'll take a break from the studying tomorrow and enjoy hanging out with my family and friends. Believe it or not, I'm ready and eager to get on top of those applications, but first things first, gotta get my servings of LSAT prep time

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  2. Hi Anne:

    I have one question, before an LSAT exam, how much time should a someone dedicate to studying, if it's their very first time taking the LSAT?

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  3. Generally, 2-3 months of consistent preparation works for most people. You have to know yourself; if you usually take a while to catch onto things you have to give yourself more time. If you are a quick study - 6-8 weeks should give you time to reach your aptitude on the exam. It also depends how much time you have to dedicate between other commitments. But the worst thing to do is to take the LSAT with very little prep; this never turns out well.
    I hope this helps.

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  4. I took the december 1st LSAT in London (Eng). I had been in the hospital most of the week before the test and pressed for an AMA discharge so that I could write the test, because it was my last chance for Fall 2008 applications. I felt terrible the entire test, and had to leave during the fourth section managing to just make it to the bathroom before I threw up about a weeks worth of medication and antibiotics. Needless to say I dont think I performed that well. What are my options now? Should I cancel my score, or should I just hope for the best? Is there any way i can explain to the law schools I apply to what happened to justify a lower score than expected? And even if they take this into account, is it even close to enough to still be considered for a place? I'm really confused as to the best course of action to take.

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  5. First of all, I am so sorry that you're sick. It's important to keep priorities in order. There is no way that score is indicative of your abilities. So here are your choices (and the one that is right for you depends on your goals and other credentials and this is something I can work with you on as a consultant but is very hard to comment upon in a public forum):
    1. Cancel the score and take February, submitting applications to law schools before then so that at least they can be processed even if they won't be reviewed before your score arrives. Buffer the impact of applying late by choosing additional safety schools.
    2. Keep the score and explain it away, but keep in mind no one is going to add 10 points to your LSAT just because they felt sorry for you being sick.
    3. Wait and take the LSAT in February or June and apply for schools that have January 2009 admission or wait for Fall 2009.

    The right answer (and there are other combinations of decisions you could make in addition to these three) depends on the schools you were hoping to attend and your other credentials. I'd be happy to work with you on this - I can be reached through skype at ann k. levine or by email at lawschoolexpert at cox.net

    I hope you feel better very soon.

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