Episode 72: For Whom the LSAC Screws

Thinking LSAT

Nathan Fox and Ben Olson

Education

4.8 • 868 Ratings

🗓️ 21 October 2016

⏱️ 94 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

A quick update on the last episode’s story of the student who went one second overtime on his test day Writing Sample. The LSAC’s characteristically cagey response to him leaves us plenty of room for speculation. (1:00)

Two listener emails describe separate but nearly identical issues with their proctors from the September LSAT. Each student took the test with accommodations and neither was allowed by their proctor to take the fifth section of the test. This administrator error led to their scores being canceled by the LSAC. Hear our response to what the LSAC is offering these students for their trouble. (3:40)

Rebecca, a wife, mother, and law school hopeful, is quite embedded in her community. She is applying to the law school closest to her home, however she is worried that the program won’t offer her a scholarship because it is clear she means to stay in the area. We discuss the pros and cons of her community involvement to her application and encourage her to also consider programs further away. (15:30)

Spicoli asks the dudes for advice on writing his personal statement and whether or not he should write about the specific type of law he wants to practice. Surfboard law, perhaps? Ben recommends making an audio recording before putting pen to paper, while Nathan suggests the Ernest Hemingway method- have two drinks then get to writing! (24:40)

High school senior Jimbo is a high-achieving student who is looking at a dual program that would allow him to complete his undergrad and law school in only six years total. We question the huge commitment this would be for someone in his position and suggest other options for Jimbo, ranging from Alaskan metalsmith apprenticeship to just going to college and trying out a variety of classes. (44:20)

We work on two Logical Reasoning questions from the June 2007 LSAT. To play at home just download the free test, work through Section 3, Questions #6 and #7, and listen in as we discuss each problem in detail. (55:00)

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Transcript

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0:00.0	Hello and welcome to episode 72 of the Thinking El-Sat podcast in Los Angeles.
0:13.6	I'm Nathan Fox with me in Washington, D.C.
0:16.9	Ben Olson.
0:17.5	Ben, how you doing?
0:18.6	Doing good.
0:19.7	Thanks for doing today's show an hour earlier than normal.
0:23.7	Hope that didn't put you in traffic or anything like that.
0:26.7	No, it's noon here so it's a great time to come in.
0:30.4	Perfect.
0:32.4	On today's show we have a whole bunch of letters from
0:37.0	listeners. We have some logical reasoning from the June 2007 test and we have I maybe we could start Ben you have an update on
0:49.1	That student of yours who went over on the writing sample. I was speculating last time that they might end up getting
0:57.0	their entire score canceled, which would be ridiculous, but do you know what happened?
1:01.8	So I don't know the final outcome but I did think that this
1:05.3	update was somewhat humorous given Elsacks I don't know tendencies to be very unclear and skittish I guess about how it
1:17.8	communicates with students but basically he wrote them and said hey look I got a violation in relation to the writing sample which has no effect
1:27.8	on my score.
1:30.1	So I was hoping that the violation might not be associated with the score directly but either removed or noted some other way.
1:40.0	You know he was trying his best to get the asterisk removed or whatever and they
1:47.4	actually wrote back a couple emails to his original argument saying that quote you might or might not
1:58.4	get a letter from us explaining what we'll do. So, I thought that was funny.
2:05.0	Then he did get a letter, he ended up getting a letter a couple weeks later,
	...

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