The $50K Tuition Ceiling (Ep. 526)
Thinking LSAT
Nathan Fox and Ben Olson
4.6 • 886 Ratings
🗓️ 29 September 2025
⏱️ 98 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Santa Clara Law is offering every admitted student a $16,000 scholarship to align tuition with the new federal loan cap for law school borrowers. Ben and Nathan discuss whether loan caps can rein in skyrocketing tuition, share wisdom from a departing Demon user, unpack the University of Miami’s AI essay prompt, and offer reassurance to students stressed by LSAT scheduling woes.
0:26 - Santa Clara Scholarships
Nathan and Ben react to Santa Clara Law’s new PLEDGE scholarship, which effectively lowers tuition to just under the $50,000 federal loan cap. Borrowing limits are a step in the right direction for controlling law school costs.
24:04 - Tips from a Departing Demon
Demon student Abigail, who improved her LSAT from 159 to 176, offers a parting piece of advice: take breaks. She encourages students to let the material settle and give themselves time to recharge. Nathan and Ben highlight her success as proof that steady, balanced preparation works.
28:34 - University of Miami AI Essay Prompt
Demon teacher Beatriz highlights Miami Law’s unusual essay prompt that requires applicants to use generative AI. Nathan and Ben credit the school for recognizing AI’s growing role in lawyering and suggest other schools should follow suit.
36:06 - Scheduling Woes Strike Again
A Reddit user vents about not finding a time slot for the October LSAT. Nathan reassures students that LSAC always opens more seats.
38:21 - Letters of Recommendation
Two listeners ask for advice on letters of recommendation:
Morgan debates which supervisor to ask for a letter of recommendation. Ben and Nathan recommend choosing the one who knows Morgan best.
Abo wonders if decade-old letters of recommendation can still be used to apply to law schools. The guys advise Abo to get updated letters.
47:51 - “Should I Stay or School I Go?”
An engineer is considering law school. Ben and Nathan encourage him to research the opportunities that patent law offers, but suggest that staying in engineering might lead to better career outcomes.
57:21 - What’s the Deal with Detroit Mercy?
Ben and Nathan investigate Detroit Mercy Law, which just got ABA approval for a fully online JD program. The guys explore what this approval could mean for legal education. They dig into the school’s stats and highlight its Canadian–U.S. dual degree.
1:15:35 - Personal Statement Gong Show
Cody takes the stage on the Personal Statement Gong Show, chasing Sophia’s record of 34 lines.
1:33:39 - Word of the Week - Augur
“The obligation to exercise reasonable professional skill and judgment—under either constitution—does not encompass an obligation to augur an about-face by the United States Supreme Court.”
Get caught up with our Word of the Week library.
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | What are you getting? |
| 0:01.8 | Like, if you're paying that kind of money, you should be given spells that they get at, like, Hogwarts or something. |
| 0:15.8 | Hello and welcome to episode 526 of the Thinking ElSat podcast. |
| 0:19.9 | I'm Nathan Fox with me as Ben Olson. |
| 0:21.5 | We're the co-founders of ElsetDemon.com and the Elsat Demon Daily podcast. |
| 0:26.9 | First item on our agenda, Ben, Santa Clara made an announcement. |
| 0:31.8 | We have a news story here from Reuters, which means you know who it is that's writing the story. |
| 0:38.3 | Is that Karen Sloan? |
| 0:39.9 | Our most cited, yeah, journalist. |
| 0:42.7 | The only person who does any journalism in this area of legal education, Karen Sloan, |
| 0:49.5 | has written a story entitled, Facing Federal Loan Caps,.S. Law School to give $16,000 to all new students. |
| 1:01.0 | And the U.S. law school in question is Santa Clara University in Santa Clara, California. |
| 1:08.4 | Birthplace of Ben Olson. |
| 1:10.9 | Not quite the birthplace, but yeah, where I grew up. |
| 1:13.2 | Yeah. |
| 1:13.7 | I was born in Colorado. |
| 1:14.9 | Sorry. |
| 1:15.3 | Yeah. |
| 1:15.5 | Oh, I didn't know that. |
| 1:16.5 | Yeah, that's all right. |
| 1:17.6 | So, yeah, home of young Ben Olson, Santa Clara. |
| 1:22.2 | So, yeah, they're calling it the Pledge Scholarship. |
... |
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