Times are changing in the world of law school admissions, with at least 23 institutions, including Harvard, Columbia, Cornell, and Georgetown now accepting GRE scores instead of, or alongside, the long-favored LSAT. What’s more, 25 percent of law schools are currently working on retooling their processes to accept the GRE.

Why the shift? According to administrators, GRE scores are predictive of a student’s success as a 1L and open the legal profession to students with a wider set of skills and backgrounds. The GRE is also offered in a computer format, almost every day of the year, in more than 1,000 places, while the LSAT is not nearly as accessible – it’s offered on paper only and can only be taken four times a year.

However, it’s unlikely the LSAT will become obsolete any time soon. The American Bar Association (ABA) still requires that 90 percent of an entering class at an ABA accredited-law school have an LSAT score.  The Princeton Review keeps a running tally of law schools accepting the GRE.

Morgan Wright

Morgan Wright is a product manager at Fastcase and publisher of RAIL: The Journal of Robotics, Artificial Intelligence & Law. She earned her undergraduate degree from Hood College and her law degree from the University of Richmond School of Law. She has worked at the Institute for Actual Innocence and the Office of the Capital Defender in Virginia, as well as in the Maryland Court of Special Appeals.

The post Growing Number of Law Schools Accept GRE Instead of LSAT appeared first on Law Street.

Check out this week’s best!

It’s That Time of Year

Bar review got me like… #barprep #barreview #ownthebar #isitover pic.twitter.com/IimRBEIfk8

— Angela (@ang_kuhlee) June 29, 2017

Anneliese Mahoney

Anneliese Mahoney is Managing Editor at Law Street and a Connecticut transplant to Washington D.C. She has a Bachelor’s degree in International Affairs from the George Washington University, and a passion for law, politics, and social issues. Contact Anneliese at amahoney@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post Best Legal Tweets of the Week appeared first on Law Street.

Check out the best legal tweets from this week!

Good Advice

In law school, you have to embrace the thought that “Reading is life.”@YourLawyerSays

— LeunammeGayle (@Lyooname) June 22, 2017

Anneliese Mahoney

Anneliese Mahoney is Managing Editor at Law Street and a Connecticut transplant to Washington D.C. She has a Bachelor’s degree in International Affairs from the George Washington University, and a passion for law, politics, and social issues. Contact Anneliese at amahoney@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post Best Legal Tweets of the Week appeared first on Law Street.

Check out the best of this week!

Everyone Probably Needs That

Dear #barexam preppers, #twitter has decided to go offline so you can study. You’re welcome. –Twitter Tech Support pic.twitter.com/WkCrWz3o3k

— lawprofblawg (@lawprofblawg) May 19, 2017

Anneliese Mahoney

Anneliese Mahoney is Managing Editor at Law Street and a Connecticut transplant to Washington D.C. She has a Bachelor’s degree in International Affairs from the George Washington University, and a passion for law, politics, and social issues. Contact Anneliese at amahoney@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post Best Legal Tweets of the Week appeared first on Law Street.

Check out this week’s picks!

Whoops

*drives to library to take a practice LSAT*
*forgets LSAT book*

Goodbye pic.twitter.com/mR5JlDwMso

— Ashley Courtney (@ashcourtalways) April 12, 2017

Anneliese Mahoney

Anneliese Mahoney is Managing Editor at Law Street and a Connecticut transplant to Washington D.C. She has a Bachelor’s degree in International Affairs from the George Washington University, and a passion for law, politics, and social issues. Contact Anneliese at amahoney@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post Best Legal Tweets of the Week appeared first on Law Street.

Check out this week’s best tweets!

Rough

Finals coming at me like….. #lawschoolproblems #1L #2L #3L #lawstudent #finals pic.twitter.com/imhRVTfjdM

— I’m Dead Inside (@LawlzSchool) April 3, 2017

Anneliese Mahoney

Anneliese Mahoney is Managing Editor at Law Street and a Connecticut transplant to Washington D.C. She has a Bachelor’s degree in International Affairs from the George Washington University, and a passion for law, politics, and social issues. Contact Anneliese at amahoney@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post Best Legal Tweets of the Week appeared first on Law Street.

Check out this week’s best legal tweets!

Congrats!

Wow left work on time every night this week, must be a new personal record #lawyerlife #friyay

— Christina Olliver (@C_L_Olliver) March 24, 2017

Anneliese Mahoney

Anneliese Mahoney is Managing Editor at Law Street and a Connecticut transplant to Washington D.C. She has a Bachelor’s degree in International Affairs from the George Washington University, and a passion for law, politics, and social issues. Contact Anneliese at amahoney@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post Best Legal Tweets of the Week appeared first on Law Street.

A lot has changed since Elle Woods aced her Law School Admission Test to land a spot at Harvard Law in “Legally Blonde.” Now, you may not even need an LSAT score to get in.

As part of a new pilot program this fall, Harvard will begin accepting scores from the Graduate Record Examination (GRE), in addition to the LSAT, which it currently considers.

The new move is part of Harvard’s efforts to attract more diverse applicants, as well as those who may be weighing other graduate school options but don’t want to take two different entry tests because of cost and convenience. The GRE, which is available in more than 150 countries, could also help bring in more international students. It can be taken year-round and on a computer, unlike the LSAT, which is a written test offered four times a year.

Harvard Law Dean Martha Minow said:

All students benefit when we can diversify our community in terms of academic background, country of origin, and financial circumstances. Also, given the promise of the revolutions in biology, computer science, and engineering, law needs students with science, technology, engineering and math backgrounds. For these students, international students, multidisciplinary scholars, and joint-degree students, the GRE is a familiar and accessible test, and using it is a great way to reach candidates not only for law school, but for tackling the issues and opportunities society will be facing.

Though this could be a first step toward making the LSAT permanently optional, law schools are required by the American Bar Association to measure the impact of a GRE policy before they change their admission criteria. Last year, the University of Arizona’s law school started giving students a choice between submitting GRE and LSAT scores. The Law School Admission Council (LSAC), which  administers the LSAT, criticized the University of Arizona at the time, saying that all students should be required to take the test.

The announcement about testing the new admissions policy comes as Harvard faces falling enrollment numbers. The number of applicants to the most highly-ranked law schools has decreased overall between 2011 and 2015, and Harvard specifically has seen an 18 percent drop in applications.

Victoria Sheridan

Victoria is an editorial intern at Law Street. She is a senior journalism major and French minor at George Washington University. She’s also an editor at GW’s student newspaper, The Hatchet. In her free time, she is either traveling or planning her next trip abroad. Contact Victoria at VSheridan@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post Harvard Law Will Experiment with Accepting GRE Scores appeared first on Law Street.

Check out the best legal tweets of the week:

Modern Struggles

People online talking about the First Amendment and I’m here trying not to WELL ACTUALLY every darn comment. #lawyerproblems pic.twitter.com/j5UWVuiCQ8

— k. (@karlyn_darlin) February 3, 2017

Anneliese Mahoney

Anneliese Mahoney is Managing Editor at Law Street and a Connecticut transplant to Washington D.C. She has a Bachelor’s degree in International Affairs from the George Washington University, and a passion for law, politics, and social issues. Contact Anneliese at amahoney@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post Best Legal Tweets of the Week appeared first on Law Street.

Who had the best legal tweets of the week? Check out the slideshow below:

Everything Necessary

Law school starter pack pic.twitter.com/lhrFNc6HuT

— Renz Sarmiento (@renzdsarmiento) January 23, 2017

Anneliese Mahoney

Anneliese Mahoney is Managing Editor at Law Street and a Connecticut transplant to Washington D.C. She has a Bachelor’s degree in International Affairs from the George Washington University, and a passion for law, politics, and social issues. Contact Anneliese at amahoney@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post Best Legal Tweets of the Week appeared first on Law Street.

After a busy Inauguration Day, what is everyone talking about on legal Twitter? Check out the best legal tweets of the week:

Damn Straight

You can’t make this stuff up #lawyerlife #ThursdayThoughts pic.twitter.com/PCWprJz3R2

— WineEsquire (@WineEsquire) January 19, 2017

Anneliese Mahoney

Anneliese Mahoney is Managing Editor at Law Street and a Connecticut transplant to Washington D.C. She has a Bachelor’s degree in International Affairs from the George Washington University, and a passion for law, politics, and social issues. Contact Anneliese at amahoney@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post Best Legal Tweets of the Week appeared first on Law Street.

Check out the first best legal tweets entry of the year!

Hide!

When the professor is going down the roster looking for someone to cold call #lawschool @LawSchoolHumor #school #college pic.twitter.com/SCSh4T2kuC

— Faizah Belliot (@futurelawyer20) January 4, 2017

Anneliese Mahoney

Anneliese Mahoney is Managing Editor at Law Street and a Connecticut transplant to Washington D.C. She has a Bachelor’s degree in International Affairs from the George Washington University, and a passion for law, politics, and social issues. Contact Anneliese at amahoney@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post Best Legal Tweets of the Week appeared first on Law Street.

I Don’t See a Problem

Googled “February 2017 LSAT date” and for some reason this image was the top hit: https://t.co/Q08hfklfIb

— Adam (@adamremsen) December 22, 2016

Anneliese Mahoney

Anneliese Mahoney is Managing Editor at Law Street and a Connecticut transplant to Washington D.C. She has a Bachelor’s degree in International Affairs from the George Washington University, and a passion for law, politics, and social issues. Contact Anneliese at amahoney@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post Best Legal Tweets of the Week appeared first on Law Street.

Check out the best legal tweets of the week:

Holiday Spirit

When you text your husband “we need garland” and then clarify that you don’t mean Merrick, for once. #LawyerProblems

— Candace (@SeaBeeSea81) December 9, 2016

Anneliese Mahoney

Anneliese Mahoney is Managing Editor at Law Street and a Connecticut transplant to Washington D.C. She has a Bachelor’s degree in International Affairs from the George Washington University, and a passion for law, politics, and social issues. Contact Anneliese at amahoney@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post Best Legal Tweets of the Week appeared first on Law Street.

Check out the top legal tweets of the week. Click through below:

Good Advice

Problems in ur personal life? Want to get rid of ’em?

Enrol into ur nearest law school & erase all ur problems bcs you’ll have no life.

— Mitali (@mitaliminigupta) November 10, 2016

Anneliese Mahoney

Anneliese Mahoney is Managing Editor at Law Street and a Connecticut transplant to Washington D.C. She has a Bachelor’s degree in International Affairs from the George Washington University, and a passion for law, politics, and social issues. Contact Anneliese at amahoney@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post Best Legal Tweets of the Week appeared first on Law Street.

Who had the best legal tweets of the week? Check them out below:

Whoops!

In other news, I tried to shampoo my hair with face wash. Stay tuned to see if my hair turns green or falls out. #lawschoolproblems

— Lyndi Skinner (@LyndiLucy) October 22, 2016

Anneliese Mahoney

Anneliese Mahoney is Managing Editor at Law Street and a Connecticut transplant to Washington D.C. She has a Bachelor’s degree in International Affairs from the George Washington University, and a passion for law, politics, and social issues. Contact Anneliese at amahoney@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post Best Legal Tweets of the Week appeared first on Law Street.

What legal tweets made us laugh this week? Check them out in the slideshow below:

NFL Inspiration

Watching ESPN & I’ve decided I need a touchdown dance when I close a deal #lawyerproblems

— Terrance Carroll (@speakercarroll) October 4, 2016

Anneliese Mahoney

Anneliese Mahoney is Managing Editor at Law Street and a Connecticut transplant to Washington D.C. She has a Bachelor’s degree in International Affairs from the George Washington University, and a passion for law, politics, and social issues. Contact Anneliese at amahoney@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post Best Legal Tweets of the Week appeared first on Law Street.

Happy Friday, Law Street readers! Check out our best tweets of the week:

Weird Requests

Just settled a divorce over Parrot custody/visitation. Neither may teach it negative phrases abt the other.

I went to law school for this.

— Lady Lawya (@Parkerlawyer) September 15, 2016

Anneliese Mahoney

Anneliese Mahoney is Managing Editor at Law Street and a Connecticut transplant to Washington D.C. She has a Bachelor’s degree in International Affairs from the George Washington University, and a passion for law, politics, and social issues. Contact Anneliese at amahoney@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post Best Legal Tweets of the Week appeared first on Law Street.

Last week’s top stories on Law Street covered Marco Gutierrez’s “taco truck” omen, debunking LSAT myths, and Chicago’s rising violence. ICYMI–check out the best of the week below!

1. The Best ‘Taco Trucks on Every Corner’ Responses

Late last week, one of Trump’s surrogates, Marco Gutierrez, made a bizarre comment about how “taco trucks will be on every corner” if we don’t do something to fix immigration issues in the United States. But tacos are excellent, so most people didn’t have a problem with this concept. Read the full article here.

2. Studying for the LSAT: Myths vs. Facts

Alexis Evans

Alexis Evans is an Assistant Editor at Law Street and a Buckeye State native. She has a Bachelor’s Degree in Journalism and a minor in Business from Ohio University. Contact Alexis at aevans@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post ICYMI: Best of the Week appeared first on Law Street.

Check out the best legal tweets of the week in the slideshow below:

Rough

When you’re only halfway through a transcript and your highlighter runs out… #lawyerproblems

— Alison (Cobra) Craig (@lawandchocolate) September 6, 2016

Anneliese Mahoney

Anneliese Mahoney is Managing Editor at Law Street and a Connecticut transplant to Washington D.C. She has a Bachelor’s degree in International Affairs from the George Washington University, and a passion for law, politics, and social issues. Contact Anneliese at amahoney@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post Best Legal Tweets of the Week appeared first on Law Street.

Sponsored Content

The next Law School Admissions Test (LSAT) is scheduled for September 24, 2016. Studying for the LSAT can be challenging, and there’s a lot of misinformation out there. So, Law Street has teamed up with TestMax, the creator of leading test prep apps LSATMax and BarMax to debunk some common LSAT myths. Check them out in the slideshow below:

You Can’t Study for the LSAT: True or False?

The LSAT is a test that measures things like logic, analytical reasoning, and reading comprehension. So, you might be wondering: is it even possible to study for the LSAT?

Yes! The idea that there’s nothing you can do to study for the LSAT is a total myth.

via GIPHY

It’s definitely a difficult test, but all of the material is learnable through practice and repetition. LSATMax’s founder, for example, started in the 140s but ended up with a 174 and a Harvard Law degree.

The problem isn’t the LSAT, but rather the myriad of subpar prep tools and strategies. So make sure you use something with a proven track record of success–like LSATMax, the app that gives you lifetime access to a comprehensive LSAT course on your phone, tablet and/or computer, so you can prep anywhere.

TestMax

LSATMax by TestMax is the top-rated comprehensive LSAT prep course available in the App Store, Google Play Store, and Amazon App Store, with online options also available. TestMax is a partner of Law Street Creative. The opinions expressed in this author’s articles do not necessarily reflect the views of Law Street.

The post Studying for the LSAT: Myths vs. Facts appeared first on Law Street.

Fair Reaction

Me: I can’t wait for law school
**Starts receiving emails about applying**
Me: https://t.co/ovD42QuZUo

— lj (@hoiihansen) September 1, 2016

Anneliese Mahoney

Anneliese Mahoney is Managing Editor at Law Street and a Connecticut transplant to Washington D.C. She has a Bachelor’s degree in International Affairs from the George Washington University, and a passion for law, politics, and social issues. Contact Anneliese at amahoney@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post Best Legal Tweets of the Week appeared first on Law Street.

Happy weekend, Law Street readers. Check out the best legal tweets of the week below:

Growing Up

Learning that law school is the best excuse for getting out of social situations since “my mom said no!” #1L

— Sarah Jones (@sarahejones_) August 22, 2016

Anneliese Mahoney

Anneliese Mahoney is Managing Editor at Law Street and a Connecticut transplant to Washington D.C. She has a Bachelor’s degree in International Affairs from the George Washington University, and a passion for law, politics, and social issues. Contact Anneliese at amahoney@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post Best Legal Tweets of the Week appeared first on Law Street.

Day 1 Observations

Day 1 of Law School: Lawyers really know how to make simple problems extremely and unnecissarily complex

— Jon Deasy (@jon_deasy) August 17, 2016

Anneliese Mahoney

Anneliese Mahoney is Managing Editor at Law Street and a Connecticut transplant to Washington D.C. She has a Bachelor’s degree in International Affairs from the George Washington University, and a passion for law, politics, and social issues. Contact Anneliese at amahoney@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post Best Legal Tweets of the Week appeared first on Law Street.

Check out this week’s top legal tweets!

Olympic Inspiration

“You saved 200 dollars on your textbook purchase”
*Scrolls to total*
“Your total is 400 dollars” #damnit#lawschoolpic.twitter.com/DfAdmm003k

— Mike Brown (@LikeMike025) August 10, 2016

Anneliese Mahoney

Anneliese Mahoney is Managing Editor at Law Street and a Connecticut transplant to Washington D.C. She has a Bachelor’s degree in International Affairs from the George Washington University, and a passion for law, politics, and social issues. Contact Anneliese at amahoney@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post Best Legal Tweets of the Week appeared first on Law Street.

After a stressful Grey Day earlier this week, LSAT scores were finally released yesterday. In order to explain the emotional ups and downs LSAT takers encounter, fellow Law Streeter, Samantha Reilly, and I have tried to put our experiences with the LSAT score release into words (and gifs).

Whether you were ecstatic about your score, pleasantly satisfied, or are gearing up to take the test again in a few months, you probably have experienced at least some of these stages in the past 24 hours. 

Stage 1: Anticipation

Receiving the score is a spiritual experience like no other. Once word begins to spread that LSAC accounts have gone grey and you see that fateful “Your June 2016 LSAT Score” subject line in your inbox, your life feels different.  

Shaking with disbelief, you open up the email. There it is right in front of your very eyes–the three digit number that has the potential to change everything for you. It is finally here!

Stage 2: Relief

It doesn’t really matter what score you got, the second that email is in your inbox the months of anxiety and endless waiting are over and it sure feels good.

Stage 3: Panic

After the initial rush of relief, comes the panic. What was that number you just read? Was that above or below your target score? What percentile did you score in? How does your score stack up against your dream law school’s average? Then you remember all of the reasons you were dreading score day and, although you’re thankful it’s finally here, you’re not sure you’re still breathing.

Stage 4: Denial

Next up is denial. There’s no way you got a perfect score. It’s IMPOSSIBLE to score lower than you were scoring on every single prep test. How in the world did you score as average, or high, or low as you did? There must be a mistake. LSAC has been wrong before and they’ve done it again; you’re sure of it.

Stage 5: Scrutinizing Results

That denial sends you straight into a spiral of scrutinizing your response report. Now that you’ve let the number sink in, it’s time to focus in on what went wrong (or right). Wait, you made that same mistake in your last three practice tests? Rookie mistake.

Stage 6: Mourning

After you finally realize that, no, this is not some evil LSAC plot to fake you out, and yes, this is the real deal, you steamroll straight into mourning. You had waited so long for this moment and now there is no more waiting, no more guessing, and no more LSAT–at least for a couple of days. The world feels bleak and empty without the wishing and the waiting. Time to kick back, put on a rom com, and eat your feelings (whether it’s in celebration or despair).

Stage 7: Acceptance

What happens now? Well, good or bad score, you’re probably about to drop some money sending your killer score off to law schools, registering for a retake, or picking up some new study materials. Life is going to move on and you will continue to be the same old law nerd you always have been, only, now you’re a survivor of one of the most frightening standardized tests in existence.

Stage 8: Dealing With People

You’ve spent the last two days in excruciating anticipation and now everyone who follows you on Twitter is suddenly very interested in this numerical evaluation of your intelligence. Some of them are trying to be supportive, but no, 100 is not the target score. Please stop trying.

Stage 9: Returning to Normalcy

And finally, things go back to normal. While many of us aren’t quite at this stage yet, it will come. You will stop seeing LSAT scores in your sleep. You will stop logically analyzing conversations you hear on the metro. You will stop obsessively checking Dave Killoran’s Twitter page. Things will be back to the way they used to be, but you won’t. There’s something different about you now. A little extra spring in your step now that your LSAT lifecycle has come full circle. It’s back to work for you!

Keep in mind that no matter what news you received yesterday, you survived! It was a long and winding road. Maybe you have to travel it again, maybe not, but one thing is certain: you did it! 

Rest easy tonight knowing that you can be proud of yourself, whatever the results of Grey Day happened to be.

Alexandra Simone

Alex Simone is an Editorial Senior Fellow at Law Street and a student at The George Washington University, studying Political Science. She is passionate about law and government, but also enjoys the finer things in life like watching crime dramas and enjoying a nice DC brunch. Contact Alex at ASimone@LawStreetmedia.com

The post The 9 Stages of Receiving Your LSAT Score appeared first on Law Street.

June LSAT scores are promised by the end of the week, but some LSAT experts anticipate a release earlier, sending the pre-law masses into a widespread frenzy. Shortly before LSAC releases scores, the icons in test-takers’ personal accounts go from green to grey–which is where we get the nickname “grey day.”

It’s a hard time for everyone, so with the help of some tweets (and personal experience), Law Street Media is proud to present: The Stages of Waiting for Grey Day, in increasing “obsessive-compulsion.”

8:00 a.m. If you slept at all, you’ve probably woken up and are scouring the internet for any indication of score releases so far.

10:00 a.m. You’re hoping that LSAC can make like SCOTUS and release life-altering information at 10:00. You may or may not start googling “Can I hire an intern to run my LSAT scores to me?”

#SCOTUS hit us with that good news this morning, your turn @Official_LSAT !

— Dylan Rogers Elliott (@Deelahnn) June 27, 2016

12:00 p.m. Paranoia starts to sink in as you entertain the idea that someone else might have found out their score before you.

I’m also obsessively searching “LSAT” on Twitter for that breakthrough “I got my score” tweet confirming that today is indeed the day.

— Dylan Rogers Elliott (@Deelahnn) June 27, 2016

2:00 p.m. Someone said the release would happen in the afternoon if it happened today. Someone said that this morning and yesterday, but you ignored them. Now it really, surely, it might possibly be almost time.

Patiently, I am not. #LSAT pic.twitter.com/izYojz9HD4

— KPL (@LIfeofKrystalPL) June 27, 2016

3:00 p.m. Even if scores don’t come out today, you’ve definitely strengthened some important computer skills in the process of waiting.

3:30 p.m. But you’re really hoping they come out today.

Me every time I get an email today #LSAT pic.twitter.com/uqYf4nbfzr

— Sarah Dobson (@Sadobson_87) June 27, 2016

4:00 p.m. Really, any time will do.

Brb LSAT scores come out at anytime now pic.twitter.com/6sTy1mKBzY

— Edwin ➳ (@Edlighten) June 27, 2016

4:15 p.m. Check Twitter one more time.

Ok, everyone else on Twitter is freaking out about LSAT scores today. So, I’m gonna be like this today pic.twitter.com/7rM82Vg7GP

— Nickole Durbin (@nickoledurbin10) June 27, 2016

4:30 p.m. That was all practice, really. You obviously didn’t think they would actually come out before now…

Knowing my LSAT score cold be released at any time today pic.twitter.com/6U42pz7uz6

— Jesse Hamrick (@JDH27) June 27, 2016

5:00 p.m. Once the end of the work day hits, your hope starts to sink and you might end up looking something like this:

5:20 p.m. Aggression might start setting in. Keep it together.

Waiting for my #LSAT score like… pic.twitter.com/EvCnbPYkpA

— Steven (@SteveTheScholar) June 27, 2016

6:30 p.m. Now you’re doubting every reddit thread, LSAT forum, and pre-law Twitter thread you’ve ever read.

Maybe you didn’t even take the test. Was it all a lie…?

7:00 p.m. Okay, even the experts are starting to give up on you now.

If LSAT scores were to come out now or tonight, it would be very unusual. Time to pour a tall one, and regroup for tomorrow and more torment

— Dave Killoran (@DaveKilloran) June 27, 2016

9:00 p.m. Time to sit in bed all night as if you can sleep while the weight of your future is hogging all the covers.

*Repeat it all. Until…

Good or bad, at least you know.

Good luck!

Editor’s Note: The personal journey of Alex Simone inspired this piece.

Samantha Reilly

Samantha Reilly is an editorial intern at Law Street Media. A New Jersey native, she is pursuing a B.A. in Journalism from the University of Maryland, College Park. Contact Samantha at SReilly@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post LSAT Anticipation: The Stages of Waiting for Grey Day appeared first on Law Street.

Last week’s top stories on Law Street covered eight mobile apps that will help you pass the LSAT, the White House’s first United State of Women summit, and women using nudity to protest Donald Trump. ICYMI–Check out the top stories below.

1. 8 Apps to Help you Conquer the LSAT

Alexis Evans

Alexis Evans is an Assistant Editor at Law Street and a Buckeye State native. She has a Bachelor’s Degree in Journalism and a minor in Business from Ohio University. Contact Alexis at aevans@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post ICYMI: Best of the Week appeared first on Law Street.

Check out this week’s best legal tweets in the slideshow below:

This Sounds Nice

When prepping for trial includes listening to hours of audio, might as well lay by the pool #lawyerproblems

— Samantha (@shonea31) June 16, 2016

Anneliese Mahoney

Anneliese Mahoney is Managing Editor at Law Street and a Connecticut transplant to Washington D.C. She has a Bachelor’s degree in International Affairs from the George Washington University, and a passion for law, politics, and social issues. Contact Anneliese at amahoney@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post Best Legal Tweets of the Week appeared first on Law Street.

Check out this week’s best legal tweets, courtesy of Law Street’s careful curation:

Some Fatalism

But really…#LawSchoolProblemspic.twitter.com/EyMVD5iASB

— City Girl (@imthecitygirl) June 10, 2016

Anneliese Mahoney

Anneliese Mahoney is Managing Editor at Law Street and a Connecticut transplant to Washington D.C. She has a Bachelor’s degree in International Affairs from the George Washington University, and a passion for law, politics, and social issues. Contact Anneliese at amahoney@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post Best Legal Tweets of the Week appeared first on Law Street.

Sponsored Content

Are you planning on going to law school? Are you stressed out about the LSAT? Don’t worry–you’re not alone, and Princeton Review has teamed up with Law Street Media to help. We have some app recommendations to keep you focused, on track, and ready to conquer the big test. Check out eight apps to help you master the LSAT in the slideshow below:

Need Help Staying Away from Social Media?

It’s very tempting to take a quick study break, and check out Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or whatever other social media network you like to indulge in. But social media can be distracting, and instead of trusting yourself to stay away from those sites, why not let technology do the work for you? Try Self Control, which blocks whatever sites you specify for a particular chunk of time. Even if you restart your computer, you’re simply not going to be able to browse your timeline until the timer you’ve set runs out. Is Self Control not enough for you? A different app, Freedom, keeps you from connecting to the internet at all.

via GIPHY

Princeton Review

The Princeton Review helps students, parents, and educators achieve the best results at every stage of their educational careers. We provide SAT, ACT, PSAT, SAT subject tests, AP subjects, GMAT, GRE, LSAT, MCAT, DAT, OAT and USMLE preparation. Princeton Review is a partner of Law Street Creative. The opinions expressed in this author’s articles do not necessarily reflect the views of Law Street.

The post 8 Apps to Help you Conquer the LSAT appeared first on Law Street.

Welcome to this week’s best legal tweets. They’re all in the slideshow below–enjoy!

Calculators Exist Too

administrative law is like that time your grade three teacher said “math is important and you will need it all the time” #lawschoolproblems

— kwetoday (@kwetoday) May 29, 2016

Anneliese Mahoney

Anneliese Mahoney is Managing Editor at Law Street and a Connecticut transplant to Washington D.C. She has a Bachelor’s degree in International Affairs from the George Washington University, and a passion for law, politics, and social issues. Contact Anneliese at amahoney@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post Best Legal Tweets of the Week appeared first on Law Street.

Twitter, as always, is full of the musings of law school students, lawyers, and legal minds. Check out the best legal tweets of the week in the slideshow below:

Productive Sleeping

Studying criminal law, day 5:I still have nightmares about murders and abduction, but I can already classify them asleep.#lawschoolproblems

— Barbora Obračajová (@Baru_Obracajova) May 26, 2016

Anneliese Mahoney

Anneliese Mahoney is Managing Editor at Law Street and a Connecticut transplant to Washington D.C. She has a Bachelor’s degree in International Affairs from the George Washington University, and a passion for law, politics, and social issues. Contact Anneliese at amahoney@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post Best Legal Tweets of the Week appeared first on Law Street.

Let’s Start Off With Something Political

Lesson learned: don’t let your college roommate and law school professor swap stories about you. pic.twitter.com/lWuEKP0kHE

— Rep. Joe Kennedy III (@RepJoeKennedy) May 18, 2016

Anneliese Mahoney

Anneliese Mahoney is Managing Editor at Law Street and a Connecticut transplant to Washington D.C. She has a Bachelor’s degree in International Affairs from the George Washington University, and a passion for law, politics, and social issues. Contact Anneliese at amahoney@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post Best Legal Tweets of the Week appeared first on Law Street.

The Law School Admission Test (LSAT) has long been the seemingly make-it-or-break-it test that prospective law school students take. For years, it’s been a simple rule: if you want to go to law school, you take the LSAT. But the University of Arizona James E. Rogers College of Law is breaking away from that mold–the school is accepting students who submit the Graduate Records Examinations (GRE) as well.

Arizona made its announcement about the GRE in February, and immediately saw backlash. The Law School Admission Council, which is in charge of the LSAT test, allegedly considering ousting Arizona from its membership–although the Council now states that its actions in regards to Arizona were “misinterpreted.” In addition to administering the LSAT, the Council offers a number of other admissions-related services, so it’s not really a membership that Arizona would have wanted to lose. The Council did decide to let Arizona retain its membership. Other law schools backed Arizona’s attempt to break from the norm–approximately 150 deans signed a letter supporting Arizona’s “effort to broaden its applicant pool.”

So why does Arizona want to let in applicants that don’t take the LSAT? There are a few reasons, including the fact that the American Bar Association (ABA) has never been clear that the LSAT is the only test that prospective law school students should or can take. According to Carrie Jung of NPR:

The American Bar Association says law schools must require a standardized test that’s valid and reliably predicts student performance, ‘but it doesn’t say that standardized test must be the LSAT,’ says Marc Miller, the Arizona law school dean.

Arizona commissioned a study which came to the conclusion that the GRE is a reliable way to measure applicants. And Arizona’s administration makes some good points about the accessibility benefits of the GRE–there are a lot more opportunities to take the GRE than the LSAT, and Arizona is hoping that increased accessibility leads to more a diverse pool of applicants.

Arizona’s admissions website now clearly states that submitting a GRE score instead of an LSAT score is allowed, and while it’s the first school to make this move, there may be others following suit. According to NPR, the University of Hawaii and Wake Forest are also considering opening admissions to GRE-takers as well.

Anneliese Mahoney

Anneliese Mahoney is Managing Editor at Law Street and a Connecticut transplant to Washington D.C. She has a Bachelor’s degree in International Affairs from the George Washington University, and a passion for law, politics, and social issues. Contact Anneliese at amahoney@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post No LSAT, No Problem: University of Arizona’s Law School Begins Accepting GRE appeared first on Law Street.

Check out the funniest, silliest, and best legal tweets of the week in the slideshow below:

This Happens to All of Us

me: 20 yrs old, law school student, pays taxes
also me: trying to spell “succ” with my alphagetti

— an lawyer (@goldenhalla) April 28, 2016

Anneliese Mahoney

Anneliese Mahoney is Managing Editor at Law Street and a Connecticut transplant to Washington D.C. She has a Bachelor’s degree in International Affairs from the George Washington University, and a passion for law, politics, and social issues. Contact Anneliese at amahoney@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post Best Legal Tweets of the Week appeared first on Law Street.

TGIF, Law Street readers! Check out the top legal tweets of the week in the slideshow below:

Good Life Choices

“Why’d you fail out of law school?”
“I was too busy looking at pictures of puppies.”

— Sid (@sid_bark) April 15, 2016

Anneliese Mahoney

Anneliese Mahoney is Managing Editor at Law Street and a Connecticut transplant to Washington D.C. She has a Bachelor’s degree in International Affairs from the George Washington University, and a passion for law, politics, and social issues. Contact Anneliese at amahoney@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post Best Legal Tweets of the Week appeared first on Law Street.

Happy Friday, everyone. Grab a cup of coffee, kick back, and relax with the best legal tweets of the week.

Happy April Fools

At Lawprofblawg #Lawschool, we have a strict no #AprilFools joke policy. We feel you paying our exorbitant tuition was sufficient.

— lawprofblawg (@lawprofblawg) April 1, 2016

Anneliese Mahoney

Anneliese Mahoney is Managing Editor at Law Street and a Connecticut transplant to Washington D.C. She has a Bachelor’s degree in International Affairs from the George Washington University, and a passion for law, politics, and social issues. Contact Anneliese at amahoney@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post Best Legal Tweets of the Week appeared first on Law Street.

Happy weekend, Law Streeters! Check out the top legal tweets of the week below:

Similar Career Options

I’m studying politics to go to law school but my honest to god true career goal is a video girl for drake

— petty petunia (@_nylaj) March 25, 2016

Anneliese Mahoney

Anneliese Mahoney is Managing Editor at Law Street and a Connecticut transplant to Washington D.C. She has a Bachelor’s degree in International Affairs from the George Washington University, and a passion for law, politics, and social issues. Contact Anneliese at amahoney@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post Best Legal Tweets of the Week appeared first on Law Street.

It’s Friday, and every Friday we take some time to look back at some of the best legal tweets of the week. Check them out in the slideshow below:

Rumor Follow Up

I’ve never wanted to go to law school. But if Prince Harry is going to Yale, I WILL BE THE BEST GODDAMN LAW STUDENT IN HISTORY.

— Julie S. Lalonde (@JulieSLalonde) March 16, 2016

Anneliese Mahoney

Anneliese Mahoney is Managing Editor at Law Street and a Connecticut transplant to Washington D.C. She has a Bachelor’s degree in International Affairs from the George Washington University, and a passion for law, politics, and social issues. Contact Anneliese at amahoney@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post Best Legal Tweets of the Week appeared first on Law Street.

Spring has sprung, and so has the legal side of Twitter. Check out the top legal tweets of the week in the slideshow below:

Rough, But True?

Person: How is law school going?
Student: Have you ever been tortured or imprisoned?
Person: No.
Student: Then you wouldn’t understand.

— LawSchoolHumor (@LawSchoolHumor) March 9, 2016

Anneliese Mahoney

Anneliese Mahoney is Managing Editor at Law Street and a Connecticut transplant to Washington D.C. She has a Bachelor’s degree in International Affairs from the George Washington University, and a passion for law, politics, and social issues. Contact Anneliese at amahoney@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post Best Legal Tweets of the Week appeared first on Law Street.

Happy weekend, readers! Check out the top legal tweets of this week from Law Street Media:

Thinking Ahead

Law school cost approximately $6 a minute I’m going to start invoicing people for wasting my time #lawschoolproblems

— ThatGurl16 (@_ThatGurl16) March 3, 2016

Anneliese Mahoney

Anneliese Mahoney is Managing Editor at Law Street and a Connecticut transplant to Washington D.C. She has a Bachelor’s degree in International Affairs from the George Washington University, and a passion for law, politics, and social issues. Contact Anneliese at amahoney@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post Best Legal Tweets of the Week appeared first on Law Street.

As usual, a lot was going on in the worlds of law school and young lawyers, but that didn’t stop all the legal tweeting. Check out the best legal tweets of the week:

Long Week

Bad case of the Mondays… On a Thursday #LawSchoolProblems

— Jose M. (@jose_silvestre_) February 25, 2016

Anneliese Mahoney

Anneliese Mahoney is Managing Editor at Law Street and a Connecticut transplant to Washington D.C. She has a Bachelor’s degree in International Affairs from the George Washington University, and a passion for law, politics, and social issues. Contact Anneliese at amahoney@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post Best Legal Tweets of the Week appeared first on Law Street.

Legal gripes, jokes, and thoughts could all be found on Twitter this week. Check out the best legal tweets of the week in the slideshow below:

Also My Meals

When you have coffee for breakfast, lunch and dinner #coffeeaddict#lawschoollife#iactuallyeatnow

— Jazz (@jghag01) February 17, 2016

Anneliese Mahoney

Anneliese Mahoney is Managing Editor at Law Street and a Connecticut transplant to Washington D.C. She has a Bachelor’s degree in International Affairs from the George Washington University, and a passion for law, politics, and social issues. Contact Anneliese at amahoney@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post Best Legal Tweets of the Week appeared first on Law Street.

Stay warm and check out the best legal tweets of this week, courtesy of Law Street Media.

Song Rewrite

My life is like the “All About That Bass” song except mine is “All About That Billable.” #LawyerProblems

— Lawkward the Elf (@LawkwardLady) February 9, 2016

Anneliese Mahoney

Anneliese Mahoney is Managing Editor at Law Street and a Connecticut transplant to Washington D.C. She has a Bachelor’s degree in International Affairs from the George Washington University, and a passion for law, politics, and social issues. Contact Anneliese at amahoney@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post Best Legal Tweets of the Week appeared first on Law Street.

As usual, people took to Twitter this week with their legal gripes, moans, and jokes. Check out the top legal tweets of the week below in the slideshow:

Depressing

Subway doesn’t just hire sandwich artists.

They also hire sandwich writers, sandwich sociologists and sandwich law school graduates.

— David Michael (@InsouciantMan) February 1, 2016

Anneliese Mahoney

Anneliese Mahoney is Managing Editor at Law Street and a Connecticut transplant to Washington D.C. She has a Bachelor’s degree in International Affairs from the George Washington University, and a passion for law, politics, and social issues. Contact Anneliese at amahoney@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post Best Legal Tweets of the Week appeared first on Law Street.

Happy Friday, Law Street readers! Check out a collection of the best legal tweets of the week below.

Musical Thoughts

It’s the remix to ignition/ law school student edition/ I eat pop tarts for dinner/ I can’t afford my tuition

— Justlawschoolthings (@lawschooltexts) January 23, 2016

Anneliese Mahoney

Anneliese Mahoney is Managing Editor at Law Street and a Connecticut transplant to Washington D.C. She has a Bachelor’s degree in International Affairs from the George Washington University, and a passion for law, politics, and social issues. Contact Anneliese at amahoney@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post Best Legal Tweets of the Week appeared first on Law Street.

Twitter is a great place for law school students, lawyers, and those interested in the legal field to vent their feelings. Check out the top legal tweets of the week in the slideshow below:

A 2-Part Paper Saga

I’ve been out of the office all week, but got dozens of emails that ended with ‘I’ll leave it on your desk’. I am afraid. #lawyerproblems

— Alison Craig (@lawandchocolate) January 16, 2016

If you’re wondering where all the world’s paper went, it’s on my desk. #lawyerproblems — Alison Craig (@lawandchocolate) January 16, 2016

Anneliese Mahoney

Anneliese Mahoney is Managing Editor at Law Street and a Connecticut transplant to Washington D.C. She has a Bachelor’s degree in International Affairs from the George Washington University, and a passion for law, politics, and social issues. Contact Anneliese at amahoney@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post Best Legal Tweets of the Week appeared first on Law Street.

Check out the best legal tweets of the week in the slideshow below:

Good Literature

Battling my way through an “article” which is longer than Of Mice and Men #LawStudentProblems

— Marco Ubaldi (@Marcoubaldi19) January 4, 2016

Anneliese Mahoney

Anneliese Mahoney is Managing Editor at Law Street and a Connecticut transplant to Washington D.C. She has a Bachelor’s degree in International Affairs from the George Washington University, and a passion for law, politics, and social issues. Contact Anneliese at amahoney@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post Best Legal Tweets of the Week appeared first on Law Street.

It’s the weekend again, which means it’s time for another round up of the best legal tweets of the week. Check them out in the slideshow below:

Laptops are Sacred

Just witnessed someone drop their laptop down the stairs. Absolutely tragic. Everyone pray her outlines are backed up. #lawschoolproblems

— I Should Be Studying (@paperchasegirl) November 13, 2015

Anneliese Mahoney

Anneliese Mahoney is Managing Editor at Law Street and a Connecticut transplant to Washington D.C. She has a Bachelor’s degree in International Affairs from the George Washington University, and a passion for law, politics, and social issues. Contact Anneliese at amahoney@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post Best Legal Tweets of the Week appeared first on Law Street.

Happy Halloween everyone! Enjoy your candy, and while you do, check out the best legal tweets of the week.

A Very Serious Question

I wonder if you could sue someone for ruining shows and movies with spoilers. #lawproblems#burningquestion

— Catherine (@Cathface) October 27, 2015

Anneliese Mahoney

Anneliese Mahoney is Managing Editor at Law Street and a Connecticut transplant to Washington D.C. She has a Bachelor’s degree in International Affairs from the George Washington University, and a passion for law, politics, and social issues. Contact Anneliese at amahoney@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post Best Legal Tweets of the Week appeared first on Law Street.

Law school, LSATs, and the daily grind–check out the top legal tweets of the week below.

A Baseball Fan

Stuck in court making constitutional arguments during the #BlueJays game. Isn’t that unconstitutional? #lawyerproblems

— Alison Craig (@lawandchocolate) October 21, 2015

Anneliese Mahoney

Anneliese Mahoney is Managing Editor at Law Street and a Connecticut transplant to Washington D.C. She has a Bachelor’s degree in International Affairs from the George Washington University, and a passion for law, politics, and social issues. Contact Anneliese at amahoney@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post Best Legal Tweets of the Week appeared first on Law Street.

It’s been another long week for all you prospective law students, law students, and lawyers out there. So sit back, unwind, and check out some of the funniest tweets from your peers this week:

Rough Week

Nothing says “Happy Friday!” like being at the library at 8am. #lawschool

— Jordan Meehan (@JordanMeehan) October 9, 2015

Anneliese Mahoney

Anneliese Mahoney is Managing Editor at Law Street and a Connecticut transplant to Washington D.C. She has a Bachelor’s degree in International Affairs from the George Washington University, and a passion for law, politics, and social issues. Contact Anneliese at amahoney@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post Best Legal Tweets of the Week appeared first on Law Street.

It’s one of the most wonderful times of the year–the October LSAT is upon us. Click through the slideshow below to check out the best legal tweets of the week–LSAT and non-LSAT themed alike.

Priorities

Yeah I know the LSAT is in 4 days, but I just got invited to a Harry Potter function & only have have SIX WEEKS to come up with a costume!

— Darcy (@darcwhale) September 29, 2015

Anneliese Mahoney

Anneliese Mahoney is Managing Editor at Law Street and a Connecticut transplant to Washington D.C. She has a Bachelor’s degree in International Affairs from the George Washington University, and a passion for law, politics, and social issues. Contact Anneliese at amahoney@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post The Best Legal Tweets of the Week appeared first on Law Street.

Law degrees are undoubtedly expensive, difficult to complete, and very time consuming. After finishing the requisite three years in law school, students might start to reconsider their intended career field, which can seem quite daunting and somewhat limited. Being a lawyer can be very rewarding, although it can also be a very stressful and intense job. Fear not, graduates, as contrary to popular belief, it turns out that there are a plethora of opportunities for those who hold law degrees besides practicing law. Attending law school gives students a wealth of knowledge and expertise in a multitude of areas, all of which can all of which can be utilized in some very interesting and unexpected jobs. In a world where it seems like society is rife with lawyers but with few available jobs, it is comforting to know that there are other options for those who either don’t make it practicing or realize that they wish to pursue something entirely different. While not all of the following jobs are as lucrative as being a lawyer at a top firm, they can still lead to some very compelling professions.

People who receive J.D.s acquire plenty of skills in the process, such as learning persuasive writing, argumentation skills, critical thinking and analysis, public speaking, counseling, and researching. These skills can be applied in a variety of settings, not just in a typical legal environment. While some of these options are still within the realm of the legal field, others are very different, so if you wish to make an exit from practicing law, you do still have some viable choices.

Professional Writing

One of the most valuable skills acquired in law school is learning how to become a strong writer. Did you know that some of the top writers in the industry first started their careers by attending law school? A surprising amount of lawyers have launched successful careers within the writing field, many of them choosing to focus on the subject of crime in their works. A few notable authors who also hold the title of J.D. include John Grisham, Meg Gardiner, and Scott Turow. Each of these novelists first dappled in the field of law and then later gained international fame for their thriller pieces. Even if you don’t want to write long, extensive novels, you can still write for the masses by becoming a freelance writer or a blogger like Kat Griffin who launched corporette.com. Journalism is also a possibility, since lawyers learn how to investigate and problem solve through their schooling and careers, so this can be translated over to professions within the communications sphere, such as reporting. Becoming a literary or media consultant could also be an option where you can offer your legal knowledge for the production of books, movies, and television shows.

Business

If you would like to go in the route of the corporate sector, then there are many potential opportunities for those who hold law degrees to work in major companies or to even become entrepreneurs. People with law school experience could find promising careers in finance, such as being chief operating officers, chief financial officers, or human resources directors. One former attorney credits her background as a lawyer with helping her to achieve success in the entrepreneurial sphere, since her education helped her to better understand and negotiate contracts within her business. These positions include many different areas, and so they give lawyers a chance to experience a wide array of fields in one setting while utilizing the many skills they learned in law school.

Government

If you’re interested in the political route, then having a law degree is always a good option. Many of our presidents, past and present, were first top lawyers in their respective cities, such as Barack Obama and Bill Clinton. Getting involved in politics of course requires a deep understanding of the law, and so first becoming a lawyer while building your political career from the ground up can lead to a prolific career. Having a law degree also could be a segue into working for the government or a federal agency, where lawyers are often in demand. Lawyers learn how to become expert negotiators and mediators through their training, both of which are crucial skills if one would like to work for organizations such as the Federal Bureau of Investigations or the Central Intelligence Agency.

Entertainment

Many lawyers have gained fame by putting their oral and presentation skills to use in the world of entertainment. One of the anchors of “The Today Show,” Savannah Guthrie, started out her career by first obtaining a law degree. “Judge Judy” is a popular television show that is based off of the real life proceedings of Judge Judy Sheindlin in her courtroom. The founder of TMZ.com, Harvey Levin, was first a lawyer before creating his popular celebrity gossip website. Star Jones also was a lawyer before she became one of the hosts of the popular talk show, “The View.” Many actors also received their law degrees before making their big debuts in Hollywood, such as Gerard Butler and Rebel Wilson. If you prefer to be behind the scenes, then maybe you could be an agent for those in the spotlight by acting as their advocate.

Other Options

Lawyers are perhaps most relied upon for giving advice to their clients, and so this tool can be transferred to a variety of other fields. Lawyers could make careers out of becoming legal counselors on multiple different platforms, such as with nonprofit organizations or major companies. Others choose to teach after receiving their law degrees, a job which can incorporate almost all of the skills needed to be an effective lawyer. Given how much lawyers are forced to analyze when examining cases and legal arguments, their skills can be put to good use in a public policy analyst or policy strategist position.

Whether you are a recent law school graduate, have a couple of years of legal practice under your belt, or have been in the field for a few decades, it’s never too late to try your hands at something different if you become tired of your job. The many skills learned in law school can aid lawyers in many different tasks in various careers. If you had the work ethic and determination needed to complete law school, then you can likely hone in on these abilities and use them towards almost any career you desire. In the end, the possibilities are endless for those who possess law degrees.

Toni Keddell

Toni Keddell is a member of the University of Maryland Class of 2017 and a Law Street Media Fellow for the Summer of 2015. Contact Toni at staff@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post Unexpected Jobs You Can Get With a Law Degree appeared first on Law Street.

ICYMI, check out this week’s best articles from Law Street, including ridiculous LSAT anecdotes, shocking news out of Egypt’s hospitals, and how you can be fired for legally smoking weed.

#1 The Most Ridiculous LSAT Stories of the Year

The June 2015 LSAT is over, and approximately 20,000 people are eagerly–or anxiously, depending on how they did–waiting on their results. In the meantime, users of law school forums like Top Law School (TLS) and PowerScore have created post-test impressions and waiter’s threads to pass the time. Read full article here.

#2 The Sad State of Egypt’s Hospitals: Shocking Pictures Released

Doctors need the proper resources to be able to treat their patients. But a new viral Facebook page started in Egypt illustrates that doctors and dentists in that country don’t necessarily have access to what they need. The page is shocking to many, as photos of multiple hospitals in Cairo, Egypt have been shared illustrating that they are unequipped and unsanitary for doctors to properly operate in. Read full article here.

#3 Can You Be Fired For Legal Marijuana Use?

In Colorado and thinking about smoking marijuana after work? Might want to reconsider that. Even though many Colorado residents qualify to use medical marijuana regularly, it can carry many consequences for consumers. In a landmark Colorado Supreme Court decision, Coats v. Dish Network, the court decided that employers can now lawfully terminate employees for using medical marijuana, even if they are off the clock. Read full article here.

Chelsey D. Goff

Chelsey D. Goff was formerly Chief People Officer at Law Street. She is a Granite State Native who holds a Master of Public Policy in Urban Policy from the George Washington University. She’s passionate about social justice issues, politics — especially those in First in the Nation New Hampshire — and all things Bravo. Contact Chelsey at staff@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post ICYMI: Best of the Week appeared first on Law Street.

Check out the best of the week from lawyers and law students on Twitter in the slideshow below.

Lawyer’s Lunch

Can’t seem to get out of this courtroom this morning. Hope they are planning on serving lunch. #lawyering http://t.co/uOx6sTZb8X

— Pabst Law Firm (@Pabstlaw) June 11, 2015

Chelsey D. Goff

Chelsey D. Goff was formerly Chief People Officer at Law Street. She is a Granite State Native who holds a Master of Public Policy in Urban Policy from the George Washington University. She’s passionate about social justice issues, politics — especially those in First in the Nation New Hampshire — and all things Bravo. Contact Chelsey at staff@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post The Best Legal Tweets of the Week appeared first on Law Street.

The June 2015 LSAT is over, and approximately 20,000 people are eagerly–or anxiously, depending on how they did–waiting on their results. In the meantime, users of law school forums like Top Law School (TLS) and PowerScore have created post-test impressions and waiter’s threads to pass the time. In particular, user basedvulpes on TLS launched a “War Stories” thread focusing on funny or unusual events that occurred while taking the LSAT. Check out some of the best ones below.

“Wake Me Up When September Ends” 

Also, there was a dude who showed up to my test in a full suit and bowtie, talking on a cell phone in the hallway. Five minutes before we checked in someone told him that there were no cell phones allowed, so he ran out to his car and ditched it. Then when he went up to check in he didn’t actually have his ticket, just the receipt from his registration. He begged the admins to let him run to a computer lab and print it, but they said it wouldn’t work because of time and because it wouldn’t have a picture. He insisted that he had a picture in his wallet that he could use, and awkwardly stood off to the side emptying the entire contents of his wallet and pockets while the rest of the people checked in. Turns out he didn’t even have a picture. Admins told him to register for October. – Contributed by basedvulpes

“Do It, You Won’t”

In the box that says “Do not write your essay in this box”, I wrote “your essay”. – Contributed by Whnlifegvsulmns

“Bubble Trouble”

another anecdote: proctor yelled at me for bubbling in my name before she finished reading instructions and said she could cancel my score if she were “not being nice.” she swatted the pencil out of the hand of this other student who was doing the same thing. another student got scared and raised his hand to ask about which sections he could bubble in. – Contributed by lsatkillah

“On a First-Name Basis”

On my drivers license, the last letter of my first name is missing because my name has too many letters for them to all fit and on my admission ticket all the letters were there. The proctor checking me in got all worried and had to ask another proctor if this was okay and if I was allowed to take the test. Thankfully it was okay, but I think it was ridiculous that it was almost an issue. – Contributed by JackelJ

“The Hunger Games”

Some jamoake came in just in the nick of time, sat down next to me and proceeded to start munching away at a full burrito whilst we were doing LR. Needless to say the proctors told him to put it away.

Anyway, same thing happened during RC – proctors ask him to put it away.

… During LR2, he gets the burrito (3/4 eaten) out AGAIN, needless to say the proctors went into full-scale meltdown, think their heads were doing cartwheels down Piccadilly Circus by the end. – Contributed by Topszn

Hyunjae Ham

Hyunjae Ham is a member of the University of Maryland Class of 2015 and a Law Street Media Fellow for the Summer of 2015. Contact Hyunjae at staff@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post The Most Ridiculous LSAT Stories of the Year appeared first on Law Street.

Beaches, sun, internships, and vacations; these are some of the highlights associated with Summer. That’s not the case though for thousands of 19 and 20 year olds frantically preparing for arguably one of the most overrated exams looming in the second week of June: the Law School Admission Test (LSAT). By now, every college sophomore and junior has probably heard that getting into law school  is “easier” than ever due to the decline in the applicant pool. Is it really though? Moreover, what does this notion entail once graduating seniors actually commit to their respective law schools? It seems that what used to be a competitive challenge for those truly passionate about law and policy has become an option for the thousands of students wanting to avoid “funemployment” and who are unsure of their post-graduation plans.

Millennials are being victimized by the fallacy that a law degree from a middle-top tier institution will provide stable employment upon graduation. Many refer to the phenomenon of the smallest applicant pool in 30 years as a “buyers market,”  wherein students are sold the idea that applying to law school now is a good idea because they will have a higher chance of attending a top Law School, thus potentially being scouted by a top law firm and earning a six-figure starting salary. Although this sounds very appealing, the “buyers market” leaves out a minor detail–law firms are placing little emphasis on the small applicant pools given the excess law graduates from years past and job demand finally stabilizing.  

Last year saw the smallest class of incoming law students at 38,000–a 37 percent decline from 2010. There is no denying that the smaller applicant pool and decreased percentage of high-test scorers contributes to the evidence that admission into tougher law schools is in fact a more viable option.  Furthermore, these numbers indeed provide an incentive for thousands of students who, prior to the applicant decline, would never have considered taking the LSAT. The formerly serious and competitive reputation of the LSAT, wherein students would prepare months in advance for the arduous five-hour assessment, has become arguably as common as taking the SAT.  The increase in under-prepared students taking the exam is shown by studies conducted on the Law School Admissions Council (LSAC) data. Statistics disclose that the number of applicants with higher LSAT scores (above 170) has declined exponentially more than the number of applicants with lower scores, advocating that some students with high LSAT scores do not apply to law school at all while students with lower scores continue to apply.

Moreover, statistics demonstrate that companies are not hiring more lawyers than they were in 2010. Top law firms not only continue to scout and favor aspiring attorneys from top-ten schools, but now have the luxury of choosing from a much wider pool of applicants than just students who have just graduated.

According to the American Bar Association,  in 2013 only 57 percent of all law school graduates found full-time work, meaning the job lasted one year or more and was either a clerkship or mandated bar passage. It is important to note that 4,714 of the jobs reported were in fields that technically did not require law degrees, but rather employers preferred to hire Juris Doctorates (i.e. congressional staffers, labor organizers, or NGO workers etc). An additional 1,724 jobs were completely unrelated to law.

The employment numbers are not expected to differ much for the Class of 2016. There are 36,000 students predicted to graduate in 2016, as opposed to 46,776 in 2013. The ABA further projects that there will be 19,650 jobs available for those graduates. While these numbers convey that fewer people will graduate unemployed, the previously mentioned values do not take into account individual student qualifications and readiness, which prominent law firms rely heavily on before offering employment.

So while at face value the numerical indicators provide an optimistic view for undergraduate students banking on attending a higher-ranked law school, confounding variables such as fierce competition among peers and lack of preparedness factor into the discussion. As Slate’s senior business and economics correspondent puts it:

Most people should not attend law school. Specifically, you shouldn’t attend law school unless: a) you have an overwhelming compulsion to actually become a lawyer and b) you understand exactly what becoming a lawyer entails.

Although not the worst time to apply to law school, do your homework. Completely disregarding the average $122,158 debt law students graduate with–because that is an entirely different topic on its own–undergraduates who are not 100 percent convinced about law and policy might want to think twice about applying to law school. What momentarily may seem like a fantastic educational opportunity to attend a slightly better law school than what would’ve been the case a few years ago could end up being a curse in disguise; a detrimental and slipshod attempt at a legal career.

Symon Rowlands

Symon Rowlands is a member of the University of Miami Class of 2016 and was a Law Street Media Fellow during the Summer of 2015. Symon now blogs for Law Street, focusing mostly on politics. Contact Symon at staff@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post Are You Sure Now’s a Good Time to Go to Law School? appeared first on Law Street.

About four times a year, students across the country nervously sit for what could be the most important four hours of their lives up until that point. Sure, they’re prepared, but nothing can shake the inevitable nervous feelings that ensue on test day. That nerve-wracking test I’m talking about is the LSAT–the admissions exam for law schools in the United States. Law schools sift through thousands of applications every year. When initially considering an applicant, they mainly look at two things: their undergraduate GPA, and their LSAT score. But what if I were to tell you that one of those criteria was no longer considered?

Well if you were to apply to the State University of New York-Buffalo Law School or the University of Iowa College of Law, that would be the case. Both of these schools have decided to admit students who have not taken the LSAT. Instead, they have stated that they will admit some students based on their undergraduate GPAs and their scores on other standardized tests.

These are just the first two schools to implement such policies, taking advantage of a new ruling by the American Bar Association that now permits law schools to fill up to 10 percent of their law school classes with students who have not taken the LSAT. So long as that student has a strong GPA and strong additional standardized test scores, they can be admitted.

If you’re anything like I am, you’re probably asking yourself “what other standardized test could they possibly use?” Well, believe it or not, these schools will be considering ACT and SAT scores from at least four years earlier for undergraduate admissions. They will also be considering things such as the GRE, GMAT, or college aptitude tests.

The aim of this new policy is to combat declining law school enrollment. These schools believe that if potential applicants do not have to worry about preparing and paying for an additional exam, then they will be more likely to apply. James Gardner, the dean of SUNY Buffalo’s law school, stated that “taking the LSAT is a pain, and it is expensive.” Everyone who takes the test must pay a $170 fee, and that doesn’t take into account the steep costs of tutoring or an LSAT preparation course. According to Gardner, “this is just a way to identify strong-performing students based on perfectly rational criteria that don’t involve the LSAT.”

While this may sound like a great leveler, think about what it actually means. If law schools start to use college admissions exams, like the SAT, for law school admissions, it will only make sure those same obstacles come four years sooner. If a high school student has some sort of inclination that they want to go to law school after college, they have the added pressure of doing well on the SAT for that purpose, four years too soon. I always knew I wanted to go to law school, and let me tell you, I would not have been too excited to find out that my SAT scores counted not only for college, but for law school as well.

The unique thing about the LSAT is that it is a good indicator of how well students will perform in law school. Research shows that LSAT scores are a good predictor of not only how well students will perform in their first year of law school, but also how likely a student is to pass the bar exam. It’s unlikely that law schools will be able to discern the same things about applicants from other standardized tests.

Sure, this new policy may draw some people in that may have been deterred from considering law school if they needed to take the LSAT, diversifying the applicant pool. However, if we consider the research, don’t we want to have some indication that students will succeed in law school before investing three years and hundreds of thousands of dollars in a legal education? Isn’t that the whole point of the LSAT?

While some law schools no longer require all students to take the LSAT for admissions, I for one, will still be one of those nervous students sitting for my exam come June.

Brittany Alzfan

Brittany Alzfan is a student at the George Washington University majoring in Criminal Justice. She was a member of Law Street’s founding Law School Rankings team during the summer of 2014. Contact Brittany at staff@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post Two U.S. Law Schools No Longer Require the LSAT for Admission appeared first on Law Street.

In an effort to boost enrollment and make tuition more affordable, Wayne State University’s Law School, located in Detroit, Michigan, will freeze their tuition and offer every incoming student a scholarship. In total, the tuition freeze and the additional scholarships will create about a 14 percent tuition cut for all incoming students. The tuition cut will keep the price tag at about $28,138 through at least the 2015-2016 school year.

Law school Dean Jocelyn Benson told the Free Press in an exclusive interview:

For us, it is really important to ensure that everyone has access to quality legal education. Not only do we want to make sure everyone has access to legal education, but also help with the rising student debt.

In addition to the tuition freeze, the school will offer about $1 million a year in new scholarships for current students, as well as a minimum scholarship of $4,000 a year to all incoming students. These scholarships will be awarded both by merit and by need. According to Benson, the scholarships are being funded by private donations from alumni and other supporters.

Along with increasing affordability, this tuition cut is also in response to Wayne State Law’s declining enrollment, a fate that many law schools are facing these days. This year, they saw their enrollment drop from 484 students down to 419. Hopefully this strategy will work in the way it has for law schools such as the University of Arizona Law and Penn State Law. These institutions were set to boost their first-year class sizes by 22% to 52% this fall compared with 2013 according to an analysis done by The Wall Street Journal.

Benson has also shared that the goals for lowering tuition go beyond simply increasing enrollment and affordability. She said:

Creating value for students goes beyond affordability. Our location in the heart of Detroit during such a transformative time offers students access to hands-on legal experience in areas ranging from corporate law and entrepreneurship to public interest and civil rights that you cannot get at any other law school.

The goal is that with prices lower, students will not need to work full time while completing law school. This will give them the opportunity to do more internships and gain valuable hands-on experience in the legal field without the worry of a huge debt they need to pay off. Benson has stated: “we want them to make these decisions (about where to work after graduation) without concerns about how much they have to pay back”.

Eric Lloyd, a current junior in Wayne State’s undergraduate business program, likes the idea of a tuition freeze. While studying on campus last week, he said, “It’s so expensive to go to law school and if you go, you almost have to get a corporate job to pay off all that debt anything to hold down cost is good.” He is considering going to Wayne State Law after he graduates.

If this drastic change in cost is successful, Wayne State Law will likely see major enrollment increases in the coming years.

Brittany Alzfan

Brittany Alzfan is a student at the George Washington University majoring in Criminal Justice. She was a member of Law Street’s founding Law School Rankings team during the summer of 2014. Contact Brittany at staff@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post Wayne State Law Freezes Tuition and Offers New Scholarships appeared first on Law Street.

The trend among law schools in recent years has been to move toward  lower tuition and shorter programs. The driving force in all of this? Significantly fewer people are sitting for the LSAT each year. According to recent statistics, there are fewer people sitting for the LSAT today than there were in 1987. This year, just 105,532 LSAT tests were administered. This is nine percent less than the 115,988 that were administered in 1987, which is fascinating given the increased focus on higher education these days.

This trend has been getting worse in the last four years. Since 2010, the number of students taking the LSAT each year has dropped a total of 38.5 percent. This is the worst decline that the legal field has seen in recent memory.

So, why is this the case? One possibility is that students no longer see law school as a guaranteed ticket to a six-figure salary. Jobs in the legal field have become increasingly competitive, so it’s likely that many worry that they will not be able to get a job when they graduate. Or, even if they think there is a good chance that they will get a job, they might not want to pile up hundreds-of-thousands of dollars of debt trying to get there.

All of these factors have led to decreased 1L enrollment, which is a result of the drop in the number of LSAT takers. According to the American Bar Association, 1L enrollment rates have declined by 13.5 percent since 2010.

The industry is now referring to this change as the “legal technology revolution.” This is because legal technology companies are changing the legal services landscape, making it more streamlined and efficient. In addition, many firms are expediting the transition to flat-fee legal services. With more efficient practice, less manpower is needed. This means that firms no longer have a need to hire new law graduates like they used to.

It is clear that law school is not as popular an option as it used to be, with declining enrollment every year. I thought it would be interesting to see if some of the other major fields, like business and medicine, were experiencing a similar fate. Curiously enough, I found that the number of people taking the GRE ever year, which is the admissions test for most graduate schools in the United States, has drastically increased over the last several years. According to the Educational Testing Service, there has been a 38% increase in the number of people taking the GRE in the 2012-2013 testing year. This increase is most likely a result of many of the top business schools now accepting the GRE as part of the application as opposed to only the GMAT.

Not only is the number of people taking the GRE increasing significantly, but the number of people taking the MCAT and applying to medical school is increasing as well. Within the last decade, the number of applicants has increased from about 33,600 a year to almost 45,000 last year. However, the number of available spots in medical school has not gone up, meaning that the percentage of applicants who actually matriculate has actually gone down. However, that does not seem to be stopping anyone from sitting for the MCAT and applying to medical school.

So what makes law school so different from other types of grad programs? Has it lost its appeal? It’s not as though this “technology revolution” is only happening in the legal field. In medicine, with the creations of things such as new testing machinery and robotic surgery, has become increasingly reliant on technology as opposed to manpower. In a similar vein, businesses now have the ability to do most of their work and business management online.

Perhaps it’s the fact that employment is no longer secure. Perhaps it’s the almost guaranteed debt that comes along with it.  Perhaps it’s because there are now hundreds of people on the internet saying that law school is a bad idea. In reality, it’s likely a combination of all of these factors. But, no one can really say for sure. Hopefully this major drop in applicants will be enough to cause law schools to lower their tuitions and provide more scholarships. We’ve already seen many schools, such as Elon Law and Wayne State Law, doing so. It is likely that if this trend of decreasing applicants continues, many more school will follow in their footsteps.

—

Brittany Alzfan (@BrittanyAlzfan) is a student at the George Washington University majoring in Criminal Justice. She was a member of Law Street’s founding Law School Rankings team during the summer of 2014. Contact Brittany at staff@LawStreetMedia.com.

Featured image courtesy of [Shane S via Flickr]

Brittany Alzfan

Brittany Alzfan is a student at the George Washington University majoring in Criminal Justice. She was a member of Law Street’s founding Law School Rankings team during the summer of 2014. Contact Brittany at staff@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post Law School Applicants at Record Low appeared first on Law Street.

What did we learn from lawyers and law students on Twitter this week? That they are sleep deprived, haven’t had a fruit or vegetable since the elementary school lunch line, and are in desperate need of a drink. Oh and also my personal favorite — they don’t wear jeans because they aren’t cowboys. Check out the Best Legal Tweets of the Week.

[SlideDeck2 id=26773 ress=1]

Chelsey D. Goff

Chelsey D. Goff was formerly Chief People Officer at Law Street. She is a Granite State Native who holds a Master of Public Policy in Urban Policy from the George Washington University. She’s passionate about social justice issues, politics — especially those in First in the Nation New Hampshire — and all things Bravo. Contact Chelsey at staff@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post The Best Legal Tweets of the Week appeared first on Law Street.

Now that the world has made it through the excitement that was last week’s LSATs and the premiere of “How to Get Away With Murder,” we’re all back to the normal struggle. From autocorrects that prove you’re working too hard to the constant battle of law student versus the finite amount of ink in a pen, check out the best legal tweets of the week.

[SlideDeck2 id=26095 ress=1]

Chelsey D. Goff

Chelsey D. Goff was formerly Chief People Officer at Law Street. She is a Granite State Native who holds a Master of Public Policy in Urban Policy from the George Washington University. She’s passionate about social justice issues, politics — especially those in First in the Nation New Hampshire — and all things Bravo. Contact Chelsey at staff@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post The Best Legal Tweets of the Week appeared first on Law Street.

In honor of this weekend’s round of LSATs, this week’s edition of Best Legal Tweets highlights all those prospective law students as they count down to the big deadline. One thing’s for sure: future lawyers LOVE Shonda Rhimes and her legal dramas. Unfortunately, watching “How To Get Away With Murder” and “Scandal” won’t get you into law school. Good luck to the test takers!

[SlideDeck2 id=25729 ress=1]

Chelsey D. Goff

Chelsey D. Goff was formerly Chief People Officer at Law Street. She is a Granite State Native who holds a Master of Public Policy in Urban Policy from the George Washington University. She’s passionate about social justice issues, politics — especially those in First in the Nation New Hampshire — and all things Bravo. Contact Chelsey at staff@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post The Best Legal Tweets of the Week: LSAT Edition appeared first on Law Street.

On Wednesday, Drexel University announced that it will be renaming its law school after receiving the largest donation in the school’s history. The school will now be known as the Thomas R. Kline School of Law, after Kline made a generous $50 million donation to the university.

Drexel Law School was founded just eight years ago in 2006, and was originally named after Earle Mack after he pledged $15 million to the school. However, he was dropped when University officials decided that the school needed a stronger foundation.

Kline, the new benefactor, is a trustee of Drexel University, and has spent most of his thirty-year long career as a Philadelphia trial attorney focused on medical malpractice, personal injury, and whistleblower cases. Kline made this donation in hopes that the school can work its way to the top ranks of legal education.

In addition to his work as a trial attorney, Klein is chairman of the law school board. He stated that the idea for the trial advocacy center came from a conversation with the law school dean, Roger Dennis. Kline shared:

It is our collective vision to create a law school with national stature, the foundation is there. What we now have is an opportunity to not only build programmatic changes, but we also have a magnificent magnet that is a true gem of the City of Philadelphia.

The large donation includes the former Beneficial Savings Fund Society building in downtown Philadelphia, which will be home to a new trial advocacy center. Drexel President John. A Fry has stated that “This is a major, major moment for the law school”. He believes that this donation gives Drexel “the opportunity to put this relatively new law school on a firm financial footing and, in particular, establish it as a force for the practice of trial advocacy.”

With the new downtown building, which is projected to open in 2017, the law school will have two sites: the main campus in University City and the new campus in Center City surrounded by city and federal courts as well as many law firms. This new location is sure to give students even more opportunities to find jobs and internships while at law school.

In addition to providing a new trial advocacy center in a prime location, the donation will also give Drexel Law the means to increase scholarships and financial aid for students. This comes at a crucial time, when many top law schools are reducing tuition and increasing financial aid to entice more students due to a drop in overall law school applicants. According to recent statistics, enrollment in the nation’s top law schools has dropped 24 percent overall in the last three years. It is the hope that with this donation, more scholarships and financial aid will entice more students to enroll in Drexel Law. Currently, tuition is about $40,000 a year. These new scholarships and aid packages will relieve some of that burden and ultimately increase Drexel’s competitive edge amongst the top law schools in the nation.

Brittany Alzfan

Brittany Alzfan is a student at the George Washington University majoring in Criminal Justice. She was a member of Law Street’s founding Law School Rankings team during the summer of 2014. Contact Brittany at staff@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post Drexel Law Receives $50 Million Donation and New Trial Advocacy Building appeared first on Law Street.

With the next LSAT just over a week away, 1Ls settling into that special experience we call law school, and clients wanting selfies in court, this turned out to be a great week in the world of funny legal tweets. Check out this week’s best, and then head over to #300Voices and discover the top accounts to follow for all things law and policy.

[SlideDeck2 id=25077 ress=1]

—

Chelsey Goff (@cddg) is Chief People Officer at Law Street. She is a Granite State native who holds a Master of Public Policy in Urban Policy from the George Washington University in DC. She’s passionate about social justice issues, politics — especially those in First in the Nation New Hampshire — and all things Bravo. Contact Chelsey at cgoff@LawStreetMedia.com.

Featured image courtesy of [Garrett Heath via Flickr]

Chelsey D. Goff

Chelsey D. Goff was formerly Chief People Officer at Law Street. She is a Granite State Native who holds a Master of Public Policy in Urban Policy from the George Washington University. She’s passionate about social justice issues, politics — especially those in First in the Nation New Hampshire — and all things Bravo. Contact Chelsey at staff@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post The Best Legal Tweets of the Week appeared first on Law Street.

For years, I’ve been seeing those TV ads about for-profit universities. University of Phoenix, ITT Technical Institute, Porter and Chester Institute, and the list goes on, but no matter what catchy jingle they used, they all seemed like crap. While for-profit universities at one point seemed like a good idea, they’re now recognized as pretty bad investments. I think very few of us realized that they had moved beyond the point of just offering associates, bachelors, and technical degrees–they’ve now expanded into the law school game as well. Not only do the existences of for-profit law schools harm the people who make the foolish choice to attend them, they also have the potential to harm the entire legal profession.

Paul Campos of the Atlantic recently wrote an excellent piece on the rise of for-profit law schools. He explains how they were born out of the brainchild of one company called InfiLaw, a corporation created by the Chicago equity firm Sterling Partners. They bought up a struggling law school–Florida Coastal University–and created two others–Arizona Summit Law School and Charlotte School of Law. Campos goes on to explain how InfiLaw’s law school experiments started to accept students who would not have been enrolled in most law schools, mostly because their LSAT scores were very low. Admitted students often had to take out massive loans to pay for their substandard educations, and then struggled deeply to find jobs after graduation. Campos explains how this simply is not sustainable. Throughout the entire article, one thought kept coming into my mind: this sounds like the educational version of a ponzi scheme.

There’s something dangerous about for-profit educational institutions, especially for-profit law schools, and that’s that they make promises that they can’t keep. Despite what Suits may tell us, in order to be a lawyer you really do need to pass a bar exam. That’s not an easy feat–only about 68 percent of the people who took the bar exam passed it last year. While there is a lot of dispute over whether or not scores from the LSAT test correlate to bar exam passage, most analysts certainly admit that they are at least somewhat linked. Students’ law school grades can also indicate whether or not a particular individual will pass the bar exam. Overall, the prospects of for-profit law school students to pass the bar exam are pretty bad. As Campos explains,

Scores ranking from the 60th to the 40th percentile, by contrast, correlate with a moderate but rapidly increasing risk of failure. Scores below the 40th percentile correlate with a high risk of failure, and scores below the 25th percentile correlate with an extreme risk of failure, to the point where it is quite unlikely that someone with an LSAT score below 145 will ever pass a bar exam.

Florida Coastal’s median LSAT score was 144. Of course the argument could be made that these law schools are doing students a service because they are working with individuals who would not have been admitted other places to get their law degree, despite all odds. But that’s simply not true–instead, these for-profit law schools are just handing out promises that they can’t possibly keep.

Law school may still be a good choice for many American students, despite the fact that the legal field is rapidly changing. But the Obama Administration is actually starting to put pressure on for-profit colleges, in recognition of the true disservice they’ve done to most of their students. The for-profit law school field is a bubble that’s slowly popping, and it brings us back to this point: if you’re going to go to law school, make sure you know what you’re getting yourself into. It could save you a lot of time, money, and pain.

Anneliese Mahoney

Anneliese Mahoney is Managing Editor at Law Street and a Connecticut transplant to Washington D.C. She has a Bachelor’s degree in International Affairs from the George Washington University, and a passion for law, politics, and social issues. Contact Anneliese at amahoney@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post For-Profit Law Schools: Dangerous Deceptions appeared first on Law Street.

As part of the ongoing debate about the value of law school in the current market, Brittany Alzfan tells you why now is the time to go. For the flip side, check out Matt DeWilde’s take on why you shouldn’t send in that application just yet.

Now is a good time to go to law school, because things are looking up for future lawyers. Now I know most of you are skeptical, especially given the latest job statistics for the class of 2013, but just hear me out here. While the numbers put out by the National Association for Law Placement revealed a lower employment rate for the sixth year running, there was some good news: law school graduates in 2013 found more jobs overall than in 2012. That means that students who enter law school now will probably have more potential jobs at their disposal.

The huge drop in students enrolling in law schools over the past several years leaves graduates looking at a surprisingly strong job market. Let’s use the class of 2016 as an example here–39,700 students enrolled in the fall of 2013. If we take into account that about ten percent of each law school class generally drops out, then we are looking at no more than 36,000 J.D. graduates in 2016.

Compare that number to the 46,776 graduates in 2013, and we see a drop of 23 percent. With significantly less competition amongst the graduating class, graduates are far more likely to secure a decent job.

Does this mean that I’m saying that every law graduate will go on to work in the legal field right out of graduation? No, of course not. Like in every other field, some complete their degrees and pursue other things anyways. Many J.D. graduates end up pursuing careers in finance or business.

But the numbers can’t be ignored here. According to statistics put out by the American Bar Association, 32,755 graduates from last year’s class found full-time, long-term work lasting more than a year. Of those, 26,337 jobs required passing the bar, meaning that they were typical legal jobs that required a law degree. Another 4,714 students secured jobs in fields that did not require a law degree, but preferred to hire J.D.s, such as NGO organizers or congressional staffers. Lastly, 1,724 graduates ended up in jobs that were completely unrelated to the legal field.

If these numbers remain relatively steady, then we can expect that about 91 percent of the class of 2016 will find long-term, full-time employment. This is significantly higher than the 72 percent of graduates that found full-time employment last year. If we break this down further, about 73 percent of graduates will be in full-time legal positions, compared to only 58 percent last year.

This debate is pretty entrenched–some experts agree with me, others say the risk is still not worth the expensive price of a legal education. Kyle McEntee, the founder of the nonprofit Law School Transparency, said, “I do expect that the employment rates are going to improve greatly.” The issue is whether or not these job opportunities are worth the three years, and over $100,000 that it takes to graduate from law school.

Even when they do find jobs, law school graduates have to face the unfortunate fact that while starting salaries have fallen, debt is way up. Median pay right out of law school has dropped to around $62,000 a year from $72,000 in 2008. When you take inflation into account, starting salaries are actually lower than they were in 2000. On top of this, the New America Foundation estimates that the median student who borrows for law school–and most of them do borrow–finishes school with $128,000 in loans to pay back.

Yet, despite the cost of tuition and resulting debt, there is evidence that law school may be a smart financial decision in the long run. Michael Simkovic, a Seton Hall law professor, published a paper last year that showed that even for graduates at the 25th percentile of pay–such as those in jobs at small law firms or as public servants–law school was still a profitable investment, even if they spent $60,000 a year on tuition. In addition, President Obama has just announced a plan designed to alleviate student loan debt. His “Loan Forgiveness” plan is set up so that students with loans who meet certain income eligibility standards will only need to pay back 10 percent of their discretionary income for a maximum of 20 years. In some instances, if you work in public service, such as in a public defender’s job, you only need to pay back loans for 10 years. After that, the rest is forgiven. So if debt is what’s holding you back from law school, loan forgiveness might be an excellent option for you.

Now, of course, law school is not for everyone. It shouldn’t be a fallback if you don’t know what to do with the rest of your life, nor is it something that should be chosen on a whim. It’s hard work, and without passion, you probably won’t succeed. Additionally, some programs are not worth the cost. Most graduates from bottom-tier law schools will continue to have little success in the job market, just like they always have. Employers are more likely to hire a past graduate that has struggled to find a job than hire someone from a failing institution. It is important to do your research when applying, and ultimately deciding whether or not to attend, law school.

However, if you have thought it through and have decided that law school is for you, then your future is looking bright.

—

Brittany Alzfan (@BrittanyAlzfan) is a student at the George Washington University majoring in Criminal Justice. She was a member of Law Street’s founding Law School Rankings team during the summer of 2014. Contact Brittany at staff@LawStreetMedia.com.

Featured image courtesy of [Penn State via Flickr]

Brittany Alzfan

Brittany Alzfan is a student at the George Washington University majoring in Criminal Justice. She was a member of Law Street’s founding Law School Rankings team during the summer of 2014. Contact Brittany at staff@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post If You Want to Go to Law School, Now’s the Time to Apply appeared first on Law Street.

We’re having a debate here at Law Street over whether or not now is a good time to go to law school–this is Matt DeWilde’s argument against taking the leap, click here to read Brittany Alzfan’s opinion on why law school right now may be a good choice.

When it comes to the question of entering law school right now, unless you like gambling with over $100,000 on the line or you got into Harvard Law, you might want to hold your horses. Going to law school now will still most likely result in massive amounts of debt and only a small chance to get a job at a top law firm when you get out. I do believe that law school will one day be a smart choice again, but that day is at least several years down the road.

There are many reasons why now is not a good time to go to law school. For one, law school prices have started to trend downwards, but are still high across the board. You will most likely end up in massive debt, especially if you haven’t finished paying off loans you took out for your undergraduate degree. The best law schools are still going to set you back close to $150,000 and it is very hard to find a respectable school that will cost you less than $100,000. All that being said, it would be totally worth it if you could make six figures right after graduating, but you most likely won’t luck out in the job market. In fact, you will probably be happy if you can find a job that pays marginally better than one you could get with just your undergraduate degree.

Median pay out of law school is around $60,000 a year, $10,000 lower than it was in 2008. Also check out this graph from the Association for Legal Career Professionals. While it is true that there is a sizable percentage of graduates making good money–about $160,000 a year, they’re still in the minority. In fact, there was a high concentration of graduates making between $45,000-$55,000 out of law school in 2012, which is only marginally better than the $44,000 graduates averaged their first year out of undergrad.

The counterargument to these facts is that the job market has stabilized, and with a smaller law school class more students will get good jobs. But there are problems with this logic. One is that the best paying jobs are still only available to those who graduate from elite law schools, which have not had to drop class sizes to the same extent as mid-level law schools. So while it may now be less likely that you will be unemployed when you graduate, do not expect the big bucks. Also, just because the job market has stabilized now does not mean it will start improving over the next three years while you’re in school. Going to school with the assumption that the job market will improve is an incredible gamble.

While going to law school today might not be as bad as enrolling in 2009, it is still not a great option. But there are signs that we could only be a couple years away from a law school rebound. One is that law schools are starting to lower their prices.  There could very well be wide-scale tuition decreases over the next few years, meaning it would make sense to wait until those have come to fruition. As prices go down, so does the gamble.

So if your dream is to be a lawyer and you really want to go to law school, do not give up hope, but be patient. Prices should go down and the legal job market is likely to improve a bit–albeit in mainly lower paying jobs. Perhaps try to find a job as a paralegal for a few years, then go to law school. Paralegals can earn up to $50,000 out of undergrad and it’s great experience to put on law school applications. Gain work experience, and in a few years take advantage of lower priced law schools. While it may be better to apply to law school now than it was a couple years ago, it’s still a risky decision. Waiting a few years could very well improve your prospects.

—

Matt DeWilde (@matt_dewilde25) is a member of the American University class of 2016 majoring in politics and considering going to law school. He loves writing about politics, reading, watching Netflix, and long walks on the beach. Contact Matt at staff@LawStreetMedia.com.

Featured image courtesy of [thisisbossi via Flickr]  

Matt DeWilde

Matt DeWilde is a member of the American University class of 2016 majoring in politics and considering going to law school. He loves writing about politics, reading, watching Netflix, and long walks on the beach. Contact Matt at staff@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post Don’t Go to Law School…Yet appeared first on Law Street.

It’s official — there’s less than a week until the LSAT! By now you should all be feeling pretty well prepared — after all, you’ve gotten the chance to check out tips to master the Logic Games, Logical Reasoning, Reading Comprehension, and Essay sections. We also filled you in on what to do if everything goes terribly wrong the day of the LSAT. But as your prep probably winds down, here are some last minute tips to make sure that you reach your full LSAT potential.

The day before the LSAT, you should try to relax.

A lot of times, especially as an undergrad, it’s tempting to cram for a test until the very last moment. But for the LSAT, that’s not the best idea. This test is less about information, and more about testing skills you have learned, so you might want to give yourself the day before the LSAT off. At the very least, don’t spend all day studying. Instead do an activity that relaxes you, whether that is reading, having a quiet lunch with friends, or some sort of physical activity. Just make sure that whatever you do is actually relaxing and won’t affect you on test day — for example, consuming any sort of alcohol is probably a pretty bad idea.

The day before the LSAT you should also get motivated. 

In addition to getting relaxed, it might also be nice to remind yourself of why you’re going through the craziness that is LSAT prep. Do whatever motivates you. Some LSAT experts recommend going through the website and looking at pictures of your ideal law school. It’s easy to forget that there is a light at the end of the tunnel, and that light is going to the school you want and having the career in law that you’ve been striving toward. Or motivate yourself with something else — maybe a great speech, or a letter from a loved one. Just make sure that you do something to remind yourself why you’ve been putting in this great, crazy-hard work over the past few months.

The day of the LSAT warm up your brain. 

You don’t want the first thing you do that day to be to take the LSAT test. Instead, try to warm up your brain a little bit by doing an easy puzzle or something similar. Sudoku is great because it requires similar logic skills to ones used on the LSAT. You obviously don’t want to exhaust yourself with anything difficult, but if you can get back in the routine of thinking in a logical way before you actually get there, that’ll make sure that you’re prepared when you actually sit down to take the LSAT.

The day of the LSAT have a good breakfast, but still follow your routine. 

It’s really hard to eat breakfast, especially if you’re nervous about something. But there’s really a lot of value in making sure that you’re well-fed before you go take the LSAT. It’ll wake up your brain, of course. But more importantly, it will keep your stomach from making weird rumbly noises during the test, and it’ll keep you from being distracted by your hunger during the LSAT.

That being said, don’t deviate from your normal routine too much. If you’re not a coffee drinker, don’t decide to drink coffee just to get some extra caffeine before the test in the hope that it’ll make you work faster. If you are a coffee drinker, don’t deprive yourself of your morning cup of joe. Just do what you’re comfortable with, and add in a little extra protein if possible.

On the day of the test, be early. 

No matter how you prepare to take the LSAT, make sure that you do everything that day a little earlier than you normally do. Get up earlier, leave your house earlier, everything. Don’t be too early, obviously, you don’t want to be at the testing site before it opens. Just make sure that you leave tons of time to get where you need to be. That way you don’t have to rush and feel stressed right before the test.

Good luck everyone — it’s been a long countdown to the June LSAT, but I know you’ll all do a great job! We here at Law Street are pulling for you!

—

Anneliese Mahoney (@AMahoney8672) is Lead Editor at Law Street and a Connecticut transplant to Washington D.C. She has a Bachelor’s degree in International Affairs from the George Washington University, and a passion for law, politics, and social issues. Contact Anneliese at amahoney@LawStreetMedia.com.

Featured image courtesy of [Jayneandd via Flickr]

Anneliese Mahoney

Anneliese Mahoney is Managing Editor at Law Street and a Connecticut transplant to Washington D.C. She has a Bachelor’s degree in International Affairs from the George Washington University, and a passion for law, politics, and social issues. Contact Anneliese at amahoney@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post Countdown to LSAT: Last Minute Tips for the Home Stretch appeared first on Law Street.

June is quickly approaching and you know what that means — the LSAT is too. Now that you’ve learned all about the Logic Games, Logical Reasoning, and Reading Comprehension sections and how to deal if everything goes wrong on test day, let’s talk about another section of the LSAT — the essay.

You will have 35 minutes to write a persuasive essay based on a prompt, which will include a scenario and the choices of two options. The prompt will also contain two requirements that need to kept in mind when arguing your choice. There’s no prior knowledge needed — all you need to do is pick an argument, defend it, and then criticize the other side’s argument. The essay is just intended to test your ability to reason, argue, and persuade.

With that in mind, here are some important things to remember about the essay section:

It’s not scored: The essay section does not contribute in any way to your LSAT score, which is quite frankly rather frustrating given that you, of course, want to focus your attention on the parts that are scored. Instead of being scored, the essay will be photocopied and sent to any law schools to which you submit scores. Some admissions departments use them and some don’t. But just remember, because it isn’t scored, it’s nothing to stress about too much.

Remember, you already know how to write: If you’re at the point where you’re taking the LSAT, you have most likely completed (at least) a few years of college. You know how to write and make a convincing argument, otherwise you wouldn’t have made it this far. Rely on the skills that you already know and have cultivated for years.

It’s worth it to put in some effort: Even though the section isn’t scored, it is sent to law schools, which means you don’t want to do anything to hurt your chances. A wonderful essay most likely won’t make up for faults in other areas of your application, like a low LSAT score or GPA, or an inadequate personal statement. But a bad essay could convince a school not to admit you. If you really don’t try very hard, or just leave it blank, you’re showing the law school admissions officers that you weren’t putting effort into the essay just because it’s not scored.

Pick a strategy and stick to it: Because the essay section isn’t scored, it’s harder to figure out what goes over well. That problem is compounded by the fact that essays are subjective by nature. There’s no right or wrong answer. Some strategists think that essays that are flashy do better — Princeton Review recommends going for quantity over quality by filling up the entire area allotted for the essay, as well as using complex words and structures. Manhattan LSAT Blog, on the other hand, advocates simplicity, especially when forming your argument. Because it is that subjective, one of these strategies isn’t necessarily superior to the other — just make sure that whichever one you choose you’re consistent with it.

Plan it out ahead of time: The questions tend to require logic or analysis-based arguments, rather than moral or preference arguments, which means that you just want to focus on arguing what you think will be easier to support. Given that you only have 35 minutes to write a two-page essay, you’re probably going to better off planning it out ahead of time. Make some sort of chart or pro-con list just to make sure that once you start writing you can include everything you think is important.

And finally, make sure to proofread: Obviously, when you’re writing quickly and you’re in the middle of the LSAT, it can be easy to make silly grammatical or spelling mistakes. But make sure to go over your essay at least once to make sure it’s clear and not riddled with errors. In law school and as a lawyer, you’ll obviously have access to spellcheck, but it is important to show that you’re able to be detail oriented and organized when you need to be.

Overall though, the essay should be pretty easy for all of you taking the June LSAT. Just remember, it’s not worth anything in terms of points, so just relax and do your best.

—

Anneliese Mahoney (@AMahoney8672) is Lead Editor at Law Street and a Connecticut transplant to Washington D.C. She has a Bachelor’s degree in International Affairs from the George Washington University, and a passion for law, politics, and social issues. Contact Anneliese at amahoney@LawStreetMedia.com.

Featured image courtesy of [Jeffrey James Pacres via Flickr]

Anneliese Mahoney

Anneliese Mahoney is Managing Editor at Law Street and a Connecticut transplant to Washington D.C. She has a Bachelor’s degree in International Affairs from the George Washington University, and a passion for law, politics, and social issues. Contact Anneliese at amahoney@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post Countdown to LSAT: The Essay appeared first on Law Street.

It’s easy to worry about everything going totally wrong when you take the LSAT. Take a break from studying (and from checking out our rundowns on Logic Games, Logical Reasoning, and Reading Comprehension) and check out this list of things that could go wrong and exactly how to fix them.

[wooslider slide_page=”countdown-to-lsat-worst-case-scenarios-how-to-fix-them” slider_type=”slides” thumbnails=”default” order=”ASC” order_by=”menu_order”]

Happy studying, and don’t worry, if anything goes wrong, remember this list. Because we here at Law Street totally have your back!

—

Anneliese Mahoney (@AMahoney8672) is Lead Editor at Law Street and a Connecticut transplant to Washington D.C. She has a Bachelor’s degree in International Affairs from the George Washington University, and a passion for law, politics, and social issues. Contact Anneliese at amahoney@LawStreetMedia.com.

Featured image courtesy of [Firesam! via Flickr]

Anneliese Mahoney

Anneliese Mahoney is Managing Editor at Law Street and a Connecticut transplant to Washington D.C. She has a Bachelor’s degree in International Affairs from the George Washington University, and a passion for law, politics, and social issues. Contact Anneliese at amahoney@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post Countdown to LSAT: Worst Case Scenarios & How to Fix Them appeared first on Law Street.

LSAT prep marches on, and so does our quest to continue churning out tips and tricks until the big day. We’ve already covered Logic Games and Logical Reasoning, so this week we’ll look at Reading Comprehension.

The Reading Comprehension section tests your ability to glean important information from dense text. Often as a law student or lawyer you’ll be faced with a lot of dense material that requires analysis. Reading Comprehension will measure how quickly and efficiently you can read such material, and how much you can retain from the reading.

The Reading Comprehension questions contain a short reading — usually a few paragraphs – and then a few multiple choice questions. Each question has five possible answers.

I’ll be honest with you — the Reading Comprehension section is one of the hardest to improve; however, with some practice and hard work, it’s totally doable.

Get used to dense material: Most of the reading we do as undergraduates or for just fun is not nearly as dense as what you’ll be facing in law school. If you have time, try to get used to reading that kind of material. Good examples of the quality of articles you’ll find on the LSAT are those in The Economist. Most articles in the Wall Street Journal or the New York Times aren’t too far off either. Spending time reading just a few articles a day will help you learn to process tough material, and prepare you for doing so quickly when you actually take the LSAT.

Focus on your weakness: If after taking some practice tests you’re not scoring as highly as you’d like on the Reading Comprehension section, make sure to figure out where exactly you’re losing points. There are really three main ways to have problems on this portion of the test. Either you’re running out of time, getting the wrong answers, or a combination of both.

Figure out where you’re struggling, and then work based on that. If you’re having timing problems, you might just want to drill yourself constantly, but maybe you don’t need to focus on learning word patterns that make finding answers easier. On the other hand, if you’re having problems with comprehension but not timing, concentrate on learning tricks to more effectively analyze the readings.

Look for clues: As with other sections of the LSAT, you might be able to improve your score by learning some patterns inherent in the section. Lists (first, next, third) are often pretty easy to find, and the subsequent questions usually involve something included in that list.

Here are a few good lists that include phrases to watch out for: one from LSAT Blog, and one from LawSchooli.

Avoid red herrings: As with Logical Reasoning, sometimes it’s easier to eliminate answers first, then look for the correct selection. Make sure to look out for wrong answers that are tricky — sometimes a wrong answer will contain information from the paragraph that’s only slightly tweaked, or irrelevant information that seems useful but isn’t the main point of the paragraph. Don’t be scared to eliminate answers first — then you’ll have less to focus on when you actually need to select the correct one.

Be strategic in note taking: It’s not actually a very good idea to take extensive notes when you’re doing the Reading Comprehension section because it’ll take up way too much time. However, very strategic markings can be helpful — on the first read through it could be good to mark what you think is the main point of the passage with one symbol and a counter argument with a different symbol. Keep your markings consistent and then you won’t have to go back and search for information that you thought was important when you’re answering the questions.

As always, practice, practice, practice, check out our articles for more tips on LSAT prep, and continue your hard work. The June LSAT is coming up, and I’m sure you’ll all do great.

—

Anneliese Mahoney (@AMahoney8672) is Lead Editor at Law Street and a Connecticut transplant to Washington D.C. She has a Bachelor’s degree in International Affairs from the George Washington University, and a passion for law, politics, and social issues. Contact Anneliese at amahoney@LawStreetMedia.com.

Featured image courtesy of [Jayel Aheram via Flickr]

Anneliese Mahoney

Anneliese Mahoney is Managing Editor at Law Street and a Connecticut transplant to Washington D.C. She has a Bachelor’s degree in International Affairs from the George Washington University, and a passion for law, politics, and social issues. Contact Anneliese at amahoney@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post Countdown to LSAT: Reading Comprehension appeared first on Law Street.

As the clock ticks down to June 9 — LSAT test day for the next crop of prospective law students — your stress level is probably increasing exponentially. I get it. Well, OK, I don’t totally get it. I went to graduate school and took the GRE, which is admittedly NOT the same. But I can certainly still feel your pain. We’re not just patting giving you a thumbs up and wishing you good luck as you march into the test room, though. We’ve got five actionable tips for you to incorporate in your preparation from our resident LSAT guru, Nick, who (lucky for you) has actually walked the walk.

If you’ve already been through the LSAT and have must-read tips to live by for your fellow budding lawyers, tweet us @LawStreetMedia with #LSATPrep. Let us hear ’em!

1. No prep book is as good as a prep test: Prep books can be good to know the basics, but often they don’t use actual past LSAT questions, and there just is no substitute for practicing on real LSAT questions. The LSAC sells previous LSATs by the bundle. There are now more than 70 previous LSATs to work through. Save the latest tests for last.
2. Start slow and build: Don’t worry about timing at first. I repeat: don’t worry about timing. It’s far more important to understand the fundamentals of logic first. And by ‘understand,’ I don’t mean that you generally know how conditional works. I mean: you can contrapositives, negations, and spot necessary and sufficient conditions practically in your sleep. Speed comes from not having to think too hard about the easy questions. That will free up time to tackle the harder questions.
3. Drill, drill, drill: Even though it seems tedious, and it is tedious, the more you practice, say, using the contrapositive, the easier it will be when you’re actually working through a game. Again, the goal is not to have to think about basic operations.
4. Set a schedule and stick to it: We don’t all have eight hours a day to spend studying for the LSAT. But if you want to improve your score, you need to set aside time to work, preferably at least an hour a day. Students, even very bright students, tend to forget the basics if they study sporadically. You can generally also squeeze a bit of studying into other parts of the day. For instance, consider doing a few LR questions on the subway during your commute to work.
5.  Hang in there: Studying for the LSAT is a long, hard slog for basically everyone. Your score will likely go through some ups, some downs, and some plateaus. So don’t get discouraged. To my mind, the most important skill on the LSAT is the one that they can’t teach in prep books: persistence.

—

Chelsey Goff (@cddg) is Chief People Officer at Law Street. She is a Granite State native who holds a Master of Public Policy in Urban Policy from the George Washington University in DC. She’s passionate about social justice issues, politics — especially those in First in the Nation New Hampshire — and all things Bravo. Contact Chelsey at cgoff@LawStreetMedia.com.

Featured image courtesy of [Dvortygirl via Flickr]

Chelsey D. Goff

Chelsey D. Goff was formerly Chief People Officer at Law Street. She is a Granite State Native who holds a Master of Public Policy in Urban Policy from the George Washington University. She’s passionate about social justice issues, politics — especially those in First in the Nation New Hampshire — and all things Bravo. Contact Chelsey at staff@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post Five Things You Need to Know Before You Take the LSAT Next Month appeared first on Law Street.

It’s week two in our quest here at Law Street to help you with the LSAT. This week, let’s focus on the Logical Reasoning section. Our resident LSAT tutor Nick thinks that it’s a good follow up to last week’s post on Logic Games since they deal with some of the same skills and ways of thinking.

The Logical Reasoning section tests your ability to think critically and form an argument — a basic skill that anyone who would like to be a lawyer needs to master. Although the questions you’ll see in this section aren’t necessarily legal, they mirror the kind of logic and critical thinking that lawyers implement in real life everyday.

The format is pretty simple: you read a brief passage, and then you answer a question or two about it, selecting from five answers.

So how do you master the Logical Reasoning section? Well here are some tips to help you study, and to get a great score on test day.

Be detail oriented: The Logical Reasoning section is all about detail. After all, it’s used to test your recognition and analysis of a certain, very specific argument. Therefore some of the possible answers that they’ll give you will be sort of like red herrings. They may make sense, and they may even be true statements, but they will not be what the question is asking you. Make sure to read the prompt carefully so you know exactly the scope of the question, and don’t get tripped up by answers that are true but are not what is being asked.

It’s also important to look out for certain buzz words. If you’re searching for the conclusion in a prompt, chances are it can be found after a word like ‘thus’ or ‘therefore.’ More evidence would usually be located after words like ‘because’ or ‘since.’ For more buzzwords, pay attention to what ‘except,’ ‘all,’ ‘many,’ and other quantifying words indicate.

Some of this does seem intuitive, I know — obviously anyone taking the LSAT knows what words like ‘therefore’ and ‘many’ mean. But when you’re trying to move through the test as quickly and accurately as possible, it’s important to look for those words that will help you locate what information you need efficiently.

Consider working from right to wrong: Some people find it more helpful to start with eliminating wrong answers. If you keep the parameters in mind, as I mentioned above, you can quickly cross out the irrelevant answers and ones that don’t fit within the scope. Narrowing down the question to two possible answers, and then picking out the best choice from there is always going to be easier than picking the best answer from five.

Know the format: The questions are usually arranged in a particular way. The first 12 questions tend to have a higher concentration of easier problems. As you move on, approximately numbers 14-20 will contain the most challenging questions. The last grouping of questions are more of a mixed bag.

So you should prioritize: All questions are weighted equally. You don’t get more points for the questions that are considered more challenging. So make sure that you get as many done as possible — and if you skip one that’s stumping you i order to answer two easier questions, that will benefit you. Prioritize getting as many done correctly as possible.

But do answer everything: At the end of the day, if you have no idea, guess. You don’t lose any points for getting one wrong, and there’s a 1/5 chance that you’re right. If you’re stumped between a few answers, the chances that you’re correct is even higher. Just make sure that you don’t leave anything unanswered as you would obviously have no chance of grabbing any extra points.

As always, keep practicing, keep studying, and use these tips to help you get that score you want come test day. Happy studying and check back next week when I break down the Reading Comprehension section.

—

Anneliese Mahoney (@AMahoney8672) is Lead Editor at Law Street and a Connecticut transplant to Washington D.C. She has a Bachelor’s degree in International Affairs from the George Washington University, and a passion for law, politics, and social issues. Contact Anneliese at amahoney@LawStreetMedia.com.

Featured image courtesy of [Brian Hillegas via Flickr]

Anneliese Mahoney

Anneliese Mahoney is Managing Editor at Law Street and a Connecticut transplant to Washington D.C. She has a Bachelor’s degree in International Affairs from the George Washington University, and a passion for law, politics, and social issues. Contact Anneliese at amahoney@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post Countdown to LSAT: Logical Reasoning appeared first on Law Street.

Are you in the final stretch leading to the June LSAT? Well first of all — we feel your pain. But more importantly, we can help. Over the next five weeks leading up to the test, we’re going to give you the last-minute tips you need to complete your study plan. For week number five our resident LSAT expert/tutor Nick recommends starting with the Logic Games Section (formally known as Analytic Reasoning).

Here are your basic parameters:

The Logic Games will contain four questions/games, each with a few different parts. There are three main types of logic games — ordering, assignment, grouping — although they’re pretty broad categories. A logic game begins with a story, then offers clues and conditions, and then poses questions.

That sounds intimidating, I know, but one of the great things about the Logic Games section is that it’s totally learnable. Practicing the different types of games can absolutely make a great score on this section attainable — it just takes a lot of work.

So here are some easy-to-follow tips to help you get a great score on the Logic Games section of the test:

Start with the basics: Some people are going to just naturally have an easier time with the logic games, and some people aren’t. There’s no need to freak out if you’re one of the latter, but it is important to identify your strengths and weaknesses.

A good way to start preparing for the Logic Games is to learn the basics. Even though you probably won’t have anything quite as simple on the test, these skills will be the building blocks for the real problems. In order to learn these basics, LawSchooli recommends The Logic Games Bible. Instead of going through it linearly though, they lay out a really great strategy to get those building block skills for basic Logic Games, then moving on to more difficult games. They also recommend studying by type, and making sure you master one type before moving onto the next.

Be consistent: One important thing to do with the Logic Games is to draw a diagram. Make sure that you’re consistent with your diagrams, even if that means creating one that makes more sense to you than prep books or classes recommend, like this 180-scorer did. Just make sure you find what works for you.

Practice your concentration and timing: This applies to studying for pretty much all of the LSAT, but the Logic Games are the area where people are most likely to run out of time. The best ways that you can do this is to take practice tests and try to slowly shave off your time. The more problems you get exposed to, the more quickly you’ll be able to accurately move through them.

Be Prepared to be Flexible: There are hybrid games on the LSAT Logic Games section, and some of these have been known to throw people off. For example, in 2009 there was a logic game that is now referred to as “the dinosaur” game. It was a hybrid and a lot of people walked out of the test upset by it. As basic as it sounds, the best way to prepare for possible hybrid games is to expose yourself to as many as possible. Here are some examples of hybrid games from ManhattanLSAT Blog, LSATBlog, and Kaplan.

These are just a good starting point for mastering the LSAT Logic Games section, obviously it’ll take a lot of practice and hard work — but this close to the test you’ve already put in a god chunk of time…right? Follow these tips, work hard, and you’ll be a Logic Games master in no time!

—

Anneliese Mahoney (@AMahoney8672) is Lead Editor at Law Street and a Connecticut transplant to Washington D.C. She has a Bachelor’s degree in International Affairs from the George Washington University, and a passion for law, politics, and social issues. Contact Anneliese at amahoney@LawStreetMedia.com.

Featured image courtesy of [Ofbarea via WikiMedia Commons]

Anneliese Mahoney

Anneliese Mahoney is Managing Editor at Law Street and a Connecticut transplant to Washington D.C. She has a Bachelor’s degree in International Affairs from the George Washington University, and a passion for law, politics, and social issues. Contact Anneliese at amahoney@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post Countdown to LSAT: Logic Games Section appeared first on Law Street.

In a couple of months thousands of college students and recent graduates around the country will take the June LSAT test. Which means that right now, those thousands are trying to figure out how to prepare for the test. But if you’re one of them, have no fear, because we here at Law Street have your back!

You got this.

Without further ado, here’s a list of the top dos and don’ts when preparing for the LSATs.

Do: Take a class or get some tutoring

There are so many ways to improve your LSAT score, and classes aggregate them for you and then present those tips, tricks, and skills in a scheduled format. The problem, I know, is that these classes and tutors are super expensive. But remember how I said Law Street is totally here to help? Well, we’re giving away 3-hour sessions with an awesome, super-qualified LSAT tutor named Nick. The only thing you need to do to enter is like us on Facebook and like the contest post on our page, here. One-on-one tutoring is an awesome resource for something like the LSAT because it allows you to get targeted help exactly where you need it the most.

Do: Make a schedule and stick to it

It’s going to suck, I know. But the best possible way to do well on the LSAT is to work your ass off. Treat it like a part-time job. It will be time-consuming and insane, but it’ll pay off. Take practice tests, learn new strategies, the whole shebang. And make sure that your schedule is focused on you. Here are some examples, but make sure to tweak them so that they help you work on your weak spots.

Do: Learn how to relax

Studying for the LSAT can be completely overwhelming, and it’s possible to get lost in that stress and repetition. So you need to make sure that you still take care of yourself. Find something that helps you unwind – and make it a healthy habit. For example, our Resident Legal Post-Grad, Peter Davidson, loves to use yoga for stress relief. Although, most of us aren’t quite as talented as he is:

Casually editing my article.

You can find what works for you. I highly recommend random dance parties.

Don’t: Always practice in a quiet area

In a perfect, beautiful, ideal world, you would be able to take the LSAT in total peace and quiet. In the real world, however, you are going to take the LSAT in an unfamiliar environment, with a bunch of people you don’t know, and you have no idea what that’s going to be like. I’ve heard plenty of horror stories about people being able to hear sirens from outside, or a meeting happening a few rooms over. Now, this isn’t said to scare you, but realism is important. Take a few practice tests in a coffee shop or other loudish place to make sure that if the worst does happen, you’re prepared. Also make sure to check out this wiki — it contains reviews for LSAT testing sites. While it’s not all-inclusive, it may help you narrow down what environment would be the best for you to take the test in.

Do: Read Outside Articles

Seek out sources that will have articles that are similar to what you might see on the test. Here’s a great example of an article about attractiveness in the workplace from The Economist. Reading articles outside of your test prep book is great because it allows you to read something relevant and interesting while still getting some studying done.

Do: Get a Logic Book

Even though there are obviously specific books and classes for the logic reasoning section, there’s something to be said for getting yourself a background in the topic. This tip actually comes from Matt DiCenso here at Law Street, who just went through the whole law school admissions and choosing process. (After you ace the LSAT and get into a bunch of awesome law schools, make sure to check out Matt’s post on picking the right one for you.) He says that taking a logic class as an undergrad helped him prepare to wrap his mind around the logic problems and the strategies for completing them. If you have the chance, check out a free online class on logic, like this one, or pick up a book on the subject.

Do: Practice your timing

The various sections of the LSAT are, obviously, timed. So it’s important that you know how to watch that time and plan your test-taking accordingly. It’s also important to manage the anxiety that can happen for some people when they’re on the clock like that. If that’s something you’re worried about, check out this article from Manhattan LSAT blog on “time-shaving.” If you’re having a hard time getting your time down for a section, this article can help you plan out a way to take a few minutes off each week until you reach your goal time.

Don’t: Freak out about the writing section

The writing section, to be honest, really doesn’t matter at all. It’s not scored, and while it’s given to the schools, many don’t even really pay attention to it. Furthermore, while skimming over a list of possible questions can be helpful, you don’t know what it’s going to be. Usually the format is that someone has to make a decision between two different things, and your job is to write a persuasive essay in favor of one or the other. Honestly, if you’ve gotten far enough in school that you are taking the LSAT and considering law school, you should be used to writing anyway.

So now that you’ve got these tips down, head over to Facebook and enter yourself in our LSAT Prep giveaway. Remember, Law Street has your back!

—

Anneliese Mahoney (@AMahoney8672) is Lead Editor at Law Street and a Connecticut transplant to Washington D.C. She has a Bachelor’s degree in International Affairs from the George Washington University, and a passion for law, politics, and social issues. Contact Anneliese at amahoney@LawStreetMedia.com.

Featured image courtesy of [Dan Hancock via Flickr]

Anneliese Mahoney

Anneliese Mahoney is Managing Editor at Law Street and a Connecticut transplant to Washington D.C. She has a Bachelor’s degree in International Affairs from the George Washington University, and a passion for law, politics, and social issues. Contact Anneliese at amahoney@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post The DOs and DON’Ts of Mastering the LSAT appeared first on Law Street.

If you’re applying to law school, chances are there may be a smaller number of spots available in your class.

For the past several years, many law schools around the country have decreased the number of students admitted into JD programs, and the downsizing trend is only continuing. The University of Buffalo‘s Law School has recently announced that they will be shrinking the number of incoming 1-L’s from 225-200 to 200-180. The Dean of the school, Makau Mutua, stated that this move is necessary in order to maintain the school’s standards for its admitted students. The University of Buffalo Law School is by no means the only school that has made this decision. Other institutions such as Appalachian Law School, New England Law, and many more have also cut their class sizes. In total, last year 51% of law schools made a decision to downsize.

And it’s not just class sizes that are being cut: many schools are also trying to decrease the size of their faculty. The University of Buffalo’s Law School, for example, is beginning to offer retirement benefits to professors over 55, in order to decrease their faculty without having layoffs.

What is really interesting is that this trend has even reached the top tier schools. Last year, Northwestern University‘s School of Law declared it would decrease their class sizes by ten percent. It’s clear that this trend is affecting law schools in general, not just lower tier schools, which means that the factors that could be causing the downsizing of law schools are more universal in nature.

So what are some possible reasons that explain why law schools are choosing to downsize?

1. The number of individuals applying for Law School is decreasing.

The American Bar Association‘s report on the number of students enrolled in ABA accredited law schools show that the trend of declined enrollment in law school is continuing. 39,675 full and part time students enrolled in law school in the fall of 2013. This number marks an 11% decrease from 2012 and a 24% decrease from 2010, the highest year of enrollment. Data from last October also shows that the number of LSAT takers are also lower than in years past, and in fact the amount of individuals who took the LSAT decreased by 11% from the previous year. The number of LSAT takers has continued to decrease since the peak of administered tests four years ago.

With less overall students taking the LSAT and applying to law school, it is likely that there are less students applying that fit the credentials for specific schools. And with less students choosing to pursue a legal education and smaller class size, law schools do not have enough funding to maintain the amount of professors on their faculty and courses offered as in previous times.

2. There are still too many lawyers on the job market.

With an overcrowded job market for lawyers, less people are enrolling in law school, which contributes to many schools’ decision to downsize. According to the American Bar Association, only around 55% of all 2012 graduates found full-time legal work six months after graduation. There is possibility that more are employed in other kinds of work, but those jobs do not require their JD degree (that they spend so much time and money pursuing).

Adding to the problem of too many lawyers, the number of legal jobs also seems to be decreasing. Wharton professor Richard Shell explains that “Law firms — which have been the traditional employers — are having to revise their compensation and fee practices because clients are demanding more fixed price contracts and less billable hours.” Law firms have been one of the main sources of employment for legal grads, and if law firms are hiring less people, there will be more unemployed lawyers.

3. Schools are choosing quality over quantity.

Law schools don’t want to keep the same class sizes as in previous years if it means having to lower their standards of admission. Schools don’t want to admit applicants that would not have been as qualified in previous years simply to fill all vacant spots in their classes. This could potentially result in the law school receiving a lower rank, which is certainly undesirable.

Not only do law schools want to maintain the quality of their students, but they also strive to keep the quality of education. For example, Appalachian Law School explained that in deciding to downsize, the school wanted to maintain a 12 to 1 student to faculty ratio, something the school considers unique among other institutions.

With decreasing applicants, an overcrowded job market for lawyers, and the aim to maintain quality, it is no wonder that many law schools are making the hard decision to downsize. It will be interesting to see whether and how long this trend continues.

 [Bizjournals] [Wharton] [ABA] [ABA Journal] [Wall Street Journal] [Register-Herald]

—

Sarah Helden (@shelden430)

Sarah Helden

Sarah Helden is a graduate of The George Washington University and a student at the London School of Economics. She was formerly an intern at Law Street Media. Contact Sarah at staff@LawStreetmedia.com.

The post 3 Reasons Behind Law School Downsizing Trend appeared first on Law Street.