If ya still need someone to take a look at it, send it my way and I'll look it over for ya.

So I had a couple professors write letters of rec for me, but there was one who I knew would write me a very good letter (he's written a few for me before).  The only problem though, is he didn't sign the back of the envelope that has the letter of recomendation in it.  He is on leave from the University for the next month or so...and I'm planning on sending in all my letters of rec in before he gets back.

Do you think it would be a bad idea to still send in this professor's letter (unopened, but unsigned)??  or should I just send in my other two letters instead??

Thanks for the help ya'll!

13)  Studies have shown that, contrary to popular belief, middle-aged people have more fear of dying than do elderly people.

Each of the following, if true, contributes to an explanation of the phenomenon shown by the studies EXCEPT:

A)  The longer one lives, the more likely it is that one has come to terms with dying.
B)  Middle-aged people have more people dependent upon them than people of any other age group.
C)  Many people who suffer from depression first become depressed in middle age.
D)  The longer one lives, the more imperturbable one becomes.
E)  Middle-aged people have a more acute sense of their own mortality than do people of any other age group.

The correct ans here is C...but for the life of me I can't figure out how this answers the question.  Is it because it has no impact on the stimulus?


19)  If the flowers Drew received today had been sent by someone who knows Drew well, that person would have known that Drew prefers violets to roses.  Yet Drew received roses.  On the other hand, if the flowers had been sent by someone who does not know Drew well, then that person would have sent a signed card with the flowers.  Yet Drew received no card.  Therefore, the florist must have made some sort of mistake; either Drew was supposed to receive violets, or a card, or these flowers were intended for someone else.

Which one of the following statements, if true, most weakens the argument?

A)  Most people send roses when they send flowers.
B)  Some people send flowers for a reason other than the desire to please.
C)  Someone who does not know Drew well would be unlikely to send Drew flowers.
D)  The florist has never delivered the wrong flowers to Drew before.
E)  Some people who know Drew well have sent Drew cards along with flowers.

I chose D, but the correct response is B.  Any insight??  Thanks for the help!

So I'm taking the Kaplan course to help prepare for the Sept LSAT.  I'm having decent success (though I've been using the LRB in order to better tackle the LR sections)

With that being said, I'll occassionally miss a couple questions on the LR sections when doing practice tests.  However, when I do the practice sections in the Kaplan hw book (they mix several different LR sections together), I find myself missing almost half the section...

I'm kind of getting frustrated, as normally I miss somewhere in the range of 5 - 7 per LR section.  But when I try the Kaplan HW book, I can't seem to score very well.  Any ideas/suggesstions on what's going on here?  Thanks!

Quote from: im1020 on August 09, 2007, 06:01:57 PM

Sounds good.  Let me ask this as well.  I've heard conflicting views on whether or not to address in the personal statement any areas that are lacking.  For example, my sophmore year I had a bad semester gpa wise, and want to at least touch on it.  Is this the thing to do in a personal statement, or should I not even bother with it??

Speaking as someone who's applied successfully for a lot of stuff over the years, let me offer some advice:

Your PS should tell a story. That story should frame your decision to go to law school as the logical conclusion.

Your resume will have the nuts and bolts of what you've been doing these last few years

Your letters of rec. will explain why those things make you awesome

Personally, I think a personal statement should address the following:
1. How my past experiences have influenced who I am today
2. Why that person I am today is 100% sure law school is the absolute right next step in his/her life
3. The things that person you are today plans on doing later in life that he/she needs a law degree to do

Although the PS is not the place to try and "explain" a bad semester or year, if you can find some way to work that experience into 1. on the above list, you may be able to convert it into a positive, for it will contribute to the overarching narrative you are trying to create. However, be really careful about trying this...

A better approach might be to write an addendum explaining that semester, but write it in such a way as to make it seem like a footnote of your personal statement.

For example, if the theme of your PS is overcoming adversity, you don't need to mention the bad grades in the PS, but you can say in your addendum that you bombed that semester for X reason, but you learned from your mistakes, and you rededicated yourself the next year etc.

Remember: every single word in your application should increase the chances of your being admitted. If you can make an addendum function in this way, then it's a useful tool, and it would be a good idea to write one. However, if it feels superfluous/tact on/out of place/embarrassing, you shouldn't include it.

Also, always keep in mind that in these matters, there are no absolute merits or demerits. It's all a matter of interpretation. The key is being smart enough and careful enough to tell a good story.

Just a thought...

Darn, now that I look at my PS, it seems like more of a summary of my resume...except with more details.  Well, I guess that means I need to tailor it more towards what was suggested above.