t

[143argh]

edited

[goosenesque]

I'll take a shot at it...


Whelp long-time-since-may-after-finals-lurker here, sept lsat is coming up, and I need your (the lsd communities!) help. A bunch of questions are always popping into my head, so here I am to ask them. Naturally, these questions are going to be pretty disjointed, as they're simply popping into my head as I speak (or write... err type). I know it's not good internet etiquette, but answer them... or I will bump this thread... alot... not to the point where I will be banned or anything, because that would defeat the purpose, or even to the point where I will annoy you (again, purpose defeated). So empty threat I guess. On to the questions!

1) Does having a brother and sister go to a law school have ANY affect on your admissions? The school is Duke. Bro graduated, sis graduating this year. Brother was very into school stuff, sis wasn't. I'm not deluded here thinking I'm some sort of legacy. And I know it won't make a big, medium, big-small, or small-medium difference. My questions is does it make ANY difference.
I don't THINK it makes any difference at all.

2) I'm 18 now. Just turned. And am graduating this year (end of July b-day so graduating as 18). Will this help me or hurt me? I tend to think it will hurt me at upper-echelon schools. But just curious what you guys think. Seems like a bad age to graduate; a couple years to late to be prodigy, but still gonna be viewed as immature.
I don't think this will hurt you, if anything it might help, as you've already shown you'er maturity level by graduating early and working.
3) I've done NOTHING about admissions as of yet except study a bit for the lsat ( little more than a diag; I need to buckle down now which is why I registered here). Am I behind? Can I catch up? I always planned on doing everything in October. I know nothing about what is required to apply to different schools. Can I use the same PS? Basically, my question here is what does it take to apply to different schools and what can I do NOW.
Some schools have different requirements, so the best way to figure this one out is just by checking the applications for schools which you intend on applying to.  I would suggest you get to working right away on everything, including the PS, LORs, and improving your LSAT.
4) Tips on RC... seriously, just throw some tips. I'm not awful, but I can @#!* up and miss 7. Very variable, no consistency... and I guess I'm a redundant writer. Anywho. Seems like I can't understand some even after knowing the answer, or even with a test exp. from kap.
Treat the RC section the same way you treat the LR.  The best way to improve LR, in my opinion, is to improve your LR scores.
By the way, I'm 100% self-study. Having a tough time finding time to study because of ridic. minimum wage work hours. Just got off 20+ hours of weekend work hell. Gonna get better once the school year starts though (school starts = more time to study for lsat; resolve paradox! Answer: ME!) As another little nugget of knowledge about myself for thyselves I have both bibles. Worked through em once. Do it again you think? (call this question 4b)
The Bibles have improved my practice scores 10+ points already, so I'm all for going through them again, especially the LR Bible.
5) Is the june lsat availabe for purchase? Seems like a good way to really gauge my perf. at this point. If it is, link me. Gracias!!!
Just ask around, someone on this board will probably have it.
6) 4.0 GPA (from small school). I guess I'll be applying with it... so you send the school an incomplete transcript... without senior year... do your senior grades even affect your law school apps then? Not that I plan to let my gpa drop, but with a thesis and bunch of major courses and subj. papers... who knows? I want more calc!!! So whats up with your senior grades is my quest.?
I'm curious about this one as well, since I have a 3.97 GPA and don't plan on busting my ass very hard this semester (more focused on my September re-take).  I've HEARD that you have the option of sending in your transcript from the fall, but schools won't ask for it unless you get waitlisted or deferred, in which cases they STILL might not want it.
That's all for now. Help please. Much apprec..

[Hank Rearden]

1) It might help a bit in a tiebreaker situation (since the school would know that you actually have ties to the school and aren't just applying because it has a high ranking).  If they know you will probably go there, they might be more willing to give you an acceptance than someone with similar numbers who shows no real interest in the particular school.

2) As long as you have demonstrated maturity (through working perhaps) and sound mature in your PS, I doubt it will hurt your admission chances.  However, it might hurt you socially in law school to be so young since from what I've heard much of the socializing revolves around going to bars.

3) I'm focusing most of my essay-writing time onto one personal statement, and although some schools have optional essays, I probably won't put much effort into those.  LOR's you need to get on right away since recommenders can sometimes be slow.  Filling out the applications doesn't take too long.

4) RC...I'm not sure.  I improved on RC just by consciously focusing on the passages more and making sure that I understand everything about the passage before I go to the questions.  Reading quickly helps too, but by now it is kind of hard to improve that.  I think taking practice tests would be a better way to study than reading the Bibles for a second time.

5) I did hear that the June LSAT was available, but 45-48 were fairly similar in difficulty/types of questions.

6) If you are applying the fall of your senior year, you don't need to send in a transcript from that year.  That being said, many schools won't have made a decision by January or February, and if you made all A's in the Fall, by all means send it in.  I would guess though that this would help the people who had lower GPA's (not a 4.0).  I'm sure in your case the law schools already know you can get good grades, and so I wouldn't worry about sending in a transcript from the fall unless they specifically ask or waitlist you.   

[goosenesque]

^You my friend are just one helpful guy

[Hank Rearden]

Read around on the personal statement section, we are a fun-loving bunch. 

[Nizzy]

Not to be a wet blanket or anything, but does anyone think he should maybe take a year or two off and do something productive?  I have done the whole younger than everyone else thing back in college, and it sucked royally.  In my school, so many events revolve around drinking and bars, and the occasional person might treat you differently when they hear about your age.

Additionally, you don't want the application process to be rushed, and you have some work yet to do.  Not trying to be negative, i just think it is important that this be considered.

[Hank Rearden]

Not to be a wet blanket or anything, but does anyone think he should maybe take a year or two off and do something productive?  I have done the whole younger than everyone else thing back in college, and it sucked royally.  In my school, so many events revolve around drinking and bars, and the occasional person might treat you differently when they hear about your age.

Additionally, you don't want the application process to be rushed, and you have some work yet to do.  Not trying to be negative, i just think it is important that this be considered.

Well he wasn't asking if he should apply at a young age, just whether that would impact his chances. 

I am kind of used to always being the youngest person around.  I guess it is just a question of whether the time you would lose by taking time off outweighs the value of being able to do things that older people can do.  For college it was slightly different too...most of the freshmen could not legally drink, but in law school ALL the 1L's can legally drink. 

[mansfraz]

You asked whether your age would effect the admissions process because it would tend to create doubts about your maturity.  I wonder whether your age will not create questions about your reasons for going to law school?  You will have to have a VERY good reason for going to law school at your age.  Maybe I'm sensitive to this because I had to deal with the same question from the opposite end, I'm older than the normal applicant.  Of course, I had many years of work experience that led me to this point in my life.  What will you be able to express to admissions officers about your reasons for attending?  I'm not saying you can't have a reason because of your age, but think long and hard about how you will express those reasons.

Also, about the LSAT.  Games are the easiest section in which to improve, but RC is the hardest.  The person who recommended improving in LR in order to improve in RC is dead on.  Same type of questions, etc.

[MotownSaint]

I pre-ordered the June LSAT and received it on like August 1st.  So yes, it's out.

[goosenesque]

But...but...but I'm 21 and live with my parents, and I'm really really cool, not loser at all!!   Actually, the school I'm going to right now is expensive as hell, so paying for an apartment isn't an option, plus my mom is the only person I live with and she's hardly home.