Happy Friday! Here’s a roundup of some of our favorite law school tips and news articles from the week:

What Would a More Relevant Law School Ranking Look Like? You Told Us (Above the Law)

In light of U.S. News’s revisions to its rankings methodology, Above the Law asked their readers what a more improved and relevant approach to law school rankings would look like.

Who Should be the “Core” Faculty in the 21^st Century Law School? (Legal Skills Prof Blog)

Professor Deborah J. Merrit provides her reasons for why the current writing and clinical professors should form the core of a law school faculty.

Law School Tips for Success (U.S. News Education)

Thinking of attending law school in the future? U.S. News has some advice and suggestions to help you decide if law school is the right path for you.
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This Applies to You: Life of the Law

This week, I’m shamelessly plugging the blog I run when I’m not pondering logic games, The Life of the Law, because we’ve published some great articles recently that I think might interest you:

 1. In Reflections of a Law School Beauty Queen, Yale Law 1L Sopen Shah, talks about how being in pageants prepared her for law school. Don’t worry–I’m not suggesting you all become beauty queens, too (though you’re all beautiful to me). But the essay covers some of the challenges of being a first-year law student and offers an interesting perspective on how it’s is similar to America’s oldest reality series, pageantry.

2. You know those US News & World Report rankings that we’re all obsessed with? Law School Transparency is changing all that. I talked with one of the founders, Kyle McEntee, about how legal education is likely to change in the near (and far) future.

3. My good friend and Manhattan LSAT teacher Gilad Edelman, also a first-year law student, writes about states’ rights and everyone’s favorite, er, topic, marijuana. Gilad makes the fascinating point that when we talk about states’ rights, we tend to really talk about whatever it is we’re talking about. Make sense? He puts it better.

Life of the Law is always looking for new contributors and guest authors, so if you have a story to share about living under the law, get in touch!

Here are the free LSAT events we’re holding this week. All times local unless otherwise specified.

03/27/13 -Online- Zen and the Art of LSAT with Brian Birdwell– 8:00PM- 10:00PM (EST)

03/27/13 – New Haven, CT- Free Trial Class– 6:00PM- 9:00PM

Looking for more free events? Check out our Free Events Listings Page

Happy Friday! Enjoy the weekend and check out some of our favorite law school tips and news stories from the week:

Make an Informed Decision When Considering Law School (U.S. News Education)

Law professor Paul Campos advises prospective law students to take a critical look at the job statistics and answer a set of important questions to determine if law school is the right choice.

Ms. JD’s Pre-Law Prep Guide: Choosing a Law School That Works Best For You (Ms. JD)

Here’s a comprehensive assessment from Ms. JD that covers just about everything you need to know when it comes to choosing the best law school for you.

The Law Schools Whose Grads Earn the Biggest Paychecks (Forbes)

Forbes looked to Payscale.com to determine the top 25 law schools whose graduates make the most in the early stages of their careers.
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You’ve seen this type of question on recent tests. It offers a Principle followed by an Application of that Principle. The question stem then asks you something about the relationship between the two. Preptest 61, section 4, question 19 for example asks, “Which of the following, if true, justifies the above application of the principle?” Same with PT 65, section 1, question 14; PT 63, section 1, question 18; and PT 67, section 2, question 5 (not an exhaustive list).

Don't be fooled by clever LR disguises

Other questions accompanying the Principle + Application pairing have included, “The application of the principle is most vulnerable to criticism on the grounds that…” (PT 64, section 1, question 2) and “From which of the following sets of facts can the conclusion be properly drawn using the principle?” (PT 63, section 3, question 22).

How can we think about these questions?

First off, do you notice anything familiar about any of the question stems quoted above? You should–you’ve seen them all before. The question in the first paragraph–the one with the word “justify”–resembles a strengthen question. The latter two a flaw question (“vulnerable to criticism”) and sufficient assumption question (“can the conclusion be properly drawn”), respectively.

For this reason, one way to think about these Principle-Application questions is to view them as assumption family questions. There is a gap between the principle and its application; you’re asked something about that gap. Do you want to help close it (strengthen the relationship)? Identify it (find the flaw)? Or close it completely (find the sufficient assumption)? Thinking of these questions this way will enable you to be prepared for unexpected questions, too. What if you were told to weaken the connection? Or find a necessary assumption in the application? Approaching this type of question the way you already know how–because you understand assumption family questions–will also hopefully spare you “ah! Not a new question type!” anxiety.

Here are the free LSAT events we’re holding this week. All times local unless otherwise specified.

03/21/13 – Austin, TX- Free Trial Class– 6:30PM- 9:30PM

03/21/13 – Dallas, TX- Free Trial Class– 6:30PM- 9:30PM

Looking for more free events? Check out our Free Events Listings Page

Happy Friday all! Here’s our weekly roundup of law school news and tips:

How to Evaluate Law School’s Job Data (U.S. News Education)

Job availability is a major factor when it comes to choosing where to go to law school. This week U.S. News covers how to analyze a law school’s employment stats.

Should People Still Care About Law School Rankings? (Lawyerist)

U.S. News recently released its law school rankings for this year and now Lawyerist takes a look at the reality of the rankings and whether or not people should care.

The Bar Exam is About to Get Harder (The Wall Street Journal)

The bar exam currently tests constitutional law, criminal law and procedure, evidence, real property and torts. Beginning in February 2015, it will also include a new multiple-choice section on civil procedure.
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Shortcuts are few and far between on the LSAT

LSAT students in our courses often come in asking for “rules” or “shortcuts” that will enable them to learn the “tricks” of the test. We don’t really do teach “tricks and gimmicks” at Manhattan LSAT, and I try to convey early on that this way of thinking about the test isn’t all that useful. The LSAT is teachable, but it’s teachable in a way that doesn’t involve foolproof rules that serve as substitutes for thinking, like “whenever you see the word ‘all,’ the answer is wrong,” or “a conclusion with the word ‘should’ will never be correct to this kind of question.”

Beware of people who give you categorical rules like these. Or at least beware of the rules (the people probably don’t bite). When it comes to the LSAT, rarely is there going to be an absolute rule that you can apply mechanically and still be 100% confident in its application.

That said, if you were to come across a flaw question, say on preptest 42, section 2, around question 15, and there were an answer choice that read, “contains a premise that cannot possibly be true,” and you were skeptical because you thought, “Wait, I don’t think we analyze the validity of premises on their own–we analyze the reasoning between them and the conclusion… so can an answer choice like this ever be right?” you’d be on to something.

Flaws in logical reasoning are reasoning flaws; they aren’t flaws in the plausibility of a standalone premise. So I feel confident saying it: don’t choose this answer to a flaw question. But I’m going to add this caveat: still think as you do it. If you find one I’m wrong about, let me know. I’ll buy you a beer.

Here are the free LSAT events we’re holding this week. All times local unless otherwise specified.

03/13/13 – Online- Free Trial Class – 8:00PM- 11:00PM (EST)

03/13/13 – Online- Zen and the Art of LSAT with Brian Birdwell– 8:00PM-10:00PM (EST)

03/14/13 – La Jolla, CA- Free Trial Class– 6:30PM- 9:30PM

03/12/13 – Boulder, CO- Free Trial Class– 6:30PM- 9:30PM

03/12/13 – Irvine, CA- Free Trial Class– 6:30PM- 9:30PM

03/13/13 – Silicon Valley, CA- Free Trial Class– 6:30PM- 9:30PM

03/13/13 – Washington, D.C. – Free Trial Class– 6:30PM- 9:30PM

Looking for more free events? Check out our Free Events Listings Page

Hopefully by now everyone who sat for the February 2013 LSAT has received their scores and is ready to begin learning more about the law school application process. Here are some of our favorite articles from the week to help get you started:

Who are the Happiest Law Students in New York City? (Above the Law)

Thinking about heading to the Big Apple for law school? Find out how the students at top NYC law schools rate their overall experience.

Making Friends in Law School (Bitter Lawyer)

Making friends and networking a huge part of law school. This week Bitter Lawyer shares some insight about meeting new people as a 1L .

Why Should You Publish While in Law School?  (Law School & Bar Exam Success Tips)

The dean of Harvard Law School agrees that “you should try to publish at least one scholarly paper during your law school experience.” Here are three reasons why publishing is a good idea and some details on the submission process.
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