Articles published in 2017

Real Law School Personal Statements Reviewed: Lose the Exclamation Points

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Manhattan Prep LSAT Blog - Real Law School Personal Statements Reviewed: Lose the Exclamation Points by jdMission

In this series, a jdMission Senior Consultant reviews real law school personal statements. What’s working well? What’s not? If it were his/her essay, what would be changed? Find out!


Note: To maintain the integrity and authenticity of this project, we have not edited the law school personal statements, though any identifying names and details have been changed or removed. Any grammatical errors that appear in the essays belong to the candidates and illustrate the importance of having someone (or multiple someones) proofread your work.

Personal Statement

I never actually got to be Brutus, at least not on game day. But I was the next best thing. I actually got to spend every game day on the sidelines of Horseshoe Stadium, which was a childhood dream, and I got to make sure that Mike, who played Brutus, had enough water and didn’t fall over with the enormous weight of that giant head. (Trust me. On a hot autumn day after two hours, it’s hard to keep upright.)
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Motivate Yourself to Study for the LSAT

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Manhattan Prep LSAT Blog - Motivate Yourself to Study for the LSAT by Allison Bell

Learning science has come a long way in recent years, and we’ve been learning with it. We incorporate the latest discoveries in learning science into our LSAT course to maximize the efficiency and effectiveness of your prep. Want to see? Try the first session of any of our upcoming courses for free.


One of my favorite TV shows is Jane the Virgin. On a recent episode, Jane’s husband, Michael, decides to take up everyone’s favorite past-time: studying for the LSAT. To Jane’s chagrin, studying for the LSAT is almost indistinguishable from watching the NFL playoffs. When Jane inquires, Michael tells her that football gets him in a relaxed frame of mind to study, and resumes eating popcorn.

If you’re in Michael’s shoes right now (or Jane’s!) you’re not alone. Many LSAT students have confided in me sheepishly that they’re struggling to find the motivation to get down to business with their test prep. That’s understandable. The LSAT is intimidating and can be more than a little boring. But it takes a significant time and energy investment for most people to see the score improvement they want. So if you need help lighting a fire under yourself (or your significant other!), here are a few suggestions: Read more

Telling Your Story: Beginnings Are Boring

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Manhattan Prep LSAT Blog - Telling Your Story: Beginnings Are Boring by jdMission

A personal statement is really no more than telling a story—one that illuminates the “you” a law school would be lucky to have in its student body. In this series, “Telling Your Story,” a jdMission Senior Consultant will discuss how elements of storytelling can—and should—be applied to your law school personal statement.


You walk into a bookstore to browse, pick up a book with an interesting title and open it to the first page. It begins, “I was born on a sunny day in Indiana in 1955.” Do you keep reading? If you are like me, probably not. I know better than to overvalue book covers, but I do judge most books by their first lines.

A general principle of storytelling is that too much exposition or background before the action starts is a guaranteed way to lose readers. The same idea can make your law school personal statement stronger, hooking a reader from the beginning rather than the middle. (Let’s be honest, an admissions officer may not even make it to the middle, depending on the strength of your application.) Read more

What to Do When You Don’t Know What to Do on the LSAT

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Manhattan Prep LSAT Blog - What to Do When You Don't Know What to Do on the LSAT by Chris Gentry

Learning science has come a long way in recent years, and we’ve been learning with it. We incorporate the latest discoveries in learning science into our LSAT course to maximize the efficiency and effectiveness of your prep. Want to see? Try the first session of any of our upcoming courses for free.


So, you’re in the test, and things are going well. Or not. But, you’re coping, and working through all the problems as best you can. And then it hits: that one thing you just. don’t. get.

And wow, that’s a really sickening feeling.

Will this wreck your test? Honestly, it could. And you obviously don’t want that. So what do you do when you don’t know what to do on the LSAT? Read more

Real Law School Personal Statements Reviewed: Vary Your Sentence Length

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Manhattan Prep LSAT Blog - Real Law School Personal Statements Reviewed: Vary Your Sentence Length by jdMission

In this series, a jdMission Senior Consultant reviews real law school personal statements. What’s working well? What’s not? If it were his/her essay, what would be changed? Find out!


Note: To maintain the integrity and authenticity of this project, we have not edited the personal statements, though any identifying names and details have been changed or removed. Any grammatical errors that appear in the essays belong to the candidates and illustrate of the importance of having someone (or multiple someones) proofread your work. Read more

It’s Almost Time: Register For Our Upcoming LSAT CrunchTime Workshops Now!

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Manhattan Prep LSAT Blog - It's Almost Time: Register for Our Upcoming LSAT CrunchTime Workshops Now! by Manhattan Prep

The February 2017 LSAT is on the 4th. It’s officially CrunchTime. But don’t be (too) nervous; we’re hosting three LSAT CrunchTime workshops in January! Whether you want to brush up on a certain section of the LSAT or need guidance on all of them, we’re here to make sure you’ll feel ready to tackle the test when it’s time.
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Breaking the Logician’s Code: The Secrets Behind LSAT Tricks (Part 1)

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Manhattan Prep LSAT Blog - Breaking the Logician's Code: The Secrets Behind LSAT Tricks (Part 1)

The LSAT is out to trick you, and we’re out to warn you about those tricks before you fall for them. In this series, we’ll break down how to recognize certain LSAT tricks…and how to beat them at their own game.


I’ve developed a philosophy when it comes to learning the LSAT.

Well, over the years, I’ve developed many (some good, some bad, some contradicting others…). But the one I’m thinking of today is this: Read more

Update: Best News! Wharton, QS Honor Interact™ with Digital Content Award

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Wharton QS Honors GMAT LSAT Interact with Reimagine Education 2016 Digital Content Silver Award - Manhattan Prep LSAT BlogCheck out our free Interact™ demo here.


We have some exciting news to share with you from the Reimagine Education Conference & Awards 2016: Read more

The Law School Rolling Admissions Cycle, Explained

Manhattan Prep LSAT Blog - The Law School Rolling Admissions Cycle, Explained by Stratus Admissions Counseling

How does the rolling admissions cycle differ from a typical deadline cycle? Our newest partner, premiere admissions counseling firm Stratus Admissions Counselingwants to help make this confusing process crystal clear for you. To that end, they’ve outlined some crucial information about the rolling admissions cycle.


An uncommon and often confusing feature of the law school admissions process is that it uses a rolling admissions cycle. In this article, we’ll explore the rolling admissions cycle that law schools use and provide tips on how to navigate the process to your advantage.

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What You Need to Know About Law School Application Deadlines

Manhattan Prep LSAT Blog - What You Need to Know About Law School Application Deadlines by Stratus Admissions Counseling

Having trouble decoding a law school’s different deadlines? Our newest partner, premiere admissions counseling firm Stratus Admissions Counselingwants to help make this confusing process crystal clear for you. To that end, they’ve outlined some crucial information about application deadlines.


Because law schools use a rolling admissions cycle, it is often daunting to figure out each law school application deadlines, if they have one at all, and what one should do if the stated deadline has passed. The information that follows is intended to provide general guidance on deadlines and how to interpret them. As with many aspects of the law school admissions process, the treatment of law school application deadlines varies greatly from school to school, so always check with the schools themselves if you have any questions about their deadlines.

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