Heard of the six-word story? It’s a Thing now, thanks to ol’ Hemingway and his classic, six-word tale, “For sale: baby shoes, never worn.” There’s even a sub-genre of the six-word story–the six-word memoir. When you finish those (and you should–they’re fascinating), buy the other book of them.

Three of my favorites:

It’s pretty high. You go first.

Wasn’t noticed so I painted trains.

It was worth it, I think.

You may recall the LSAT haiku I birthed into the world on this very blog last year at this time. Today, I share my own six-word LSAT memoirs, all  based on my real test-day experience.

Nine Six-word LSAT Memoirs By Me

Bike, watch, map. Pencils in baggie.

Ma’am this map is not allowed.

Hide prohibited bike map in bush.

Anxious neighbor claims I stole pencils.

I did not steal anyone’s pencils.

Anxious neighbor finds pencils in pocket.

Experimental’s logic games! God does exist!

Having to pee’s in the mind.

Five sections. One essay. Two margaritas!

…

What’s yours?

No need to rush, the LSAT is here to stay

When I was 22, I started studying for the LSAT in August and planned to take it in December. I’d just moved to New York after graduating from college, and I was working a few jobs to cover my bills: being a production assistant at a theater during the day, bar tending at night, and grading papers for a professor during my off time. On the weekends, I’d huddle in the corner of the 1.5 bedroom (1BR with wide hallway) I shared with two other people and try to learn logic games. I did my best to focus under these less than ideal circumstances, and gradually but steadily, found my practice test scores going up.

Then, in November, just a few weeks before the exam, my long-distance boyfriend broke up with me. When I called my mom crushed, our conversation turned to the test. AND HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO CONCENTRATE WHEN I’M SUCH A MESS?! I wailed, to which she replied, as if it took no thought at all: don’t. Postpone it.

At the time, this sounded like the dumbest thing anyone had ever said. Postpone it? I’d been studying for (two) MONTHS! I’d sacrificed nights out for this dumb test. I’d spent my half-hour lunch breaks smushed in a dingy dressing room on 42nd street trying to put M, G, L, and F in order as fast as I could before resuming work, i.e. delivering small paper cups of water to attention-obsessed actors. The truth was, I wanted to be done with the friggin LSAT. I told her this.
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This would go great with the coffee maker!

Sometimes the best gifts are the most practical gifts. While it’s usually more fun during the holidays to give and receive silly tchotchkes like this one here, or here, you can trust that you (or your pre-law giftee) will appreciate something more useful in the long-run. So whether you’re jotting down your own holiday wish list or buying for an aspiring lawyer, consider some of the following gift suggestions:

1. Black’s Law Dictionary (Standard Ninth Edition)– This is the gold standard for the language of law and a must-have for all pre-law and law students.

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News flash: Halloween is tomorrow! Presumably, you’ve been too wrapped up in LSAT prep to even take the time to brainstorm costume ideas.
But don’t worry, we’ve got your back. How about dressing up as a funny, scary, or realistic version of your future self? Or a popular legal reference? Here’s some inspiration to get your creative juices flowing:

1. Colonial Lawyer:  Take the traditional route and pop on a black robe and white collar and wig.
2. My Cousin Vinny: Plenty of options for this one. You could go with the all black ensemble (black pants, leather jacket, and silver belt and chain) or you could spice it up with a brown/orange suit, complete with a matching bowtie, white button-down, and heavy New York accent.
3. A Lawsuit: Wear a suit and attach legal documents all over it (Amendments of the Constitution, the UCC, Restatement of Torts) .
4. The Second Amendment: Wear a sleeveless shirt.
5. The Socratic Method: Get a white sheet from the linen closet and style a Greek toga. Sling a colored sash around your shoulder with the word “method” written across it.
6. Judge: A white, curly wig, pair of glasses, white turtleneck, and black robe should do the trick. Add some pizzazz by adopting a New York accent and calling yourself Judy.
7. Elle Woods: Bring out anything and everything pink. Pink dress, skirt, shirt, heels, and hat. If you’re not a natural blonde, grab a wig, as this is a pretty essential part of the costume. Don’t forget to pick up a Chihuahua and dress him in a matching pink outfit.
8. The Lazy Lawyer: For those who want something more subtle or are just too lazy to put a complete costume together, throw on the shirt pictured above from Zazzle.com.
9. Yourself: If you don’t fancy the whole costume idea, just go as the studious LSAT student that you are. Accessorize with you’re pencils, stopwatch, and Manhattan LSAT Strategy guides.

Already have your costume picked and ready to go? We’d love to hear your ideas! Leave us a comment or tweet @Manhattanlsat

Law doesn’t just happen in courtrooms and legislative buildings. It’s actually all around us, and a new radio and multimedia project in which one of our instructors (and frequent contributor to this blog), Mary Adkins, is involved explores all the ways in which that’s true.

The Life of the Law may interest many of you, particularly those of you who have gotten into the podcast craze–season one of their podcast just wrapped up, and all the episodes are available on the site.

For a contemplation of just how broad “the law” is, check out in particular Mary’s ongoing photo series, What The Law Looks Like. Here are a few of her shots:

Dump At Your Own Risk

Waiting to Cross

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If you were lucky enough to get your hands on the new iPhone5, we know you’re feeling pretty darn cool. Even if you’re just sitting in class or at work with your Mac Book Pro, Tablet, Kindle Fire, or iPad 2, you’re tech-savvy self is still cooler than the dinosaur hovering over a stack of lined-paper and #2 pencil.  With the ability to double as an environmentalist and a speed typist, why would anyone these days opt for the old-school printouts and notebooks to read and write?

Turns out, according to a recent piece from the New York Times, that while it may feel (and look) cool to spend the majority of your waking hours staring at an array of glowing rectangles, old fashioned paper still matters when it comes to being productive and learning new material. Here’s what a few productivity experts, researchers, and CEOs had to say in making the case for print:
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Yesterday, the President of the United States of America logged onto Reddit, the popular online forum community, to participate in one of the site’s online threads called “Ask Me Anything,” where experts on various subject matter make themselves available to the community to answer questions. One question  the POTUS responded to came from a recent law school graduate: Read more

Since you’ve already submitted most of your free time to the LSAT, we figured we would share with you a list of interesting(?) trivial facts about ye old exam.  If you want to impress a crowd or maybe pick up (read: lose) a few friends, commit these LSAT facts to memory and rattle some off when the topic comes up, because hey, everyone loves that friend who does nothing but talk about the LSAT! (weekly links after the jump)

LSAC does not guarantee special desks or tables for left-handed test takers.

• The first administration of the LSAT occurred in 1948.
• Prior to 1991, LSAT scores were distributed on a scale from a low of 10 to a high of 48.
• The LSAT is only offered twice a year in Africa and Europe (October and December).
• There is no age requirement to sit for the LSAT.
• Statistically, the number of students who take the LSAT increases when the United States economy, as measured by the gross domestic product (GDP), decreases.
• When you go to the test center for the first time, about 75% of the people around you are also taking the test for the first time. Roughly 20% for the second time, and 5% for the third time.

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Be prepared, be VERY prepared

By Evyn Williams 

Everyone knows that test day will inevitably be a stressful and hectic event, but you can minimize the madness by being prepared for even the strangest of LSAT happenings.

My own LSAT test day experience was rife with peril, but I made it through, and so can you. Here are three things you should do to get ready for the big day (and one you really shouldn’t):

1. DO read the LSAT test day rules.Then re-read them. Then re-read them again. Then commit them to memory as though they are the Gettysburg Address and you are Lincoln and the fate of the country literally depends on you knowing this thing word for word.
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Our Friday post is normally a compilation of text-based articles pertaining to the LSAT, law school, or the legal profession. This week, however, we are switching things up and sharing some of our favorite law-related You Tube videos. We’re normally pretty procrastination-averse, which is why we apologize in advance for any time wasted on the below videos.

Please don’t be like this guy once you start law school.

My Roommate the Law Student:
//www.youtube.com/watch?v=K88EqBQCnrs
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