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.
Read more

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.
Read more

The hardest thing about LSAT prep is that you may just have to undo some of the things you’ve learned in school. Most of us figured out shortcuts that made high school and college much more bearable: Sparknotes, cramming, skimming, writing baloney papers about how the Simpsons represent the pressing issues in the modern US family (that was my high school AP psychology paper – not only was it horrible, I forgot about Lisa). And then the LSAT comes along and wants to know if we can think crisply and cleanly—in other words, if we can think critically. For those of us addicted to thinking “creatively,” it can be a rude awakening.

Let me give you an example: is it true that some of the people reading this blog post are breathing? “That’s ridiculous” the normal brain thinks: everyone reading this is breathing. Well, that’s no doubt true, but isn’t it also true that some

LSAT Interact - designed to make you THINK!

of those folks are breathing? Yes, some of them are. (On the LSAT, “some” means an amount greater than zero, which can technically include all.)

It’s not easy to shift to a more legalistic type of thinking, and that’s why boring LSAT prep can be really frustrating. Folks, we’re not studying for an anatomy exam. You can’t simply jam this stuff into your head, you have to actually think in a different way. One way to accomplish this is to compare what you think against what you’re supposed to think. A good teacher will stop you in your tracks, so your brain goes “whaaa?” and then says “ohhh!”  We could call the “whaaa?” part cognitive dissonance and the “ohhh!” part learning something new (or a geek-eureka).

This is one of the reasons we put in a lot of freezes in LSAT Interact. A freeze? Let me explain: there are tons of moments when the teachers ask a question and then freezes, waiting for you to think what’s coming next. When you click on the button, you hear the teacher continue, as only an LSAT geek can, and then you get to compare and go through your “whaa” and “ohhh.”

As you can see, I’m still super-jazzed about the recent release of LSAT Interact. For a bit longer, the ladies and gents in marketing are letting folks sample it—funny how the first taste is always free!

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

03/06/13 – New York, NY- Free LSAT Workshop– 6:30PM- 8:30PM

03/07/13 – Online- Free Online Workshop – 8:00PM- 10:00PM (EST)

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

Looking for some Friday reads? Have a look at some of our favorite law school articles from the week:

Making a Statement: Your Law School Admissions Essay (About.com Graduate School)

Your law school personal statement is a way for you to show the admissions committee what differentiates you from hundreds of other applicants. Here is some great advice for making your essay stand out.

Think You May be Public Interest Bound? Start by Choosing the Right Law School (Law School Podcaster)

Associate deans, directors, and Executive Director at Equal Justice Works discuss what to focus on in law school if you’re planning to head to the public sector.

Starting a Law Firm in Law School (Lawyerist)

Is starting your own law firm before you’ve even graduated from law school doable? This week Lawyerist takes a look at the possibility.
Read more

Last week I headed to Costa Rica to learn how to surf. It was my first time surfing. Not to brag, but on my first day my instructor told me I was very good. I then tried jokingly asking if I was the best student he ever had and he answered quite seriously, “No.”

Mary hangs ten in Costa Rica

“Very good” as in I was standing on the board and riding small waves (want proof? That’s a photo of me from last week). But my second and third days were less successful–early on day two, I lost some of the confidence my instructor’s compliment had instilled. Once I’d fallen two or three times, I became convinced I hadn’t in fact learned how to get up on the board and stay there.

After two afternoons of swallowing gallons of sea water, annoyed at myself for losing my game, I listened to my instructor’s advice: I needed to trust myself. I’d become convinced I was going to fall and so I would.

This lesson applies to the LSAT. I sometimes ask students to imagine themselves scoring 170 (or 175, or 180… whatever the target score). What does it feel like? How did they do it? Believing in oneself isn’t just about hoping that it’ll happen–it’s about trusting that you’re actually capable of getting what you want, and a way to do that is to picture yourself having already done or doing it.

If you’re convinced you’re not going to do well, chances are you won’t. But if you become convinced that you are, you might. Obviously acquiring the skills and knowledge to accomplish certain tasks is also critical–but alone it’s unlikely to be sufficient if you don’t actually see yourself as capable of reaching your goal.

Try this: imagine you just scored your goal on the LSAT–the official one. Write down how it feels. Write down how you did it. Start with, “I’m so thrilled that…” If you want to be super cheesy, hang it on your mirror (next to your “You are beautiful” mantra). What’s to lose?

Happy Friday! Here’s our weekly roundup of articles about law school and the legal profession:

Six Big Myths About Lawyers (The Careerist)

Senior lecturing fellow at Duke Law School conducted interviews, surveys, and coaching engagements with over 1,000 lawyers and law students to debunk six popular myths about lawyers.

Is Lawyering the Right Path for You? (The Girl’s Guide To Law School)

This week, career expert Lainee Beigel spoke with The Girl’s Guide To Law School to offer some helpful career guidance to both current and prospective law students.

Ms. JD’s Pre-Law Prep Guide: Applying to Law School: What You’ll Need and How You Should Prepare (Part I) (Ms. JD)

Assistant Directors of Admission at Michigan State University College of Law and recent graduates of the Law College share advice on how to prepare for the law school application process.
Read more