Monday, April 26, 2010

Do I Have What It Takes To Go To Law School?

A year ago I was adamant about going to law school, although I did not have a solid reason to why I wanted to go. This year, I am certain that law school is for me, for the reasons of liking law and helping others in society. I also see that a professional degree like a J.D. will give me a great edge in the market and fulfill my educational goals of having high education. Okay, so I want to go to law school, but do I have what it takes?

I think this will help me decide...(click image)


Ha Ha! That flowchart did not help, but was funny. With all jokes aside, this flowchart does raise some good questions.

I am not a under represented minority. - This does not help me
My undergrad GPA is poor for law school, a 2.8. - This does not help me
My undergrad GPA can be evened out by extensive work expierence. I have moderate work experience. I have no work experience in the legal field. - This will help me because I have been out of school for a year, possibly two years by the time I enter law school. -This helps only a little
The largest determinate that I can work on is my LSAT score. I have not taken the LSAT, but I will plan my studying to aim for a 170 because that is the score I will need to have a chance at going to a T1 (top 50) or T2 (top 51-100) school if I am lucky. -This will make or break me

The LSAT is out of a total score of 180, and I am working towards a 170. The 50th percentile is typically a score of about 151; the 90th percentile is around 163 and the 99th is about 172. A 178 or better usually places the examinee in the 99.9th percentile. I will take my first dianostic test soon, which should tell me where my score is as a first time taker and what areas I need to work on.

Wednesday, April 21, 2010

Blog and LSAT studying, get ready, set...GO!

My first official post provides not just the start of this blog, but the start of my law school application process. I am a prospect law school student aiming for the October 2010 Law School Admissions Test (LSAT). As of now, April, I have read various books about law school. All interesting and informative, yet all a slight distraction from the real reading I should be doing. Most recently I have been reading The Official LSAT SuperPrep which covers the three main sections of the LSAT and include 3 official old test to practice with.

I have never taken the LSAT before. Although, last year I planned to take it on two different occasions but I never studied, which resulted in the cancellation and avoidance of it all. This time around I have a general preparation schedule that I must abide by in order to do well on the LSAT.
April -read and study how to understand and dissect Analytical Reasoning, Logical Reasoning and Reading Comprehension. Take a diagnostic test or some actual prep test.
May -Continue studying. May 1st - Mock LSAT at UC Davis Law school.
July -enroll in TestMasters course. This will ensure i get vigerous training right up to the LSAT date.
October - LSAT

In addition I will be working full time through all of this studying. Blog Updates will be in align with my progress.