The Guys Roast Their Own Personal Statements (Ep. 190)
Put on your slippers and pull up your favorite comfortable chair, dear listeners, because you’re in for a treat. Ben and Nathan take advantage of the calm before the summer LSATs to do story-time theater. They read, or rather laugh their way through their own personal statements from when they applied to law school. Plus you’ll hear some advice about Ben’s “Murph” and how it could apply to your LSAT study.
As always, if you like the show and you want to get more from the Thinking LSAT community, check out the links below. You can connect with other folks studying for the LSAT, and get more useful resources from Nathan and Ben.
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News Flash
Mark it, friends. June 4, 2019 is the last day to register for the July LSAT. And Nathan and Ben take some time to put folks’ fears at bay. The guys talk about how this LSAT will be the same, if not better than any LSAT you’ve ever attempted. No precious seconds bubbling in an answer. Just tap a piece of glass. No accidentally erasing a correct answer and forgetting where the fuck you are. Just tap to change your answer. It’s gonna be sweet. And the best part? You can still bring a pencil and scrap paper to the test to do any writing that you like. The digital LSAT has tons of upside. The guys tell you all of the reasons why you should absolutely register for and take the July test.
5:24 – LSAT Demon Updates
Ben and co. have been hard at work, finalizing some new features for the Demon. Most notable amongst them is the full-test feature. Soon you’ll be able to smash out a complete timed test right in the Demon. The guys are hoping to roll this out to the preview site this week, so stay tuned! Meanwhile, Nathan’s been loading the Demon with a ton of new written explanations for questions throughout. If you’re working on a passage or a question you just don’t understand or can’t seem to get right, hit the “help” button in the platform to request an explanation from Nathan or Ben.
8:08 – The Murph
While y’all are hard at work cramming for the LSAT, Ben’s preparing for his own personal Everest. It’s “the Murph.” An insane cross fit workout that Ben’s going to attempt in May. Ben polled folks for advice on how to prepare and get through the famous workout, and listener Frankie wrote in with some pro advice. Frankie recommends that throughout the workout, if you feel the need to stop, stop. Then count to three—one-one-thousand, two-one-thousand, etc.—and get back into the workout. Frankie recommends not to stop for longer than that. Of course, Nathan pipes in with thoughts on how this gem advice can be applied to LSAT study.
11:00 – Pearls vs. Turds
In today’s Pearls vs. Turds, a listener offers this advice for test takers with accommodations. He says that even if you have accommodated testing (like time and a half) you should still practice at a 35-minute pace. He found that if he practiced at 70 minutes, he kind of lost focus throughout the section and became comfortable with that amount of time. As a result he had pacing and accuracy issues even with extended time. However, when he bumped his practice back to 35-minute sections, the renewed sense of urgency throughout helped him stay sharp and engaged. After practicing this way, he found that he fared better on practice tests with accommodated timing. So is this something you should try at home if you get accommodations? Ben says this can bake in bad habits, and Nathan agrees—you should practice how you’re gonna play. The guys almost throw this in the Turd pile, but deem it a Tie considering this seemed to work for this listener.
21:16 – The Guys’ Personal Statements
The stars of the show today aren’t visiting guests or listener questions. Nope. It’s a pair of personal statements. And not any ol’ personal statements. These are Ben’s and Nathan’s personal statements from their law school applications. Tune in to hear the guys laugh uncontrollably at their own writing. You’ll learn about Ben’s stellar leadership abilities, and Nathan’s business savvy. Their statements just prove that everyone has room to grow and that soliciting feedback—even if it’s tough—is better than writing in a vacuum.