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LSAT Demon student Jacob was disappointed by his scholarship offers. Ben and Nathan encourage Jacob to withdraw and reapply next cycle.

Nathan and Erik help listener Chantelle draft a short GPA addendum that highlights an upward trend in her GPA. But they warn Chantelle that an addendum alone won’t make her a competitive applicant.

An anonymous listener considers giving up on LG. With LSAC removing Logic Games from the LSAT starting in August 2024, Nathan and Erik give their advice on whether it's a benefit to forgetting about games. 

Tuitions are soaring at U.S. colleges and universities, and short-sighted student loan policies may be partly to blame. This week, Ben and Nathan discuss the latest round of student loan forgiveness, which treats the symptoms of high education costs but won’t fix the problem. The guys also correct a common misconception about “test-optional” admissions. They consider the scholarship chances of applicants with low GPAs. And they advise a listener to pick a new personal statement topic. 3:48 - LSAT Optional No, the LSAT is not “going away” in 2025. Law schools will continue to value the LSAT even if they aren’t required to use it. 15:32 - Low GPA Applicants with low GPAs aren’t locked out of law school. Grade forgiveness may help some. But a high LSAT score is the real key to getting scholarships. 23:24 - GPA and Law School Rankings An anonymous listener considers taking a course pass-fail to avoid hurting their GPA. Nathan and Ben approve. The guys explain why law schools are so invested in their GPA medians: it’s all in the rankings game. 31:40 - $100,000 a Year Some colleges will soon charge $100,000 a year. Ben and Nathan bemoan the unhinged state of tuition hikes and student loans. 39:34 - Personal Statement The guys advise an anonymous listener to avoid a vague personal statement. 43:00 - Graduate School An anonymous listener wants to drop out of grad school but worries about what law schools will think. Nathan and Ben think the choice is clear. 46:38 - Extra Test Attempt Leslie, LSAT Demon’s admissions guru, shares the story of a student who successfully appealed for an extra test attempt. 50:48 - Word of the Week Listener Syd recommends Merriam-Webster’s Word of the Day.

The newest U.S. News Law School Rankings were just released, and multiple schools made big waves. Some moved up considerably—The Catholic University of America jumped 28 spots. Others were less fortunate—UC Law, San Francisco (formerly UC Hastings) dropped 22 spots. Does this matter? Students often decide which law schools to attend based on these rankings. They shouldn’t dictate your school choice. The factors: Employment: 33% (average of last two graduating years) First-Time Bar Passage: 18% (average of last two graduating years) Ultimate Bar Passage: 7% (average of last two graduating years) Peer Assessment: 12.5%  Lawyer/Judge Assessment: 12.5%  LSAT/GRE: 5% UGPA: 4% Acceptance Rate: 1% Student-Faculty Ratio: 5% Library Resources: 2% Visit U.S. News for the complete methodology.  Which schools benefited the most from the updated rankings?  The T14 saw little movement overall. The biggest winner was University of Virginia, which jumped into the number 4 spot, tied with Duke, Harvard, and University of Pennsylvania. The biggest winner in the next tier of schools (T15-T50) was William & Mary Law School, which jumped 9 spots (45th to 36th). Right behind them, University of Colorado, Boulder and Florida State University both moved up 8 spots (56th to 48th). Some of the largest gains occurred within the T51-T100 schools. The Catholic University of America rose 28 spots to number 94. Also moving up the rankings was University of Connecticut, with a 16-spot improvement to 55, and Pennsylvania State University, Dickinson Law, with a 14-spot jump to 75.  Who were the losers in the rankings?  In the T14 group, New York University tumbled from number 5 to number 9. In the T15-T50 group, Emory University and University of California, Irvine both dropped 7 spots, from 35th to 42nd. Among the biggest losses in rankings was UC Law, San Francisco, plummeting 22 spots to 82nd. Stetson University dropped 14 spots to 98th. Right behind them, University of Miami and Texas Tech University both dropped 11 spots to 82nd.  Here’s the list of T100 law schools as ranked by U.S. News:   School Rank +/- Stanford University 1 - Yale University 1 - University of Chicago 3 - Duke University 4 1 Harvard University 4 1 University of Pennsylvania - Carey 4 - University of Virginia 4 4 Columbia University 8 - New York University (NYU) 9 -4 Northwestern University - Pritzker  9 1 University of Michigan 9 1 University of California - Berkeley 12 -2 University of California - Los Angeles 13 1 Cornell University 14 -1 Georgetown University 14 1 University of Minnesota 16 - University of Texas - Austin 16 - Washington University in St. Louis (WashU) 16 4 Vanderbilt University 19 -3 University of Georgia 20 - University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill 20 2 University of Notre Dame 20 7 University of Southern California (USC) 20 -4 Boston University 24 3 Wake Forest University 25 -3 Ohio State University - Moritz 26 -4 Texas A&M University 26 3 Boston College 28 1 Brigham Young University (BYU) 28 -6 George Mason University - Scalia 28 4 University of Florida - Levin 28 -6 University of Utah - Quinney 28 4 Fordham University 33 -4 University of Alabama 33 2 Washington and Lee University 33 7 Arizona State University - O’Connor 36 -4 University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign 36 7 University of Iowa 36 -1 University of Wisconsin - Madison 36 4 William & Mary Law School 36 9 George Washington University 41 -6 Emory University 42 -7 Indiana University - Bloomington Maurer 42 3 Southern Methodist University (SMU) 42 3 University of California - Irvine 42 -7 Baylor University 46 3 University of Kansas 46 -6 Florida State University 48 8 University of Colorado - Boulder 48 8 University of Washington 48 1 Villanova University - Widger 48 -5 Pepperdine University - Caruso 52 -7 University of Tennessee - Knoxville 52 -1 Temple University - Beasley 54 - University of Arizona - Rogers 55 -1 University of California - Davis 55 5 University of Connecticut 55 16 University of Maryland - Carey 55 -4 University of Oklahoma 55 -4 Wayne State University 55 1 Loyola Marymount University 61 -1 Seton Hall University 61 -5 University of Kentucky - Rosenberg 61 -1 University of Missouri (Mizzou) 61 10 Yeshiva University - Cardozo 61 8 University of Richmond 66 -6 University of South Carolina 66 -6 Florida International University (FIU) 68 -8 Marquette University 68 3 Northeastern University 68 3 Pennsylvania State University - University Park 68 12 St. John’s University 68 -8 University of Houston Law Center 68 -8 University of San Diego 68 10 Drexel University - Kline 75 5 Georgia State University 75 -6 Pennsylvania State University - Dickinson Law 75 14 Loyola University Chicago 78 6 Tulane University 78 -7 University of Cincinnati 78 6 University of Nevada - Las Vegas (UNLV) 78 11 Drake University 82 6 Lewis & Clark College - Northwestern 82 2 Texas Tech University 82 -11 UC College of the Law, San Francisco (Hastings) 82 -22 University of Miami 82 -11 University of Nebraska - Lincoln 82 7 University of Oregon 82 -4 Case Western Reserve University 89 -9 University of Denver - Sturm 89 -9 Belmont University 91 14 Louisiana State University - Baton Rouge (LSU) 91 8 University of Pittsburgh 91 -2 Duquesne University - Kline 94 -5 Saint Louis University 94 -5 The Catholic University of America 94 28 University of New Mexico 94 2 American University - Washington 98 -9 Indiana University - Indianapolis McKinney 98 1 Stetson University 98 -14 University of New Hampshire - Pierce 98 7 University of St. Thomas 98 -2 The largest shifts in rank occurred outside the T100. Samford University climbed 28 spots to number 103. University of Maine School of Law moved up 26 spots to 120. Gonzaga University dropped 21 spots, landing at number 120. University of Louisville plummeted to number 136, a 37-point drop. For more: U.S. News Rankings

Erik and Nathan advise an anonymous listener to retake the LSAT and reapply in the fall rather than settle for a mediocre scholarship offer this cycle. They go on to discuss having a goal regarding a career in law that is based on more than just prestige or rank. 

Don’t let fear of practice test scores prevent you from taking timed sections. Nathan and Erik discuss best steps to ignore the clock when doing timed sections or practice tests.  

Some law schools oppose the rise of online education. But Nathan and Ben believe that law school would be better online.

An anonymous listener got caught cheating on a final exam. How badly will this hurt their law school admissions chances?

Nathan and Erik dismiss listener Simon’s fears about upcoming Logic Games sections.

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