When to Give Up on Law School (Ep. 381)
Two mice fell into a bucket of cream. One gave up quickly and drowned. The other refused to quit and struggled for so long that it churned the cream to butter and crawled out. On today’s episode, Ben and Nathan answer an anonymous listener’s question: Which mouse should you be? If you’re drowning in the LSAT, how long should you struggle before calling it quits? The guys discuss why people who are meant to be lawyers will always tough it out—and why it’s okay if you’re not one of those people. Later on the show, they critique UVA’s statement about the U.S. News rankings, explain practice-test score ranges, and evaluate a tip for finding the main point in Reading Comprehension.
3:20 - Which Mouse Should You Be?
An anonymous listener calls upon a parable about drowning mice to ask how relentlessly they should pursue law school. LSAT study requires grit and determination. The struggle may be worth it—but only if law school is right for you. Ben and Nathan discuss when to double down on your efforts and when to walk away.
25:02 - UVA and U.S. News
Listener Kris shares an open letter from UVA Law dean, Risa Goluboff, on the school’s decision not to provide data for the U.S. News rankings. Dean G claims that the rankings fail to capture what UVA values most. Nathan and Ben point out that UVA displays their LSAT and GPA medians front and center for prospective students. The guys assure listeners that law school rankings and the LSAT aren’t going away anytime soon.
49:25 - Master of Legal Studies
An anonymous listener feels that they’ve reached their limit on the LSAT. Would padding their résumé with a Master of Legal Studies degree help their law school applications? Ben and Nathan recommend cutting negative self-talk and focusing on the LSAT.
54:15 - How to Determine Your Score Range
Nathan and Ben explain how to determine your score range by averaging practice test scores. They also discuss why it doesn’t matter whether you take a full-length test or break it up into individual sections.
1:00:40 - Pearls vs. Turds
TLP producer Erik shares a lecture on writing and explains how its lessons help him find the main point in LSAT Reading Comprehension passages.