Personal Statement Gamble (Ep. 551)

A listener asks whether they should include their experience as a professional poker player in their application materials. Ben and Nathan advise that they should. Pursuing something at a professional level demonstrates a meaningful commitment and a proven ability.Also in this episode:- A law school with an endless amount of fees- Whether you should attend an online law program- When conditional scholarships become predatory Study with our Free Plan⁠⁠Download our iOS app⁠Watch Episode 551 on YouTubeCheck out all of our “What’s the Deal With” segmentsGet caught up with our ⁠Word of the Week⁠⁠ library0:00 William & Mary’s Law School Fees13:38 Attending an Online Law School23:06 Predicting Role Questions33:23 Working as a Professional Gambler48:20 LSAC Guided Plus Program1:03:22 Accepting a Conditional Scholarship1:19:08 Ohio Northern’s Summer Program1:33:10 Word of the week — effusive

A listener asks whether they should quit their job to focus on LSAT study and law school applications. Ben and Nathan explain that there’s only so much productive studying you can do in a day and recommend keeping the job.Also in this episode:- Ben and Nathan poke fun at a New York Times article on homeownership with a clear flaw- How to break out of a stuck practice test range- Whether it makes sense to enroll with plans to transfer after 1LStudy with our Free Plan⁠⁠Download our iOS app⁠Watch Episode 550 on YouTubeCheck out all of our “What’s the Deal With” segmentsGet caught up with our ⁠Word of the Week⁠⁠ library0:00 Randomly Doing Bad9:05 New York Times Newsletter Flaw12:20 Stuck in the Low 160s21:04 Asking for More Money37:43 Quitting Job to Study for the LSAT50:48 Misleading Rankings1:01:38 Transferring After 1L1:09:57 Personal Statement Gong Show1:33:13 Word of the week — ascetic

Nathan and Ben react to WashU offering a new institutional loan to help students cover tuition beyond federal loan limits. They argue that chasing a prestigious name isn't worth it if you have to borrow heavily to get there.Also in this episode:- Ben and Nathan roast a poorly written Wall Street Journal headline- Whether highlighting and note-taking actually helps on the LSAT- An engineering grad considers switching to lawStudy with our Free Plan⁠⁠Download our iOS app⁠Watch Episode 549 on YouTubeCheck out all of our “What’s the Deal With” segmentsGet caught up with our ⁠Word of the Week⁠⁠ library0:00 Wall Street Journal Headline 3:29 Extremely Confused14:34 Loan from WashU25:27 Highlighting on the LSAT27:20 Test D Question — Nonprofit Leaders38:05 Career Change as an Engineer50:07 A Few More Points on Your GPA57:26 January Score Hold1:09:51 Word of the week — suzerain

A listener asks about alleged changes to Logical Reasoning that an LSAT YouTuber has reported. Ben and Nathan push back, maintaining that the test hasn’t meaningfully changed and that the so-called “new” question types have been around for years.Also in this episode:- A listener successfully secures a GPA change on their transcript.- Whether to use a letter of recommendation from a university president- What’s going on at Vanderbilt LawStudy with our Free Plan⁠⁠Download our iOS app⁠Watch Episode 548 on YouTubeCheck out all of our “What’s the Deal With” segmentsGet caught up with our ⁠Word of the Week⁠⁠ library0:00 Conditional Scholarships 11:00 Getting GPA Changed16:35 Letter of Recommendation from the President22:22 New Demon Plans28:04 Tips from Departing Demons37:50 RC Speed47:15 Updated LR Questions?1:01:48 What’s the Deal with Vanderbilt1:25:34 Word of the Week — diminution

LSAC announces that upcoming LSAT administrations will return primarily to in-person testing. Ben and Nathan discuss the shift away from remote testing and what it means for test takers.Also in this episode:- How to approach a final LSAT attempt- Cooley Law offers a scholarship for attending a meet and greet with the dean- How much time to spend studying each dayStudy with our Free Plan⁠⁠Download our iOS app⁠Watch Episode 547 on YouTubeCheck out all of our “What’s the Deal With” segmentsGet caught up with our ⁠Word of the Week⁠⁠ library

Reagan writes in after following Ben and Nathan’s advice from a previous episode to retake the LSAT and reapply. She shares her success story, including multiple full-ride offers and additional stipends.Also in this episode:- How an older applicant can best prepare.- A student gets waitlisted…for the waitlist.- The guys react to Nathan’s nephew’s argumentative essay.Study with our Free Plan⁠⁠Download our iOS app⁠Watch Episode 546 on YouTubeCheck out all of our “What’s the Deal With” segmentsGet caught up with our ⁠Word of the Week⁠⁠ library0:00 Older Applicant 8:43 Waitlist for a Waitlist18:19 Retake & Reapply Results31:42 Test D Question — Room for Dessert48:42 Tips from Departing Demons54:02 Accommodation Solicitation57:04 Reaching Out for a Grade Change1:07:35 Argumentative Essay on Meat Pizza1:18:53 Word of the Week — paucity

Ben and Nathan react to Harvard considering A+ grades in response to grade inflation. They discuss how grading practices have changed and what could meaningfully change the system. Also in this episode- Demon students share their January LSAT results- How to choose between a regional school and a top-ranked school- A listener asks about attending a non-ABA accredited law schoolNew York Times Articles by Mark ArsenaultStudy with our Free Plan⁠⁠Download our iOS app⁠Watch Episode 545 on YouTubeCheck out all of our “What’s the Deal With” segmentsGet caught up with our ⁠Word of the Week⁠⁠ library0:00 Harvard Adding A+ Grading11:07 January Score Release21:35 Attending a Regional School27:38 Improving Accuracy 42:44 Test D Question — Vor58:57 Pearls v. Turds1:05:35 140s Jail1:13:55 Non-ABA Law School1:23:20 Too Late to Apply?1:31:13 Thank You Email1:36:36 Word of the Week — chiaroscuro

A listener wonders if another LSAT retake will improve her chances at her dream law school. Ben and Nathan explain why retaking may not help when she’s already above the school’s 75th percentile, and why affordability should matter more than rank.Also in this episode- Ben and Nathan dunk on a law school offering a mystery "commemorative gift” in exchange for a binding commitment- A listener writes in about discouraging waitlists- A student who took the long road to law school shares their journeyClaude’s ConstitutionStudy with our Free Plan⁠⁠Download our iOS app⁠Watch Episode 544 on YouTubeCheck out all of our “What’s the Deal With” segmentsGet caught up with our ⁠Word of the Week⁠⁠ library0:00 How High is High Enough?18:10 Law School Offering a "Commemorative Gift”24:16 Good at Drilling but Bad at Timed Sections31:42 Test D Question — Sunlight Exposure43:40 Things We Actually Enjoy50:50 Discouraging Waitlists1:03:41 Long Road to Law School1:07:22 Personal Statement Gong Show1:23:12 Word of the Week — emolument

On the January LSAT, some test-takers noticed their RC section lacked a comparative reading passage. LSAC had quietly updated the test to allow zero to one comparative passages per RC section. Ben and Nathan explain why this change should have no impact on test-takers.Also in this episode- Florida ends the ABA’s status as the state’s sole law school accreditor- A viewer writes in to share their full-tuition scholarship success story- Should you write a GPA addendum for a semester that ended early?Study with our Free Plan⁠⁠Download our iOS app⁠Watch Episode 543 on YouTubeCheck out all of our “What’s the Deal With” segmentsGet caught up with our ⁠Word of the Week⁠⁠ library0:00 Florida Supreme Court News2:55 Law School Horror Stories10:47 ABA Legal Education Arm Seeks Independence14:50 LSAT Rule Change20:19 Not Paying for Law School21:52 Test D Question — Four Iron32:00 High Diagnostic Score38:44 Things We Actually Enjoy40:02 GPA Addendum45:07 Word of the week — euchre

After each test administration, a group of Demon users leave the platform and share their parting advice. Ben and Nathan dive into a selection of insights from these departing users.Also in this episode- A viewer asks whether to skip questions- A listener asks if it’s better to move on from time-consuming questions- How much students can expect from stipendsStudy with our Free Plan⁠⁠Download our iOS app⁠Watch Episode 542 on YouTubeCheck out all of our “What’s the Deal With” segmentsGet caught up with our ⁠Word of the Week⁠⁠ library0:00 Applying with No GPA11:35 “Best” Trial Advocacy Programs16:23 Test D Question — “Plagiarism”42:18 Skipping Questions49:46 Tips from Departing Demons58:22 How Much Are Stipends?1:06:08 Variance in Practice Tests1:13:45 Word of the Week — Testatrix