Law Schools Are Quietly Going Broke (Ep. 576)

A new law review article estimates the financial condition of every ABA-accredited law school. Ben and Nathan discuss how the financial model of law schools has shifted with the rise of U.S. News rankings, and how that financial burden increasingly falls on the least credentialed students.Also in this episode:- Whether you can take the LSAT too many times- How to study for the LSAT the week of your exam- If you should retake your argumentative essayPaul Campos’s Article: Is Your Law School Going Broke: A Field Guide for Interested PartiesIs Your Law School Going Broke SpreadsheetStudy with our Free Plan⁠⁠Download our iOS app⁠Watch Episode 576 on YouTubeCheck out all of our “What’s the Deal With” segmentsGet caught up with our ⁠Word of the Week⁠⁠ library0:00 Is Your Law School Going Broke?33:47 Ten Point Score Jump in One Month43:12 Too Many LSAT Attempts47:21 Test D Question — Cats’ meow1:01:13 Studying the Week of your Exam1:07:54 Retaking the Argumentative Essay1:12:50 Personal Statement Gong Show1:40:28 Word of the Week — obstreperous1:43:49 Email of the Week

A listener writes in hopes to land the best possible scholarship for a law school in New York City. Ben and Nathan's advice: cast a wide net, apply to every school in the city, and lead with your best LSAT score.Also in this episode:- August LSAT score release day celebrations from the Demon Discord- A student whose score hold finally got released- What's the Deal with... University of GeorgiaPaul Campos’s Article: Is Your Law School Going Broke: A Field Guide for Interested PartiesStudy with our Free Plan⁠⁠Download our iOS app⁠Watch Episode 575 on YouTubeCheck out all of our “What’s the Deal With” segmentsGet caught up with our ⁠Word of the Week⁠⁠ library0:00 August LSAT Score Release15:30 Receiving a Disappointing Score 23:16 Test D Question — Cake Baking32:05 Cheating Allegations Exonerated41:57 Tips from Departing Demons49:10 Don’t Pay for Law School58:13 How to Bring Up RC Accuracy1:07:40 What's the Deal with... University of Georgia1:25:15 Word of the Week — pernicious1:28:22 Email of the Week

Big law firms are extending offers to first-year law students before Christmas, pushing the recruiting timeline earlier than ever. Ben and Nathan break down what's driving the frenzy, whether it echoes the pre-2008 hiring bubble, and what it means for applicants counting on those $235K Big Law salaries.Also in this episode:- LSAC postpones removing dual-enrollment credits from applicants’ UGPAs- Advice from Demon students who crushed the LSAT- Early decision scholarships from Wake Forest Law and Emory LawStudy with our Free Plan⁠⁠Download our iOS app⁠Watch Episode 574 on YouTubeCheck out all of our “What’s the Deal With” segmentsGet caught up with our ⁠Word of the Week⁠⁠ library0:00 Update on LSAC GPA Policy14:28 Test D Question — Broken car23:54 Always Choosing Next Best Answer34:00 Law Firm Hiring Frenzy45:59 Tips from Departing Demons49:39 Early Decision Scholarship from Wake Forest Law57:49 Early Decision Email from Emory Law1:09:12 Word of the Week — imprecations1:12:08 Email of the week

Law schools are releasing LSAT and GPA medians for their incoming first-year classes, and the number of schools with a 170+ median has risen sharply since 2016. Ben and Nathan break down why this is happening, and why it means schools are handing out generous scholarships to applicants with high medians. Their advice: use this to your advantage.Also in this episode:- Should you apply early with a below-target LSAT score, or wait until the next cycle?- Switching to Demon after grinding through 1,800+ questions on another platform- How often should you take full-length practice tests if you're still early in your prepStudy with our Free Plan⁠⁠Download our iOS app⁠Watch Episode 573 on YouTubeCheck out all of our “What’s the Deal With” segmentsGet caught up with our ⁠Word of the Week⁠⁠ library0:00 Apply early or wait until the next cycle?7:48 LSAT & GPA Medians of First-Year Classes24:58 Thoughts from a Departed Demon29:21 Demon is now on Android31:50 Test D Question — Supergroups39:35 Switching to the Demon After 1,800 Questions51:45 How Often to Take Full PTs58:52 Codeswitching LR and RC1:03:16 Word of the week — calumniator1:05:50 Email of the week

LSAC has released its annual LSAT percentile table, showing how  score distributions have changed over the past three testing cycles. Ben and Nathan explain that while more test takers are earning higher scores, small changes in percentiles matter far less than the score improvement students can make. Also in this episode:- The difference between necessary vs. sufficient questions- Why applying early without your best score will hurt your application- A tip from a student in the LSAT Demon Discord  ​You’re Never Early with a Bad Score, Thinking LSAT (Ep. 521)Study with our Free Plan⁠⁠Download our iOS app⁠Watch Episode 572 on YouTubeCheck out all of our “What’s the Deal With” segmentsGet caught up with our ⁠Word of the Week⁠⁠ library0:00 Test D Question — Agamemnon's pride10:31 Necessary vs. Sufficient Assumption24:05 LSAT Percentile Changes30:16 Applying Early or with the Best LSAT Score38:24 Pearls v. Turds51:07 Tips from Departing Demons59:34 Attending a Regional Law School1:12:39 Word of the week — casuistry1:18:38 Email of the week

LSAC has changed how it calculates an applicant's undergraduate GPA: college courses taken during high school will no longer count toward the UGPA. Ben and Nathan discuss how this could benefit many applicants and how students can get their UGPA updated.Also in this episode:- A viewer who is applying to law school for the third time- Washington cancelling their bar exam after technical difficulties- The next contestant on the Personal Statement Gong ShowStudy with our Free Plan⁠⁠Download our iOS app⁠Watch Episode 571 on YouTubeCheck out all of our “What’s the Deal With” segmentsGet caught up with our ⁠Word of the Week⁠⁠ library0:00 LSAC UGPA Change4:14 Avoiding Strike Three on Law Applications11:24 Washington Cancelled Bar Exam18:32 Test D Question — Linguistic anthropologist 32:58 Exit Survey on Demon Explanations38:55 Ask Button Secret Feature42:18 Personal Statement Gong Show59:32 Word of the week — logomachy

A listener asks whether drilling one question type until they've "mastered" it beats mixed practice. Ben and Nathan explain why focusing on  a single type creates a false sense of progress. They argue that mixed practice better prepares students for the unpredictability of the real LSAT.Also in this episode:- A law school asks waitlisted applicants to take a “situational judgment” test- Which test a student with only two attempts left should register for- How to reapply after being dismissed from law schoolStudy with our Free Plan⁠⁠Download our iOS app⁠Watch Episode 570 on YouTubeCheck out all of our “What’s the Deal With” segmentsGet caught up with our ⁠Word of the Week⁠⁠ library0:00 Drilling Method8:47 Tips on Predicting22:11 Waitlist Games41:13 Test D Question — Planet Y58:50 When to Register1:04:32 UC Law SF Alumni Email1:09:12 Reapplying After Law School Dismissal1:23:14 Word of the week — intransigent

Dan Currell returns to unpack a decade of major shifts in legal education and hiring. Nathan and Dan discuss employment outcomes for recent law graduates and the unusually frothy market in law firm hiring. Also in this episode:- What's fueling the surge in law school application- The mounting pressure students face once enrolled- Grade inflation at the undergraduate levelEmployment Outcomes Since 2016Hiring by Firm Size Since 2016Law School Applications by YearMean UGPA for First-Year ClassStudy with our Free Plan⁠⁠Download our iOS app⁠Watch Episode 569 on YouTubeCheck out all of our “What’s the Deal With” segmentsGet caught up with our ⁠Word of the Week⁠⁠ library0:00 Introduction5:21 Enthusiasm or Fear: What's Driving Applicants?16:26 Employment Outcomes for Recent Law Graduates25:53 The Frothy Market in Law Firm Hiring34:24 The Super-Star Effect42:25 Removal of Logic Games49:09 The Rise in Law School Applications59:06 Pressure on Students1:04:30 Take-Home LSAT Change1:12:55 Grade Inflation

The Demon team discovered that LSAC removed a Reading Comprehension feature in its updated interface. The test will no longer highlight referenced text in the passage. Ben and Nathan talk about this change and what it means for students.Also in this episode:- Chicago Law Releases Update on AI Strategy- Whether to pursue a master’s degree before law school- The next Personal Statement Gong Show contestantUniversity of Chicago Law PolicyStudy with our Free Plan⁠⁠Download our iOS app⁠Watch Episode 568 on YouTubeCheck out all of our “What’s the Deal With” segmentsGet caught up with our ⁠Word of the Week⁠⁠ library0:00 No More Blue Highlighting on RC14:12 On the Parallel Reasoning Ledge25:58 Chicago Law Banning Phones and Laptops 36:19 Tips from Departing Demons40:12 Test D Question — Athleisure48:17 Pursuing Master’s Before Law School55:24 Personal Statement Gong Show1:19:48 Word of the week — recalcitrant

A student pushes back on the Demon's advice against diagramming on the LSAT. Nathan and Ben respond with why their intuitive approach helps students answer questions faster and more accurately.Also in this episode:- A viewer follows up on their score hold- A judge's advice on sharing personal struggles in a personal statement- Whether being a KJD hurts your applicationStudy with our Free Plan⁠⁠Download our iOS app⁠Watch Episode 567 on YouTubeCheck out all of our “What’s the Deal With” segmentsGet caught up with our ⁠Word of the Week⁠⁠ library0:00 Prematurely Registered for the LSAT17:10 Accusation of Cheating41:08 Pearls v. Turds44:40 Confused with LSAT Demon49:57 Test D Question — Evil Oil Barons1:04:13 Sharing Struggles in Personal Statement1:16:16 KJD Tax1:25:29 Word of the week — auspicious