If you're here, you're probably wondering what exactly we're talking about. If you score a full scholarship, congratulations are in order! But we want to make sure you read the fine print, too. Let's talk about what it takes to keep your merit-based scholarship offer for the duration of your legal education. If you want to pre-read about this topic, we suggest these articles: Scholarship vs. Prestige: When to Take the Money and Run? A Law Degree is Worth Over $1 Million. Can You Get it for Free?Pre-Requisites If you apply early for admissions and have the competitive … [Read more...]
A Law Degree is Worth Over $1 Million. Can You Get it for Free?
Breaking Down the Numbers According to Law School Transparency, as of 2018, the average law school graduate carries $115,000 in student loan debt. To break that down, public law school graduates carry about $92,000 in debt and private law school graduates carry $130,000 in debt. This would all be fine, of course, if you were virtually guaranteed a six-figure salary after graduation. You are not. According to the ABA, nine months after graduating, only 57% of law students had full-time jobs that required passing the bar. For those lucky enough to have a job, the median salary was $60,500. Yes, … [Read more...]
10 Bad Reasons to Go to Law School
There are a lot of great reasons to go to law school, but there are just as many bad ones. Below we list some of the top ten bad reasons for going to law school. If you find yourself saying, "But that's my reason!" you may need to take time to re-evaluate if law school is the best path for you. Parental Influence Although having the support of your family is certainly important, following a parental wish in this case is misguided. Dealing with something as life-determining, costly and involved as attending law school is certainly an undertaking and having your family backing you is not … [Read more...]
3 Ways to Lower Your Pre-LSAT Stress
If your LSAT test administration is on the horizon, you're likely focusing on the final countdown to the big day. At this point, you (should) have already invested a significant amount of time and effort into preparation. Maybe you took a course, worked with a tutor, or used our free self-study site. Ideally, you also have a number of practice tests under your belt and an effective and efficient approach to the test. Your opportunity to crush the LSAT is swiftly approaching! With that in mind, here are a few ways to help make the countdown as stress-free as possible. Take it Easy To whatever … [Read more...]
Quick Tips: Crafting a Top-Notch Personal Statement
Apart from your LSAT and undergraduate GPA, the personal statement is certainly the most important aspect of your law school application. It's the one part of your file that is solely you. It's your voice, your experiences, your story, told in your words. Every day, as we help students put together exceptional applications as part of our law school admissions consulting programs. Here are some tidbits of personal statement wisdom that we hope will help you create a top-notch, unforgettable, impactful essay.What to DoWhen you write your personal statement, one of your guiding … [Read more...]
How to Make Your LSAT Prep Efficient and Fun
If you're here, it's fair to assume that you're taking your LSAT prep seriously. That's smart! But are you being smart about how you study? Both commitments are important if you want to do well on the LSAT without going mad and burning out before test day. The LSAT Emotional Roller-coaster Most people studying for this test experience a full range of emotions: fear, excitement, loathing, you name it. The excitement you feel when a concept finally clicks or when you raise your score on a PT. These are fantastic motivators that keep you coming back for more. It's a geeky kind of high and part … [Read more...]
3 of the Biggest Mistakes You Can Make When Preparing for the LSAT
There's a good and not-so-good way to prepare for the LSAT. We see test-takers make mistakes all the time! Let's review three very common errors and how to avoid them. Looking for Shortcuts Performing well on the test requires solid conceptual understanding of the material being tested. Relying on a “quick fix” or a shortcut might help in some instances; however, these are not bullet-proof methods that can be applied universally and work every time. Such “techniques” can do more harm than good. Many students who use them never bother to understand and apply the correct method of … [Read more...]
Tactical LSAT Advice: Trust the Process
You often hear about the dichotomy in the law between substantive law and procedural law. To know the substantive law concerning an issue, one must know what laws and rules govern in certain situations. You also need to know when to apply those laws. The procedural side of law focuses on the method or process of moving through the judicial system. A good lawyer needs to know both of these aspects of the law well. The Two Sides of LSAT Prep Let’s think about LSAT preparation as having both a substantive and procedural side. On the substantive side, you need to learn the various types of … [Read more...]
10 Steps to Taking LSAT Practice Tests
Many test-takers mistakenly believe that taking a large number of LSAT practice tests is the best way to guarantee a high score on test day. Some LSAT “gurus” suggest taking 30, even 40 practice tests in the course of several months; others recommend taking one or two tests a day in the weeks leading up to the exam. Cranking out test after test is a grueling regimen and not necessarily a productive one. Without a concerted effort to improve their conceptual understanding of the test, most students quickly hit a “plateau” in their scores. Others see their performance languish due to mental … [Read more...]
How Do Law Schools View Multiple LSAT Scores?
One of the questions a lot of test-takers ask regards taking the LSAT more than once. "How will the law school I want to go to react to more than on LSAT score? Will it hurt my chances?" Having more than once score show up on your Score Report is a source of stress for many applicants. So, let's shed some light on the subject. First, Some Backstory In the past, when applicants had more than one score, schools used to average all of the scores when making admissions decisions. This also effected the report of admitted applicant scores that goes to the American Bar Association. Since the LSAT … [Read more...]
Using Rankings to Decide Where to Apply to Law School
Rankings are everywhere. Whether it's law school, business school, college, or even high school, chances are there’s someone out there who’s come up with a ranking system. Their sheer ubiquity means that rankings are the one aspect nearly every applicant consults when making application decisions. These numbers certainly have their use, particularly at the start of the selection process when you need solid indicators to help you narrow down your choices. However, it's useful to know a few things regarding rankings and their usage. Rank Does Not Equal Quality Although the schools in the “top” … [Read more...]
How to Get the Most out of Private Tutoring
As you head down the home stretch for your LSAT administration, you may be thinking investing in private tutoring. It's a common question. For many students, it’s a perfect solution to achieve that final score push just before test day. From the prospective of our tutors, it's incredibly fulfilling. You have the opportunity to connect with someone entirely dedicated to helping make your unique goal attainable.You may be asking yourself: “What can I expect from my PowerScore tutor?” The short answer is "a lot." You're paying for a top-notch, premium service. At PowerScore our tutors embody … [Read more...]
How Does LSAT Private Tutoring Work?
One question that we often receive concerns how LSAT tutoring works. It's a hard one to answer simply since it varies from person to person! Everyone has different strengths and weaknesses. What we can do is give you a sense of how the process typically works. Let's consider a hypothetical student. This student is a great reader, so Reading Comprehension and Logical Reasoning are their strengths. Their weaknesses lie in Logic Games. After studying on their own for a while, they decide they need additional help via tutoring to break through the score plateau. So, how would we help this … [Read more...]
Should I Take the LSAT Before Deciding Where to Apply to Law School?
When applying to law school, timing is everything. You need to know which LSATs you should take and when to submit your applications. Getting your letters of recommendation on time is completely dependent on when you ask for them. Same with getting your transcripts. As you can see, timing is a big factor in the admissions process! Below is an ideal timeline for getting into law school. Before & During the Admissions Process Before we get into the timeline, there are a couple of things that need to be in the works and happening while you're going through this process. Let's go over … [Read more...]