The Legal Level - LSAT, law school admissions, 1L, bar exam & more!

The Legal Level - LSAT, law school admissions, 1L, bar exam & more!

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The Legal Level - LSAT, law school admissions, 1L, bar exam & more! episodes

  • Law School Applications 101

    Continuing their admissions season coverage, Branden & Jelena demystify the process of applying to law school and walk you through all the components of a successful application.

    If you’re just starting the applications process or wondering what it takes to apply to law school, this episode is for you. And if you’re staring at a nearly-complete application and just can’t crack that personal statement, this episode is also for you.

    Listen to learn…

    1. What “rolling admissions” really means to you
    2. Whether you should consider binding early decision programs
    3. The secrets of the mysterious “academic index”
    4. Why your LSAT score matters more than your GPA
    5. How to choose a personal statement topic
    6. When to submit an addendum
    7. Whether or not you should write a diversity statement
    8. When you should expect to start hearing back from law schools after you apply
    9. ….and the one bad habit you should NOT develop after applying (but probably will)

      10. Links and further resources from from this week’s episode:


      Credential Assembly Service FAQ from LSAC: https://www.lsac.org/applying-law-school/jd-application-process/credential-assembly-service-cas


      Track All Your Applications in One Place (Careful! Habit-forming!)

      https://www.lawschooldata.org/


      Browse Law School Medians (LSAT/GPA): http://lawschoolnumbers.com/


      "33 Common LSAT Flaws", Available Now in Paperback & Kindle Formats: https://amzn.to/3efTuzY


      Start Your LSATMax Free Trial: https://go.onelink.me/z1Zu/689fb4b4


      Start Your 1L Free Trial Now: https://go.onelink.me/iOM8/68e2c335


      Start Your BarMax Free Trial Now: https://go.onelink.me/3011142272/d02ba2de

      47 min
    10. Ultra-Competitive Law School Admissions Ahead, Plus More LSAT-Flex Tips & Tricks

      Law school applications are up. Like, WAY up. Like, this could be the most competitive law school admissions season of all time up.

      Jelena & Branden talk about what the September application storm means for this year’s prospective lawyers. Plus, answers to more of your LSAT-Flex questions, now that we’ve seen this new at-home LSAT in action for a few administrations.

      In this information-packed episode, find out:

      1. Why this could be the hardest year in history to get into law school
    11. How to avoid getting suckered by “diploma mill” schools that won’t get you a job as a lawyer
    12. How to bolster your application for next year if you don’t get in this year
    13. What to do if you get waitlisted
    14. Whether or not you need to clean your room to take the LSAT-Flex
    15. Why you can’t sit on the floor for the LSAT-Flex
    16. What to do if your LR scores are dipping the week before your LSAT
    17. How LSAC can tell if your eyes are wandering during your LSAT-Flex
    18. And lots more!

      19. Links and further resources from from this week’s episode:


      YTD Applications to ABA Law Schools: https://report.lsac.org/VolumeSummary.aspx?Format=PDF


      Admissions Consultant Warns of Hyper-Competitive Admissions Season: https://bit.ly/2SrSCiA


      Ongoing LSAT-Flex Updates from LSAC: https://www.lsac.org/update-coronavirus-and-lsat/lsat-flex


      California Ballot Tracking: https://www.sos.ca.gov/elections/ballot-status/wheres-my-ballot


      Work the Polls:https://www.powerthepolls.org/


      State by State Election Protection & Voting Resources: https://866ourvote.org/


      Voter Protection Phone Banking: https://www.mobilize.us/nc2020victory/event/314753/


      "33 Common LSAT Flaws", Available Now in Paperback & Kindle Formats: https://amzn.to/3efTuzY


      Start Your LSATMax Free Trial: - https://go.onelink.me/z1Zu/689fb4b4

      52 min
    19. When Premise Met Conclusion

      LSAT questions may seem like random, stream-of-consciousness, mostly nonsensical musings, but there is structure to the madness. If you can pick out the structure from among a sea of double negatives and dependent clauses, you’ll be laughing all the way to a full ride at your dream law school. This week, Branden and Jelena will show you how.

      In this episode, you’ll learn:

      1. How to identify the pieces of the argument in several different ways, including indicator key words, statement type, and statement order
    20. How to anticipate the correct answer to Reading Comp main point questions
    21. Which Logical Reasoning question types to practice in order to become an argument structure expert
    22. How good (or otherwise) Jelena and Branden are at making up arguments on the spot

      23. Links and further resources from from this week’s episode:


      Common Argument Forms: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_valid_argument_forms


      How to Argue, A Crash Course in Philosophy: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NKEhdsnKKHs


      Struggling with Logical Reasoning? Watch This!: https://youtu.be/ODLWvAjCViY


      Common LSAT Flaws Webinar with Branden: https://youtu.be/LvJX_rmcuQY


      "33 Common LSAT Flaws", Available Now in Paperback & Kindle Formats: https://amzn.to/3efTuzY


      Start Your LSATMax Free Trial: - https://go.onelink.me/z1Zu/689fb4b4


      Start Your 1L Free Trial Now: - https://go.onelink.me/iOM8/68e2c335


      Start Your BarMax Free Trial Now: - https://go.onelink.me/3011142272/d02ba2de

      45 min
    23. Fall Mailbag Episode: Your Questions, Belatedly Answered

      A podcast could never even begin to do justice to all the justice done by Ruth Bader Ginsburg in her 87 years of life. But perhaps it can help send a few more good humans to law school. In this listener mailbag episode, Branden & Jelena answer questions from the Legal Level audience—now dubbed by Branden “Levelheads.”

      In this episode, questions from listeners Robert, Rachel, Kendall, and Madison. You’ll learn:

      1. How much a low GPA will hold you back in law school admissions
    24. Who to ask for letters of recommendation when you haven’t been in school for a decade or more
    25. What to do if you’re struggling with Reading Comprehension because of your reading speed
    26. How much students should worry about competing with 2020 admission-deferrers for seats in law school classes starting Fall 2021

      27. Baruch dayan emet. Tzedek, tzedek, tirdof.

      Links and further resources from from this week’s episode:


      ‘We have lost a giant’: Ruth Bader Ginsburg (1933-2020): https://today.law.harvard.edu/in-memoriam-ruth-bader-ginsburg/


      83-Year-Old RBG Reads Her Husband’s Final Love Letter Aloud in 2016 WBUR Interview: https://wbur.fm/3comztc


      Free Scholarly Journal Articles: https://app.dimensions.ai/discover/publication?and_facet_open_access=True


      "33 Common LSAT Flaws", Available Now in Paperback & Kindle Formats: https://amzn.to/3efTuzY


      Start Your LSATMax Free Trial: - https://go.onelink.me/z1Zu/689fb4b4


      Start Your 1L Free Trial Now: - https://go.onelink.me/iOM8/68e2c335


      Start Your BarMax Free Trial Now: - https://go.onelink.me/3011142272/d02ba2de

      31 min
    27. Tackle Test Anxiety & Stop Study Stress with Mindfulness Facilitator Heather Prete

      Many LSAT study materials focus on the content of the exam, but fail to mention the other half of the equation: the human being doing the learning. If anxiety, distraction, or self-doubt are preventing you from retaining information, how are you supposed to ace the LSAT? In today’s episode, Jelena & Branden pose your questions—and a few questions of their own—to UCLA-certified Mindfulness Facilitator Heather Prete.

      Listen and discover:

      1. How to get the benefits of meditation, even if you can’t sit still
    28. What mindfulness techniques to use mid-LSAT if you’re panicking
    29. The solid science behind mindfulness and meditation for brain health
    30. How to meditate if you’re neurodivergent
    31. Which mindfulness practices we can employ to cut down on screen time
    32. What to do if test anxiety is keeping you from sleeping
    33. Why “future-tripping is the worst thing you can do to your studying brain
    34. How both Branden and Jelena have benefitted from meditation
    35. . . . and more!

      36. Links and further resources from from this week’s episode:


      Heather’s Free Guided Meditations for Beginner & Intermediate Meditators: http://heatherpretemindfulness.com/meditations/


      UCLA’s Mindful Awareness Research Center: https://www.uclahealth.org/marc/


      MBSR (Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction) Body Scan Technique: https://mbsrtraining.com/mindfulness-exercises/mbsr-body-scan/


      Headspace: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/headspace-meditation-sleep/id493145008


      "33 Common LSAT Flaws", Available Now in Paperback & Kindle Formats: https://amzn.to/3efTuzY


      Start Your LSATMax Free Trial: - https://go.onelink.me/z1Zu/689fb4b4


      Start Your 1L Free Trial Now: - https://go.onelink.me/iOM8/68e2c335


      Start Your BarMax Free Trial Now: - https://go.onelink.me/3011142272/d02ba2de

      47 min
    36. Law School Admissions Season Kickoff: How Two Students Got Into Top Schools

      It’s September, the beginning of the law school admissions season. Branden & Jelena kick off this anxiety-filled time of year by inviting two current law students to share their application stories and advice to applicants. A UCLA 2L and Georgetown 1L, respectively, our guests had completely different admissions season experiences, and you can learn from both.

      Listen to find out . . .

      1. What it’s like to spend months on Georgetown’s waitlist & start law school elsewhere before finally getting the acceptance call
    37. What’s more important than ranking when choosing a law school
    38. How two successful applicants each wrote their personal statements, using two completely different approaches
    39. What to do to update your resume & find new things to mention in letters of continuing interest, when COVID-19 won’t let you work in a law office
    40. Why one of the most common pieces of law school advice, “your interests will change after your 1L year,” really did hold true for our UCLA 2L guest
    41. How (strange but true!) the admissions process will put you where you’re supposed to be for the next three years . . . even if it’s a bumpy ride to get there

      42. Links and further resources from from this week’s episode:


      Follow Olivia (and she doesn’t mind if you ask her law school questions): instagram.com/ogpepper


      Law School Admissions Consulting: https://testmaxprep.com/lsat/admissions-consulting


      Selecting Law Schools Webinar with Jelena: https://youtu.be/K4I0VT5Gros


      Financing Law School Webinar with Branden: https://youtu.be/f5gYj6ddj7U


      Law School Applications Webinar with Jelena: https://youtu.be/4YoNYl-2JvM


      Start Your LSATMax Free Trial: - https://go.onelink.me/z1Zu/689fb4b4


      Start Your 1L Free Trial Now: - https://go.onelink.me/iOM8/68e2c335


      Start Your BarMax Free Trial Now: - https://go.onelink.me/3011142272/d02ba2de

      54 min
    42. Fact Checking The LSAT 2: Secrets of the Multiverse

      In November of 2018, the LSAT confused a generation of future lawyers with a Reading Comprehension passage that seems to say there are definitely multiple universes out there. Not only was this an infamously tough passage to score well on, it shook students’ sense of reality to the core. Today, with Branden taking some time off to prep his students for the August LSAT-Flex, Jelena fact checks the PT 86 “high-entropy multiverse” passage.

      Put your science hats on and learn…

      1. Whether or not the research cited in this LSAT passage is real
    43. How other physicists feel about the theory that we are merely one random fluctuation floating around in a sort of multiverse soup
    44. Where the researchers mentioned in the passage are now
    45. Our one-to-five gavel rating for this passage (one gavel = almost certainly true; five gavels = almost certainly false)

      46. Links and further resources from from this week’s episode:


      2004 Coverage of Carroll and Chen’s initial paper & hypotheses: https://bit.ly/3jB2TVl


      Carroll & Chen’s original paper that inspired PT 86 Passage 4: https://arxiv.org/abs/hep-th/0410270


      NASA’s recent, surprising universe-expansion speed news:

      https://go.nasa.gov/2EzZZ4l


      Researcher Sean M. Carroll discusses his entropy & “arrow of time” theories on Twitter: https://bit.ly/3jy4pHy


      “Arrows of Time Without a Past Hypothesis,” a 2020 paper building on Carroll and Chen’s work: http://philsci-archive.pitt.edu/17468/


      Christopher Gregory Weaver roasts the Carroll-Chen Model: https://arxiv.org/pdf/1309.4976.pdf


      Sean Carroll interviewed by Wired about his new book: https://bit.ly/2YSgKyG


      Is there a mirror universe where time moves backwards? (Carroll thinks so): https://bit.ly/2YVaENY


      Quantum Mechanics creeped out Albert Einstein: https://bbc.in/3gMgMOr


      LSATMax 1-on-1 Private Tutoring: - https://testmaxprep.com/lsat/tutoring

      13 min
    46. Applying for Law School During a Pandemic: Q&A Collab with Admissions Straight Talk Part 2

      We’re back with Part 2 of our joint podcast with Admissions Straight Talk, and this time Linda Abraham (founder of Accepted.com) and Christine Carr (former Associate Director of Admissions at Boston University’s School of Law) are answering Branden & Jelena’s questions. We dive into everything you need to know about this unprecedented law school admissions season.

      In this episode, find out:

      1. Whether law school applications are expected to rise or fall this season
    47. How to pad your resume during a pandemic, even if you can’t get a law-related job
    48. What you should never do on a resume when applying to law school
    49. The most important step in writing a law school personal statement
    50. What questions applicants should be asking themselves and admissions teams as they apply to law school
    51. How to tell if the schools you’re applying to are resilient and good at handling change

      52. Links and further resources from from this week’s episode:


      Listen to Admissions Straight Talk: blog.accepted.com/listen


      About Christine Carr (former BU Law Associate Director of Admissions: https://www.accepted.com/aboutus/christine-carr


      Law School Applications Webinar: https://youtu.be/4YoNYl-2JvM


      Selecting Law Schools Webinar: https://youtu.be/K4I0VT5Gros


      Financing Law School Webinar: https://youtu.be/f5gYj6ddj7U


      "33 Common LSAT Flaws", Available Now in Paperback & Kindle Formats: https://amzn.to/3efTuzY


      The Road to 180: The Ultimate Guide to LSAT Prep (free on Kindle unlimited):

      https://www.amazon.com/Road-180-Ultimate-Guide-LSAT-ebook/dp/B00X4W9R5U/


      Start Your LSATMax Free Trial: - https://go.onelink.me/z1Zu/689fb4b4


      Start Your 1L Free Trial Now: - https://go.onelink.me/iOM8/68e2c335


      Start Your BarMax Free Trial Now: - https://go.onelink.me/3011142272/d02ba2de

      30 min
    52. Yes, Virginia, You Do Still Have to Take the LSAT: Q&A Collab with Admissions Straight Talk Part 1

      Law school admissions season is right around the corner, so we got together with our friends at the Admissions Straight Talk podcast for a two-part collaboration! In Part 1, Branden and Jelena answer potential law school applicants’ frequently asked questions about the LSAT.

      Listen to learn:

      1. Why the GRE is no substitute for a great LSAT score
    53. Whether or not Branden—who graduated UCLA Law in 2010—recommends going to law school in a recession
    54. Top tips for all three sections of the LSAT
    55. How the emergency transition to LSAT-Flex differed from the planned transition to a digital LSAT
    56. What Branden and Jelena see in the future for the LSAT

      57. Links and further resources from from this week’s episode:


      Listen to Admissions Straight Talk: blog.accepted.com/listen


      About Christine Carr (former BU Law Associate Director of Admissions: https://www.accepted.com/aboutus/christine-carr


      Apply Online Now for the Justice in Action Program:

      https://bit.ly/2Wns7NL


      TestMax Announces Justice in Action Program to Support 1,000 Future Lawyers: https://testmaxprep.com/blog/justice-in-action


      "33 Common LSAT Flaws", Available Now in Paperback & Kindle Formats: https://amzn.to/3efTuzY


      The Road to 180: The Ultimate Guide to LSAT Prep (free on Kindle unlimited):

      https://www.amazon.com/Road-180-Ultimate-Guide-LSAT-ebook/dp/B00X4W9R5U/


      Start Your LSATMax Free Trial: - https://go.onelink.me/z1Zu/689fb4b4


      Start Your 1L Free Trial Now: - https://go.onelink.me/iOM8/68e2c335


      Start Your BarMax Free Trial Now: - https://go.onelink.me/3011142272/d02ba2de

      40 min
    57. Secrets of Time Management on the LSAT

      Most LSAT students struggle with time management. Whether you’re running out of time and failing to answer some of the questions, or rushing to finish the section and choosing too many incorrect answers, you’re probably not approaching section timing correctly. That’s okay, ‘cause it’s totally learnable! In this episode, Branden (175) & Jelena (178) share the LSAT speed and timing strategies that they used to master the LSAT’s brutal time limits.

      Listen to learn:

      1. When to do Reading Comprehension passages out of order (and why)
    58. Why Jelena spends 5-6 minutes diagramming each Logic Game—and how to get through all the questions in the time remaining
    59. When it makes sense to plan NOT to do all the passages or games
    60. Why you should never hurry on the LSAT
    61. Where the LSAT hides its hardest LR questions
    62. What to do with your extra time if you finish early (HINT: don’t review all your answers)

      63. Links and further resources from from this week’s episode:


      Oops, LSAC Lost Some Scores: https://reut.rs/3alKbxy


      NCBE Threatens Bar Exam Critics: https://bit.ly/31A9Sq2


      Bar Exam Tracker on Twitter: https://twitter.com/BarExamTracker


      California October 2020 Bar Exam FAQ: https://bit.ly/2Cga9Wu


      Apply Online Now for the Justice in Action Program:

      https://bit.ly/2Wns7NL


      TestMax Announces Justice in Action Program to Support 1,000 Future Lawyers: https://testmaxprep.com/blog/justice-in-action


      "33 Common LSAT Flaws", Available Now in Paperback & Kindle Formats: https://amzn.to/3efTuzY


      Start Your LSATMax Free Trial: - https://go.onelink.me/z1Zu/689fb4b4


      Start Your 1L Free Trial Now: - https://go.onelink.me/iOM8/68e2c335


      Start Your BarMax Free Trial Now: - https://go.onelink.me/3011142272/d02ba2de

      50 min

    About The Legal Level - LSAT, law school admissions, 1L, bar exam & more!

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    From the LSAT to the bar exam, we are leveling the legal education playing field by providing the tools and information every future lawyer needs to ace the LSAT, rock law school admissions, pass the bar exam and land their dream job.