Preparing for the LSAT

So you're thinking about going to law school. First off, Congratulations! Getting into law school is a challenging but worthwhile endeavor.

Well before you start picking out your studio apartment and stocking up on school sweatshirts, you need to begin preparing to take the LSAT (Law School Admissions Test). There are a number of different books and websites on helping you to get ready and telling you the best way to study to receive the highest score. Here are a few things to keep in mind when getting ready to take the LSAT.

-Scoring: The test is scored out of 180 points, it is made up of 5 sections and a writing sample. Contrary to popular belief, the LSAT does not test you on your knowledge of laws or legal practices; it focuses on basic logic concepts - logical reasoning, analytical reasoning (aka logic games), and reading comprehension. Therefore, you do not need to have a pre-law background to succeed on the LSAT.

Only four of the five sections are scored, one "experimental" section is chosen at random and will not be graded, however you will not know which section that is. The writing sample is ungraded....so why is it included? Basically law schools want to see if you can write well, make persuasive arguments and think critically.

-Prep courses: I HIGHLY recommend a prep course by Kaplan. They have several different options in terms of course length, type (classroom or online) and have an amazing money back guarantee. Personally, I recommend the online course over the course of 3 months. I was logged into the course chat room every Sunday for about 3-4 hours. You get a live feed of the teacher going along different concepts and tricks, the option to ask questions live and talk to other students through the chat. In this course you will take many practice tests in and out of class. You will enter your answers online and get instant score results. In addition, every question is explained in detail as to why each answer is correct or incorrect.

My favorite part of the course was the online question bank. Actual questions from previous LSATs are stored in this online question bank and you can choose which sections you want to practice. There is no limit to how many questions you do and, again, you get the in depth explanations for each question.

The course is not cheap (expect to spend about $1,000 depending on which type you choose), however it is worth every penny. They also have a money back guarantee; if you take the LSAT and get a score you think you can improve, you can take the entire Kaplan class over again for free. I was very nervous the first time I took the LSAT and was not happy with my score. I chose to do an accelerated version of the course again and was able to raise my score significantly the second time!

-Registering for the LSAT: Make sure you sign up with plenty of time to prepare; the LSAT is offered 4 times a year at numerous locations throughout the country. When signing up for a test date, be mindful of when you will get your results and if you will have time to take it again, if need be, before you apply for law school.  For example, it is better to take the LSAT in October of the year before you want to start law school, that way if you need to retake it in December, you can still apply for the fall of next year. Once you have signed up and studied as much as you can, I recommend visiting the testing site a few days prior to the test. I took mine at a college I had never been to before and had a little trouble finding the building the test would be in among all of the other buildings on campus. There will be signs up the day of the test but it always helps to know what direction you need to go in.


There's just a little advice on prepping for the LSAT; I hope it helps you better understand the process. Good luck and happy studying!!!!

4 Things To Remember About The Post 9/11 GI Bill

I will forever cherish my Recruit Ballcap signed by the best division ever!

To all my fellow veterans, or soon to be veterans, I know the struggle. Transitioning from military to civilian life is definitely an adjustment, between packing away your old uniforms and ribbon stacks to figuring out what this mystical thing called a "Sick Day" is! If you are thinking about going to college now that you are a civilian, here are a few things I found helpful when looking into using my Post 9/11 GI Bill.

1.  Free Money! 

The GI Bill literally gives you a free undergraduate degree (aka 36 months of education). Not only is your tuition covered, you get a book stipend every year and a housing allowance. I will let you in on a secret, if you have been out of the real world for quite some time. It is nearly impossible to get a decent job (even some retail jobs now) without at least a bachelor's degree. If you had the opportunity to use TA and start getting those credits - good on you! For the rest of you, it is NEVER too late to  start. I don't care if you're becoming a civilian after 10-20 years in, go get your degree!!

If you already have the degree you want, or going back to school isn't for you, you can always give it to your children. You have about 15 years from the day you become a civilian to use the GI Bill for yourself or your child. Besides, not having to worry about paying for your kid's college sounds like a dream!

For me personally, I enlisted with a BA under my belt and joined with the intention of going back to school after I got out. Now my time in the military has ended and I am starting law school this fall, courtesy of the Post 9/11 GI Bill.

2. Applying is easy

...well, relatively speaking. By now you should be used to the idea of never ending paperwork. There are a number of forms you have to fill out and of course, there is the waiting game for everything to be processed. However, nothing was actually difficult in the application process. 

• Apply to schools (I also filled out a FAFSA, just to be safe)

• Upon acceptance, contact the schools' Veteran's Affairs Office - This will be your lifeline during this process

• He/She will direct you to the forms required by the VA as well as the school itself

• Wait!! - But feel free to contact the VA with questions or just to check your status. They are extremely helpful! I have called a number of times to make sure all the paperwork was filled out properly and to see how far along it was. 

• Confirm GI Bill is received by school

• Repeat paperwork each semester - My school requires me to fill out the request for credit coverage each semester, however it looks pretty simple to do once started. 

3. Yellow Ribbon Program

Find out if your school offers the Yellow Ribbon Program (most of them do) by searching the VA Benefits website. This program is fantastic because the GI Bill will only give so much money for each year and the Yellow Ribbon Program can potentially pick up the rest. Your school will offer an amount towards your tuition and the VA will match that offer. Choose the right school and you can get away with 100% free tuition like me!

4. Housing Allowance

As you know, you will be given a housing allowance while you're in school. This is set at E-5 plus dependents BAH and tailored to the area in which your school resides. As the average rent in that town goes up, so does your BAH. Now for the key thing you may have overlooked: You are ONLY GIVEN BAH FOR THE DAYS YOU ARE IN SCHOOL. That means Christmas Break and Summer vacation are all on you. 

I have chosen to move into my apartment a month before classes start leaving me with quite a bit of rent to shell out. I decided to use a stafford loan to cover the costs of rent not covered by the GI Bill. Now this may sound like a hassle, but if you're already getting free tuition and most of your housing covered, what is a small loan really in the long run? Just my opinion. 

Another big point - Your BAH is back paid to you. Say your classes start on September 1st, you won't get rent for the month of September until October 1st. OUCH! This was another reason I went ahead and applied for the loan since I will not be working during the semester. 

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Those are just a few things that helped me get through the process of using the Post 9/11 GI Bill. I hope they have helped you too! I highly recommend getting in touch with the VA to discuss your education benefits ASAP! Don't let your free college education go to waste. You deserve this after all you have sacrificed, so take advantage of the great opportunities and be excited knowing the next phase of your life has begun!

Following Your Dreams

“Don't ever let someone tell you, you can't do something. Not even me. You got a dream, you got to protect it. People can’t do something themselves, they want to tell you you can’t do it. You want something, go get it. Period.” 
― Pursuit of Happyness

It is not uncommon for people to put down your dreams and goals. For those of you who know what you want to do in life, what your life's purpose is, I guarantee you have encountered this before.  But I'm going to tell you something....something empowering that you must not forget....

DON'T LISTEN TO THEM! 

I know it is easier said than done, believe me. You just need to be stronger than the negativity around you. This is something I personally have struggled with most of my life. I have known I wanted to go to law school since I was 16 years old. People told me I was crazy, that I wasn't smart enough, to think realistic...blah blah blah. 

Well guess what? Everything I have done since I was 16 was planned strategically to help me get into law school. I am now enrolled for my first semester of law school, paid for by the courtesy of the Post 9/11 GI Bill. 

It is vital that you stay positive, even when everything seems against you. Face the odds and follow your dreams. Only you can make your life worth living, so make your mark. Figure out what your purpose is in life and go for it without hesitation. Use the negativity of others as motivation for going forward. Let them be the fuel to your fire, and one day, you can sit back and smile knowing how far you have come.