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Balancing Studying for the LSAT with School

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The October LSAT about six weeks away. You’ve mastered ordering games and are a pro at linking conditionals. But you’re still trying to get your head around all of the flaw categories and your timing is way off. You’re thinking it’s time to ramp up your study schedule. But there’s also this other item looming on your calendar: school.

Your senior year of college is about to start, and you have a lot of to-dos. You have to get the mini-fridge out of storage, which is a total hassle because Gary will say you can borrow his car but then he’ll totally flake on you all Sunday, and you’ll be like, “What the heck, Gary, my brews are only getting warmer over here.” Then you’ll have to decide whether you’re going to stick with the top-bun you’ve been rocking over the summer. Sure, Gary will give you flak about it, but what does Gary know about style? The guy wears Gap jeans. And, of course, then you also have to figure out your courses, buy books, start your thesis, go to class, prepare for midterms… etc.

How can you balance all of your collegiate responsibilities with your rigorous and aggressive LSAT study plan?

It’s a daunting task. Here are a few tips:

1) Treat the LSAT as a class and a half when you choose your courses for the semester. So if you normally take four classes per semester, see if you can get away with just three this fall without derailing your graduation plan. And if there is a notoriously difficult class that you’ve been putting off, keep putting it off until the spring. This is not the semester to take Themodynamics 294. Oh, and by the way, if there’s an introductory logic course that’s available and that fits your schedule, give it a try – it will earn you college credits and help reinforce your LSAT skills at the same time.

2) Update/finalize your LSAT study plan. Go over the material you have left to cover and make sure you know what you have to do to get through it all and leave yourself time (at least two weeks) for practice tests. Then compare your LSAT schedule with your class curricula. Make adjustments as necessary. If a midterm is going to eat up the weekend of September 12th, allot extra time for the LSAT on the 5th. If you have a paper due on October 1st, request an extension as soon as possible.

3) Back out of extracurricular commitments. The Cleftomaniacs want you to be treasurer this semester – and it’s truly an honor to be nominated – but you just don’t have time right now. Classwork and LSAT studying comprise your life now (along with GTL, duh).

4) Lean on friends and family. Let your people know that you’re going to be swamped for the next six weeks. Maybe your parents will coax you home for a weekend of quiet studying.

5) Tell Gary that quiet hours will be observed between 11:30 AM and 6:00 PM, and also between 7:00 PM and 11:00 AM.