Richardson - Law School Bound. "Success Favors The PREPared Mind

From the Desk of John Richardson, B.A., LL.B., JD
Author of: Law School Bound, Mastering the LSAT and
Member of the Bars of Ontario, New York and Massachusetts

Getting Into Law School

Congratulations on your interest in law.  Gaining admission to Canadian law schools is a challenge - a challenge that is achievable. Admission to law school is a worthy goal. In order to succeed you focus on every part of your law school application file. As important as the LSAT it, is part of an overall goal of gaining admission to law school.

Goals Are Nothing But Dreams With A Deadline!

Getting into law school is achievable. Approximately 1200 law school applicants  achieve  it every year in Ontario. This means that approximately 2500 people applicants are not accepted. All 3700 (approximate) applicants started with a "wish". You can be sure that the 1200 successful applicants had more than a "wish" – they made admission to law school – a "goal".

99% Of Life Is Just Showing Up!

As George Bush senior, once said: "99% of life is just showing up." He meant that  one must consistently execute the small tasks that are necessary to achieve your main objectives. To put it another way:

“Ordinary things, consistently done, produce extraordinary results!”

Pre-law students are understandably anxious about the law admissions process. They want to know, whether they can get in – what are their chances? The total number of applicants to Ontario law schools has declined in each of the last two years. This fact, IN ISLOATION, suggests that it is NOT getting harder to get in.  Your chances of admission are a function of the quality of the applicant pool in any given year. Rather than spend time asking "what are my chances of getting into law school?", you are encouraged to spend your time on the small things that will get you there.

Most People Don't Plan To Fail – They Fail To Plan!

So, how should you "get on with this job?"

I have taught LSAT courses and been a law admissions counselor since I was a law student myself.   I have taught – not thousands – but tens of thousands of students.  My seminars about the "pre-law process" have been presented on behalf of university pre-law societies and career counseling departments I am the author of Law School Bound (the most comprehensive Canadian law admissions manual in existence) and Mastering The LSAT (an LSAT prep guide).

When it comes to achieving your goals:

"You can't do more than your best! But, you shouldn't do less than your best!"

As you know the deadline date for applications to Ontario law schools is November 1. Application dates for other schools may be earlier or later. That said, applying to law school and preparing for the LSAT is lots of work. For most applicants grades are most important factor in whether you are accepted to law school. In fact, the process of applying to law school can be so time consuming that it can interfere with your grades.  It is VERY IMPORTANT that the process of applying to law school not interfere too much with those academic commitments.

In an ideal situation you should:

  1. Plan to write the LSAT in June. In a perfect world you will NOT have to do the LSAT again. But, if you must repeat the LSAT (and may people do), you will have the chance to take the October LSAT. You should try very hard to avoid the December (it is the first weekend of December) and February (it is very late) LSATs. I might add that you should consider taking the LSAT the first June that you are free to do so. If you are sure that you will apply to law school, then there is no reason to delay taking the test.

  2. Plan to complete  your law school application(s) during the summer. This will have the twin benefits of:
    - allowing you to submit your complete application early (this can never be a disadvantage and is an advantage at some schools);
    - ensuring that your attention can be focused on your grades.

Winning requires the will to prepare to win!

Our Mastering The LSAT course is a complete law admissions program focusing on all aspects of the law school application file. We include separate seminars and courses on the application process including a personal statement workshop. We are also the organizers of the annual "Pre-Law Forum" which runs every June at Osgoode Hall Law School.
About Mastering the LSAT™
  • Pay Once
  • Attend as much as  you want for up to one year
  • Use our "Early Bird" starts to begin almost every month

When should you begin your LSAT preparation?

There is no right answer to this question. Almost all law school applicants think about the LSAT far longer than they actually prepare for it. You should start at whatever point you feel that you need to. Our Mastering The LSAT course typically takes place over the four weekends prior to each LSAT. But, we also have shorter classes which take place throughout the year (almost every month) to allow you to get started. From January through April of 2009 we will be offering a series of OPTIONAL one day courses on "LSAT Logic and Language" which are designed to assist you in developing the basic LSAT schools over a longer period of time. Participants in our Mastering The LSAT course may take as many of these as they want.  You may start your preparation for the June LSAT with any or all of the half day sessions on:

  • January 10 – Logic Games      
  • January 11 – Conditional Statements
  • January 24 – Logic Games
  • January 31 – Logical Reasoning
  • February 28 – Logical Reasoning
  • March 28  - Logical Reasoning
  • April 25 – Logic Games

You may take all or some of these sessions. They cover different topics and are not cumulative. For a complete list see of dates and content see:
http://www.prep.com/law/lsatlogiccourse.html

What Does The LSAT Actually Test?

The LSAT is a test of reading and reasoning in context. This involves understanding exactly what you are reading and how to make appropriate inferences from that material.

What Does Your LSAT Score Mean?

Your LSAT score is a reflection of how effectively you read and make inferences from you what read RELATIVE TO OTHER TEST TAKERS. Your LSAT score is a percentile ranking.

Knowing What To Do – Learning The Basic Skills

Effective preparation for the LSAT involves the mastery of four general categories of skills that are applicable to all LSAT question types. They are:

  1. Background skills and language that are at the root of each question type
  2. Rules for the design of the questions
  3. Rules for the design of the answer choices
  4. Multiple choice principles which will allow you to identify the correct answers

Effective preparation involves the application of the preceding general principles in the context of specific question formats. Each of the logic games, logical reasoning and reading comprehension sections have specific categories of questions.

Doing What You Know – Weekly Practice LSAT Testing

Although it seems obvious, Practice LSAT testing is a vital part of LSAT preparation.  Participants in our Mastering The LSAT course are encouraged to participate in weekly practice LSAT testing sessions during the course.

Mastering The LSAT – Enhanced June Format

My five week "Mastering The LSAT" course for the June LSAT will meet either two or three times each week. Most of the class sessions will be on weekend days. These will be full day class sessions running from 9:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. The complete schedule is as follows:

 May 1 - June 6 - Optional Early Bird Starts – January, February, March, April

8 Weekend Days of Classes
Saturday May 2 - 9:30 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Sunday May 3 - 9:30 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Saturday May 9 - 1:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Sunday May 10 - 9:30 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Saturday May 23 - 1:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Sunday May 24 - 9:30 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Saturday May 30 - 2:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Sunday May 31 – 9:30 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Saturday June 6 - 9:30 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.

5 Practice LSAT Testing Sessions:
Saturday May 9 - 9:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.
Thursday May 13 - 6:00 p.m. - 10:00 p.m.
Saturday May 23 – 9:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
Saturday May 30 - 9:00 p.m. - 1:00 p.m.
Saturday June 6 - 1:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.

Included FREE Optional  LSAT Logic and Language Course - 5 Sessions
Friday May 1 - 6:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m. - LSAT Logic and Language
Friday May 8 - 6:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m. - LSAT Logic and Language
Friday May 22 - 6:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m. - LSAT Logic and Language
Friday May 29 - 6:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m. - LSAT Logic and Language
Friday June 5 - 6:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m. - LSAT Logic and Language

Included FREE Law Admissions Seminars - 3 Sessions
Friday May 8 - 3:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m. - "Getting Into Law School" (http://www.prep.com/law/getin.htm)
Sunday May 31 - 6:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m. - "Personal Statement Workshop" (
http://www.prep.com/personal.html)
Saturday June 6 - 9:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. - "Pre-Law Forum"  (
http://www.preplawforum.html)
Ongoing Throughout The Course - Guest Speakers Series (
http://www.prep.com/law/guestspeakers.html)

As you can see this guarantees approximately 100 hours (if you start on May 2) of in class instruction,  practice LSAT testing and law admissions seminars. In addition to the 100 hours, you are free to start (provided the course fee has been paid) with any of our "Early Bird" Logic and Language courses starting in January of 2009. Please note the course will NOT run on the May 16 - 18 Victoria day weekend.

There will be four parts to the program:

First, there will be individual class sessions. Class sessions will be on weekend days. In addition there will be five optional topical tutorials – LSAT Logic and Language Course - in the form of Friday evening sessions. Each class will be devoted to no more than two categories of LSAT questions. For those question categories I will teach the background skills and specific multiple choice techniques that are applicable to that question type. I will focus separately on both the questions and answer choices. Both recent actual LSAT questions and supplementary questions provided in your course materials will be used as the basis for discussion. In addition, you will be taught the requirements of writing an effective writing sample. I personally will teach the vast majority (if not all) of the class sessions. It is likely that Mastering The LSAT will be the only course that I will teach personally for the June LSAT!

Second, each class session will be followed by specially selected homework exercises. At the end of each class specific reinforcement exercises based on the class lecture will be assigned for homework. To put it simply, the focused homework exercises are an important part of this program.

Third, you will participate in "practice testing" each week. The fact is that LSAT scores improve by practicing full length LSAT exams. This improvement is attributable to both familiarity with the test questions and familiarity with the conditions you are being tested under!

Fourth, we will pay special attention to all aspects of the law admissions process. As important as the LSAT is, it is only one part of your application file. We will learn how to apply differently to different law schools in both Canada and the U.S. Personal statements and effective letters of reference will be given special attention. The course includes my "Getting Into Law School" course on Friday May 8 and my "Personal Statement Workshop" on Sunday May 31. In addition, I have arranged for various lawyers and law students to participate as "guest speakers" for this part of the program. The guest speakers are a wonderful dimension to the program that is included only in May of each year. Mastering The LSAT is the only complete law admissions program available.

Finally I am the organizer of the annual "Pre-Law Forum" which will take place in June. At  the "Pre-Law Forum" you will meet and learn directly from the law admissions officers of the various law schools.

My goal is to bring all my years of course development and teaching experience to bear in creating the most comprehensive, focused, structured and effective live LSAT course ever taught. I am not aware of any course anywhere that is as comprehensive as this one.

Sincerely yours,

John Richardson, B.A., LL.B., J.D.

Course Fee – And Early Payment Discount

The cost of the entire course, including all materials, is $995 (Canadian) which includes all course materials.  This tuition fee will includes all of:

  • the opportunity to attend any of our LSAT classes, practice testing sessions or law admissions sessions until December 31, 2009 (no strings attached);

  • the opportunity to participate in  our "Early Bird Starts" giving you the chance to start your LSAT preparation in a slow and relaxed way;

  • the opportunity to schedule one  personal law admissions consultation (which just be scheduled at the beginning of the course) to discuss your individual circumstances;

The course will be taught at St. Michael's College on the downtown campus of the U. of T. We will pay the GST for those who make full payment no later than April 24, 2008.

I plan for "Mastering The LSAT"™ to be a tremendously effective course. The success of the course will result from my personal commitment to teach the best course that I can and a commitment from the students to give it a 100% effort! Your success and the success of this course will also depend on your consistent attendance and a commitment to doing the homework! I will give it my enthusiastic best, and I expect you to give it your enthusiastic best!

In addition to this course, during the months of May and June we will be offering one and two weekend programs for the June LSAT. As a participant in my "Mastering The LSAT"™ course you will be permitted to sit in (free of charge) on any of the sessions of our other courses for the June LSAT. You may find this useful as a refresher or for clarification of specific points. At the first session you will be given a list of dates and locations that are available.

Free LSAT Course Previews
You are invited to a free LSAT and law admissions session hosted by John Richardson who is the primary instructor of the "Mastering The LSAT"™ Program. These will be run at various schools throughout the winter. Attendees will even receive a free LSAT prep book to get you started. For a continuously updated list see: http://www.prep.com/law/lsatstra.html

A $100 deposit is required to reserve a seat in the course. We accept cheques (payable to "LSAT Preparation Course") or credit card. You may wish to telephone us at 410-PREP(7737) with your credit card deposit. As a further option you may register by e-mail at lsatprepregister@prep.com. The full tuition fee must be paid no later than the day that you start the course (whether in January, February, March April or May).

If you are from outside the Toronto area you might be interested to know that accommodation is available at low cost on the St. Michael's College campus. Call (416) 926-7141 for further information.

In May of 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007 2008 this enhanced version of Mastering The LSAT™ has been a tremendously exciting, stimulating, informative and effective experience! The students have been extremely enthusiastic! I look forward to a repeat in May of 2009!

P.S. You are invited to have a free subscription to my Law School Bound newsletter. The newsletter will allow you to stay in touch with issues concerning law admissions and the pre-law process. I publish it once a month. It is available only by e-mail and is free to anyone. To obtain a monthly copy simply send an e-mail to lawnews@prep.com New issues will be available on the first day of each month.

P.P.S. You are encouraged to join our Facebook discussion group at:
http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#/group.php?gid=2338673922

Copyright © 2008 John Richardson All Rights Reserved.
LSAT-GMAT-GRE-MCAT Preparation Courses, Toronto, Canada • 416-410-PREP™ • www.prep.com