LSAT Demon Daily | Episode 43 | Law School LORs for Military Applicants
Summary
TLDRIn this episode of LSAT Demon Daily, Ben Olson and Nathan Foxx respond to an email from Logan, a subscriber who has seen significant improvement in his LSAT scores thanks to their help. Logan, an army officer, seeks advice on letters of recommendation for law school applications. He plans to get one from a Harvard professor and another from an army lieutenant colonel. The hosts reassure him that a mix of academic and professional recommendations is appropriate, given his background, and encourage him to focus on his strengths rather than overthinking his choices.
Takeaways
- 📈 Logan's LSAT scores have improved significantly with the help of LSAT Demon, starting at 147 and reaching 169, 171, and 170.
- 🎓 Logan graduated in 2017 and has been serving as an army officer, which has influenced his choice of recommenders for law school applications.
- 💼 Logan plans to get a letter of recommendation from a national security professor from his senior year of college, who has an academic background from Harvard.
- 🏫 Ben suggests that Logan is overthinking the importance of the professor's credentials and that a good letter from someone who knows him is more valuable.
- 👨⚖️ Logan is considering a second letter from a Special Forces Lieutenant Colonel, his boss and mentor in the army, who can speak to his work ethic and character.
- 🤔 Ben reassures Logan that having one academic and one professional letter of recommendation is appropriate, given his time out of academia.
- 🚫 Ben advises against seeking a second academic letter, as it might seem outdated and unnecessary given Logan's strong LSAT scores and work experience.
- 📝 The discussion highlights the importance of diverse perspectives in letters of recommendation, rather than focusing solely on academic qualifications.
- 🧘♂️ Ben shares a personal mantra, 'slow is smooth and smooth is fast,' emphasizing the value of being deliberate and avoiding mistakes that can cost more time.
- 📧 Listeners are encouraged to reach out with questions or news to be discussed on the podcast.
Q & A
Who are the hosts of the LSAT Demon Daily podcast?
-The hosts of the LSAT Demon Daily podcast are Ben Olson and Nathan Foxx.
What is the primary concern of Logan, the email sender, regarding his LSAT preparation?
-Logan is concerned about the quality of his letters of recommendation, especially considering he has been out of undergraduate studies for four years and is now an army officer.
What is Logan's initial LSAT score and what has been his recent improvement?
-Logan's initial diagnostic test score was 147, and his recent practice tests have improved to scores of 169, 171, and 170.
Who does Logan consider writing his first letter of recommendation?
-Logan considers having a national security professor from his senior year of college, who has an undergraduate, master's, and PhD from Harvard, write his first letter of recommendation.
What is Ben Olson's opinion on the importance of the professor's academic background for the letter of recommendation?
-Ben Olson thinks that Logan is overthinking the importance of the professor's academic background, as having a master's or PhD, or being from Harvard, is not as significant as the personal relationship and the professor's ability to write a compelling letter.
Who does Logan plan to ask for his second letter of recommendation?
-Logan plans to ask one of his bosses from the army, a special forces lieutenant colonel, who has become a close mentor and can speak about his work ethic and character.
What advice do the hosts give Logan regarding his second letter of recommendation?
-The hosts advise Logan that it is appropriate to have one professional letter to go along with his one academic letter, and that he is overthinking the need for a second academic letter.
What is Logan's concern about his academic qualifications in his application?
-Logan is worried that since he has been out of the academic environment for a long time, his application might lack in the academic aspect.
How do the hosts address Logan's concern about his academic qualifications?
-The hosts reassure Logan that his good undergraduate grades and high LSAT scores will demonstrate his academic promise, and that many applicants have been out of undergrad for four years, so it is not a rare situation.
What is the meaning of 'B-L-U-F' as mentioned in the script?
-B-L-U-F stands for 'Bottom Line Up Front,' a phrase used in the army to prioritize important information at the beginning of a communication.
What mantra does Ben Olson mention that he uses in his daily life?
-Ben Olson mentions the mantra 'slow is smooth and smooth is fast,' which he uses not only for the LSAT but also as a general life principle to encourage deliberate actions over rushed ones.
Outlines
📚 LSAT Prep and Letter of Recommendation Strategy
In paragraph 1, Ben Olson and Nathan Foxx, founders of lsatdemon.com and the Thinking Also podcast, address an email from Logan, an LSAT Demon subscriber. Logan shares his progress from a diagnostic test score of 147 to consistent 170s on practice tests, aiming for the August LSAT. He seeks advice on letters of recommendation, considering one from a national security professor with a Harvard background whom he has a strong relationship with. Ben and Nathan suggest that Logan is overthinking the importance of the professor's credentials and reassure him that a compelling letter from someone who knows him well is more valuable. They also discuss the second letter, advising Logan to ask a special forces lieutenant colonel, his army boss and mentor, who can speak to his work ethic and character, rather than seeking another academic letter. They emphasize that Logan's professional experience is relevant and that his academic background, indicated by good undergraduate grades and high LSAT scores, should suffice for law school applications.
🏌️♂️ The 'Slow is Smooth, Smooth is Fast' Mantra
In paragraph 2, the conversation continues with Ben and Nathan reflecting on the advice they provided to Logan. They touch upon the mantra 'slow is smooth and smooth is fast,' which Ben had mentioned in a previous podcast or class. Nathan shares how this mantra is applicable not just to the LSAT but to everyday life, using an anecdote about helping his kids get dressed quickly without rushing. Ben also relates the mantra to his own life, particularly when preparing for golf, emphasizing the importance of being deliberate rather than rushed to avoid mistakes and save time. They conclude by encouraging listeners with questions or news to email them at dailylsatdemon.com, and thank the audience for listening.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡LSAT
💡Demon Subscriber
💡Diagnostic Test
💡Practice Tests
💡Target Window
💡Letters of Recommendation
💡National Security Professor
💡Special Forces Lieutenant Colonel
💡Academic Qualifications
💡Resume
💡Bottom Line Up Front (BLUF)
Highlights
Introduction of the podcast and the hosts, Ben Olson and Nathan Foxx.
Logan, a listener, shares his progress from a 147 on his first diagnostic test to 169, 171, and 170 on recent practice tests.
Logan is preparing to take the August LSAT and apply for the Fall 2022 school year.
Logan seeks advice on letters of recommendation, being four years removed from undergrad.
Logan's first letter will be from a national security professor with a Harvard background.
Ben and Nathan discuss the importance of a recommender's relationship with the applicant over their academic credentials.
Logan's second letter will be from an army officer who can speak to his work ethic and character.
Ben and Nathan agree that having one academic and one professional letter is appropriate for Logan's situation.
Logan's concern about being out of the academic sphere for a long time is addressed.
Ben and Nathan reassure Logan that his resume and LSAT scores will speak to his academic promise.
The hosts discuss the mantra 'slow is smooth and smooth is fast' and its relevance to the LSAT and life in general.
Ben shares a personal anecdote about applying the mantra to his daily routine.
Nathan writes 'hot LSAT news' as a potential topic for future discussion.
The podcast concludes with an invitation for listeners to send in their questions or news.
Transcripts
[Music]
hey there welcome to lsat demon daily
i'm ben olson that's nathan foxx
together we're the founders of
lsatdemon.com
and the thinking also podcast here we
have an email from
logan hey guys i've been a demon
subscriber for about five months now
and while i don't say a lot in classes
i'm that guy with his camera off because
i'm normally just getting home from work
like a mess when art class when classes
start sorry
i've improved dramatically with your
help my first diagnostic test
going in completely cold resulted in a
147.
my last three practice tests have been
169
171 and 170. i'm knocking on the door of
my ideal target window now
just in time to take the august lsat and
apply for the fall
2022 school year i want to ask you a
question about letters of wreck
i'm four years removed from undergrad i
graduated in 2017
and since then i've been an army officer
serving in italy
africa and now back home in dc i'm
pretty certain i want my first letter to
be from a national security professor
i had in my senior year of college
he has an undergrad master's and phd
from harvard my top school
and a serious academic background
although not in law
i don't think that matters we've kept in
touch throughout my deployments and my
time abroad
and i'm certain he'll write a compelling
letter i would like to interrupt right
there
i think you're overthinking it the fact
that this person has a master's
who cares they're a professor of course
they have a master's of course they have
a phd
the fact that it comes from harvard i
don't really think like most professors
come from harvard
no that's not true that's an
exaggeration but so many professors come
from harvard it's a gigantic school
it tends to pump out tons of professors
you know you have a special relationship
with this harvard professor which is
great
but everyone else has a harvard
professor writing them their letter of
recommendation
so you know you're putting all these
eggs in this one back
in this one basket that you think that
that like really matters it doesn't
this person knows you they're going to
say complimentary things about you
that's kind of the end of the analysis
and that's great that they are connected
to harvard in some way
but yeah it's you're good you're fine
stop worrying about it yeah my second
letter is where i need
more guidance my thought as i write this
email is to ask one of my
bosses from the army he's a special
forces lieutenant colonel
i worked for in italy and africa he has
become very cl
a very close mentor of mine and can
speak at length to my work ethic and
character
but obviously not about my academic
qualifications
that's fine you're gonna have a college
professor write you one of your letters
why would you want the other one to say
the exact same thing
now you have one professional great
would that be a valuable thing and to
highlight in my letters of wreck or
should i instead seek a second letter
from another college professor
nope you're fine i'm confident that my
resume can speak to my character through
my work experience but my fear is that
i've been out of the academic game for
so long
that that aspect of my application will
be lacking
um no actually because you've been out
of it for so long
um i don't think they're going to expect
you to have
two academic letters of recommendation
it would look weird if you did it's like
yeah they're so outdated
like what this person's been out of
undergrad for four years but they still
have two undergrad
recommendations what have they been
doing with their lives since then no i
think you absolutely it would
be more more appropriate to have one
professional
to go along with your one academic also
you're overthinking this whole thing
there's
millions of applicants who have been out
of undergrad for four years that's not
rare and anyway if you got good
undergraduate grades and
you you say you're talking about la
lsat's in the 170's
if you're gonna show them a 170
something else at and you're going to
show them your good undergraduate grades
then why would they doubt your academic
promise
yeah law school is totally different
from undergrad anyway
so okay
he continues as i as we like to say in
the army
b-l-u-f which stands for
bottom line up front i don't
actually follow that phrase no
especially when he puts it at the end of
his
email if you put it at the top then it
would make sense
this is bottom line at the bottom but
anyway
we've already answered the question we
already did so
anyways he appreciates our thoughts by
the way ben you said on the podcast or
in a class a few weeks ago that slow is
smooth and smooth as fast
made me smile mantras to live by yeah i
like that one actually not only in the
lsat but just all the time
i was saying to my kids the other day
they had to get ready
dressed quickly for something and i was
like slow smooth man just get your arm
in that sleeve
like they're like rushing and your hand
gets stuck right it's like just get
like focused and we'll be done and we'll
be out of here
you know i do think about that actually
i when i'm rushing out the door
sometimes
um the only thing i ever rush out the
door for is a tea time
by the way i live eight minutes from the
golf course
and i i like i don't like to arrive too
early
i have what am i going to do out there i
don't need to hang out for forever
before the round i'm going to be out
there long enough anyway
so i do tend to kind of cut it close for
my tea time
but that is sometimes i end up like oh
i gotta go jump in the shower
i gotta get dressed i gotta like get you
know i gotta get
moving and i do frequently think about
like i have to take a breath
and go hey man you're not gonna get
there faster by
rushing you really do need to it's like
yeah
one arm in the other arm in
put it you're gonna be fine breathe yeah
you're gonna make it
because if you rush i mean it's like you
forget something and then have to come
back
yeah it's the mistakes that cost you
time right it's not like
it's not even like you're even going
slow it's just that you're
deliberate and not yeah
it feels like you're trying to go slow
but you're not you're just yeah
deliberate is a good word
yeah but slow is smooth and smooth is
fast yeah it's not gonna take that it's
not that hard
i've gotten ready for golf a million
times in my life
i'm gonna just get my together and
cruise out
and if i if i try to push it that's when
i'm gonna actually something up
and uh end up missing that tee time
thanks for writing in logan um it sounds
like you have two great letters of
recommendation
so you're good to go
if you have questions for us or some
great
hot as nathan wrote here hot lsat news
or law school admission news
email us at daily lsitdemon.com
thanks for listening
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