Words from a wallflower

Five months ago, I didn’t have a plan for after graduation. There wasn’t a defining moment that I decided on law school. I signed up for a prep course, went through a whirlwind of studying, and took the LSAT this weekend.

The LSAT is stressful enough without external factors because it’s one of the few things that determine whether or not people get into law school. The expectations of me getting to the testing center without a car and phone added to the stress. Without going into detail, it all worked out. I got to the testing center with plenty of time to spare; however, that left me alone with my nervous thoughts. I couldn’t even check the time or ask for encouraging texts.

While I understand the concern of cheating, I must admit that I find it ridiculous to expect out-of-state college students without cars and phones to make it to the testing center. The test makers think people are generous enough to take pictures of the test in the pathetic 35 minutes they give us for each section and then distribute those pictures to the very people we are competing against to get into law school. Not to mention, they change the test every month and have complicated it with the new digital LSAT that prep courses don’t cover.

Beyond that, I had to carry my belongings in a Ziploc bag, causing stares on the train. On the bright side, it tipped me off to a fellow test taker on the DU campus who told me I was walking in the completely opposite direction of the testing center.

The bottom line is standardized test makers are sadists. People are locked in a room with months of studying coming down to a timed test. They are reduced to a three-digit number. Did I still conform to the system though? Yes. I’m shouting into the void at this point to spark change.

If that three-digit score is below 150 on a 110 to 180 scale, their chances of getting into law school diminish. I might be in that situation.

I’ll get my results in three weeks. At that point, I’ll either retake the test or proceed with my applications. I’ve had my intelligence tested, my confidence torn apart, and my stress raised to the max, but all of that has been worth persevering through because I’ve found something I’m passionate about.