I didn't take one, so I wouldn't know, but I had a few friends that scored pretty low on their first go around, had the $1200 lying around, and decided to take the class -- their scores went up on their retakes and they were happy. As such, I'd probably say that sure, LSAT classes are worth the money (if you have it and the time).
But one sort of prep class that I'm really not sure about would be the 1L prep classes. Law School Preview, LSE, and a host of other companies host 1 week law school "boot camps," if you will, that mimic a week in the life of a 1L student. You study a majority of the courses that you will be taking as a 1L to try to familiarize yourself with the concepts, theories, and methods inside of the classroom. Several of the sites "guarantee" higher grades (although how you can guarantee higher grades when you don't have any grades at all to compare them against baffles me) and a lot put out testimonials from people who are in the top 10% of their class at XYZ law school, swearing up and down that it was the preview week that really helped them get there.
And all for the bargain price of $2k (plus travel, lodging, food, etc.).
I have talked to very few people in real life who have gone to prep classes like this, and the anecdotal evidence I have been given is that these prep classes are NOT worth the expense and time. I would, from my own research, tend to agree.
The thing is, I can't imagine that you would be able to do all that much substantive learning in this format. And the little substantive learning you would do probably could have been done at home with a book or commercial outline (although I wouldn't recommend this -- like I said, trying to prep for 1L with actual substantive material is like trying to fly a plane after only reading the manual). You really wouldn't come out (knowledge-wise) any further ahead after your one week of prep classes than you would after reading a book at home by yourself.
Now, as far as tips and tricks go -- you know, outlining, briefing, writing, exam-taking, etc. -- these things might be important to at least come into contact with before you get thrown into the fire in your first week of class. But is a prep class the best way to come into contact with them?
I mean, sure, a prep class will teach you THEIR version of note taking, brief writing, outlining, etc., but you'll have to play around with it a little to find a method that works best for you. You could probably get just as much information about this sort of stuff from books like LSC or the forums on TLS as you would from a prep class, and at a MUCH lower cost.
I just don't see a scenario (outside of a pure panic meltdown) in which 1L prep classes would be worth the time or money. I don't think that they'd particularly be helpful or give you that much of a competitive edge over your classmates. The edge they might give you is an increased familiarity with the format of a class, but isn't that part of the learning curve with law school? And at some point everyone is going to be at your level -- probably within two weeks of the first class!
I talked about this with a local judge at the recent Atticus Finch Award Dinner here in Bakersfield. This judge said to me, "Do you want to be a lawyer after law school? Only the people that are super concerned with being #1 or #2 in their class go to those things, and those people don't want to be lawyers. They probably can't be lawyers. They'd never relate to a jury or a client. Those people tend to be anti-social freaks."
(I swear, that's word for word what she said. I love this particular judge. She's freaking hysterical.)
Even though I'm sure that one or two programs are being offered in Dallas, and several are available online, I will NOT be paying for a 1L prep class. I'll do a little light reading, but that's probably it. Just reminding myself not to panic and taking an extra yoga class now and again will probably do just as much, if not more, for me than an actual prep class would.
Does anyone have any experience with these prep classes? Do you think I'm wrong, or do you all get the same sense about them that I do...not worth it?
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