For months now, we have discussed on the blog how the number of law school applicants is declining. While important, it is also necessary to focus on why the remaining applicants are still considering law school. We have discussed the benefits of a legal education and the job prospects in light of the changing landscape, but now we are going to look at the “cultural capital” of a law degree.

According to Lucy Jewel, an associate professor of law at the University of Tennessee, earning a law degree yields benefits beyond the economic gains. Her new paper for the Journal for the Legal Profession examines the social mobility associated with obtaining a law degree, a concept she argues extends past moving up within the structures of one's society. For many graduates, achieving the dream of becoming a lawyer represents the attainment of membership in a significant profession, as well as a critical role within their respective communities.

In her words:

Every graduation, when I see the beaming smiles from my students’ family members, I do not think about the fact that they are getting a degree from a so-called fourth-tier toilet law school; I see people who have achieved a dream (albeit at great financial expense) and obtained a credential that signifies membership in a powerful profession. Even for low-status members of the profession, there is still power, because all attorneys are vested with the ability to bring the power of the state to bear (even if this means filing a small claims lawsuit or negotiating a personal injury claim with an insurance company). That the symbolic value of the credential does not convert to a purely economic value is irrelevant in this equation …

Rather, a law degree provides the recipient with value in knowing a little bit more about how the world works and how to obtain benefits in an institutional setting (such as a courtroom, business negotiation, or school). This type of cultural capital creates small-scale benefits that add up and can also be transmitted to one’s children. Therefore, the cultural capital encapsulated in a law degree can and does connect with social mobility, even though it may not directly connect with economic wealth.

While these social benefits may not outweigh the economic costs for some potential applicants, Jewel's paper does offer interesting food for thought when it comes to the changing face of law school. Her point that the cultural value of law school may continue to defy economic reason in the future is certainly worth considering.

It's easy to get hung up on one or two problems while you're taking an LSAT only to feel that you've ruined your score. But what does a missed question actually do to your score anyway?

Most people would agree that a 170 is a really high score. Does that mean that you have to be perfect to score a 170? Not at all. In fact, on most tests you can miss 10 questions and still score a 170. That's two whole games!

Now let's see what you need to get a 160. As it turns out, you can miss about 25 questions on average and still get a 160. That's an entire section! You can miss one in every four questions and still get a 160.

The key here is figuring out how many questions you need to answer correctly to get what you want. If your goal is a 160, then trying to push yourself to get a 180 is likely to cause more harm than good.

This isn't to say that you have to sell yourself short. Pick a score that you think you can get, and if you reach it, then it's time to push yourself further. But don't let an unrealistic goal stress you out and get in the way of a great goal. Besides, once you reach your goal, you can always reassess and set a higher goal. Just don't worry about that until you get there.

In the meantime, pull out a score conversion chart from a modern test (ideally PrepTests 54+). Find the score that you want. What's the raw score you need to get that LSAT score? Subtract that from 100. That number is the number of questions you can miss and still get your goal. Divide that number by 4 to see how many questions you can miss in each section. By seeing how many questions you can miss, many students start to feel more relaxed, which helps them do better on the other questions. Find a score that seems doable but that pushes you a little. Once you get that score, reassess and try again.

Keep it up, and you'll do awesome!

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Related:

LSAT Anxiety Release Program