dixie, Author at Blueprint LSAT Blog

Dixie Tananbaum

The primary difference between me and the other bloggers on this site is that I am significantly better looking. Less importantly, I’m actually going to law school. Don’t get me wrong, it’s not that I don’t see the appeal of teaching and studying the LSAT until you are eligible for AARP, but—oh no, wait, it’s exactly that.

Nevertheless, I too love that little guy, with all four of his scored sections and the months of stress and dread he produced. I’m especially fond of him because I am living proof that a good showing on game day can offset an undergraduate GPA that better reflects a social life well enjoyed than academic responsibility. So it’s with pride that I now head to Law School in the City, knowing that I’m at least partially qualified. Hopefully.

I’m also going to law school with a few years, and a brief career in public education, under my belt. So I’m calling my blog Plan B, both because it is literally the second career I’m trying, but also as a nod to that other Plan B. The one that can only be found at the end of a string of bad decisions, but the sort of bad decisions that you know, if given a second chance, you may not have made any differently.

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The 20 People You’ll Meet in Law School

The new school year is just about upon us. Students across the United States will be back in classes in seven days, including yours truly. This week, as I wind down the very final days of summer and try to get back into the school mind-set, I have been spending some time considering my classmates. You see, law school attracts some interesting people (in all senses of the word) and I’ve missed some of those buggers over the past few months. So to celebrate their general awesomeness/entertainment value I bring you this non-exhaustive list of all the people you will ever meet in law school! (It’s non-exhaustive primarily so I can recycle the idea next time I am too lazy to come up with a real topic. Also, full disclaimer, I got my inspiration from this piece, which is both more original and funnier.)

law schools / students / Studying

Top Ten Law School Fears, and Why You Shouldn’t Worry

Here we are, halfway through July, and for some of you it is less than a month away from THE START OF THE REST OF YOUR LIFE. Yep, for students starting 1L in mid to late August, we are officially in the seventh inning stretch. On the other hand, for those of us soon to be starting 2L, we are halfway through recovering from the miseries of last year, while eagerly anticipating the good parts we’ll get to relive next.

For those of you studying for the LSAT… enough wasting time, get back to it.

law schools / students

The Sameness of Legal Life

Today I am writing about a reoccurring fear I have. That’s right, at least for the week, I’m shunning unauthorized advice, seriatim descriptions and even pie charts for the sake of addressing a subject seriously and somberly. With YouTube clips. Well one YouTube clip. But a serious YouTube clip. Ok not really.

law schools / Studying / Tips

Advice for the Summer Before Law School

Ah summer, so full of warm weather and relative freedom. (Unless you’re taking an LSAT course… then it’s so full of warm weather and THE BEST TEST EVER!) However, this week’s post is not as much for the current LSAT takers, as it is for my friends who will be joining me as 1Ls at law schools across the nation within the next sixty-five days. As my legal ducklings gear up for the July 4th weekend, and hopefully a month+ of idleness to follow, I thought they might want some input into how that time could be best spent to prepare for their upcoming 1L adventure. I mean, it’s still a little early to buy your trapper keeper (the good back to school sales never start until mid-August) so what’s a future law student to do in the meantime?

law schools / LSAT / students / Studying

Does LSAT Study Make you a Functional Law Student?

First off, congratulations to everyone who just recently took that pesky little LSAT. Don’t worry, with a few minor exceptions, the worst is behind you… now it’s time to sit back and- wait.

As you settle into one of the longest waits of your life, you may be wondering if you will ever again use all that information you spent the last few months learning, practicing and living. Well this is where I swoop in to assure you, it is not completely irrelevant to your future!

law schools / students / Studying

If You’ve Always Hated School, Don’t go to Law School

Ah yes, 1L is done. Finished. Every final has been submitted, every paper written. My grades are in the hands of God, and I’ve started my summer internship. It has been a long journey, indeed.

Although to be honest, it really hasn’t. It turns out that law school is pretty similar to, well, any other sort of school. There were small differences. For example, this past year gave me my first chance to tango with the Socratic method. And what a dance it was. Plus the people were a little older, the parties a little calmer and the work was taken a little more seriously this time around. Overall, though, 1L was nothing special.

law schools / students / Studying / Tips

Celebrating the End of 1L: a Discussion of Grades

For the second time in less than a month, I bring you a post about grades. However, as I’ve said before, the topic has been a pretty strong under current since starting. So, as I wrap up my 1L experience, I share with you the two things I wish I knew before starting, and the one question we all still have.
Disclaimer: You will not believe a word of this post until after you have finished your first year. Don’t worry, I wouldn’t have either.

law schools

The Best Music for Law School Study

It is officially finals season again at law school, which means that for the next few weeks I’m studying just as hard as all you LSAT takers out there, if not harder. And of course I’m forced each morning to confront that age-old question: the public or the private? Do I study at home, where I’m constantly tempted by my bed, TV and extensive romantic comedy DVD collection? Or at the library, which is chock full of strangers and shiny objects?

It’s a tough call, but usually I need to get out of my apartment. Otherwise, what starts with me sitting at the kitchen table with my books, highlighters and outlines ready to go ends with me fast asleep on the couch, half eaten bag of Cheetos on my stomach, taking an 11:30 AM “nap” while Turner Classic Movies drones in the background. This is not an ideal way to learn the law.

law jobs / law schools / legal / legal life

The Murky World and Worries of Summer Law Jobs

So you may have heard that there are some worries about the legal job market right now. On the other hand, you may have locked yourself into your panic room at the first shudder of Bear Stearns (way back in the aughts) and are just now be stepping back out into the sun, blinking away tears, and stopping first at MSS. If that’s the case, I advise you to round up some more freeze dried food and other necessities and relock that steel door. For at least another half a decade.