On the Road to Success: LEAP Offers Mock LSAT

As it does every semester, the LEAP Center again collaborated with Kaplan testing to offer a free Mock LSAT, an opportunity for students to assess their performance on one of the keys to being admitted to law school.

The LSAT is a different test than the SAT or ACT because it tests different skills than what students were exposed to in high school and, to some extent, college.  It takes intelligence, grit, and a lot of practice for students to do sufficiently well to get into the school of their choice.

The LEAP Mock LSAT is traditionally offered from 9:30-2:00pm on a Saturday and this semester was no exception.  A bit before 9:30am, students began filing into the classroom, and we listened to Randy, our prep course instructor.  He was enthusiastic and charismatic, and he captured our attention as we learned how the Mock LSAT is structured.  The sections include: Logical Reasoning (2 such sections), Analytical Reasoning, and Reading Comprehension.  The actual LSAT also has a writing section and an experimental section. Each section allows 35 minutes for completion.  And with that intro, we began.

If anyone were to look into that room at that moment, they would have seen 20+ students with their heads bent down, faces scrunched in extreme concentration.  As it turns out, Professor Yawn did exactly that…

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Some were scribbling furiously, while others were staring intently at their paper. All of us were intensely focused, ready to take charge of this challenge. At the second to last section, we were able to take a 15 minute break, where we were provided chocolate chip cookies to give us some much needed energy. Once the 15 minutes were up, we were all energized and I was ready to start the exam again to finish the last section.

Finally, at around 2 p.m. we finished the last section. Randy then started to explain how to complete various questions from some of the toughest sections. He explained it in such a way that I could not believe I did not understand it the first time around.

It was time for the results. We all walked to the computer lab where we were able to receive the scores we got. Emotions varied with each score but everyone was happy that they had taken this test as it had bee worth it. Overall, I enjoyed the experience. Even though it was my second time taking it, the Mock LSAT still makes me nervous but by having the opportunity to take it before the real deal helps me feel more prepared. This experience has boosted my self-confidence and helped me make new goals for myself.

Leaving Little Rock

Following a whirlwind tour of Little Rock and central Arkansas, it was departure day.  But before we left, we had a couple of sites left to see.

First, we did a quick photo op of the Capitol building…

 

 

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…where the LEAP Ambassadors visited (by unofficial count) their 18th state capitol building.  Bill Clinton’s office was here in the late 70s, most of the 1980s, and the very early 1990s.  They also have an interesting set of statues paying tribute to the Little Rock Nine and, in apparent contradiction, a monument to the confederate soldiers as well.

We chose to focus on the Little Rock Nine, so shortly after visiting the capitol we made our way to Little Rock Central High.  LRCH is the original school that the Little Rock Nine first attempted to integrate in 1957, and it is very large.

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It’s a humbling experience to stand where the Little Rock Nine stood.  They faced taunts, hatred, and ignorance and, in the process, made major progress for the country.

On the front of the school are four pillars, each representing a quality crucial to success…

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…ambition, personality, opportunity, and preparation.  Interestingly, these four qualities are also stressed by the LEAP Center, and that added an extra dimension of interest.

Spurred on by this interest, we went to the LRCH Musuem, located across the street.  This is a small museum, but it has an intimacy with its subject matter that makes for a compelling experience.

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The Museum begins with an overview of the Civil Rights experience, which is described along the left wall.  Toward the rear of the Museum are videos with headsets telling the stories of each of the Little Rock Nine.

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Intriguingly, the video screens are facing Little Rock Central High, which brings the experience home with greater impact.  Even sixty years later, it’s difficult to listen to the turmoil that these heroes went through…

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The right side of the Museum is dedicated to other civil rights struggles…

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…and the center of the Museum is a fairly in-depth story of the integration of Little Rock Central High.

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They give an overview of the events, with video of Eisenhower discussing the importance of the rule of law, as well as journalists and the original Little Rock Nine looking at these events retrospectively.

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It captivated our group.

We ended the tour with a film from 1964, which was shown to foreign audiences and detailed the experiences of the Little Rock Nine six-seven years after the integration.

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It was interesting to learn more about the integration process, and also interesting to see how these events were presented in the mid-1960s.

The LRCH is a can’t-miss site in Little Rock, in a City that is full of fun and interesting attractions.  It was a sobering but fitting way to end our trip, and our departure was made more acceptable knowing we’d be making a return visit in July.

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LEAP Day!

The LEAP Ambassadors just finished a five-day trip to Arkansas, but they arrived home in time for LEAP Day.  Not many organizations have a day named for them, but the LEAP Ambassadors treated it in appropriate fashion:

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It was a picnic dinner at one of their favorite places: the Wynne Home.  This also happens to be the workplace of Beatriz Martinez and the former workplace of Megan Chapa.  Next door, the Smither Martin Law Firm (seen in the background) is the workplace of Kaitlyn Tyra.

With full employment, a grilled dinner by Austin Campbell, and a day named for them, they celebrated.

Of course, they can keep calm and carry on, when need be, and tomorrow they will return to their professional ways, with four of them working the elections and then gathering for a watch party.

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