Online prep course?

[Alabama Bound]

What's the scoop? Better or worse than an in-person course? Seems like a good argument can be made for both.

[Jon Denning]

I think there are definitely advantages to both, but as someone who has been both a student and an instructor in online courses, let me give a quick rundown of what I feel makes the online option so attractive:

1. Convenience - it's hard to top sitting in your living room or at your kitchen table and learning about the LSAT in an interactive, engaging "virtual" environment. There's no traveling to a class site, concern about appearance or behavior (you can eat dinner in your underwear during class), parking, carrying books, etc. Just log in from wherever is most convenient and you're good to go. Plus, since the course isn't married to a single location there are usually a lot more scheduling options (day, night, weekend...) than there would be for a single area's brick and mortar class schedule.

2. Archives - every single thing that happens during class gets recorded and can be reviewed post-class until you're completely comfortable. This not only allows you to focus less on furiously scribbling notes and more on participating in the discussion, but it also allows you to really concentrate on areas of weakness with a precision that is harder to come by with in-person courses. For instance, let's say you're struggling with causality in Logical Reasoning. If that's a concept in lesson 3 you can quite literally re-attend lesson 3 (via archives) in the virtual course as many times as you need to...something that would be impossible with an in-person course. These archives also mean that if you miss a class, are late, leave early--really anything that takes you out of the room for a bit--you still have the entire lesson's content and can review it at your leisure at any point in the future.

3. Two Instructors - each lesson is administered by two instructors in the virtual course: a 1st chair instructor who handles the majority of the verbal presentation, and a 2nd chair instructor who adds supplementary commentary via IM and answers students' questions individually as they get asked. This means you have an instructor dedicated solely to helping you out in a private, personal manner. So when you have a question you can get direct assistance, and when you don't have a question the class moves smoothly along since other people's questions occur "behind the scenes," so to speak.


These are just three points that I feel make the virtual course a compelling option, but there are certainly more that could be made. I know for PowerScore the instructors we have teaching our virtual course are the most senior, highly-rated instructors in the country. It's also a bit cheaper than the full-length course (and uses the same materials)and comes with a tremendous amount of additional virtual modules and online student support.

In fact, if you look in the right-hand sidebar on this page you'll see a link to "Free Lesson One." That's an archive of the first lesson of the virtual course. So you don't have to take my word for it...click on that link and you'll see exactly what the virtual platform and environment are like! Good luck!

[Alabama Bound]

Great points; thanks a lot!

I checked out the free lesson one and noticed that you were the instructor; well done!

[Jon Denning]

Ahh glad you had a chance to check that out (and also glad you liked it!). Of course, I'm only one of the many, many instructors we have that teach our virtual classes--we have a small army of amazing, 99th percentile instructors in several different countries who teach both virtual and in-person classes--but it just so happens that the sample lesson offered is one that I taught.

It really is a powerful, engaging platform, and the students we've seen come through the program seem to thoroughly enjoy it. Admittedly, it's not for everyone, but students who are motivated (diligent enough to go back and review the archives) and focused (won't be too distracted in the comfort of their home as opposed to an actual classroom) benefit tremendously from virtual courses. Good luck with the continued prep!

JD

[jbeyer]

That sounds really good.

My question is though, is it really necessary to do the course if you do the books. Is there material that is taught in the okne course that is not covered in the books, a thousand dollars is a lot to spend for someone who doesn't have a lot of money. Can you achieve the same score with the book that you do with the online course?

Thanks,
Jonathan

[Jon Denning]

That's a good question, and I think the answer is that it depends. That is, to answer if it's "necessary" to take a course if you have the books really depends on how you define "necessary." Can you achieve a score that you're satisfied with by using only the books? Potentially, sure. So from that standpoint there are certainly people out there for whom the course may not be required to get where they want to go.

But let me explain what benefits I feel the course provides, and why those benefits are more important now than ever. I could go into a lengthy discussion of EVERYTHING a course offers that self-study doesn't---a set schedule and pace, a collaborative environment with other test takers, the emotional and psychological affirmation that comes from group learning, additional assistance and support outside of class, etc.---but to me the biggest benefit is that a course allows for the materials to adapt to you. You have a highly-trained instructor that has mastered this challenging exam and the resources we use to deconstruct it, and that instructor can then tailor the presentation of those concepts to your particular needs throughout the course. I really can't overstate the value of that. To have someone who has scored at a level you are striving for, who can then guide you step-by-step along a path to get you to that level, adjusting and refining the presentation for a customized fit, all the while motivating you to continue to push and excel...well you just won't get that from a book. As much as I love what we've created in text-form, it's simply no match for the dynamic, personalized nature of an interactive classroom.

And the reason I say this type of personalized instruction is more important than ever is that you're facing the most competitive law school admissions field in history. More than ever before, every single point on this test is priceless. You simply can't afford to leave anything to chance, or "settle" for a number that's short of your potential. Will a course guarantee that you'll meet all of your expectations? No. But it will absolutely give you the best chance of attaining the highest score possible, and these days that should be the deciding factor as you weigh your options.

Finally, I completely agree that $1K is a substantial sum, and certainly you should look to get the best return on your investment. In fact, I think that's the operative word: investment. Law school is incredibly expensive, and you're all but guaranteed to graduate with debt in the mid-five-figures. But when you take into account that every point on the LSAT gets you closer to scholarships and to better schools where graduates make A LOT more money, even a four or five-point jump can translate into tens of thousands of dollars over just a few years. From that perspective a thousand dollar class, where the average increase is 10-12 points, can be one of the best investments you've ever made.

To get a better sense of exactly how good of an investment a class can be, check out this article on score vs. salary: http://www.powerscore.com/lsat/help/salary.cfm

I know it's a lot to think about, and a forum post like this can hardly do justice to the gravity and complexity of this decision, so if you'd ever like to discuss it further give us a call at 800-545-1750 and we'll happily help you make the choice that's best for you.

Thanks!

JD