Blog

It is the end of week 3 of the Fall 2026 semester at Radford University. It's already been a rough one. I got sick in the first week of school, had a cough since then, and been demolished with research projects this year.

I don't know why I decided it was a good idea to do POSC 301, or Political Inquiry, which is all about designing a research project in Political Science and finding resources. The class normally ends after we complete the research design, we never officially conduct research. However, I decided to make this my Honors Contract. That means, with a little extra work in the class, I can have it count as an Honors credit. This seems dandy and all, but now I have to actually finish my research. That means collecting all the research, analyzing it, and coming to a conclusion. It is a lot of work, but I know I will do okay.

It might be okay if it was just that project, but I have decided to take Honors Wicked Problems as well. This class' whole point is to design a research project around a "Wicked Problem" (see the projects and research page for more). I am working with two others to conduct research about the environmental desctruction around Radford University and some solutions to make the area more eco-friendly and wildlife-friendly.

These two wildly different research projects comine the same the same ideas of empirical research and data analysis, but the topics are s different that it makes it hard. I love doing research, and happily did a lot of research papers in high school and for fun. But two research projects in the same semester! That is a lot.

An update on how it is going will come near the end of the semester, and it will always be linked in the Projects and Research page with all of my other works.

The LSAT (Law school admissions test) is a required test to apply to law school. Undergraduates have to complete it so they can create the applications and attend a law school. However, it is one of the hardest tests you can take (just in general, but especially for undergraduates). It is a very abstract and the whole point is that it is a tough logical assessment to test how well you think logically and apply principles— to see if you would be a good lawyer.

I’m a rising sophomore in college, so saying that I am studying for the LSAT early is an understatement. A lot of people start studying for the LSAT around junior year or the summer before senior year. I am compensating a little bit for when I took the SAT. I waited too long to take the SAT and was not able to get the score I wanted. So, I am making sure this time, I have enough time to study and get the score I want. I also have to mention that, despite being good at tests in school, I am terrible at standardized tests like the SAT and the LSAT.

The LSAT ranges in score from 120-180, with the median being around 153. 120 is the worst score you can get, and it actually is pretty hard to get them all wrong. 180 is the 100% score, and nearly impossible to get. Prestigious schools like Harvard, Yale, UVA, Stanford, and others have a median score of 172-174.

June 2026 I took the LSAT for the first time. I studied a little bit, didn’t really dedicate much of my life to studying for it yet. It is a rough test, nearly 4 hours long and a lot of reading. The purpose of taking the test this time was to simply see what I could do and what the test was like. For a first time go-around with little studying, my score of 153 was not too bad. It is definitely possible with a bit of discipline and studying to score above a 170.

Your LSAT score is the most important thing law schools look at when determining if you are going to be a good fit. The second thing is GPA. Like I mentioned, I am good at school. Keeping my GPA above a 3.8 is fairly easy for me. But the LSAT is a standardized test, and I am not very good at those. There are times when a school would accept someone who is below the LSAT median, so there is a chance I get a 167-170 and could go to Harvard. But it is a lot harder. Your application, such as your essays, extracurriculars, leadership skills, resume, and experience can help and can get you into a good law school if you have a good enough application, but it is really the LSAT + GPA combo that determines where you are going to go.

I will admit the LSAT is a lot harder than it seems. It appears I have my work cut out for me. But I have a dedicated plan, and will work on discipline and good habits to keep my studying as effective as possible.