What's fun, though, is that even though I'm studying, I'm not really studying. It's like I've made a juggling routine, the tricks of which I can all do individually, and just need some practice before I can do the routine flawlessly, too. That's fun because I'm practicing the nuances as much as I am the big picture.
The LSAT testing conditions are very strict, you see. In fact, I think I need to fax them Monday to say the name on my government-issued ID is William I Penman instead of Will I Penman. They wouldn't let me in otherwise, I don't think. Taking the LSAT will be like going to camp, only in the winter and with one bathroom break. There's a checklist I received by email:
Test takers are allowed to bring into the test center only a clear plastic ziplock bag containing the following items: #2 or HB pencils, LSAT Admission Ticket stub, valid ID, wallet, keys, medical and hygiene products, highlighter, erasers, pencil sharpener, a beverage in plastic container or juice box, and a snack (for break only).
I can't wait to pack my clear plastic ziplock bag (maximum size, as the extended rules say, of one gallon/3.79 liter).
To get in the zone, I've scanned a sample answer sheet so I can get used to the layout of the scantron page. And, of course, I've been using pencils. I don't want to get to the day of the LSAT and be flustered by good ol' #2.
I hit a snag, actually, when it became apparent that America does not sell pencil sharpeners. I was halfway through my week, felt stressed out, and needed to just do some practice sections. My pencils, however, were all blunted beyond acceptable multiple-choice-ability. I searched our house--no pencil sharpener. I walked over to a bookstore--no pencil sharpener. I walked further, to another store--no pencil sharpeners. They had pencils, but no pencil sharpeners. Mechanical pencils, may I remind you, were out.
At this point I was wishing I was just taking the LSAT in China, because in China they know how to sell pencil sharpeners. For cheap, too. There was a store right down my street, and I could've bought ten of them, with ten different designs. And they all would've broken after one use, probably.
I eventually cut my losses and used (gasp) the pen I had in my pocket the whole time. My fight to study for the LSAT was not over, though. Confident that the overpriced UF bookstore in the student union had Gator-ified pencil sharpeners, I made it to the union a few days later (after asking all my friends if they had a pencil sharpener I could have and being told that no one in America ever needs a pencil sharpener) and bought one. For $4. They had an 89 cent version, but the expensive kind had a "high quality carbon steel blade." It's like Excalibur. I will vanquish the LSAT. And, it has a second hole in case I need to sharpen crayons. In case there's a surprise drawing section after the logic games.
To complete my LSAT paraphanelia, I dropped by Walmart today to buy an analog (non-digital) watch. I tested all the watches in the $9-12 range for ease of time adjustment. As long as it can go from 12:00-12:35, the watch can serve all my purposes. It's a good thing my standards are so low, because the watch I bought is pretty ghetto. I ripped off the band because I don't actually want to use it as a watch, and the metal came apart no problem. The watch itself aspires to telling the date but is unmoveable from the 16th and tells the days of the week in Spanish.
But now I have my watch and pencils. All I have left to do is be me. And not forget to bring my bilingual timepiece.
2 comments:
I truly enjoyed the reference to excalibur. Just something about a pencil sharpner compared to excalibur made me laugh, so I thought I'd let you know :)
I really enjoyed that post. You're going to rock the LSAT.
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