Todd, Author at LSAT Blog

Todd Baynes

Todd is one of the few born and raised Southern Californians of whom the legends speak. When college beckoned, Todd left the aqua waters of the Pacific to attend Emory University in Atlanta and then travel in Australia. He says it was to ''experience life'' but we think it was a clear attempt to mask his So Cal accent.

Alas, his travels were no match for the tenacity of surfer boy lingo as anyone who calls the office will find that Todd is ''totally interested in helping you out, dude.'' He also fiercely defends Keanu Reeves in Point Break. When questioned about The Matrix Reloaded or The Lakehouse, he declines to comment.

Todd joins the Blueprint team to master the art of online ordering at Staples, to field questions about testing centers (Saddleback, not UCI) and to de-throne Karl in the office sports pool. Youth vs. Wisdom. We shall see.

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Is a 1L Law School Prep Class Worth It?

I’ll be heading off to law school in a few short months, and my mailbox certainly shows it. Over the last three months, I have received admissions responses from law schools (mostly acceptances, I am happy to report), followed by daily credit card offers, followed by a persistent bombardment of brochures from companies that would like me to take a class to learn how to succeed in law school. I was happy to hear back from law schools, and as far as the credit card offers go, if a brotha’ is going to take out a $60,000 loan, he might as well earn some frequent flyer miles when he buys his top ramen and SpaghettiOs; am I right?

Armed with some shiny acceptance packets and an even shinier line of credit, I now had to make sense of these “learn how to be a good law student” brochures.

LSAT advice / LSAT Study / lsat studying

Top 4 Things I’ve Learned in (LSAT Prep) Life

My two-year tenure at Blueprint is coming to a bittersweet end this week. I was stealing pencils and stamps, and when the BP brass found out that I was going to law school in the fall, it was the last straw. Still, they let me write one last blog post. While doing my own LSAT prep, and then eventually helping out a few hundred students through their LSAT prep, I have gained at least a few nuggets of wisdom.
Before you gear up for your own LSAT this October, make sure you really digest the following advice. First off, buy your own pencils and postage, because employee theft is nothing to laugh about. Also…

LSAT / News

How Farnold’s Love Child Affects His Movie Career

In this week’s edition of MSS Logical Reasoning sample question, we examine the story of Farnold, a famous movie actor, who has come under fire for fathering an illegitimate child. Now, while he tries to get back in the movie business, certain head honchos think he might bring too much bad publicity to the studio. This one is what we call a “strengthen” question, and your job will be to figure out how to strengthen Farnold’s argument that he is a big enough box office draw to negate the negative press. Enjoy!

law schools / LSAT

A Tale of Two 1L’s

I’m getting ready to start my first year of law school in a few months, so for the past year I have watched carefully as a few of my friends have experienced the tragedy and triumphs of their own 1L. Thankfully, I was able to gain some insights, for the sole purpose of sharing this information with all of you. The following two stories are authentic. The people are real. The details are real. The fake names to conceal these students’ identities are patently absurd.

Meet Rupert Huckleberry. A good friend of mine with whom I attended a very competitive college. Rupert was actually a model student-athlete at this university, and an international finance major with a strong GPA and a stellar LSAT score. Despite his credentials, Mr. Huckleberry did not follow the narrow path to Wall St. that so many of our other friends instinctively marched down.

LSAT

The Turmoil of Shaker Nation

In this week’s sample logical reasoning question, Riley examines the case of the Los Angeles Shakers, and the fundamental disagreements between the team’s owner, Dr. Bus, and the team’s star player, Kohby. Should they get the 7 foot giant from Orlando, or should they get the young point guard who can speed up the offense? One thing they certainly agree upon is that in the wake of that embarrassing loss in the playoffs, shakeups need to be made, and now it’s just a matter of figuring out what needs to happen. Check out the keynote explanation and text of the question after the jump.

LSAT

The Tragic LSAT Tale of Lisa Logan

We at MSS bring to you our second installment of practice logical reasoning questions. Today, Misha analyzes the story of Lisa Logan, and what steps we need to take to validly conclude that her parents have failed in their parenting (odds are, it shouldn’t be too difficult to conclude that). If you have any questions after the video, head on over to the discussion board or voice your confusion in the comments. Check out the text of the question below.

law schools

The Months Leading up to 1L

The majority of you visit MSS each day because the LSAT currently owns what used to be your free time. One of our students recently confessed that she had a dream that took place entirely at an LSAT test center. She begrudgingly admitted on her beginning course survey that “the LSAT is all up in my subconscious and shit.” In other words, you aren’t thinking about law school applications yet, let alone actually preparing for your first year of law school. I was in your shoes last year. For now, don’t worry about the application process, specific law schools, financial aid, or six-figure debt. I will now completely contradict that statement by giving you a quick rundown of what you can expect in the months leading up to that beast known as 1L.

LSAT

Spring Break: LSAT Style

I know, I know. It’s not easy being an LSAT student. Many of you are in your senior year of college, and it’s spring break season. Others are heading to warm, sunny locations to party, hook-up, and yell “Spring Breaaak!” to those who don’t have calendars. You, on the other hand, are holed up with your LSAT books. As a fairly recent college graduate, I fondly remember my early April trips to Florida and Mexico, so I can sympathize with you to an extent. As someone who took the LSAT last year and is about to buckle down for my first year of law school, I am also here to tell you to suck it up. This is likely the most important exam you will ever take, so missing out on body shots in Cabo one time isn’t the worst thing in the world.

LSAT

The Sordid Logical Reasoning Story of Larry Monds

Today’s installment of MSS brings you a free practice LSAT problem. LSAC doesn’t allow us to disseminate real problems on the intra webs, so it was written by the staff at MSS, and explained by Blueprint LSAT Prep instructor Misha Silin, who teaches our Northridge class. This question will test your fundamental logic skills and polish your diagramming abilities.

The best way to go through the problem is to try it on your own, then watch the video for the explanation. Without further ado, enjoy!

Law School Admissions / law schools

What to Do While Waiting for Law Schools

Many of you are still waiting for admissions responses from certain law schools. Unless you submitted all of your applications at 11:30 pm on January 31st, there is a good chance you have heard back from at least one or two institutions, but I understand that waiting can be frustrating. I have heard from two law schools that I would be happy to attend, but am still waiting on my reach school. It takes time to review hundreds and hundreds of applications. Like my great grandfather always used to say “don’t hate the playa’, hate the game.” The truth is that there is plenty you can do in the meantime, as the mailman only comes once a day. Here are some actual productive steps you can take instead of staring out the window as Judge Judy yells at some divorced couple in the background.