elleSAT’s reading list - September 17, 2021

Sep 17

Written By Anita

Hello!

I hope you remember subscribing to elleSAT’s reading comprehension newsletter. If this is the first email you’re getting from us, welcome! We’re an independent LSAT tutoring company, founded by women sick of reading bad advice online.

The best way to do well on the LSAT is to read. A lot of different things. As often as possible. People often don’t know what to read, though, so as a service to the community, I try to collect articles that I come across. I’ve been reading random stuff like this for decades, and my reading habits definitely contributed to my success on the LSAT. So, I hope reading along with me will help people studying for this test.

For those who subscribed to this newsletter in the past: I’m sorry for going MIA. Things have been busy at elleSAT. Many of our wonderful tutors have gone onto law school, and our remaining tutors have been fully booked. We are onboarding new tutors to continue offering affordable tutoring. If you’d like to tutor with us, please email contact@ellesat.com.

Here are some articles I’ve read recently:

How Sea Otters Help Fight Climate Change

Popular science articles are a great way to ease into more science reading. What better than an article about the cutest mammals in the sea? Otters’ penchant for eating sea urchins and crabs promote the growth of seagrass and kelp, transforming their ecosystems into carbon sinks.

Economic Aspects of Bycatch Reduction

Here's a report from a government workshop on fishing policy. This one is way more boring than the article about sea otters, so it’s even better LSAT practice. Try googling phrases you’re unfamiliar with!

Islam and Nation-Building in Central Africa

Here's an article from a think tank on the historical origins of Islamist insurgencies in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Mozambique. Analyst James Barnett argues that there is a need to examine the politics of African liberation movements to understand the origins of these insurgencies. Barnett believes that these insurgencies should be considered byproducts of the inability of Ugandan and Mozambican regimes to translate their liberation struggles into nation-building projects that fully encompass Muslim minority constituencies.

The Uneasy Afterlife of a Confederacy of Dunces

Author Tom Bissell has a lot of feelings about a famous book. Cultural criticism like this in The Atlantic or The New Yorker is pretty on par with some of the LSAT humanities passages. Ask yourself as you read: what is Tom Bissell's attitude?

Paying for College and Changes to Illinois Law

A summary of changes to Illinois' child support laws. Reading rules like these are a good way to improve your logical reasoning skills.

Anita

Anita is an experienced market researcher with an interest in learning outcomes evaluation. A trained Montessori instructor and librarian, she was frustrated by commercially available logic games instructional material, and founded elleSAT (named for Elle Woods) to address the persistent gender gap in LSAT scores. Her unconventional journey to law school inspired her to grow elleSAT into a hub for independent tutors who share her commitment to diversifying the legal profession. She continues to run the company while pursuing her JD at Northwestern University.