The quality of an LSAT class is largely dependent on the caliber of its teacher. Blueprint LSAT Prep was founded by a group of instructors, and amazing instruction remains our focus to this day.
All LSAT companies will claim that they have the best instructors, but here are some things they can't say. First, all of our instructors have scored a 170 or higher on an actual LSAT. In addition, every instructor undergoes a rigorous training process - each one is flown to Los Angeles to learn from the founders of the company. So you can be assured they know their stuff.
Second, we pay them incredibly well. Our instructors earn $100/hour (starting with their third course taught). When you combine that with our large number of class hours, an instructor is able to make thousands more by teaching a Blueprint course than they would elsewhere.
Finally, we don't have as many classes. It's simple math - that means we don't need as many instructors. Fewer than 5% of applicants to Blueprint actually go on to teach a course.
Elan Abrell
Austin
Meet Elan 
Did you know that horseshoe crabs have blue blood? And that elephants enjoy being intoxicated? Elan does.
He also knows that he graduated from UC Santa Cruz with a degree in Literature and Creative Writing, got a 174 on the LSAT, obtained a J.D. from Berkeley Law School, and is currently working on a Ph.D. in Anthropology from CUNY. Also, that squirrels live eight times as long as rats.
If you haven't guessed it, Elan enjoys incorporating odd factoids to help teach the LSAT. Our favorite is the talk on how logic games are like mutant zombie barnacle crabs. (It's all about grouping versus ordering, people). He also enjoys making sure his students reach their full potential on the test, which is perhaps the nicest fact of all.
Chad Barton
Texas
Meet Chad
With enough tequila, Chad will admit that he was once a contestant on Who Wants to be a Millionaire. Sadly, he was eliminated after the third question.
Born and raised in Dallas, Chad lived in Manhattan for five years and Los Angeles for three before returning to the Big D and the hallowed home of Tex-Mex. During those eight years he lived with a record 22 different roommates, but swears they'd all take him back in an instant... well almost all. While in New York, Chad attended NYU, majored in Screenwriting, and chalked up an LSAT score of 171.
Much like his hero, Coach Eric Taylor, Chad believes the key to a great LSAT score is hard work up front and a killer strategy. A Blueprint alum himself, Chad increased his score by 16 points and is confident that preparation trumps a propensity for standardized tests every time.
Drew Bean
Miami
Meet Drew
Unless you drive trucks for a living, you've probably logged far less hours on the road than Drew. His best accomplishment to date: driving 25 hours straight to make it to New York from Austin in time for a double date at John's Pizzeria.
Drew was born and raised in the great state of Texas. He studied International Nutrition at UT Austin where he became fascinated with everything food. Since graduating he has been involved in global food advocacy and started a food studies program in Austin aimed at raising social awareness. He scored a 175 on the LSAT but elected to wait on pioneering the profession of food attorney to teach for Blueprint.
Drew believes any subject can be learned by breaking down core concepts into small, digestible pieces that come together to form a whole. He likes to keep the lessons light with his tongue-in-cheek humor and energetic attitude. He thinks that everyone learns better when they are comfortable and engaged.
Drew's 15 minutes of fame came when he was slimed at Nickelodeon Studios: a fact he reveals in bars to impress girls who grew up in the '90s.
Liz Cartwright
Los Angeles
Meet Liz
Currently living in an apartment that smells suspiciously of spray tan and hair dye, Liz is proof that blondes both have more fun and get higher scores on the LSAT.
Liz is finishing her English major and Spanish minor (yes; she's both white and fluent) at UCLA. After graduation, Liz plans to apply to law school with the 170 she got on the LSAT after taking a Blueprint course with Trent.
Attending Liz's class is similar to an episode of the Jersey Shore. You'll smoosh in the hot tub, eat pickles, get punched in the face, and learn the LSAT. Well, one of these four things will happen. Liz believes that a combination of humor, love, and of course an intimate understanding of the test is the best approach to teaching the LSAT, and she'll hold your hand whenever it needs holding. That's it though - let's not push it.
Liz's Jersey Shore name is ''The Position''. We have no comment.
Aaron Cohn
Bay Area
Meet Aaron
A rare San Francisco native, Aaron manages to get paid in money and beer to play his double bass in establishments both sordid and respectable around the Bay Area.
Aaron majored in Music and minored in What Can I Use this Major for? at Stanford University. He found out the answer when he put his degree to practice by working as a maintenance guy for a private school. After tiring of early mornings and a key ring the size of Calcutta, he turned his attention to helping students with the LSAT. This was after scoring a 180 on his own LSAT, by the way.
Aaron thinks that studying for the LSAT is much like practicing a musical instrument: if you want to be able to do it quickly and accurately, you have to learn to do it slowly and accurately first. The difference is that musical success won't get you into the law school of your dreams. On the other hand, a stellar LSAT score is less likely to bring in groupies.
Aaron grinds the beans for his coffee by hand. He brings the same dedication verging on insanity to teaching the LSAT.
Joe Console
Philadelphia
Meet Joe
Joe was pepper sprayed in Portland during a Bush/Diebold protest. He would like to report that highly reactive agents and mucus membranes don't, in fact, mix well.
Born in the great city he calls home, Philadelphia, Joe spent his formative years in the Jersey burbs where he developed a love of Kevin Smith movies and the written word. He eventually obtained a film studies degree from Temple University, then enrolled in Rutgers Law School after scoring a 172 on the LSAT. When he's not moonlighting as a Blueprint instructor, he works as an attorney specializing in foreclosure defense.
Joe’s plan is to trick you into being awesome at the LSAT by being completely irreverent and disarmingly honest. He presents the material in a way that is entertaining and easily accessible, and often invokes cheesesteak analogies when explaining conditional statements. He's also contemplating using pepper spray for students who mistakenly commit the fallacy of the inverse.
Fun Fact: Joe owns all seven seasons of The Golden Girls on DVD.
Rebecca Counts
Boston
Meet Rebecca
Rebecca Counts is convinced that her body somehow converts food calories into amphetamines. That would explain how she's still bouncing off the walls after four hours of reading comp. That or a keen interest in Native American oral histories.
After scoring a 177 on the LSAT, Rebecca dropped her Business major and opted for History. We're not sure why, except that The Peloponnesian War is a much better read than the Wealth of Nations. (Or is it)?
At UT Austin, Rebecca was a Mock Trial participant and used those skills to persuade students that the LSAT really is a learnable test. She is a compassionate, encouraging teacher, although she does believe the Blueprint books could benefit from more references to '80's hairbands. White Lion, anyone?
Rebecca does not drink coffee, but suggests her students come to class highly caffeinated to keep up with her.
Alex Davis
Los Angeles
Meet Alex
Stewie: I'm the dog. I'm well read and have a diverse stock portfolio. But I'm not above eating grass clippings and regurgitating them on the rug.
Brian: I'm a pompous little antichrist who will abandon my plans for world domination when I grow up and wind up settling with a rough trick named Jim.
Alex: I'm the LSAT instructor who can carry on a complete conversation using only Family Guy quotes and Antoine Dodson references. I will climb in your LSAT window and snatch your people up.
When he wasn't binging on pop culture, Alex found time to graduate from UCLA in 2005 with a degree in History and English. Putting his degrees to good use at a golf shop was fun, but a Jewish mother and a sense of impending doom led Alex down the law school path. His 171 and sweet, sweet luck got him into UCLA Law School. Upon graduation in 2010 he promptly decided that craft beer was more than fun toiling away in the corporate law salt mines (go figure) and now plans to open his own brewpub. That, and teach the LSAT.
Alex's teaching style is just like his voice - serious, yet playful, and a little high-pitched after 2AM. You can expect a healthy dose of self-deprecation and other polysyllabic hyphenates in his class, along with a whole lotta advice about the best way to make it through the LSAT so that you, too can taste LSAT victory, which probably tastes good, like salt-water taffy or a Chunky.
Jay Donnell
Irvine
Meet Jay
A skateboarding enthusiast, Jay has perfected the art of the frontside 360 while scattering pedestrians on the Newport Beach boardwalk.
Another Matt disciple (and thereby a second generation Trent offspring), Jay swears by the Blueprint method, which brought him from a 157 to a 172 (from approximately the 74th to the 99th percentile) in one class. After soaking up his last quarter at UCLA and earning a BA in Psychology, Jay was off to cause mischief in Europe. He has since returned to Newport Beach to try out his best OC ''Adam Brody'' impersonation.
Jay's teaching style is laid back and approachable. You may find him sneaking a quick minute of American Wasteland between classes, but he's always ready for an LSAT chat.
Jay's claim to trivia fame is being able to link Kevin Bacon to Paris Hilton in three moves in the ''6 degrees of Kevin Bacon'' game.*
* Paris Hilton was in House of Wax with Elisha Cuthbert, who is on 24 with Kiefer Sutherland, who was in A Few Good Men with Kevin Bacon.
Colin Elzie
New York
Meet Colin
Colin is an agoraphobic who never leaves his apartment. Except to get food. And cigarettes. And teach LSAT class. Actually, he’s not really agoraphobic.
Colin majored in German at UC Berkeley, eventually graduating with honors. Colin then worked as a temp at the American Cancer Society, where for five months he feverishly concealed the fact that he is a smoker. His tenure there was cut short after a macabre incident in which the ACS director stumbled upon Mr. Elzie in the men’s room, perched on a toilet and smoking a cigarillo through five feet of flexible rubber tubing. Allegedly.
Upon scoring a 178 on the LSAT, Colin secured a job teaching for Blueprint after protracted negotiations regarding how often he could mention Otto von Bismarck in class.
Colin enjoys sitting at home where he can often be found eating Cheez-Its, watching TV, and slowly waiting to die.
Sam Fox
San Diego
Meet Sam
A true stat geek, Sam spends nearly all his free time obsessively pouring over advanced basketball statistics, which makes up for his complete lack of basketball ability. At least in his mind.
After an upbringing in the scenic metropolis of Stockton, CA, Sam begrudgingly moved to Los Angeles for college, where he graduated from UCLA with a BA in Economics. Ever since, he has instructed students of all ages in a wide range of subjects, particularly math. He brings this experience to the field he enjoys most: the LSAT.
In the classroom, Sam is like your cool (his adjective, not ours), older brother. He likes beer and fart jokes, and he can recite Chappelle's Show sketches, but he also has the experience to help you tackle the LSAT beast. He's happy to discuss the tactics that helped him get a 173, but he won't let you drive his car. It's '91 Camry, so that shouldn't be an issue.
With his Tom Brady haircut, Sam defies the widely accepted notion that a mullet must be roughly 50% ''business''.
Dylan Gadek
Phoenix
Meet Dylan
Dylan has worked as a used car salesman, an online poker pro and an LSAT instructor. While his affection for selling '92 Cabriolets and losing money on the river card has waned, his love for teaching continues.
Dylan was an undergraduate at Yale, where he spent time debating and developing an affection for Cheetohs. In between washing orange dust off his hands, he became the second person ever to be both a national debate champion and North American debate champion in 2007, and the only American undergrad to win Cambridge University's invitational tournament. The latter allowed him take part in the quintessential American activity: beating the British.
Dylan believes strongly that his philosophy degree and his LSAT score of 178 should be only partially wasted, and so emphasizes understanding the logical structures on the LSAT. He'll also teach you the importance of understanding why the incorrect answers are incorrect, as well as the role Cheetohs can play in a well-crafted study plan.
In addition to helping you get a great LSAT score, Dylan knows where you can get a good price on a 2005 Spectra.
Luke Gullickson
Chicago
Meet Luke
Luke spent a fair portion of last year above 14,000 feet in the Rocky Mountains. His favorite peaks include Mt. Sneffels, Mount Yale, and the aptly, but not perhaps not imaginatively, named Mount Massive.
While working on his undergraduate degree at Illinois Wesleyan University in music and history, Luke took the LSAT. He received a 173, a score that had no impact whatsoever in his admission to graduate studies in Music Composition at UT Austin but very much influenced his decision to teach for Blueprint. After finishing his MM, he's ready to bring his jazz improvisation and sight-singing chops to LSAT instruction.
Luke takes his teaching philosophy from the school of Colorado camping: if he can teach 13 year olds to set up a tent in a blinding rainstorm, hang a bear bag properly, and whip up a mean peanut curry with a cookstove and a sardine tin for a kitchen, then surely he can guide you through the strange and threatening wilderness of the LSAT.
Luke takes his musical and creative pursuits quite seriously, but after a beer or two will occasionally divulge that he once shared the stage with Kenny Rogers.
Jackie Hehir
New York
Meet Jackie
Jackie’s psychic, Madam Snow, prophesied that she would have ten children, move to Ohio, and marry a one-armed carpenter with a penchant for Russian nesting dolls. Fortunately, Madam Snow has never accurately predicted anything.
Instead, Jackie has a lizard named Al, lives in Manhattan, and teaches 6th grade in Harlem. After taking Blueprint and scoring a 178 (99.8%) on the LSAT, she now teaches for us.
Jackie’s instructor style has been informed by her 6th graders. This means chewing gum is not allowed in class, all good test results receive a gold star, and you have to clean the board if you’re back late from recess. If you’re really lucky, she might appoint you hall monitor.
Jackie would like us to mention that Madam Snow accepts cash or checks.
Sam Huang
Texas
Meet Sam
Sam follows two mantras. First, as Sun Tzu says: He who knows when he can fight and when he cannot, will be victorious. Second, as another venerable scholar and philosopher (Ice Cube) says: Check yo' self before you wreck yo' self.
Sam grew up in the Mile High City of Denver but emigrated to the east coast to study business at U Penn's Wharton School (cue Rocky theme). After a brief investment banking stint (yep, not so good timing), he went back to school to get a Masters in Engineering at Stanford. Because that wasn't quite enough schooling, he's currently at Rice University working on a PhD in philosophy (cue Jeopardy theme).
You'll find Sam to be friendly and personable. He sprinkles analogies and stories throughout class (lyrics from Weird Al and Flight of the Conchords have been known to make an appearance) to help illustrate the study habits that helped him obtain a 170 on his own LSAT. Rumor has it he will also provide an occasional song if the situation calls for it and if you ask him nicely.
When he's not teaching or discovering new music, Sam rocks out with his blue betta fish, Nemo.
Jessica Jackelen
Texas
Meet Jessica
Jessica is such a huge New Orleans Saints fan that she once wore a 3 foot cheese grater on her head when they played the Packers. Constructed from painted cardboard and styrofoam peanuts, in case you were wondering.
Jessica graduated with a B.A. from Emory University. After scoring a 170 on the LSAT, she attended the University of Oregon Law School where she learned about torts and poked fun of the local football team (have you seen the uniforms?). After graduating from law school at the top of her class, she worked as a litigator in the Child Advocacy section of the Oregon Attorney General's office and learned that candy can go a long way toward making friends with humans under the age of 12.
Jessica's desire to help others has had a few drawbacks (she gained 5 pounds before swearing off tootsie rolls forever), but it makes for a great LSAT teacher. The only thing bigger than her heart is her desire to say ''to diagram or not to diagram'' whenever she faces an LR question.
Jessica isn't commenting on the Saints' loss to the 49ers in the NFC playoffs, but she may have burned an Alex Smith doll in effigy.
Morgan Janssen
Bay Area
Meet Morgan
Morgan is definitely the teacher you want to be with during zombie, werewolf, or vampire attacks. He spent his years at UC Berkeley researching post-apocalyptic adventure and survival, but had difficulty finding employment that made use of his expertise. Fortunately, Blueprint was looking for a zombie defender/LSAT instructor, and a star was born.
Morgan received his JD from the NYU School of Law. He has taught GRE, TOEFL, and ESL around the world. He actually took the LSAT in Tokyo, which was weird. During a party to celebrate his 174, he logged 4th place on the local DDR machine while being cheered on by a crowd of 13 year-old girls. With nothing left to prove, he came home to join Blueprint and share the gift of high scores with the world.
Morgan supplements the Blueprint method with a bucketful of energy and a whole lot of bad jokes. He stresses the predictable and game-like nature of the test and believes that learning to have fun with it is the surest path to a dominating score.
Morgan is hooked on the New York Times crossword puzzle, although he still can't finish Saturdays on his own.
Ali Karol
Los Angeles
Meet Ali
In addition to teaching for Blueprint, Ali tutors UCLA athletes and gives campus tours. This means she can tell you the last time the Bruins won the Rose Bowl was in 1986 while walking backward.
Ali is completing a major in History and a minor in Music History at UCLA, where she spends many hours familiarizing herself with Ken Burns documentaries and broadway musicals. She scored a 170 on her LSAT, a score she attributes to a balance of study time, relaxation techniques, and John Wooden inspirational quotes.
Ali believes in the Chipotle study method - one burrito does not fit all tastes - and tailors her LSAT advice to make the most of every student's learning style. She also checks her bed every night for spiders, but that's a whole other story.
Aaron Macris
Los Angeles
Meet Aaron
Aaron has lived in Salt Lake City, Las Vegas, and Los Angeles. This means his rolodex includes failed polygamists, wealthy blackjack card counters, and George Lucas' daughter.
After graduating with a degree in computer science from USC, Aaron is now working on an MS in computer science, because one can never get enough Linux exposure. Earning the title of all-regional mock trial attorney twice has ensured that he can actually interact with humans (despite a score of 171 on the LSAT).
As a former Blueprint student, (+ 15 points) Aaron knows that with effort, tenacity, and the right methods, you can earn a great LSAT score. He prides himself on his ability to show students who may not have a natural aptitude for the test how to raise their score through hard work and perseverance. He also tries to purchase high necked shirts because of a phenomenal amount of chest hair. Greek heritage, people.
Aaron's last name means ''tall''. We prefer to think it's short for the mattress on which Jesus died. Even though it was a cross. And mattresses probably didn't exist in 30AD, although rumor has it the stuffed-straw pallets were nice.
Dan McCarthy
Los Angeles
Meet Dan
Although Dan McCarthy lives in Southern California, he is frightened by surfers, valet parking, and bright sunlight. We think this makes him a misanthropic vampire but he insists it's his midwestern upbringing.
Dan studied Classics at Columbia University, then realized a bit late that no one wants to translate documents into dead languages. With a sad heart Dan shelved his Platonic dialogues, got a 180 on the LSAT (that's a perfect score, people), and headed off to law school at the University of Michigan. After a Ninth Circuit clerkship, Dan went to work for a big law firm defending large corporations. This allowed him to cash some large paychecks and contributed to what some have called his 'Ron Swanson-esque charisma.'
Dan now finds gratification in working as a public defender and teaching the LSAT. He employs the same strategy for his job as he imparts to his LSAT students: combine thorough preparation with enjoying the work and you'll be sure to succeed. That, and avoid committing logical fallacies in front of the judge.
Dan would like to ask his students not to use words like ''rad'' and ''gnarly'' during class. And to avoid turtlenecks and vervain.
Derek Rethwisch
Los Angeles
Meet Derek
Derek fervently believes that he can get Axl and Slash to reunite and perform Appetite for Destruction. The basis for this belief: a long, heartfelt conversation he had with GNR’s original drummer while interning for VH1’s Celebrity Rehab.
After never actually interning for VH1 in any capacity, Derek graduated from the University of Pennsylvania with a degree in Finance from Wharton and Systems Engineering from the Engineering School. Armed with enough technical knowledge to cash in on the internet revolution, Derek instead studied Screenwriting at USC's School of Cinematic Arts. Luckily, along the way he scored a 175 on the LSAT so he can support himself until Michael Bay asks him to write a re-imagining of Jason Takes Manhattan.
Students attending Derek's class will be met with a rock lyric for every situation. Dipped a bit for your second practice exam? ''Here Comes the Sun.'' Confused about diagramming? ''For a minute there, I lost myself.'' Advice for whether or not to take a practice test the night before the LSAT? ''Let it Be.''
If Derek could be anyone for a day, he'd be Sidney Crosby. Score!
Nick Rey
Bay Area
Meet Nick
Nick has a 180. From taking a Blueprint class. That's just good marketing so we're going to mention it a bunch of times. He also lists slack lining as his favorite hobby. Our best guess is sewing, gynecology, or rock climbing.
Nick left Half Moon Bay (yes it's as beautiful as it sounds) to attend UC Berkeley. Four years later, he left with degrees in Rhetoric and Legal Studies and an appreciation for homeless person soliloquies on politics. He also got a 180 on the LSAT after taking a Blueprint class.
Nick's teaching approach is much like slack lining in that you must trust your instructor to give you the right advice, then practice over and over so you can perform on test day. We still don't know what slack lining is, but the method sounds good for the LSAT. Especially from someone who got a 180 after taking a Blueprint class.
When not teaching formal logic, Nick can be found reading Dharma Bums or similar Beatnik literature. This is because all people in Northern California think Beatnik writers are cool, even though the writing is fairly lame. Except Ginsberg's ''A Supermarket in California''. Did we mention that Nick has a 180? And that he took a Blueprint class? Tell your friends.
Matthew Riley
Los Angeles
Meet Matthew
Frequently spotted on a beach cruiser near the southern California shore, Matthew Riley is a Bay Area native who earned his BA in Psychology from UCLA, and like so many Bachelors of the Arts, went on to not use his degree at all.
A former student of Trent's, Matt received a near perfect score of 179 (99.9%) the first time that he took the LSAT. In 2005, he joined his old instructor as a business partner and brought his extensive knowledge of the LSAT to Blueprint. Over the course of his now seven-year teaching career, Matt has instructed thousands of students and scored 176 or higher on the LSAT four times (but who's counting?). He recently scored a 178 on the September 2009 exam, but a certain question regarding mathematical proofs kept him from a perfect 180 and the first step on the path to the Guinness Book of World Records.
Matt creates an engaging classroom setting by combining humor with a deep understanding of the test. Informative and entertaining, his classes provide a lighthearted atmosphere in which students excel. He brings that same mix of humor and LSAT skillz to our online course, Blueprint: The Movie. The video course has helped students from weird locations around the globe, like Canada, and is available anywhere the Internets cast their webs.
Matt is an avid snowboarder and he is convinced that knowledge of 'Saved by the Bell' trivia is a mark of intellectual distinction.
Spencer Robins
Los Angeles
Meet Spencer
Spencer has seen Bruce Springsteen in concert over 20 times. This number would be far greater if Spencer had been alive during the '70s.
After a childhood spent negotiating the concrete playgrounds of New York City, Spencer attended Amherst College in Massachusetts where he studied Philosophy. When paid itinerant philosopher positions failed to materialize, he returned to the big apple and spent three years teaching middle school.
Spencer's teaching style is a blend of the tactics that helped him achieve a 179 on his own LSAT and 7th grade pedagogy. This means he preaches the discipline to learn the Blueprint methods and practice them, but counsels taking frequent snack breaks and reading about dinosaurs.
While Spencer recognizes that LA is, objectively, a failed city whose population is doomed to die in a mudslide while waiting for traffic on the 405 to clear, he's really enjoying the beaches.
Mark Salvador
Washington DC
Meet Mark
Mark's dream is to travel the country and eat at every restaurant featured on Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives. He'd probably eat an old shoe if it were deep fried.
Mark is a senior at the University of Maryland where he lives the frat life. This includes sleeping in a room that smells like a mixture of cheap beer, road kill, and lost dignity. He scored a 174 on the LSAT to show law school hopefuls everywhere that a 99th percentile score is possible even with very few brain cells.
Mark thinks that success on the LSAT depends on hard work, a good attitude, and knowing that there's always room to get even better. He hopes his students are ready for Justin Bieber references, stories about the trials of life as an Asian who's terrible at math, and putting in the requisite work to dominate the LSAT.
Mark enjoys doing the Cat Daddy. Unfamiliar? Think judo block meets rolling a wheelchair as a dance move.
Eric Santos
Atlanta
Meet Eric
Eric has the most severe case of baby face recorded east of the Mississippi since the 1930's. Except possibly for Ralph Macchio who was 90 years old when he starred in The Karate Kid.
When he realized that a destiny involving being carded well into his 40s combined with a deep dedication to the Legend of Zelda wouldn't open the doors of opportunity, Eric went to college at Emory, majored in Political Science and Economics and began to cultivate a hobby. He tried lifting weights, but they were heavy. He then switched to Halo, but he couldn't buy into Master Chief as a compelling main character. Eric then tackled the LSAT. With a score of 176 and a job with Blueprint, it's working out well so far.
Eric brings the goofy sarcasm of nerddom combined with intense logical precision to his LSAT classes. He makes the test relatable by making dumb jokes and laughing at all of them, even when no one else does. He will help you get a great score and unlock the secrets of the Triforce, all at the same time.
At various times, Eric has been mistaken for being Hawaiian, Greek, Italian, Korean, Hispanic, Arabic, and a 14 year old impersonating a college student.
Laura Santoski
New York
Meet Laura
Laura won the school-wide spelling bee in 6th and 7th grade with ''oratorio'' and ''antediluvian.'' She's been trying to regain that pinnacle of excellence ever since.
Laura grew up in the suburbs of Grand Rapids, MI which is a city by Michigan standards, meaning that there is a downtown area and Lady Gaga played there on her most recent tour. She then moved to Manhattan where she attended NYU and studied politics and Spanish (but please don't ask her if she wants to be a Spanish politician, because she's heard that joke before).
As a Blueprint alum with a 178, Laura uses the same coaching methods for her LSAT students that she learned while running track for NYU: learn from your coach but it's the time you spend training on your own that can make the most difference. That, and never eat a Big Mac before a big race. Or before the LSAT. Or really, ever.
For those who are interested, ''antediluvian'' means ''antiquated''. You're on your own for oratorio.
Matt Shinners
Philadelphia
Meet Matt
Matt one time concussed himself by falling off of a goal post. Well, technically, the concrete concussed him, but many say it knocked some sense into him. He just thinks it was the right way to celebrate Boston College's victory over Notre Dame.
Matt was accepted to Harvard Law School despite a non-pre-med Biochemistry GPA mostly thanks to his 180 LSAT score. Have you seen the recent U.S. News and World Report rankings? You can thank Matt for that +.0001 bump in prestige.
When teaching a class, Matt likes to relate the LSAT to real life. Since his real life consists of amassing Transformer action figures and playing far too much Final Fantasy, we imagine that means you'll be discussing a lot of revenge motifs and searching for the Allspark. Matt assures us this will result in a solid understanding of the material and better human beings with +3 crystarium points.
After a heated office debate involving a hamster and a pint of grape kool-aid, dictionary.com confirmed that ''concussed'' is actually a word. Sorry, Riley.
Yuko Sin
Seattle
Meet Yuko
Yuko doesn't trust people who dislike custard. We agree: what rational person can resist its creamy lusciousness?
Between trolling bakeries for the best creme anglaise, Yuko attended McGill University where he majored in philosophy and political science. After receiving a terrifyingly low first practice LSAT score, Yuko got his life together. He burnt his ex's legwarmers in effigy, moved out of his parent's basement, deleted his World of Warcraft account, and scored a 170 on the LSAT.
Yuko flavors his Blueprint lessons with frequent references to the genius of Larry David (co-creator of Seinfeld). He believes that to improve on the LSAT you can't just practice, you need to practice correctly. As Vince Lombardi once said, ''Perfect practice makes perfect.'' Also from NBA player Vlade Divac, ''We all get heavier as we get older because there's a lot more information in our heads.''
In his spare time, Yuko enjoys performing with an Antoine Dodson cover band. Free custard goes to the first student who can identify the missing assumption in Antoine's argument.
Brad Snyder
Bay Area
Meet Brad
With his rugged good looks and powerful haunches, it's hard to imagine why
Brad hasn't embarked on a career as a Romance cover model. Sadly, an early
on-set altercation with Fabio blackballed him from the industry.
Nursing a sore ego and sorer pecs, Brad made his way to UCSD, then Loyola
Law School, eventually passing the bar and becoming a lawyer. He attributes
his 170 on the LSAT, as well as most of his successes, to following a
meticulous program of binge drinking and studying. We suspect the latter
perhaps better accounts for his achievements than the former.
A baseball and basketball coach in a former life, Brad tries to keep a
locker room looseness in class and is good at breaking down difficult
concepts into simple terms. When asked why he chooses to teach the LSAT
over practicing law, Brad replied that he ''finds it rewarding to help
students achieve their goals''. Go figure.
Brad enjoys camouflage shorts, the Atlanta Braves, and making bouncer's
girlfriends cry. (It's a long story).
Humzah Soofi
Bay Area
Meet Humzah
Humzah is obsessed with climbing trees. He's particularly fond of Japanese
Red Maples (konichiwa guuuuurl).
Humzah went to college at Swarthmore where he majored in political science
and participated in a dance group called Rhythm N Motion. Between
theorizing peace in the Middle East and getting down to banging beats,
he scored a 171 on the LSAT and filled in for the director of campus
life in his last semester.
To his fortunate students, Humzah brings these achievements to teaching
LSAT classes. He's been known to transition between sections with the
occasional dutty wine, bus driver, or stanky leg. (They're dance moves,
people). He thinks the LSAT is best approached with a highly tuned
imagination and loves teaching people how to train themselves to find it
funnier than giggle sticks. Be sure to ask him for his rendition of the
Cake Walk in lesson 10 and you'll see what we mean.
Nick Spear
Los Angeles
Meet Nick
Nick Spear (the third Nick in an esteemed Blueprint instructor line-up) has been inspired by many people in his life, but none more so than the patron saint of daytime television, Maury Povich. He champions the many life lessons that can be found in the show, including the determination of the girl who proved that a 13 year old is the father of her son.
Nick graduated from UCLA with a BA in Political Science. After working for a year at the LA Superior Courthouse helping clients without attorneys to navigate the legal system, he took a year off to travel in Central America where he learned how to open a coconut with a pen. Which was more important? You decide.
Nick took a Blueprint course where he went up 12 points to get a 172. Accordingly, he understands how to put in the work to procure a good LSAT score. And how to use the word ''procure'' gratuitously. From his own experience he champions homework, correct repetition, and the ability to diagnose your own mistakes. He also advises never going on the Maury Show to determine paternity. Because ''If you go, you's a ho''.
Brian Springer
Los Angeles
Meet Brian
After working for three years at Six Flags Magic Mountain, Brian can win a 5 foot stuffed Scooby Doo at the ring toss in less than a minute. He also recommends avoiding the Tilt-a-Whirl after large meals.
Brian is finishing a degree in Physics at UCLA. Despite a science background, he was able to digest enough Humanities to overcome the dreaded Kate Chopin passage and earn a 171 on his LSAT.
Brian believes that the best way to study for the exam is to push through it until it all makes sense, no matter how many friends you lose along the way. He uses a lot of analogies during his tutoring sessions so you'll a) learn and b) not lose your mind during the study process.
Brian hopes the fact that he looks 13 will some day become a benefit. Somewhere around the 40 year mark, we're thinking.
Jennifer Steinberg
Los Angeles
Meet Jennifer
Jenn has a passion for musicals - the more ensemble songs and love triangles, the better. The only thing holding her back from moving to New York and auditioning for Broadway is her complete and utter lack of musical talent - well, that and the prospect of living in a bedbug-infested studio in Harlem.
After abandoning her Broadway pursuits, Jenn took the LSAT and earned a 170. She went on to receive her JD from Georgetown and became a real, live practicing attorney. After three years of working at a plaintiff's firm, opening her own practice, and becoming in-house counsel for a corporation, she decided to return to her roots on the stage to play Maureen in Rent teach LSAT class.
Jenn makes the LSAT fun and approachable for her students. She sincerely finds the material interesting (no, she's not just saying that) and works hard to ensure her students share this sentiment by the time they leave her class. Her tactics include siren noises, spirit fingers and, of course, singing. There will always be singing. So open your eyes, close your ears, and enjoy the ride.
Trent Teti
Los Angeles
Meet Trent
The man, the myth, the monster. Trent Teti is one of the best known and most highly regarded LSAT instructors in the world.
Trent holds a BA from UC Berkeley (Philosophy) and is currently finishing a Ph.D. at UCLA (Philosophy). In addition to scoring a 174 on the LSAT, Trent has taught courses in logic and all areas of Philosophy. He has received numerous teaching awards and fellowships, and is a former nationally ranked debater.
Trent has been teaching the LSAT for nearly a decade. What for him is a painfully long time is for you a wealth of LSAT knowledge. Using his vast teaching experience and ignorance of how much work it would be, Trent founded Blueprint in 2005.
Raw, uncut and brash, his class is more entertaining than any other educational experience you've had. It’s not just a class; it's an event. And you don't have to live in LA to experience the hype. Trent brings his acerbic wit and teaching prowess to the big screen in Blueprint: The Movie. The Blueprint video course allows students to study with the authors of the Blueprint curriculum from home. Or the wide open plains of the Mongolian Steppe, as long as Ulaanbaatar has a strong wireless connection.
Trent rides a VFR800, principally because he is unable to parallel park or use windshield wipers.
Adam Unger
Boston
Meet Adam
Adam was mugged on his first trip to New Orleans. Fortunately, he was only carrying $5 in beaded necklaces and a tin of Altoids, but frog legs have never tasted the same since.
Adam graduated from Florida State University where he attended every Seminole game, though he couldn't find one seminal dame. After taking the LSAT and receiving a score of 174, he headed north to Boston where he teaches for Blueprint in a large, puffy parka. (Let's just say 60 degrees is cold in Florida).
Adam plays five instruments, and his teaching philosophy hinges on using the right tool for the right job. You wouldn't use an ocarina to play ''Welcome to the Jungle'', would you? Adam finds out how his students learn best in order to help them master the LSAT. He's also been known to play Eye of the Tiger on a sitar the class before the LSAT.
Sometimes during a long-ish break between haircuts Adam can be mistaken for a young Richard Simmons. Adam declines to comment, though we did catch him shopping on Bizrate for a pair of striped hot pants.
Mike Wright
Bay Area
Meet Mike
Mike spent his undergraduate years at Yale studying philosophy and suffering through New England winters. Fond of down-filled outerwear, he's returning to New Haven for a J.D., but not before we convinced him to spend some time teaching for Blueprint in the Bay area.
Mike actually believes that the LSAT is fun, a tenet he believes helped him achieve a 175 on his own LSAT. His goal in class is to convince other people that his enthusiasm for all things LSAT isn't completely insane. Mostly, he achieves this by making fun of himself. (Not difficult if you've seen his puffy jacket).
When he's not teaching the LSAT or indulging in his addiction to Seinfeld reruns, Mike spends his time rock climbing (falling off rocks), skiing (falling off bigger rocks), and plotting to get a third degree at Yale.
Michael Young
Los Angeles
Meet Michael
Michael was raised in the wilderness of Montana where he learned mountain climbing, bear grappling, and the art of growing manly facial hair. He arrived in Los Angeles in 2008 to experience a city with a population of more than 5000 and to study film at USC.
Soon after his arrival, Michael decided it was unfair to put Hitchcock to shame with his prodigy-level cinematic skills, changed his major to political science, and scored a 177 on the LSAT.
Michael's philosophy to obtaining an excellent LSAT score (aside from infiltrating LSAC headquarters, Mission Impossible style)* is to be calm and comfortable with the test. This can be accomplished through mastery of the Blueprint techniques or heavy sedation. Michael's current muse is Grizzly Adams.
*Blueprint does not condone infiltrating LSAC headquarters. Or growing manly facial hair, but don't tell Michael we said that.
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