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 up to $100/hour. 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
New York
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.
Phil Belleau
Bay Area
Meet Phil
Defying the universe’s best attempts to end him, Phil has survived a black widow bite, multiple head first landings from snowboard jumps, and a 27-hour van ride to Disneyworld with his family.
Phil studied Finance at the University of Miami, got a job in consulting, and promptly wept until he found a way out of working in an office by scoring a 172 on the LSAT. Of course, being a lawyer requires working in an office, but we won't burst his bubble by telling him that just yet.
An avid tennis player, Phil approaches teaching the LSAT like training for a match. First, students need to learn what to do, then they need to practice hitting the ball against the wall 1,000 times to get the technique down. (So far his experiments with hitting LSAT problems against the wall have been satisfying but remarkably unproductive.)
When not learning how to swear in different languages, you can find Phil studiously avoiding poison ivy after a 2-week period in China involving a wrong turn on a hiking trail, an industrial sized bottle of iodine, and more gauze than a mummy convention.
Christian Benante
New York
Meet Christian
Rumor has it that Christian’s great-great-great-grandmother was the mistress of an Egyptian Prince who dumped her in Naples after knocking her up. If this is true, then Christian and his family are the bastardized descendants of Egyptian royalty. One day, Christian shall return to his home country and restore his family’s rightful…ahh, screw it; no he won’t.
Christian attended Lafayette College in Easton, Pennsylvania, where he majored in English and Philosophy. Upon graduating in 2010, he initiated project “put off law school for as long as possible” and joined Teach for America, then became an instructor for Blueprint.
After earning 172 on the LSAT, Christian decided to help other students to reach their goals on the exam. He likes stressing the interpersonal dimension of classroom learning by telling stories and by getting to know about his students on an individual basis.
If Christian swings his head from side to side really fast, he can make his cheeks “clap” against his gums really loudly. Yep. Clearly descended from royalty.
Jeremy Chiang
Los Angeles
Meet Jeremy
Jeremy’s favorite videos on YouTube are from the “How to” category from which he has learned various indispensable skills such as how to solve a Rubik’s Cube in under a minute, fold chopstick wrappers into a boat, and flip a motorcycle using the kickstand. He has yet to figure out "how to get a six-pack in three minutes" but he’s working on it.
A lifelong native of the land of sunshine and opportunity, Jeremy is convinced Southern California has everything you could ask for, except seasons, which are overrated in his opinion. After receiving his BA in Psychology from UC Irvine, Jeremy realized his degree had little practical application aside from making him slightly more qualified at listening to other people’s problems. After taking a Blueprint course and scoring a 170 on the LSAT, Jeremy attended UCLA law school for a semester or two before getting distracted by all the new and interesting things to do. Like pogo stick racing.
Jeremy encourages his students to see him as their wingman for the LSAT. He coaches his students and helps them understand the test by providing relatable and relevant analogies, all with the ultimate goal of helping them score (a high LSAT score...and maybe a date).
When he’s not teaching students how to conquer the LSAT, Jeremy can be found doing his best Justin Timberlake impersonation at local karaoke spots. Just look for the fedora.
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.
Ben DeGolia
Bay Area
Meet Ben
Ben spent three months of the last year dodging Grizzly bears and fighting off hypothermia in the wilds of Arctic Alaska. He then returned home and promptly scored a 179 on the LSAT. Legal disclaimer: these two things are not related.
Ben graduated from Swarthmore College (read: nerd factory) with a double major in Philosophy and Political Science. In the few hours he spent outside of the library basement, he could be found playing guitar and singing in the Swarthmore Mariachi Band. That's right, folks--a mariachi band. If you're lucky, Ben might just bring his sombrero and guitar to class for a special LSAT ballad.
One of the odd few that finds the LSAT both interesting and hilarious, Ben's teaching philosophy stems from the idea that if students can enjoy themselves while studying hard, they can do exceptionally well. Expect to laugh your way to a better score in his class.
Ben's best tips for keeping away grizzlies? Prepare food away from the campsite, store candy bars high in trees, and eschew fruity colognes when hiking. We would humbly suggest removing the ''when hiking'' from the last clause.
Jay Donnell
Orange County/IE
Meet Jay
An LSAT dinosaur of a different kind, Jay has been teaching LSAT classes for Blueprint in southern California since he scored his own 172 in a Blueprint class in 2006. In that time he has sent thousands of students on to the law schools of their dreams, dozens with full scholarships.
Jay's teaching style is laid back and sincere, and he can often be found chatting with students to explain tricky concepts long after a lesson has ended. When not teaching, Jay enjoys globe trotting, searching for logical fallacies in remote corners of the world.
Whether it's eating scorpions in Bangkok, swimming with great whites in Cape Town, or machete hacking his way through South American jungles, Jay chases his idol in an attempt to become the World's Second Most Interesting Man. When your profile picture hits the front page of Reddit, you know something is going right.
Come for the crazy stories, leave with a great LSAT score.
Carol Dysart
Los Angeles
Meet Carol
Carol's formative years were spent in Queens and Long Island, where she can report firsthand that fist pumping to music at a bar is a phenomenon not limited to the cast of the Jersey Shore.
After scoring a 175 on the LSAT, Carol left bump-its and spray tanning behind to attend Columbia Law School. When torts and contracts failed to inspire, Carol focused on enriching her personal life by simultaneously pursuing a fashion degree at FIT, marrying a guy she met on the subway, giving birth to a baby girl, and eventually moving cross-country.
Before teaching the LSAT, Carol taught 6th grade English in NYC. This means she's read The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe over twenty times, uses literature as an analogy to teach diagramming (if Holden Caulfield goes to prep school, then he will get expelled), and loves teaching reading comprehension.
Carol now finds herself in Los Angeles struggling to understand the passage of time in a seasonless clime. We just wonder if the rhyming was deliberate.
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''.
Branden Frankel
Los Angeles
Meet Branden
Branden started life in the small, sleepy, mountain community of Crestline, CA - the place where Lake Arrowhead dreams go to die.
After tumbling out of countless pine trees, Branden landed at UC Santa Barbara, graduating with a Bachelor's degree in Philosophy. He spent the next half decade seeking full time employment as a philosopher before realizing such work is rarer than a unicorn. Branden scored a 175 on the LSAT, got his JD from UCLA, and went on to practice patent law for a brief moment.
Branden believes that any difficult LSAT concept can be clarified with a Star Wars analogy - mostly from Episodes IV - VI, occasionally from Episode III, but never, never from Episodes I - II. That leads to the dark side.
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.
Steve Homola
Philadelphia
Meet Steve
Steve once smacked a lion across its face. He says it was an accident but we who know him think otherwise.
Save for his stint in the jungle, Steve has stayed true to his Philadelphia roots. After graduating from Villanova with a degree in Political Science, Steve scored a 177 on the LSAT. He is now finishing up his JD at Temple University while bringing LSAT joy to the classroom.
Steve likes to demonstrate how the LSAT is applicable to every day life. More specifically, he loves showing students how they can use LSAT logic to pick apart arguments made by their significant others. Though this may not necessarily bode well for your love life, it will help with your LSAT score. And you can always get back together after the LSAT, right?
When not toying with felines or teaching, Steve can be found playing Skyrim which you should NOT confuse with World of Warcraft.
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.
Albert Huber
Los Angeles
Meet Albert
After college, Albert made money by weighing in on the important things. Like which 'lite' beer has the truest taste and what truly constitutes ''Miller Time.'' It's weirder than you'd think. Also, less lucrative.
As a true experiment in extremes, Albert spent half his childhood in the rural hills of the Sierra Nevadas and the other half in the neon skyscrapers of Tokyo. He received his Political Science degree at Brown University, where his crowning achievement was writing a play professing his love of CNN correspondent Soledad O'Brien. She responded with a restraining order. He then hunkered down for three years of Chicago winters and emerged with a 173 on the LSAT. Wiping the snow from his shoulders, he packed up and moved to LA.
Albert loves how the LSAT pulls us out of the world of facts and figures and into the world of hypotheticals, since that's all his degree qualifies him to discuss. Students are engaged by his energy and frequent references to last weekend. And he promises us he won't write a play about anyone in his class. Unless Rachel Maddow shows up.
When not diagramming an argument, you can find Albert either in a comedy club or watching When Harry Met Sally on repeat.
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.
David Jackson
Los Angeles
Meet David
David has worked as a basketball and soccer coach at various elementary schools, where he has settled serious disputes headlined by quotes such as, ''He kicked me in my tummy,'' and, ''He called me a muffin.''
While working on his degree in Accounting at USC, David took the LSAT and earned a score of 173. After overcoming his surprise at his score, David decided to forgo a career in finance and pursue the law, where he hopes to put his dispute resolution skills to good work. ''No counsel, 'muffin' does not qualify as a racially pejorative term.''
From his own experience, David believes that large score increases can be attained in a relatively short period of time. He recommends a regiment of hard work, focus, and weightlifting/spa treatments to maximize your LSAT score.
While David is always happy to chat about the LSAT, he’s even happier to chat with you about your favorite MTV reality show. Currently on the hot topic list: Teen Moms.
Mark Kao
Dallas
Meet Mark
Mark is a certified NBA geek, amateur stats nerd, and the world's biggest Dirk Nowitzki fan. The Mavs will win the title this year; book it. (Note - Mark took enough contract law to know that this doesn't constitute an offer.)
After graduating from Carnegie Mellon University with a degree in Chemistry, Mark moved to Taipei and worked as a research assistant in a physics institute. An unfortunate incident involving quantum neutrino theory science prompted Mark to reevaluate his options. Armed with a 178 on the LSAT, Mark briefly attended the University of Houston before Mark decided to join Blueprint.
Mark thinks that the key to LSAT success is practice, strategy, practice, hard work, and then some practice to top it off. His goal is to help you master the LSAT like Dirk has perfected the one-legged fadeaway.
Rafi Kaplan
Los Angeles
Meet Rafi
Watch out, Jeter. Rafi is the star shortstop and leadoff batter on his recreational softball team. The average player age may be 55, but that's beside the point.
Rafi’s days in the limelight began as a child when he landed a role as a choir boy in a Mexican commercial for instant flan pudding. No photo evidence yet, but we're working on it.
After graduating from UC Berkeley with a BA in Rhetoric, Rafi scored a 171 on the LSAT and earned his JD from UCLA. Adding light to his legal education, Rafi moved to Jerusalem to study Religion. Now, in addition to teaching classes on Kabala, Rafi works as a Public Defender. Criminals by day and mysticism by night; it’s the Yin and the Yang, he says, that makes sweet and sour sauce sooo good.
As Blueprint’s resident mystic, Rafi has been accused of having the spiritual power to inspire, motivate and reveal the inner LSAT master in any student within a 50 cubit radius. So, stand back or prepare to be enlightened.
Andy Kiersz
New York
Meet Andy
Andy's most memorable summer was spent in a molecular biology lab. His goal? Create a mouse/chicken hybrid. He failed, mainly because he couldn't come up with a good name. Chickouse? Mousken?
A recent NYC transplant, Andy hails from the self-described desolate, de-industrialized town of Buffalo (their tourist board isn't very good). His educational background is in Mathematics, which means he can scientifically prove he's the biggest nerd ever. When he realized he did not want to spend his entire life in a windowless room with a chalkboard, he took the LSAT and scored a 173. Then, he promptly started teaching for Blueprint. In a windowless room. With a chalkboard whiteboard. Success!
Taking a class with Andy is like studying time travel with Doc Brown. Though students may be initially intimidated by the logic of the LSAT, Andy can show them that the test is not a form of dark magic; in fact, the magic is within them.
Andy's math background has pervaded most of his life, including his analysis of relationship structures and dating. He's developed the ''Kiersz Formula'', which correctly predicted the last three winners of The Bachelor.
Raina Kim
Los Angeles
Meet Raina
Raina recoils at the word ''hipster,'' but she is admittedly an experimental film/video artist who loves Bikram yoga.
After majoring in Film Studies at Dartmouth College, Raina realized her most marketable skill was writing notes in the dark. This, and her LSAT score of 170 naturally led her to apply to law school. After graduating from the University of Chicago with a JD and practicing big law, it dawned on Raina that having no marketable skills wasn't such a bad thing after all. She's now at CalArts making experimental films and becoming well-acquainted with her new, best buddy, student loan debt.
Raina won't show off by diagramming logic games in the dark, but she will help her students identify their shadow areas of the LSAT and shed light on them. She believes staying cool, calm and collected is key to great test-taking, and you get there by demystifying the LSAT with strategy, discipline, and practice. Oh yeah, and a good chuckle never hurts (oh, silly LSAC).
Raina wears a Casio watch, but she is adamantly not a Vegan and hates ironic facial hair.
Adam Kravatz
Miami
Meet Adam
Adam's 6'5, 280 pound frame has earned him a nickname in the weight room he's learned to love: The Bear Jew.
After graduating Cum Laude from the University of Florida with a degree in Anthropology, Adam took the LSAT and scored a 171. He is a self-professed LSAT nerd, scratching at LSAC's door for the latest released exam so that he can pore over it and pick it apart. (Yes, people like this really do exist.)
Adam's classes are much like his weight room routine: he focuses on the technique first, then gradually builds up the routine until his students are crushing the LSAT like he crushes the bench press. When you break the test down into basics and start from the bottom up, it's an easily learnable test and he's there to spot you through it. Though he discourages grunting through the exam as you would through a weight routine, Adam believes that pushing through the hard work will make the LSAT a piece of (low-carb) cake.
When not teaching the LSAT or pumping iron, you can find Adam critiquing the state of pop music. This, however, does not explain why his workout playlist includes Call Me Maybe.
Morgan Lewis
Bay Area
Meet Morgan
Morgan's first pets included an alcoholic cat and a deaf and blind dog with a marble in one eye. Sarah McLachlan would be proud.
Despite being born and raised in the Valley in Southern California (yes, that "Valley"), Morgan considers herself a NorCal girl. She enjoys fulfilling Bay Area stereotypes by rock climbing, brewing kombucha, and talking about her bike. After graduating from UC Berkeley with a degree in History and Gender & Women Studies, Morgan enrolled in a Blueprint course, scoring a 171 on test day. (See, it works, people!) She now brings her LSAT prowess to the teaching front, eager to usher new students into the light of LSAT understanding.
Morgan believes that studying for the LSAT is a lot like rock climbing. You start off feeling weak, broken and frustrated, but with hard work, support, and perseverance you can develop strength and skills that are of minimal value in any other context. Except, of course, law school. Because that's why you're here, right?
As a child, Morgan was chased by baboons in Botswana. We suspect this has some connection with her love of slightly impaired pets.
Nick McIntosh
San Diego
Meet Nick
In a town where Ohio State football reigns supreme, Nick loves European soccer. Otherwise known as football. It's all so confusing.
Nick escaped Dayton, Ohio by moving to Athens, Ohio. Not the hugest of moves, but it got him degrees in Philosophy and Political Science from Ohio University. Between IPA’s and brown ales at the brewpub 20 seconds from his house (a blessing and a curse), he also studied his way to a 172 on the LSAT. In no particular hurry to start another three years of school, Nick decided he’d rather start an adventure teaching in a new city than attend law school. As long as the city was nowhere near Ohio.
Nick firmly believes the LSAT is among the most learnable of standardized tests. He creates a warm, easy-going environment in the classroom so students can ask questions and participate without feeling self-consciousness.
Between classes, Nick can be found watching soccer. Or football. Or futbol. Or jalgpall. You get the drift.
Patrick Moore
Chicago
Meet Patrick
Having played the piano since the age of four, Patrick has a peculiarly astute ear for music. For instance, Patrick can tell you what note your wine glass makes when you hit it with a spoon—a trick, he surmises, that would make him a hit at parties during the 18th century. He’s a man born several hundred years too late.
Born and bred in Detroit, Michigan, Patrick ventured to nearby South Bend, Indiana to attend the University of Notre Dame. He was able to trade up his miserable, lifelong support of the Detroit Lions in exchange for the occasionally hopeful, yet perpetually heartbreaking, fandom of the Fighting Irish. After college, Patrick again traded up by abandoning the harsh winters of the Midwest in favor of a slice of the good life in Durham, North Carolina, where he picked up his insatiable appetite for Carolina barbecue. And his J.D. at Duke University.
A former writing tutor, Patrick sees a lot of similarities between college-level writing and the LSAT. Bombing that first practice test feels a lot like that first semester college paper—you know, the one the T.A. ripped apart and gleefully drowned in red ink. It's demoralizing, and yet it happens to all of us, which is why Patrick's teaching style is all about building his students back up again through generous use of his quirky humor and charm.
Tim Murphy
Philadelphia
Meet Tim
As a Philadelphia area native, Tim naturally enjoys playing...soccer. Due to his profound skill on the pitch, Tim has been called the American Lionel Messi (both by himself, his younger brothers, and at least one other person).
Tim studied History at the University of Virginia and later took a Blueprint class in California's bay area, where his score jumped from a 161 to a 171. He is now working on his JD at the University of Pennsylvania, and in his spare time is mastering the arts of eating cheesesteaks and long distance running – though rarely at the same time.
Tim taught middle and high school science in the mean streets of Oakland, so while his teaching style is typically laid back, he's not above a stern talking to for students who don't practice diagramming. But Tim is perhaps best known for accepting absurd bets from his students – once he dyed his glorious red beard black after losing a bet regarding the Phillies/Giants matchup in 2011. Never bet against a man whose slogan is 'fear the beard'. Lesson learned.
In his spare time Tim reads judicial opinions, like all good law students do. We devoutly hope that's code for ''party like the Phillies just won the World Series, again.''
Lucas Peterson
Los Angeles
Meet Lucas
An avid music fan, Lucas will gladly tell you about the great album that just came out. His latest favorite? Let's just say he's not a belieber.
After growing up in Santa Monica, Lucas decided it was too warm to keep living in LA. He headed to college at Boston University, bought a parka, earned a degree in Economics, scored a 170 on the LSAT, and returned to SoCal as fast as humanly possible.
Lucas strives to keep LSAT class stress levels down by emphasizing that the test is learnable. That and stealing quotes from funny movies. His thoughts on the experimental section: Life is like a box of chocolates. You never know what you're gonna get. His advice for students who don't want to study: Frankly my dear, I don't give a damn. His attitude about the contrapositive: My precious.
If you want to find Lucas after class, he'll probably be rock climbing. Or reading up on the decline of modern music.
Andre Radojcich
Los Angeles
Meet Andre
Andre has two, red-eared slider turtles that he is grooming for world domination. Their names: Nelson Mandela and Benjamin Netanyahu.
While earning his degree in economics at the University of Michigan, Andre scored a 173 on the LSAT. When he realized that sunshine and improv comedy were his true calling, he decided to move out west to Los Angeles. With a reptile tucked under each arm and a bag of dried flies, Golden State.
Andre considers the LSAT akin to an athletic event. He teaches students to approach techniques with a patient and playful attitude, and not begin to judge themselves quantitatively until they are certain of the methodology. Only then should they begin to focus on timing and efficiency.
Andre is contemplating a third turtle and is debating names. Thurgood Marshall and Margaret Thatcher currently top the list.
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.
Sherry Shen
Orange County/IE
Meet Sherry
After being born in Kansas, Sherry was constantly told, ''There’s no place like home.'' After moving away, she was glad to find that to be true. She's now a SoCal girl.
Sherry went on to spend four years as a Cameron Crazie at Duke University, where she studied basketball cheers, sorority chants, and how to ride a bull at Shooters. Oh, and she did a bit of history and chemistry, her ''official'' areas of study. After graduating, Sherry went on to do healthcare tech consulting in the arctic Midwest. Realizing that cold all the time wasn’t her thing, Sherry quit her job and studied for the LSAT, which she quickly realized was the wrong order in which to do those two things. Luckily, it worked out: She scored a 175.
Don’t be fooled by her sweet exterior. Sherry’s teaching style is filled with unexpected zingers, sly insults, and examples to help bring clarity to the tougher concepts. However, inside that is a sweet interior.
As an avid runner since her high school years, Sherry believes that if her students put in the proper training, drills, and motivation, they can cross the LSAT finish line with a fist pump, and other tortured sports metaphors!
Johnny Sheridan
Los Angeles
Meet Johnny
In his early teens, Johnny was considered the top Dance Dance Revolution player in the country. When this prestigious achievement failed to generate either wealth or interest from those of the feminine persuasion, he gave in to convention and went to college.
After landing at U.C. Berkeley, Johnny majored in Legal Studies and taught a class on Blackjack and Poker. After school he attempted to live the dream and count cards professionally, but found that inhaling second-hand smoke for more than an hour made his throat itchy. Luckily, he was able to score a 177 on the LSAT, a success he attributes to the test center being a smoke-free environment.
Johnny’s teaching style relies heavily on examining propositions from bad rap songs. His reasoning is that if Mims can rap about a causal argument and a conditional relationship in one track, you have you no reason to feel intimidated.
Johnny's dream job (second to teaching the LSAT for Blueprint, of course) is to play Ted Logan at Universal Studios’ Bill & Ted’s Excellent Halloween Adventure.
Matt Shinners
New York
Meet Matt
Some legends start by invoking the Muse, asking Her to tell of grand adventures. This one, however, begins in New Jersey.
Like all stories that begin in Jersey, Matt's didn't tarry long there. He traveled to Boston College, where he served as the Editor-in-Chief of The Patriot. He honed his creative writing skills by completing a collection of short fiction, Icarus in Flight, that was described by some on the faculty as 'a thesis.' He moved on to Harvard Law School, where he served as a Tech Editor for the Journal of Law and Technology and co-wrote the Harvard Law School Parody, the Hark Knight.
Matt believes every student has a story to tell and a voice with which to tell it. He brings out that voice and allows them to develop their writing, while guiding them in the right direction (unless they're steering for the Sirens). His firsthand knowledge of the application process also allows students to believe that he feels their pain.
While he's not consulting with students or looking up literary references on Wikipedia for his bio, Matt enjoys playing board games. If you get a consulting package with him, he'll throw in a few rounds of Arkham Horror for free.
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.
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.
John Thornburgh
Miami
Meet John
John grew up in basketball-hungry Indiana, idolizing legendary point guard Reggie Miller. His own basketball career was short-lived, however, after a now-infamous failed fast-break attempt in 8th grade. He has since recovered. Sort of.
After giving up the hardwood for oars (...which are also made of hardwood), John joined rowing at Georgetown University. When he wasn't in class or on the river, he spent his college years inside The Tombs plotting with friends on how to best take over the world fix the world's problems. Like many overachieving, yet aimless, college graduates, John joined Teach For America. He later took the LSAT and scored a 171, helping him earn admission to the University of Michigan.
John's teaching style is grounded in the idea that the best way to help students learn is to get them engaged. He uses his experience as a high school teacher to make the class fun, the material engaging, and the LSAT a piece of cake. Mmm, cake.
When John isn't teaching, you can find him trying to understand when everyone in Miami works, since the traffic is always bad and the beaches always full.
Casey Trombley-Shapiro
Bay Area
Meet Casey
While not drawing or making lattes, Casey keeps herself busy trying to feed Spam to the neighbor's cat, Sproingle. No, that's not the cat's actual name, but Casey knew that's what he wanted to be called.
Casey grew up in Minnesnowta but decided to escape to California for college. While at UC Berkeley, she studied post-WWII Japan, minored in French (she's fluent and tres chic), and earned a 171 on the LSAT after spending a summer doing Logic Games for fun. Kind of like Sudoku, but for even bigger nerds! She then moved to Washington, DC and worked on foreign relations in the U.S. Senate. After solving the vast majority of the world's most pressing problems, she moved back westwards to make art and learn the finer art of barista...ing.
Casey loves teaching the LSAT. She regularly points out logical fallacies in the media and tries to teach ordering games to all her friends (their numbers are dwindling). And no matter how hard she's worked with him, Sproingle has yet to identify a single contrapositive.
Casey has taught sex ed to middle schoolers, trained people how to ask for money on the street (she calls it ''canvassing''), and captained rugby and debate teams (those other parliamentarians didn't know what hit them). She's seen, taught, or tried to persuade just about everyone. Of what, we're not sure.
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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