Isaiah Pielak, an undergraduate senior majoring in Ethics and Public Policy, Political Science, and Psychology and minoring in Philosophy, has scored a perfect 180 on the August Law School Admissions Test (LSAT).

In a recent interview, Isaiah noted how studying philosophy helped him achieve this perfect score. His main takeaway from studying philosophy was gaining the ability to “formulate and deconstruct” complicated arguments. Further, he said that “Basically every question” on the Logical Reasoning portion of the LSAT was “pretty much identical” to analyzing an argument as you would in a philosophy class. He also added that the LSAT’s second portion, the Reading Comprehension section, was only made easier by studying dense philosophical text because it built stamina when sitting for the exam.

Outside the classroom, Isaiah is involved in numerous extracurriculars including the UI Ethics Bowl team, which is hosted by the Philosophy Department. When asked, Isaiah said that Ethics Bowl “100% helped” his studying for and performance on the LSAT. Competing against other schools on the Ethics Bowl team allowed him to understand argumentative styles and learn the structure of arguments more generally.

Now, Isaiah is applying for admission to law schools across the country, hoping to specialize in international law, legal theory, and disability rights law. Though he is keeping his career options open, he noted that he “want(s) to go into legal academia or public interest law.” Part of this was motivated by his close study of philosophy: “I think that when handling the law, there is a great degree for which one must use philosophical analysis.”

Luckily, Isaiah offered a few words of wisdom for other students hoping to attend law school after their studies at the University of Iowa. “Develop a love for reading… a love of understanding.” Whether you’re applying to law school after your studies or taking your talents elsewhere, if you’re interested in cultivating these two skills, consider taking a philosophy class!

Congrats, Isaiah!