The Truths and Myths of Law School...

[cbethun1]

For you people in law school, is it all what the warnings say...

-Constant Reading every minute of your life
-Constant briefing of cases every minute of your life

Sure I know there is a lot of work to be done in LS but can any of you tell me if you really do not have time to do anything else?

What is a particular "day in law school" like?

[jeffjoe]

I have no time.  I barely have time for school work and sometimes not even that.
But I am working full time and spend 18 hours a week commuting, so perhaps my case is not representative.

[eee]

I'm a full time 1L, so here is my take on your question:

It’s a lot of work, but it doesn’t have to rule your life. I think it really only gets a bad rap because a lot of people are coming off of relatively easy experiences in undergrad, so the work just seems like a lot. But really, if you budget your time and don’t male private part around between classes, then it’s nothing to worry about. My experience so far is that it’s the people who don’t study efficiently who female dog the most--these are the people who will take a full hour lunch, and surf the web in the time between classes, or get into "study" groups just to be social instead of to work. A lot of people seem to equate time at school with time studying... this is NOT the case.

To give you an idea of what to expect, you'll have, on average 3 to 3.5 hrs of class a day (about 15 a week). I usually spend 13.5 hours at school, so say a solid 7 hours of studying. as for the other 6.5 hours, there is the 3 hours of class and figure time walking to class, going to my locker, eating lunch, talking to the proff after class, etc... and yes, I also have time to male private part around a bit. You have to make SOME time to be social.  On the weekends, i go out on friday night and, maybe every other weekend, on saturday night as well. but i'm also up studying by 9am on saturday and sunday morning and i put in two FULL days of studying. clearly, this means that you wont be getting totally bad when you go out. but it also means that you can have a few beers and a good (non-puking) time. however, im sure that in a few months, once the work starts to get a bit heavier, ill end up doing work on friday or saturday night.

As far as tons of reading... definitely not the case. Certainly not hundreds of pages per night. It’s more of a case of just having to read VERY carefully and slowly. Lawyers read for detail, not for volume. It often times will take an hour (or more!) to read and brief a 10 page case. But this will speed up as the semester goes on. So in a few weeks I expect to be reading/briefing a lot more, but not having to spend significantly more time studying.

As far as your free time, it’s up to you, but you will have free time if you budget your time. I get to the gym for 1.5 hours every day, and make sure that I get a good 7 hrs sleep each night. I try to get to school at 7 at the latest, just cause I’m most productive in the morning. Some people are the opposite and won’t get there till 9:30 but will stay up till 1 or 2am.

Long story short: school is as hellish as you make it. If you stay organized, stay on top of your reading, stay focused when you are supposed to be studying, you will have time to play... not a ton of time to play, but enough to keep you sane. Law school is a lot of work, and there is no way around that... but it can also be a lot of fun, so look forward to it.

[Ginatio]

For you people in law school, is it all what the warnings say...

-Constant Reading every minute of your life
-Constant briefing of cases every minute of your life

Sure I know there is a lot of work to be done in LS but can any of you tell me if you really do not have time to do anything else?

What is a particular "day in law school" like?

this is the groove i've gotten into the past few days... i wake up at 8, take a shower, then head down to a 9am class. classes till around noon, i have lunch for an hour and a half while i either watch cnbc or finish up *&^% for my next class at 130 to 3. after i get out, i read for the next day in the library till dinnertime. i have dinner around 6, then i take a nap till around 9. i wake up, continue to read/study till around 4am. i then take another nap from 4am to 8am and the cycle is repeated.

[dgatl]

its a 12 - 15 hour a day job.  thats the best way to look at it.  and about 6 hours on saturday and 8 hours on sunday

[zemog]

It's all going to come down to three things, 1)what you put into it, is what you will get out of it 2)time management 3)comprehension.  I would say time management is the most important.

what you put into it, is what you will get out of it...I try to brief everything myself, and don't look at any commercial stuff at all.  I try to answer all the questions after the cases, and then some.  If you do this, you will probably be a better lawyer then my fellow classmates that just look at commercial briefs and outlines.  They may still pass the class, but remember, those commercial briefs and outlines won't be available when you have a real case.

time management...I try to stay 1 week ahead, so I read and brief everything the weekend before, for the class ahead.  Then during the week, I can relax a bit, and just read my briefs to review.  I only allocate 8 hours a week for fun, 4 hours on Friday night and 4 on Saturday night.  Every other hour, between work (I'm going PT evening) and school, I'm at least "trying" to study. 

comprehension...Some people also read and comprehend better than others, so for me to read 10 pages in 2 hours, you may only take 30 minutes but still comprehend it.

For you people in law school, is it all what the warnings say...

-Constant Reading every minute of your life
-Constant briefing of cases every minute of your life

Sure I know there is a lot of work to be done in LS but can any of you tell me if you really do not have time to do anything else?

What is a particular "day in law school" like?

[Boxergirl]

Time management rules your life in law school.
Get to school at 7:15am (to get a damn parking space).  3-4 classes a day, mon-fri.  classes are between 8am and 4pm.  in between classes, i study either for the next class or the next day.  i do spend a few minutes at some point during the day just surfing the internet and grabbing lunch on campus (takes too much time to go somewhere).  when classes finish, i usually go home and relax for a few or go for a quick run...then, by 5:30pm i'm studying again non-stop til about 12:30pm...wake up at 6am the next morning....study every weekend...usually 4 hours on saturday and 8 hours on sunday.

[cbethun1]

So there is no truth to a rumor I heard of 100-200 pages of reading a night?  Hopefully not...But I guess if it is true, you just gotta do it.

[Ginatio]

So there is no truth to a rumor I heard of 100-200 pages of reading a night?  Hopefully not...But I guess if it is true, you just gotta do it.

it's more like 20-30 pages. but the thing is that law school reading is incredibly dense and full of information that needs to be unpacked. those 20-30 pages would probably translate to 200-300 pages of literary reading.

[vw515]

Sorry if  I write crazy I am just tired I finished my constitutional HW just now.I only margain brief now but take notes in the margain or write a two sentence reminder of what each case is significant for. I get anything from 20- 60 pages to read a night depending on the class. Constitutional law just has alot more reading involved then crim and contracts. I study during breaks which depending on the day, run from 2-6 hr breaks. I have a study group that gets together once a week to outline and to discuss problems. I also try to stay three times a week until 7 or 8. I also go in on staurday for about 5 hrs. Sunday is my day of rest family and friends plus church which really helps. I do make time to socialize and I have friday nights open. It is not that bad just time consuming. Make good friends that are serious students it will help in the longrun. Good Luck 1L's