Scaremongers

[mecarr]

Why does it seem there are so many people on this board who describe law school as some sort of purgatory that leaves you no time for anything else?  It wasn't that way for me and I know it's not that way for most. Really, I think people's anxiety about studying is out of control here.

[giraffe205]

Just to give you an idea, I haven't read for fun since the summer before I started law school (now a 2L). I can't remember the last time I watched the world nightly news, but I'm guessing that it was in late 2005.

Sure I could have made time to do these things if I consciously thought about it. However, one forgets until you are studying at Barnes & Noble and see Tuesdays W/ Morrie, which you've been dying to read and think about the last time you read for fun. One becomes busy w/ law review, OCI and callbacks, catching up on your reading, outlining, etc. Before you know it finals roll around and you're left wondering where did the time go.

Again, this all happens subconsciously. If I made it a priority, like lunching w/ my mom on the weekends, then sure it could happen. Your social life changes as does your relationship and sex life. Yet, it's about making priorities.

[jacy85]

I agree.  It just sort of happens.  The work and studying, and the constant list of things you have to get done is always there, and you acclimate to it.  The things you make a priority you fit in and get done, but everything else just fades out.

[reverendlex]

It's been my experience that a fair amount of people went to law school because they really didn't know what they wanted to do with their lives. They saw law school as a gateway to a stable, lucrative career, not because they had any passion. If you're doing law school just for the money, it is a grim, joyless experience.

I think some of my fellow students got caught up in the pursuit of prizes that they really didn't want, because other people pursued them too. For some of us, it's a strange masochistic thing- how much happiness can you deprive yourself of to do well?

Me, I decided that such grinding wasn't for me. I stopped looking at my grades after first year. I made some friends,  did some interesting side projects and didn't let law school eat my life.

But that was my choice. Law school can be some Kafkaesque hell if you make it one, too.

[Leaf2001br]

Me, I decided that such grinding wasn't for me. I stopped looking at my grades after first year. I made some friends,  did some interesting side projects and didn't let law school eat my life.

After I get my grades from this week's exams, I might "stop looking at my grades after the first year" as well.

[LostMyMonkeys]

I agree.  It just sort of happens.  The work and studying, and the constant list of things you have to get done is always there, and you acclimate to it.  The things you make a priority you fit in and get done, but everything else just fades out.

Absolutely agreed.

It seems no matter how much reading and work you put into school, if you find yourself with 'extra' time, there is always more that can be done for school. At some point you make decisions about when and where to draw the line. And it's ok to take an hour break to watch American Idol. Really, it is.

[Leaf2001br]

I agree.  It just sort of happens.  The work and studying, and the constant list of things you have to get done is always there, and you acclimate to it.  The things you make a priority you fit in and get done, but everything else just fades out.

 And it's ok to take an hour break to watch American Idol. Really, it is.

I started to make the easy jab here and say something like "No it isn't."

But actually, several weeks ago, on the Friday when we all gave our appellate oral arguments, thus concluding Legal Writing class forever, we all went for some rare celebratory beers afterward.  Needless to say, we had a few too many and/or none of us have any alcohol tolerance left whatsoever, so I was rather hungover the next morning and couldn't study.  So I fell on the couch and turned on that big square black thing that I had been noticing in the middle of my living room.  I found this channel called "The Tube" that does nothing but play back-to-back music videos 24 hours a day and I stared at it for half the day in a dream-like state of consciousness.

It was everything I could have hoped it would be and more.  I felt like Beavis on ecstasy.  I only fired about 10% of the neurons in my brain for several hours straight.  There was music, light, colors, exotic locations.  A whole glorious world without so much as a 12(b)(3), cutodial interrogation, or even a plaintiff!  And then, like all drug-induced trips, it was over, and I was behind on my reading.  I'll never forget that wonderful day, April 8, 2006.

[mecarr]

I agree.  It just sort of happens.  The work and studying, and the constant list of things you have to get done is always there, and you acclimate to it.  The things you make a priority you fit in and get done, but everything else just fades out.

Absolutely agreed.

It seems no matter how much reading and work you put into school, if you find yourself with 'extra' time, there is always more that can be done for school. At some point you make decisions about when and where to draw the line. And it's ok to take an hour break to watch American Idol. Really, it is.

I agree about drawing the line somewhere. Every law student has a reason to never spare any time to do anything else besides studying. The reason being is that there is more to read, more to go over, etc. There has to be time made for other things is what I'm trying to say. I'm not talking about watching TV for four hours every day but you only get to live life once, and you should at least find time to instill some happiness into your life everyday if you can.

[giraffe205]

You do find time to do other things. I've gone out to the bars/clubs on numerous occassions. I am constantly chatting on the phone w/ friends and family. My point is that sometimes you subconsciously let other things slip. For me, it was reading for fun and staying up to date on politics and the world news. The fact is that something has to give, thus, you need to prioritize. Friends and family were high on my priorities so I made it a point to make time for them. Subcosciousnly reading and world news were not so I let them go.

[LostMyMonkeys]

You do find time to do other things. I've gone out to the bars/clubs on numerous occassions. I am constantly chatting on the phone w/ friends and family. My point is that sometimes you subconsciously let other things slip. For me, it was reading for fun and staying up to date on politics and the world news. The fact is that something has to give, thus, you need to prioritize. Friends and family were high on my priorities so I made it a point to make time for them. Subcosciousnly reading and world news were not so I let them go.

Absolutely me too. I have a ton of books I would love to get to, but probably realistically wont until I take some exotic vacation (and really, when is THAT going to happen?).
I have also given up NPR for PMBR and BarBri lectures on CD for my commute in