schedule and missing class

[lawness]

Is there no fall break in law school? Also, what are the ramifictions for missing class in law school? I know it's not a good idea but if you miss a Friday and Monday, are you going to be seriously behind?

[big - fat - box]

If your school starts early, you get a short break for Labor Day. If you have class on Columbus day, class will be canceled. Then everyone usually gets a couple days or up to a week for Thanksgiving. At most schools, 1st semester finals are before Winter/Xmas break.

Ramifications? Depends on the school. Some require attendance and will drop you from a particular course if you miss more than the specified number of days allowed. Many other schools do not require attendance at all. Basically, you show up if you feel like it.

Behind? Depends. Many schools do not have classes on Friday. Or only certain sections have Friday classes. Not everyone gets a lot out of class...some do better studying on their own. That's why many people who do come to class surf the internet during class...or it could also depend on the prof. If the prof doesn't mesh with your learning style, missing class might not be a big deal.

In general, I wouldn't get to caught up in taking a bunch of four day weekends. Even if attendance is not required at your school and you don't get much out of class, it's probably to your benefit to spend some time studying on the weekends.

[RobWreck]

If I'm not mistaken, the ABA has a requirement for approved law schools about how many hours a student must be in class. I know at my school you're allowd to miss 1 hour of lecture for every credit the class is worth... so generally, you can miss 2 class sessions. Exceeding this can be groudns for being denied the opportunity to take the final exam, although I've never heard about that actually being applied or enforced. Some teachers took attendance each day by sign-in sheet, others did it by observation and seating chart, and yet others couldn't care less.
The real impact is on what you miss by not being there. Sometimes things will be discussed in class that aren't in the reading assignments - 1 of my 4 Torts I essays was literally a restatement of a case the teacher talked about on the 2nd-to-last day of class. It wasn't in any of the assigned readings, nor was the case name actually given to us... but he laid it out plain and clear and explained the reasoning behind it. For those of us in class paying attention that day, it was an easy question - but if you weren't there that day and didn't get good notes from someone else, it would have been a nightmare.
Missing class here and there when it's unavoidable happens... but as long as you're only talking about missing a minimal amount and as long as you're diligent in getting the notes and reviewing the material, it's not the end of the world.
Good luck...

[lawness]

That's kinda what I thought. I am trying to go somewhere for Halloween and if I remember correctly from ugrad, there was a fall break! It won't be the end of the world if I don't go and I don't have to decide right now, so we will wait and see.

[likewise]

ABA requires a minimum 80% attendance. Some enforce; some do not. Some schools and some professor have even tougher reqs.

[Marmot]

That's kinda what I thought. I am trying to go somewhere for Halloween and if I remember correctly from ugrad, there was a fall break! It won't be the end of the world if I don't go and I don't have to decide right now, so we will wait and see.

It would really depend on your school's academic calendar and the policies of the professors you have. My school has a fall break, but that's over Thanksgiving. I didn't get a Halloween break in undergrad, either, but I didn't attend a Wiccan or Druidic university. 

Anyhow, questions that I would ponder:
- Just how much are you paying per credit?  What does that translate to per class?
- What will you miss in terms of work time outside of lecture?
- How important is your Halloween getaway?
- Can you get notes from someone else?

[lyre]

I have a Fall Break which is usually around the beginning of October, but it's only for a couple of days (usually get Thurs and Fri off).  Then, we get a break around Thanksgiving also, but neither of those would help if you are wanting to travel around Halloween.  Personally, I wouldn't stress about missing 2 days of class.  You may get slightly behind, but you can just get notes from someone.  Just make sure you check out the attendance policy.

[botbot]

Yes, you can take a few days (or more) off.  It won't matter.

[AndrewStebbins]

That's kinda what I thought. I am trying to go somewhere for Halloween and if I remember correctly from ugrad, there was a fall break! It won't be the end of the world if I don't go and I don't have to decide right now, so we will wait and see.

You're in luck, because Halloween is on a Saturday this year.  Did you plan on going OOS?

[Ninja1]

Skipping a day or two for a mental break can serve you very well.