Now that we are approaching the midway point of the spring semester, graduation is on the horizon for many of us. But so is bar prep. The magic number we are given is fifty hours a week, but that number does not necessarily reflect everyone’s learning style and speed so it could easily exceed sixty hours.
I had the benefit of watching my boyfriend (Jake) go through bar prep last year, so I understand the expectations, and I also saw many of the downfalls. I have been slowly getting myself into the mindset for bar prep and setting the expectations I will have for myself.
1. Set a schedule and be strict with it.
During school, I have always had some type of schedule to manage course work and my work schedule, but I have still let it be flexible. Going into bar prep, I intend to be more structured with my time, and that includes removing some heavy distractors from my office.
2. Commit to my bar prep’s daily assignments (and then some).
This is something I learned from watching Jake last year. His biggest struggle was tackling all of the daily assignments as time went on. While the workload was relatively manageable in the beginning, it increased heavily at the mid-point so he would struggle to incorporate all the materials. While I plan to complete all daily assignments, my goal is to add in a little extra each day to prevent the workload from smothering me in late June. 
3. Meal prep everything.
Meal prepping has been a lifesaver during law school, but I would typically only have one meal prepped. I have begun accumulating recipes to ensure I have breakfast, lunch, a snack, and dinner prepped each week. Although cooking and prepping all of that will take up a decent amount of time on my day off, it will allow me more free time during the week. (Also, fewer dishes to clean).
4. Setting boundaries with friends and family.
Fortunately, Jake understands the commitment I will have to put into bar prep, and his family also has some level of understanding. I have made it fairly clear to most that I will be fairly limited in free time and to not take offense if I choose to do absolutely nothing with them on my one day off. That day off will be spent wisely doing only what will recharge me (exploring downtown St. Pete is not on that list).
This is not an exhaustive list, but planning the basics will help when the time comes to lock myself up in a room for ten weeks to study. Consistency, endurance, and balance are the three elements I’m looking to juggle. Being strict for ten weeks will surely beat having to study for this thing again.
Elizabeth,
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed reading your post about preparing for bar prep. While I agree with all four of your points made, the main thing that stood out to me was your discussing of meal prepping. This is something at in my first two year of law school I was not really thinking about much. However, as the time approaches I have recently discussed meal prepping with my roommate as we prepare for the bar so that we do not have to worry about cooking while studying. I think it will help while we study because we will have the right food to support us and give us the energy and nutrients that we will need during the long days of studying.
I really enjoyed this blog post and discussion. It is helpful to see that others are in a similar mindset of trying to establish a clear and strict schedule while also setting specific boundaries with friends and family. I think that there is a lot to be said about how bar prep should be approached and it has definitely been on my mind a lot lately. I can say with confidence that I will be following a similar approach to you in terms of bar prep studies.
ReplyDeleteGreat post! I am also trying to mentally prepare for bar prep and how much we will be cramming into our brains. I have to tell myself to enjoy graduation because we earned it! It can be easily shadowed by thinking about the bar exam. You post makes some great points, especially about meal prepping. I have a hard time thinking of what to eat when I am busy and often forgo eating which is not good for my brain. It also is therapeutic to me to make giant batches of food all at once and then not having to worry about the eating or the mess when the time comes.
ReplyDeleteThis is a great post, both in content and practicality. Prepping for the bar can be a daunting experience and it can be overwhelming to know even where to start, let alone how to handle the intensive two to three months. Posts like this definitely help out with those feelings. In addition, I want to thank you for posting about the valuable information on bar prep you got from observing Jake.
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