Law School Q&A Part 2!

As promised, I am doing another Q&A. This questions were submitted on my Instagram page (follow me if you don't @fitfutureattorney).

About how many hours a day or week do you study?
Everyday is different, so it is tough for me to answer that question. I would say about 5 hours a day on the weekend (Saturday and Sunday). Monday through Thursday, I would s
ay about 4 hours as well, and then I usually take Friday off. I may prepare for one class on Fridays, so roughly around 2 hours on Friday (at most). So it comes to around 28 hours a week on average. I tend to spend between 2 to 3 hours preparing for each class (again, on average), and I have 9 classes a week, which would mean a total of 27 hours, so this would make sense. This semester, I have a smaller class load than usual, so last year, I spent a lot more time studying. This doesn't include time in class, time spent on organizations, or outlining.

Do you work anywhere or are you a full time student?
I am a full time student! Last year, as a 1L, I didn't have time to work because I needed to focus on school. As a 2L, I spend less time on school work (less classes and I know how to prepare cases now), but I spend more time on extracurriculars and leadership positions.

How to stay on top of classes and still have a social life?
Great question! This is an area that a lot of students struggle with, as it can be hard to find a good balance. My school has a social event at least once a week called Bar Review, which is where students all go to a bar that has been pre-selected. There are also a ton of other social events law schools put on: Talent Shows, Barrister's Ball, Tailgates, etc. Take advantage of these. If going out isn't your thing, find other ways to stay social. Take a break from studying and get coffee with some friends. Join student organizations. One of my favorite ways to stay social but also make sure I get everything done is to go to a workout class with friends. This provides a great break, but also  allows me to catch up with friends.

My biggest tip is to plan ahead. If there is something you want to do (a concert, a wedding, etc.), make sure you plan ahead for this. Do some extra work the week leading up to it. Also plan out your week so you know how much time you have to study and to hang out with friends!

How do you prepare for finals?
Outline, outline, and outline. I like to outline throughout the semester, so I can go over material when it is fresh and answer any questions I have as soon as possible. Once it gets closer to finals, I make flashcards covering important topics, cases, and definitions. I also go through and consolidate my outline two or three times, getting it all down to the most vital information. I will meet with study groups around finals, but I don't do it often. When I do study in groups, it is more to talk about questions or difficult topics rather than study all of the material from scratch.

What is the deadline for regular decision for Fall 2019? Is there a place that complies all of the deadlines?
Unfortunately, no there is not one page you can look at for every school's deadline nor is there a universal deadline. All schools are very open about their deadlines for applications and have this information on their website and their LSAC/Application pages. Both of these resources are great places to look for the schools you are interested in.

When it says "study" on your schedule, do you mean reading?
Yes, I either mean reading/preparing for classes or outlining.

Do you brief every case?
I do! A lot of 2Ls don't, but I find that it is super helpful when preparing for class but also for finals. I don't make it super complex or in-depth like I did in 1L year.

Do you have any tips on memorization?
Nothing that you haven't already seen before, but my biggest tip is to write things down. When you write stuff down, you are more likely to remember it and to be able to memorize it better.