mmmmmmm… cake… drool
You just come sit by me here. 
Yes, I am olde. The CD Walkman was a major investment in those days. . .
I’ve just started and it’s going ok for me. I spend all weekend in the library, and a couple of hours every night I don’t have lectures.
Second who ever said turn up to class and do the reading. Also, run your own study group instead of joining someone elses if you can.
Otherwise, ask me in a month after my first finals.
I did night school, it wasn’t as bad as people make it out to be, so long as you’re willing to put the work into it. You need to be super organized and not slack off at all because once you fall behind, it can be hard as hell to catch back up.
I really enjoyed law school, though, it was a really happy time in my life. Do you have a family? That can make it a little harder I’m sure. I met my boyfriend at the time in school, so our whole life was law school outside of work, which really helped to keep the focus.
Most of the people who dropped out of my school had kids or very demanding jobs and just couldn’t balance both.
Oh yeah, you’ve GOT to have a study group, that’s key. I had the same group through all four years and it was great. We still meet up about once a month for drinks.
I also spent all day Saturday at the library (and all Sunday morning with my study group.) Ah, the days…
Seconded - a good study group can make your law school career.
Oh yeah. The reason I said start your own is that you can pick and chose - it only works if you’re at all assertive. I went geographically for mine and then just talked to people about how serious they were. (My course has a lower bar for entry, so people wash out after the first few classes.) I did pretty well, but I did have to tell one lady she wasn’t a good fit with the rest of us. She was a dabbler, wasn’t turning up to class then wanted my recordings, etc. Nah, offskis.
Now that we’re toward the end of the first term, it’s sort of a group that belongs to all of us, but if I hadn’t taken the initiative and started it and run it for the first few sessions and then kicked her out she’d still be dragging us down - all working professionals with limited time, no time to basically spoon feed someone else. That’s harsh, but we just couldn’t.
We’re all really close now, too. I think in four years we’ll still be close.
Plus, my god, I have no idea how I’d do this without them. You get stuck thinking about things just your way, and other people…unstick you…I guess. Make you either defend your position or see where your position is weak, which benefits you both.
I think it depends a lot on how you work - I got through just fine without ever being in one (admittedly not at the top of my class, but I was going to law school full-time and working half-time). I study best by doing the reading and going to class, then making my own outline. Other people just get in the way for me. But for others, they were essential.
Bottom line, if someone tells you that something is essential, weigh it against your own experience with your own self before you sign on.
And if you don’t have a copy yet of Getting to Maybe, I would recommend looking at it. I think if I’d read it in my first year instead of my third, I would have been a lot closer to the top of my class.