# It's my first day of law school! **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [August 9, 2010, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-my-first-day-of-law-school/549747 "2010-08-09T20:16:20Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![villa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/bc79bd/32.png) [@villa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/villa)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2010, 2:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-my-first-day-of-law-school/549747/61 "2010-08-12T14:24:06Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > > [@villa](#): > > > > What law school is it, btw? > > Florida A & M. Don’t know anyone who teaches there. Thought you might be a Gator for a moment, but it appears you dodged that bullet. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2014, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-my-first-day-of-law-school/549747/62 "2014-05-20T17:46:07Z")
Today is the first day of my bar exam prep course (BARbri, for those taking notes at home.) So, it seems like as good a time as any for an update. I made law review and graduated last week in the top 25% of my class. I am still happily married, notwithstanding the dean’s first week warning that “those of you who are married will soon be divorced. Those of you who are single will… still be single.” I worked full time the whole time.\* For the first year (and much of the second) the schedule was absolutely crushing and I gave serious thought to dropping out. Not incidentally, more than half of my cohort (evening program students who began with me) _did_ drop out, fail out, or transfer to the less demanding full-time program. We began with 81 or 82 and had 34 at the end of last semester. That includes four people who were “added” from the previous year’s class because they didn’t have enough credits to graduate. I’ll also be working during bar prep, though on a slightly reduced schedule. I basically discovered my attention span is 5-6 hours max anyway, so taking off for bar prep completely doesn’t make sense. > [@Mr.Excellent](#): > > …a tip: Most profs will give you a half-grade bump if you actually _participate_ in class - ask questions, volunteer to answer questions, whatever. It is exceedingly foolish not to take advantage of these policies. Don’t be a gunner, but do speak up in class! No one will remember if you get something wrong, they _will_ remember if you get something right - and in either event, you’re getting a free grade bump. I totally followed this advice. Talked my arse off, and my classmates indicated I mostly avoided the gunner tag. And it did help my grades. > [@Hello\_Again](#): > > Oh, yeah – and as an undergrad I was waaaaay too good for study guides. Put that idea out of your head right now. _Crunchtime for Civil Procedure_ is _money_. > [@Drain\_Bead](#): > > Seconding the recommendation for Crunchtime. I picked up one, and suddenly everything my utterly inscrutable teacher said made sense. I actually didn’t touch a study guide my entire time in law school. The closest I got was listening to one of the free CDs from Kaplan on 1L courses in the car. > [@villa](#): > > Nerd advice here. Treat it as a job. Given that you have worked for a while, you have a huge advantage on the kids out of undergrad who think 5 or 6 hours studying is hard. I definitely did this. > [@villa](#): > > As someone who does a lot of interviewing, the extracurricular that matters FAR more than others if you are looking for “Big Law” is journal experience. Did this too. In fact, I was on the law review editorial board; I’m the only part-time student to do that in the journal’s (relatively short) history. > [@Muffin](#): > > Basic survival skill as a law student or as a lawyer: learn to pull out the significant bits from your readings rather than get bogged down trying to cover too many words in too little time. Think of the texts and cases as techincal manuals, from which you pick out only the necessary information, rathern than as novels which you read in entirely. Definitely did _this_. > [@UncleNito](#): > > …your odds are good enough to justify a serious effort in the writing competition, and, at least in my limited experience, the payoff is decidedly worth the time commitment (aside from the fact that if you’re a big 'ol nerd like me, you may find the experience rewarding anyway). So I give this advice to any new law student online or IRL. If you don’t, or can’t, or have better things to do with your time, it’s not the end of the world. I was a little shocked to discover how few students attempted to write on to law review (especially since I got on that way.) Less than a quarter of the eligible students submitted essays (though I suspect a few more tried the essay and gave up.) \*I probably wouldn’t have gone at all if I didn’t have a solid employment opportunity waiting for me (it’s a fourth-tier school, so in a job market like this one a number of my classmates will struggle to find jobs.) ---
**Author:** ![Folly](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/folly/32/3219_2.png) [@Folly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Folly)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2014, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-my-first-day-of-law-school/549747/63 "2014-05-20T18:35:35Z")
Seeing this thread title pop up again gave me pause. Wouldn’t it be horrible if we got stuck in some sort of Groundhog Day situation where we got sent back to first day of Law School every 4 years? 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Malthus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/85f322/32.png) [@Malthus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malthus)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2014, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-my-first-day-of-law-school/549747/64 "2014-05-20T18:41:24Z")
> [@Folly](#): > > Seeing this thread title pop up again gave me pause. Wouldn’t it be horrible if we got stuck in some sort of Groundhog Day situation where we got sent back to first day of Law School every 4 years? 🙂 I’ve had nightmares along these lines … :eek: ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2014, 1:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-my-first-day-of-law-school/549747/65 "2014-05-21T01:16:43Z")
> [@Folly](#): > > Seeing this thread title pop up again gave me pause. Wouldn’t it be horrible if we got stuck in some sort of Groundhog Day situation where we got sent back to first day of Law School every 4 years? 🙂 Hey, if I got to go back knowing what I know now… 🆒 ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2014, 1:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-my-first-day-of-law-school/549747/66 "2014-05-21T01:46:09Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > Today is the first day of my bar exam prep course (BARbri, for those taking notes at home.) Actually, dude, I was wondering if I could borrow your notes. ---
**Author:** ![Oakminster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/77aa72/32.png) [@Oakminster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oakminster)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2014, 1:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-my-first-day-of-law-school/549747/67 "2014-05-21T01:54:49Z")
BARbri is what I used, and I passed the bar on my first attempt, even though I went to law school in another state. Worth every penny. Out of curiosity, what does a bar review course run these days? Think it was about $1200 when I took it…but we got sworn in by John Marshall. ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2014, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-my-first-day-of-law-school/549747/68 "2014-05-21T17:29:33Z")
congratulations, **Really Not All that Bright**! best of luck for the bar ads. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2014, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-my-first-day-of-law-school/549747/69 "2014-05-21T17:53:58Z")
Thanks! > [@Oakminster](#): > > BARbri is what I used, and I passed the bar on my first attempt, even though I went to law school in another state. Worth every penny. Out of curiosity, what does a bar review course run these days? Think it was about $1200 when I took it…but we got sworn in by John Marshall. The base price of the Florida course is a hair under $3,700, but the school made a deal with BARbri and Kaplan where we paid $2600 provided we signed up a year in advance. ---
**Author:** ![Oakminster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/77aa72/32.png) [@Oakminster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oakminster)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2014, 1:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-my-first-day-of-law-school/549747/70 "2014-05-22T01:20:37Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > Thanks! > > The base price of the Florida course is a hair under $3,700, but the school made a deal with BARbri and Kaplan where we paid $2600 provided we signed up a year in advance. Wow…the price has really gone up. Still, it will be worth it to you. If it’s anything like the course I took, they’ll teach you everything you need to know to pass the bar exam…including the current test format, sample questions from previous exams, time management strategies, etc. Good luck. I look forward to your post announcing you’ve passed and been sworn in. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2014, 1:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-my-first-day-of-law-school/549747/71 "2014-05-22T01:22:17Z")
Me too. 🙂 Exam is July 29 (Florida stuff) and 30 (multistate). You’ll probably see my post around then whining about how I’m sure I failed. Results should come out around September 15. ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2014, 4:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-my-first-day-of-law-school/549747/72 "2014-05-22T04:06:35Z")
Is the price of bar ad preps tax-deductible? Bar ads here were considered educational, so you could claim them (if your firm didn’t pay for it). ---
**Author:** ![Lochdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/edb3f5/32.png) [@Lochdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lochdale)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2014, 4:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-my-first-day-of-law-school/549747/73 "2014-05-22T04:15:39Z")
If I may, do you have a legal job post-bar (or curently)? Are law school loans going to be an issue? Congratulations on graduating from law school. ---
**Author:** ![Spoons](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spoons/32/3141_2.png) [@Spoons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoons)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2014, 4:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-my-first-day-of-law-school/549747/74 "2014-05-22T04:16:42Z")
Congratulations, **RNATB**! Good luck on the bar ads! [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-my-first-day-of-law-school/549747.md?page=3)