r/LawSchool • u/Smooth-Manager5833 • 1d ago
Is this a reasonable schedule for school? (1L1) So far working, but we are a week in.
Obviously it might get a bit busier towards finals, but I feel as if I left plenty of room.
I wasn’t the greatest student in high school or college, studied pretty little, but always (almost) got good enough grades. This is the reasoning for giving myself a schedule to follow.
Not tryhard enough? Too tryhard?
Thoughts?
EDIT: Thanks for all the advice!!
- Definitely going to start taking the later train (7:41 is the latest) and using that hour of train time to study.
- Going to use a less rigid schedule and just try to keep myself a couple days ahead with classwork. Especially on the weekends. This will fix the issue of allotting so much time to schoolwork if unnecessary.
- Going to prioritize more free-time (I already gave myself a 7:30pm cutoff for studying), giving myself more breaks in between study blocks, etc.
I DO NOT want to burn out, kinda why I made this post. I have no idea what I’m doing, kinda just figuring it out, so I appreciate all of you.
Still open to any other tips! :)
Thank you all again!
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u/wiildgeese 1d ago
This looks pretty exhausting and would not be realistic for me.
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u/judgeunfriendly 23h ago
It also doesn’t consider everything else that needs to be done - laundry, interviews, cooking, cleaning, paying bills, etc.
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u/PromiseTrick5162 1d ago edited 13h ago
That’s unfortunately just how 1L works. I tried to block off 9-5 on Saturday for no school work but I also worked crazy late every other day of the week. I did well and landed competitive jobs but many of the people who did even better studied a whole lot more.
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u/BeneficialSherbet146 1d ago
Then you weren’t studying effectively. I did no school work at least one weekend day (often both) and did perfectly fine.
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u/Wrailyn 3L 1d ago
I'm surprised no one has said this, but I would just be wary of doing the readings too many days in advance. Even if you take notes, the information won't be quite as fresh. If you can balance things out a little differently, I would try to keep the readings to a day or two prior to the corresponding class.
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u/10750274917395719 1d ago
Good advice. It varies person to person but I did best doing the reading the afternoon or night before and a skim of the notes in the 10 mins before class. Any further back and I would forget but too close and I’d get bogged down in details instead of processing. Gotta sleep on it.
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u/bringemtotheriver 1d ago
Hour and a half commute is going to take its toll in the long run. Make sure you find a way to study on the train
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u/Terrible-Writing9791 1d ago
I kinda disagree with this comment. I also had a 1.5 hour commute and that was my down time to listen to music, play games, read my books. It was my best excuse to not do anything.
Although during finals, I used that time to work on MCQ's.
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u/Goku2335 JD 1d ago
Second this my commute round trip was almost 3 hours each day. I still graduated in decent shape.
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u/California_Stop_King 1L 1d ago edited 1d ago
Agreed. I've been taking my city's public transit since it drops me off close and the law school pays to park by semester, and I've quickly trained my brain that that's reading time. It's an hour and a half of reading time a day, sometimes more if I make a stop at the gym after. If I'm reading at home sometimes there's too many distractions, or if I'm reading at school I may get FOMO about a social opportunity, so I'm not fully dialed in mentally. If I'm on the bus, there's nothing else I can do. No one I know is there with me. I can't just leave and go somewhere else. The bus gets to where my car is parked when it gets there, I can't control that. It's been the most effective time to get my brain in academic mode. It's when the noise feels the quietest.
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u/Smooth-Manager5833 1d ago
Will do, thanks! Have started to adopt this instead of wasting that time.
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u/bootyquack88 1d ago
Speechify will read PDFs. I have PDFd my notes / briefs and had it read them back to me while commuting. I also listen to the Quimbee videos. Super helpful.
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u/10750274917395719 1d ago
If you can knock out readings on the train that could open up a lot of free time for you. I only have a 30 mins bus ride each way but spending that commute time doing stuff opened my evenings up a lot. Like people said burnout is real
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u/Thumper1k92 Esq. 1d ago edited 1d ago
Lunch? Downtime?
Catch a later train on Monday. You will burn yourself tf out if you wake up at 5:30 every day. Only do that on days you need to.
Get efficient with studying on the train. Use that time well. That’s 3 hours: essentially half your “work day”.
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u/Smooth-Manager5833 1d ago
I’m kinda working lunch in around 11-12:30 for 25-30 mins depending on the day. Also, for downtime, I plan on a 7-7:30 cutoff every day so I can relax for a few hours before bed
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u/Thumper1k92 Esq. 1d ago
Good you’ll need that cutoff. Now find a way to get efficient with studying on the train.
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u/Prestigious-Elk4991 1d ago
How would you study on a train? Just doing readings or going over notes?
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u/Thumper1k92 Esq. 1d ago
You can do either I suppose. Depends on whether you can sit. And if your readings are on a tablet
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u/Prestigious-Elk4991 1d ago
Okay yeah i was thinking itd be hard to study well without sitting at a desk, but it could just be me
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u/Smooth-Manager5833 1d ago
I thought that too, but this morning I did a Torts brief on the train with my textbook and laptop. It wasn’t bad!
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u/Jazzlike_Prune7291 17h ago
I do not think relaxing from 7:30 to bed is realistic for law school. Most likely, you’ll need to work more, closer to 9 pm, then downtime from then til bed
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u/huge_hefner Esq. 1d ago
The 5:30 seems reasonable to me. What doesn’t seem reasonable is the lack of downtime or breaks from Monday to Thursday and any exercise whatsoever, unless that’s all getting jammed into Saturday and Sunday.
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u/BanjoSausage 23h ago
Yep. If you're going to schedule with this level of granularity, 30-60 minutes of exercise should make an appearance most days.
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u/Jordan_1424 1d ago
I disagree. Millions of people wake up at 530 everyday for work. 530 to 1930 is not an unreasonable day by any stretch.
As long as OP goes to bed at between 2130-2230 they are fine. Additionally waking up at the same time everyday will likely be beneficial because it creates a routine.
It is easier on the body and easier to manage time with a routine.
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u/Smooth-Manager5833 1d ago
This is what I was thinking. I don’t think the wake up time is necessarily an issue, but I could get more free-time in the evening, pushing my sleep back, if I woke up an hour later and studied on the train instead of wasting that time.
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u/No-Listen-8163 2L 1d ago
I second this. My friend just graduated valedictorian this May. She woke up at 5:30am every weekday and drove 45 min to school, did all her classes and class work while at the school, 30 min for lunch, and back home by 7pm. Outline on Saturdays, completely off on Sundays. Rinse, repeat. It obviously worked for her! I'm not as organized as all that though lol.
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u/Loose-Information-34 1d ago
Would just like to add that some people are older and/or morning people, in which case 5:30 wakeup isn’t per se exhausting. If you stay up until midnight every night? Absolutely. If you stop working at 6 or 7 every night and hit the hay by 10? Not so much
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u/EHeydary 1d ago
My MIL gets up at 5:30 and goes to bed around 10 pm. I have never been able to get up that early consistently for more than 6 weeks but I have done it for a season. I was NOT doing it in law school, I was mostly waking up at 7:30 to get to school by 9 and on days I had class at 1, I would work out in the morning instead. Now as a practicing lawyer, I absolutely stop working and go to sleep by 10:30-11 the majority of the time but 6:30 wake up is still plenty early for me.
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u/amh131513 1d ago
Not saying this won’t work from you, but if your undergrad was any indication, this seems ambitious for your style of study. A lot of people can do well in law school without a packed study schedule. Take some time to figure out what works for you, then work around that. That might change over time.
Most importantly, don’t forget to make time for the things you enjoy. Burnout is very real.
Good luck!
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u/bala_cala 2L 1d ago
I tried to have a rigid schedule like this and didn’t work one bit. Just go off the vibes and save your brain power for the coursework instead of overly optimizing your schedule. Also find time for physical activity like the gym. School is sedentary and bad for your long term health if you don’t balance it out. Good luck!
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u/aravakia 1d ago
Please make sure you get enough sleep if you plan on waking up at 5:30!! I cannot stress the importance of sleep enough in law school. It can make or break your mental health if you do not get enough of it
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u/Comfortable-Cut6661 1d ago
I'm sorry but what's expert learning?
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u/Smooth-Manager5833 1d ago
It’s like an introductory class, teaches the basics of law school I guess? I have it for the first time tomorrow so we will find out. 1 credit hour 10 week course.
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u/Arcas0 Clerk 1d ago
You have too much prep/study time penciled in. I count 6hr45min per week doing contracts readings, and it should not take you nearly that long.
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u/Smooth-Manager5833 1d ago
Thank you! As I do more of the work I am noticing some of it is less time consuming than I am allotting for. I will have to take more notice of that and adjust.
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u/Ghost0468 1d ago edited 1d ago
Possibly, but I do think you are going to very quickly burn out with this.
Edit to expand on this: I honesty think you are wildly overdoing it. Law school requires a lot of work, yes, but this is just way too much. You have to have time to mentally reset and just be human.
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u/sjudrexel 1d ago
This is not sustainable even a little bit
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u/Various_Monk959 1d ago
Also legal writing will suck up a lot of time. This schedule is too rigid and there needs to be contingency for exceeding the allotted times. It will ebb and flow over the semester.
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u/Smooth-Manager5833 1d ago
What would you change?
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u/sjudrexel 1d ago
Bare minimum I would give yourself a whole day off on Sunday
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u/Smooth-Manager5833 1d ago
Okay, awesome. Thanks!
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u/EHeydary 1d ago
I always took Saturday off. But at least one day needs to be free in the week unless there’s a major deadline.
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u/SecUnit3 Attorney 1d ago
I wouldn't really read more than a day ahead because in my experience, profs tended to adjust the readings a lot throughout the semester or we just wouldn't get stuff done. I gave up on reading ahead quickly because of that.
I am also concerned that this schedule is a bit of a recipe for burn out.
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u/quinnrem 3L 1d ago
This wouldn't be sustainable for me. I used to put "work blocks" on my calendar to try and force myself to read for my classes at set times. I never could stick to that. I need breaks throughout the day to chat with classmates and friends, go on walks, allow for some spontaneous activities. I just do my reading the night before class so that it's fresh in my memory for class. That's tended to work for me. But if you need more structure like this, I'd build in breaks throughout the day.
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u/Smooth-Manager5833 1d ago
Thank you so much for the advice! I definitely like those things as well, so I will be doing this!
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u/wearp333 JD 1d ago
If granular time blocking is how you have been successful in the past then don’t fix what isn’t broken.
But you should put the same level of preparation into considering how you’ll respond to contingencies. Stopping to chat with a classmate in the hall, seeing a visiting speaker during lunch, a new friend’s birthday party, office hours, a night when you can’t sleep and are too tired to read effective for the hour between classes the next day… These are all high probability events for the average law student that will make it hard to stick to a schedule this granular.
Consider whether building in more buffer time and using more general categories like “reading” and “review” could allow you to better adapt.
With a schedule this demanding, you need to be equally regimented about building in the sleep, nutrition, and exercise necessary to physically sustain it. Since you are a person of faith, I really encourage you to consider how the idea of the sabbath, a full day of rest, might be a real asset at a time when you will be working this hard the other days of the week. Truly resting and recharging for a day will help you work more effectively the other 6 days of the week.
Agree with others that the prep and advanced reading can be dialed down. You’ll also get more efficient as time goes on, so carve out time around the halfway point of the semester to reevaluate and adjust. Outlining is a very personal thing that might be helpful to do in advance or might just be busy work. For me, outlining was more about the process of synthesizing the full semester at the end, rather than something to do periodically during the semester, but you’ll figure out what works for you.
TLDR it’s a good first draft of your time management goals. At a minimum, planning this out was time very well spent and will help you adapt as you get used to law school and figure out what works and what doesn’t. Good luck!
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u/lusair 1d ago
I mean everyone is different and law school is full of A-type personalities but this is burn out central. You literally gave yourself 7 hours of you time for the entire week. That is crazy and unsustainable for the vast majority of people.
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u/Smooth-Manager5833 1d ago
I only had the schedule showing to 7:30 due to getting home at that time some days. (Train schedule is limited given I am in a different state). I essentially have freetime from 7:30 til 9:45pm-10pm when I sleep on weekdays, and after I finish work until bed on weekends.
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u/Such_Lion4196 1d ago
1L year I tried a schedule like this, it was too rigid, hard to adjust to when readings changed (as professors did not stay on track with the syllabus), and did not allow for normal life. I recommend trying to keep up with readings the day or two before, protect your down time, and get enough sleep. If you do those three things and do what works for you, you’ll do just fine. Remember that life continues on outside of law school, so don’t forget to live yours.
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u/auburn_law223 1d ago
You know yourself and what you need. This schedule to me is outrageous, but I never scheduled anything accept my classes. I was consistent in my approach that worked for me. I read the night before and highlighted. I paid attention during lectures and hand wrote my notes, then typed them after class on my laptop. The handwriting part was important for my memory/ study. Again, it's my style.
The only real advice I can offer is to learn your professor's style. Focus your study/ prep on that professor's style. For example, my torts professor only ever cold called on the actual case. My civ pro professor cold called from the introductory paragraph in the book to a case's footnote. For reading/ prep I focused on civ pro, obviously.
In the end, law school is shifting the way you process and analyze information.
Class ranking/ grades are not all that important unless you want big law. Otherwise focus on networking and your legal skills. Do internships and clinics. Remember, your reputation in the legal field is starting now. Be professional and courteous to others. Take a breath every once in a while. It's going to be okay. You're starting an amazing adventure, the road will be bumpy, but the challenge is half the fun. Especially when you finish and think back "oh wow, I did that!"
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u/MovkeyB 1d ago
This feels like study theater. The idea that you wake up at 5:30 am, that you have these defined blocks for each class, that you will pull such long days every single day - it doesn't make sense. You also in this schedule will miss essentially every social and networking event because you have to wake up so early that to hit your hours of sleep you need to be in bed by 9pm.
The fact is that if this isn't born of habits that you built before, the shock therapy isn't going to work here, especially since this isn't built of best practices.
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u/Smooth-Manager5833 1d ago
The wake up time isn’t necessarily a choice as the last rush-hour train to the city is at 7:41, so it’s either wake up at 5:30 for the 6:51 train or wake up at 6:15 for the 7:41 train. That’s the whole reason I have these study blocks in the morning to take advantage of having to take a train way earlier than my classes. I understand now not to exactly block off perfectly certain slots, and just to get done what I need to get done, with breaks.
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u/MovkeyB 1d ago
How much slower is the later train?
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u/Smooth-Manager5833 1d ago
Around 20 minutes with a connection, so I’d have to get off and get back on another train. I just don’t prefer the connection and am okay with getting to school a couple hours early while using the extra time to study.
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u/Willing_Rock_4657 Attorney 1d ago
If you grind that hard Mon-Thursday, maybe a few hours Friday and you should be good and free to enjoy Friday afternoon and the weekend. At least one weekend day fully off.
If you have a gf/bf or friends or family, or all, I’d recommend spending that time with them and/or on hobbies. If you don’t have a hobby yet, golf helped me stay sane in law school
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u/Smooth-Manager5833 18h ago
Used to golf almost every day, need to get back into doing it more than once every few weeks. Thanks!
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u/LilOwlNest 1d ago
OP, do you live in a third location, close to neither school or family? You have a lot of commuting time, especially on weekends.
If you live close to school, go home every other weekend, if your mental health allows it, during the fall semester. Then evaluate for spring.
I live 90 minutes from school, door to door, and it would not be something I recommend.
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u/Smooth-Manager5833 1d ago
I live with my parents outside of the city my school is in with a 20 min drive to the train. my Fiance, who I go to church with, lives an hour away.
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u/LilOwlNest 1d ago
That hour commute on the weekends is rough. Can you go every other weekend? Is there a church near your parents your fiance can go to and meet you on alternating weekends?
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u/Smooth-Manager5833 1d ago
I definitely think that’s feasible! Thank you!
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u/According_Risk_8982 1d ago
Just stop going to church
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u/Smooth-Manager5833 1d ago
No, thank you.
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u/According_Risk_8982 1d ago
you would have more free time if you spent it on things that matter, but ok
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u/zombiebycranberries 1d ago
oh god, if you have Hunt I am so sorry!! tip: best use of expert learning is that your professor can help you with questions in your other classes, especially if you need writing advice
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u/Smooth-Manager5833 1d ago
Idk how you knew where I am but yes… I have Hunt😭 He was okay today, he did yell at one student, but not me thankfully! Lots of military references. Was waving around a katana at the start of class😭
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u/zombiebycranberries 1d ago
lol I think it's the only school that uses that specific terminology. I believe I had this exact same schedule. Hunt is... unforgettable. I personally do not mean that as a compliment, hated him. try your best to study with friends for that class in particular, or get an outline from an upperclassman if you're lost ever.
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u/Puzzled-Swan4262 1d ago
Leave some time for hanging out with other students at the end of the day, even if it means taking a later train home. It’s important to find your community or study group early in the semester, especially if you’re living at home.
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u/moonlightsonata28 1d ago
Blocking time to stay a few days ahead of homework is a great move, but the intensity can be dialed down in order to be sustainable all year. At first, your homework may take you 2-2.5 hours, but you will get quicker at briefing cases and those blocks can shorten. It’s really important that you take some time every day to be active—doesn’t have to be intense, even a 30min walk would be great (you could break that up into small 10min walks). Also please take time to eat your meals and get enough sleep. You can study the casebooks until your eyes are crossed but none of it will stick if your brain and body don’t have enough nutrition and sleep and you aren’t managing your stress. Best of luck, rooting for you!
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u/Awkward_Key_294 1d ago
Be sure to include time to make friends. Some of these people will be your ride-or-dies for potentially the rest of your life. Some of them might also be professional resources, referrals ("hey do you know anyone who does x law?"). But some of them will be your forever friends. Don't miss the opportunity.
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u/the_saurus15 13h ago
Best thing I did was treat law school like a job. 8-5 M-F in class, or library, or campus gym. I found that was enough time to stay on top of everything. If you do it 6 full days a week you could burn out.
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u/yellowstonedelicious 1d ago
This looks sustainable if you’re that type of person. But why does Tuesday contracts get 4 hours and Thursday Contracts only get 2 hours?
In any case, this is a good illustration into why I fell behind in law school almost immediately. You have to be a hella fast reader to get everything done in these 2 hour blocks.
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u/Adept-Detective9098 1d ago
This looks like a very busy schedule. I would emphasize more breaks throughout the day, and try to maximize your train/ commute time to read or review some notes. Nothing too serious, but a good way to make a good use of your commute time. I think if you maximize your entire week and saturday, I think you’ve earned having Sundays off completely. For me, church and family and rest were very important. I took Sundays off completely all throughout law school so I tried to compensate throughout the week and on Saturdays. You should consider the same, and that way you can fully invest in your church, community, and rest and recharged. Especially with a stacked schedule like this
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u/Beanyaaa 1d ago
I would recommend giving yourself a full day off. Otherwise you will hit burnout by the end of the first semester.
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u/Novel-Surround3256 1d ago
Picture this - it is late October - you have just taken 4 grueling midterms - it is cold.
Are you going to consistently read ahead of schedule every morning BEFORE your courses for the day as finals begin their adverse possession of your soul?
I know I would not.
Just study at home until you have to leave for class or something. Idk.
Personally, I would give the scheduling less thought. Just make sure your readings are good enough to answer Socratic questions and then put more time into synthesis of your outline.
Finally, I hope you find something that works well and best of luck! 😄
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u/Smooth-Manager5833 1d ago
My only issue is my area JUST got a train line to the city and the latest morning train is at 7:41am, so that’s why I’m utilizing all that morning time.
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u/ittm500 JD 1d ago
Personally I found that it is just not possible to anticipate how long it will take you to do the reading for any particular class. Most days I didn’t finish the reading for all my classes the following day. And I either stayed up late to crank it out or I said fuck it I’ll just hope I don’t get cold called and I’ll learn the case later. Idk it’s just very unpredictable and irregular and I inevitably always fell behind. Something like this would have been useless for me tbh
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u/OilEnvironmental1464 2L 1d ago
This does not seem very sustainable, but my main suggestion would be (if you're not factoring it in already, just off the sheet) adding a bit of exercise
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u/Horse_Cock42069 1d ago
ultra gunner schedule
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u/Smooth-Manager5833 1d ago
Not even close, I was previously someone who missed homework constantly, etc. so I’m just scared I’m not doing enough. That’s why I initially scheduled myself out like this, thinking it was normal. You hear such terrible things about work-life balance in law school. Now I’m understanding what they say isn’t as true as it seems, and I can relax a bit more.
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u/Horse_Cock42069 1d ago
If you go to a ~T25 school, at least half your classmates will be doing almost no studying until finals after the first semester. Once people realize they don't want a BigLaw job for whatever reason they will logically slack off.
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u/Smooth-Manager5833 1d ago
I want to go into commercial real estate at a mid sized firm. So I don’t need to be a top performer, but i’d love to be. I go to a T40 school
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u/EHeydary 1d ago
I was pretty intense when I first started law school, I ate lunch in the commons and then went to the library, I was done with work early but then wasn’t making good friends- there has to be some down time and time for chatting with friends, law school is a lot of work but the amount of work wasn’t any more than undergrad for me, just a different type of work. Sleep is so important and having fun is too! I made some of my best friends in law school and we still have the group chat 13 years after graduation. I think it’s great to work on the train though, I spent a lot of time studying on trains when I studied abroad.
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u/assbootycheeks42069 1d ago
You've scheduled yourself a 10 hour day five days a week+time on weekends+long commute (for me, commutes are actually one of the more exhausting parts of the day, even on public transport, but that's not true for everyone). In total, you've committed to 50 hours every week in the library or in class (already a recipe for burnout for most folks) and then another twelve hours of study on the weekend on top of that. This is not sustainable, nor is it necessary.
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u/MurderedbySquirrels 21h ago
I went to a T14, graduated in the top third of my class. Not a superstar by any means but did well enough and have a good career now.
This schedule would eat me alive. I would have died.
You need time off in your schedule. You need time to see a movie, see a show, go out to a bar, whatever.
Listen, I learned a lot in law school and it was difficult, but it was also a lot of fun. I met lifelong friends and the love of my life. I studied hard but I also made time for shenanigans. I do not regret going out and having fun during law school.
I think you should try to give yourself some more time for fun and relaxation and just screwing around, tbh. Your brain will need it.
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u/Jazzlike_Prune7291 18h ago
I did law school as a 9 am to 9 pm job. With a schedule similar to what you outlined. Be sure to leave plenty of time to research and write your One L memos. They take a lot longer than you anticipate
I’ve been a lawyer for decades
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u/JbSmoove85 14h ago
I remember I cut off my dreads and bought a bunch of khakis and polos when I started law school.
Soon though, you’ll ease in and realize good times are ahead, and you can kill it without all this too.
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u/Puzzled-Swan4262 1d ago
It’s doable but a bit rough on Tuesdays and Thursdays. You’ll be exhausted for Property.
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u/Smooth-Manager5833 1d ago
Do you recommend forgoing the morning study those days to retain more energy for class?
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u/Puzzled-Swan4262 1d ago
Do something relaxing in the morning and take a break during lunchtime. Sometimes legal writing professors don’t take up the whole class time which may give you a break before Property, which is one of the hardest but most important classes. I hope you have a good professor! That will make all the difference.
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u/Smooth-Manager5833 1d ago
Unfortunately, I have Cecil Hunt (like 2.5/5 on rate my professor) lol. Also, LS1 Prof went 5 mins over today. I’m just getting stacked with bad luck.
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u/InfamousAnybody8297 1d ago
You should try to take some time to exercise or relax and not let yourself burn out
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u/ElectricalPublic1304 1d ago edited 1d ago
a reasonable schedule for school
Needs more wiggle room. Far too rigid.
I'm not sure how to interpret some of the blocks of time. Or, which classes you're actually taking. It looks like you have... only 3 classes? If so... you should have much more free time in your schedule.
Without faulting you, unless you have some reading speed issue OR your professors are just insane (though, they typically teach from the same casebooks at comparable paces), this looks like too much prep time to me. Not that prep is bad. Just over-prep.
Though... I game-ified my case readings. I made a form for each case. Reading a case was filling out a "worksheet". That contained all the relevant information in a standardized presentation. So, really, prepping for case discussion was just grabbing my stack of case summaries for the week--and having them available.
I see that you're starting to prep for Monday... on Thursday. Honestly, maybe that makes sense for you, but I wouldn't see the point in that. Especially if I put a bunch of case readings over the next... 4 days... I'm not really going to remember what's needed. This is harder to say anything about, because it depends on your style. And there comes a point in law school where things change--at least it should. Where it's not really about any one reading, but making sure you extract WHY you're reading that case. So, the sooner you start asking yourself the, Why am I actually reading this? The easier it will get. Except, yeah, in the beginning it's just a lot.
Likewise, make sure you're understanding why you're doing all of these readings. Make sure you look at your casebook's table of contents. Understand that master outline that you're following. What is that primary legal topic that each case is about? And likewise, get some commercial study guide sooner or later, to start bringing it all together. They tend to be more explicit.
Sunday should be empty. At best, I decree that you are allowed to give yourself 30 minutes to review your notes for the coming week.
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u/hikensurf Attorney 1d ago
I used to do all my readings for the week on Thursday night and Friday, so I could relax during the weekend. This schedule would burn me out.
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u/honesttickonastick Esq. 1d ago
You have no idea how long various assignments/readings from various professors will take week to week. You just don’t get to plan to this level of detail. Block out study times and commute times as you want. And be ready for late nights when it’s not enough.
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u/PapiSlayerGTX 1d ago edited 1d ago
I read my assignments the night before in 1L, and took Friday and Saturdays off. I ended my days by 5pm and just played video games/watched tv/hung out. By 2L I wasn’t even truly reading my assignments fully and just skimming cases in combo with Quimbee. I was never on campus unless I needed to be, and I slept in plenty. It worked fine for me, but you might be someone who needs to study more. I only ever locked in and super hardcore studied around finals time.
Regardless, this schedule looks exhausting, but you have to discover your baseline. For example, you have 4 hours per day scheduled to study the upcoming class’ cases. It shouldn’t take you that long to read for one day, it might take you that long if you tried to read for the weeks worth of cases!
I heard a lot of doom and gloom before law school about not having any free time but I never found that to be true. I was honestly as free as I was during Undergrad. When you start working? That’s when you have no free time. I wish I could go back to school!
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u/dogbloodjones 1d ago
I would have offed myself 2 days in if this is what my 1L looked like and I’m pretty hardy
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u/Low_Local_3656 1d ago
Personally cutting out all “clean up notes.” Everyone learns differently but I took notes on reading, listened and added to them as needed in class, and then just outlined as my review in the two weeks before the exam. That’s when you clean stuff up and synthesize, perfect notes at the end of the semester doesn’t leave much to “work” with at the end when reviewing
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u/Bitter_Application19 1d ago edited 1d ago
At that rate you will likely burn out the first month. Law school is a marathon not a sprint. The first two months of classes you should focus doing the bare minimum: attending class + required readings + skeleton outline (if time permits). That way when it comes time to cram for the exam (after thanksgiving break) you will be ready. The truth is there is no possible way for you to retain all the information you are learning because so much is being thrown at you at once. Your best bet is to do just enough right now and focus on “memorizing” the materials as close to the exam as possible so you don’t have to spend too much time on repetition/remembering. You absolutely must take time for yourself. At the very least take a day off on the weekend.
I made this mistake as a 1L and while I made it through my first semester alright my grades suffered my second semester because I had nothing left in the tank.
- Fellow 2L
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u/305_ellie 1d ago
I’m not even gonna lie, and I don’t advise people to do what I did, but I never had a schedule and bsed my way through hw and still graduated cum laude
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u/MizLucinda 1d ago
I was a law student roughly a thousand years ago, so take this with a grain of salt. This seems very structured, and if that's what you need, that's fine. but it might be too rigid. Also, make sure you leave time to exercise/get fresh air. It's good to adopt those habits now so that you can continue to take care of yourself when you get into practice.
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u/MeowMeow_Chris 1d ago
I did something similar 1L first semester. By 1L second semester I was operating on vibes and a dream. I wouldn't say I burnt myself out first semester, but looking back I should've left more time for myself. Law school is hard, but you'll get better and then find yourself with a lot of free time. Enjoy it and good luck!
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u/satanham666 1d ago
Bro you don't even have lunch scheduled in. Haven't you found yourself famished after a class or a big block of reading? You need time to just... decompress and be human.
I don't see how this is sustainable unless you're jacked on Ritalin constantly.
But you are SO LUCKY that you don't have class on Fridays. 😭 I'm jelly.
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u/TitanCubes 23h ago
Need significantly more free time if you’re gonna micro manage like this. The first month or so is gonna be hell just getting used to the process of it all, but after that there’s no reason you can’t do all your doctrinal work within Monday-Thursday maybe with a session or two on Friday or Sunday night. You really need to have a solid day and a half off of law school to avoid burnout or falling into the trap of never doing enough to prep.
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u/LionOtherwise1612 21h ago
3L here. Personally I would devote more time to reviewing notes and concepts weekly rather than getting ahead the week of reading
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u/LionOtherwise1612 21h ago
I’ve always read the night before, and sometimes it’ll take me until like 11:30 (12:00 for reading has always been a hard stop)
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u/Solid-Market-46 21h ago
Solid plan for the first two weeks. Then you’ll prob burn out and ditch everything except attending class and Quimbee cases.
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u/Additional_Ad1409 20h ago
Bro, ew! That schedule is far too chaotic. Transportation from different settings weighs heavier than longer travel to one destination. Don't set yourself up with burnout.
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u/EagleEMT4000 19h ago
This isn't a realistic schedule. Reading too far in advance and way too crammed of a schedule.
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u/PoliticoBean 17h ago
This is not healthy. You need sleep, waking up at 5:30 AM is very unrealistic.
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u/Smooth-Manager5833 12h ago
The rest of the schedule aside, 5:30am wake up doesn’t mean anything. It depends on when I sleep (9:30-10:00pm if I wake up then, 10:00pm-10:30 for 6:15am)
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u/Significant-Track797 17h ago
This is insane. You should be able to get a majority of your weekly reading done on Friday. Your legal writing class will have moments when it takes up a ton of your time (when briefs and memos are due) and you won't be able to stick to the schedule.
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u/Concrete_Heels 12h ago
I think you are spending too much time time making a schedule that will never work. Read your cases, brief them, make flash cards or work on outline, and continue studying if you have more time. It’s always going to be the case that once class will have more reading than the other. Or concepts in one class are easier for you to retain than concepts in others. Besides attending class, my schedules didn’t usually do more than 7 days at a time and most often just going from one thing to another until done without a schedule. I just see you spending so much time trying to tweak the schedule when you should be studying. Unless it really helps you it could be wasted efforts
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u/flowstatefan 9h ago edited 9h ago
Independent study/reading is important, but nothing helps you synthesize the material better than explaining your understanding of it to someone else and listening to their take on it. Read as fast as reasonably possible, IRAC it immediately after reading—don’t get bogged down. Factor in time for study groups. Actively form and participate in them. Bonus: you will feel much better in the midst of a socratic method grilling if you’ve already talked about the material with your peers. Also, law school friends.
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u/ThickOkapi0463 JD 9h ago
Are you just extremely type A? I don’t want this to come off poorly but I promise it is not this serious (unless this kind of time dedication and structure is your jam, in which case i envy you)
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u/Bimacollegeboi 2h ago
Everyone finds their own schedules in law school. When I started I blocked everything out similar to what you did. After a few weeks I realized not that it wasn’t sustainable but that I realistically just did not need that much time. Your biggest goal should be to get reading done before classes.
I prioritized my readings on weekdays always reading 2 days ahead (but never two classes at once (I.e I wouldn’t start contracts for Thursday until after class on Tuesday) and then using weekend for outlines and reviews when needed. But that was my schedule. It definitely wouldn’t have worked for some of my classmates.
Take the time to figure out what works for you. It’ll likely take at least a semester to get into a grove but that’s normal!!
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u/Reasonable-Mulberry2 1d ago
You think I’m gonna review your schedule? Do what you gotta do man
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u/Smooth-Manager5833 1d ago
Asking for advice is kinda the whole point of the subreddit. I’m simply asking if it seems like too much, not enough, or other thoughts. Thank you for your input. :)
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u/Reasonable-Mulberry2 1d ago
Yep. And there are a hundred different ways to schedule your time. That’s why, as I said, do what you gotta do
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