Bar Prep has been a WHOLE NEW WORLD for me! I use to take pride in the fact that I was a good student. I was organized, structured, had clear thoughts and logical reasoning. My outlines (in my opinion) were pristine. As a matter of fact, I let a girlfriend borrow my Evidence outline because she couldn’t get a grasp on the subject. She said it “was a thing of beauty” and helped her grasp concepts that she would have not otherwise understood. If I was so good at earning the grade, why am I lacking at being a good preparer for the bar?!
People mentioned it to me before and I didn’t give their comments too much weight, but studying for the bar is a whole new beast. Although I think law school prepared me, generally, to be able to compartmentalize various sub-topics within a topic, it in no way prepared me for the massive volume of information that was going to be spit out to me all at once. Nor did it help me compartmentalize so many topics at once. At most, my brain has four areas for four different topics, five if two topics share a room.
The first week of bar prep I was in denial. Denying that the bar exam was approaching. Denying that this one test could make or break my immediate future (atleast until July). Denying that the good grades I got in law school may have been a farce to the real me who maybe isn’t cut out for this after all.
The second week got a little better. I got into the groove of studying. I knew what to expect when I was presented essays or knew how long it would take me to review the answers to 18 question-MBE sets (one and a half hours, in case you are interested). Listening to the constant complaining of other students about the amount of work we get, about the lack of school involvement in our success, about the lack of structure in the program really started to bring me down. And it was wearing on me mentally. So, now I have accepted my fate.
I understand the bar is coming in February whether I am ready for it or now. If I don’t want all of these hours spent studying to be for nothing, I better get rid of my negative attitude and get ready to address this exam head on.
So, this week I have accepted the challenge to go forth and nail this bar exam. And by “nail” I mean achieving a passing score. If I get one point higher than that, maybe I studied too hard 🙂
mom's law blog 
Sorry, I just discovered your site, but … You’re a mother to an infant who worked while in law school?
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Did you figure out how to stop time? What energy drink do you use, and where is it available? Do you have three extra sets of arms and an extra set of eyes? What you’ve done is truly impressive.
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Hi! So many people looked at me like I was a crazy person when we told them we were planning on having a child during my second year of law school. To be honest, it is all a blur now. I did work full time, went to school four days a week in the evenings, and managed to be with my daughter as often as time permitted. That meant late nights and early morning weekend studying but I was able to pull it off. And judging from my final GPA and class ranking, I pulled it off well if I am allowed to say so myself.
I wish I could have stopped time because now I am a mother to a one-year old while I am studying for the bar and I feel like now is the age she is discovering so many amazing things and I am the second person to see them as opposed to the first. But I keep telling myself, it will all be worth it.
My energy drink of choice was coffee, straight up 🙂 Every now and then a shot of espresso was in order. As for the extra set of arms and legs…I do have those as a matter of fact! My husband! Although people say what “I” have done is impressive, what he has done is just as impressive. He ran his own business from home while raising our daughter and keeping our household managed while I focused all my energy where it needed to be. I think we make a great team!
Thanks for stopping by my site! I really appreciate it!
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