What to do when you find yourself with little to do? Forum

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muscleboundlaw

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What to do when you find yourself with little to do?

Post by muscleboundlaw » Mon Sep 11, 2017 7:53 pm

I have spent a lot of time in the first couple of weeks in L1 reading and getting ahead. I am at the point where I am basically a week and a half ahead in terms of reading. I am retaining well. Not perfectly, obviously. Still, good enough to feel comfortable. The readings don't fly over my head most times, and I reread things that confuse me multiple times for saturation. Still, I have an unsettled feeling. It could be because everyone else is talking about their restless nights, or I think that there is a standard I am supposed to be meeting. Either way, I am a little uncomfortable finishing my work after 3 to 4 hours of studying a day given that so many are studying 8 to 12. Should I be reviewing law now? Outlining? Or should I wait to outline and review until there is a bit more coherence in the course load? Am I just being paranoid because I am comparing myself to everyone else?

blueapple

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Re: What to do when you find yourself with little to do?

Post by blueapple » Mon Sep 11, 2017 8:10 pm

watch netflix

eta: nah but seriously I wouldn't worry. you sound like you're preparing well and doing fine. 8-12 hours of work a day sounds insane to me so you shouldn't aspire to that
Last edited by blueapple on Fri Jan 26, 2018 8:03 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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pancakes3

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Re: What to do when you find yourself with little to do?

Post by pancakes3 » Mon Sep 11, 2017 8:12 pm

hit the gym, then hit the bar. it's natural for you to feel anxious about not working as hard as people putting in 12-18 hr days but don't. the stuff isn't that hard. if you're keeping up, then you're fine.

also, if you really do have the time to spare, go get some face-time with profs for office hours.

Davidbentley

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Re: What to do when you find yourself with little to do?

Post by Davidbentley » Mon Sep 11, 2017 8:18 pm

My one law school regret is that I didn't golf more. Spend the time you need to feel confident and then call it a day. Comparison is the thief of joy and all that.

muscleboundlaw

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Re: What to do when you find yourself with little to do?

Post by muscleboundlaw » Mon Sep 11, 2017 8:26 pm

Wow. I didn't expect these responses. Kind of expected a lashing, to be honest. Well, I am at the gym 5 times a week so I have that covered. Glad to know you guys understand where I am coming from. Reading some of the guides here, it does seem like some people work a much smaller course load and do well.

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RaceJudicata

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Re: What to do when you find yourself with little to do?

Post by RaceJudicata » Mon Sep 11, 2017 8:33 pm

You are fine. I'd advise against getting too far ahead - it can be counter productive and some profs will ditch readings, change things up, etc.

You could consider starting to put together the bones of an outline. But don't go crazy with it. And please don't study for 12+ hours per day this point in the semester.

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Mullens

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Re: What to do when you find yourself with little to do?

Post by Mullens » Mon Sep 11, 2017 8:42 pm

The free time you have now will later be taken up with outlining and other exam prep. But for now? Enjoy your free time!

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unlicensedpotato

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Re: What to do when you find yourself with little to do?

Post by unlicensedpotato » Mon Sep 11, 2017 8:47 pm

It's a marathon -- just do the readings and relax for now. It's way more valuable to put in your heavy hours when exams are closer.

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QuentonCassidy

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Re: What to do when you find yourself with little to do?

Post by QuentonCassidy » Mon Sep 11, 2017 8:54 pm

Yeah OP, FWIW I spent very little time on school 1L year, at least compared to what my peers seemed to talk about doing. Some would talk about waking up hours before classes started to review the readings and then reading/outlining/studying for hours every day after class, whereas I would wake up just in time to get to class, read for 1-2 hours after classes and then do whatever I wanted after that. A couple of times early on I worried that maybe I was doing something wrong, but that definitely wasn't the case. Moral of the story is that law school seems to take vastly differing amounts of time investment for different people; if you are understanding the material then you do you.

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muscleboundlaw

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Re: What to do when you find yourself with little to do?

Post by muscleboundlaw » Mon Sep 11, 2017 9:08 pm

Out of curiosity, the serious stuff should be happening around 2 months before exams, correct?

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Re: What to do when you find yourself with little to do?

Post by muscleboundlaw » Mon Sep 11, 2017 9:10 pm

QuentonCassidy wrote:Yeah OP, FWIW I spent very little time on school 1L year, at least compared to what my peers seemed to talk about doing. Some would talk about waking up hours before classes started to review the readings and then reading/outlining/studying for hours every day after class, whereas I would wake up just in time to get to class, read for 1-2 hours after classes and then do whatever I wanted after that. A couple of times early on I worried that maybe I was doing something wrong, but that definitely wasn't the case. Moral of the story is that law school seems to take vastly differing amounts of time investment for different people; if you are understanding the material then you do you.
Okay, phew, that makes me feel so much better. I wake up three hours before class, do two hours of reading, and then finish up with a couple of hours once I get home. I then have around 5-10 to do anything. It's an odd feeling, like you described. I feel jittery and a bit anxious that everyone else knows something that I don't. Also, were you retaining exceptionally? I don't remember everything, but I understand the law and how it is being used. I figure the memory portion will be refined during finals crunch time.

Oh, go spurs go!

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QuentonCassidy

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Re: What to do when you find yourself with little to do?

Post by QuentonCassidy » Mon Sep 11, 2017 9:35 pm

muscleboundlaw wrote:
QuentonCassidy wrote:Yeah OP, FWIW I spent very little time on school 1L year, at least compared to what my peers seemed to talk about doing. Some would talk about waking up hours before classes started to review the readings and then reading/outlining/studying for hours every day after class, whereas I would wake up just in time to get to class, read for 1-2 hours after classes and then do whatever I wanted after that. A couple of times early on I worried that maybe I was doing something wrong, but that definitely wasn't the case. Moral of the story is that law school seems to take vastly differing amounts of time investment for different people; if you are understanding the material then you do you.
Okay, phew, that makes me feel so much better. I wake up three hours before class, do two hours of reading, and then finish up with a couple of hours once I get home. I then have around 5-10 to do anything. It's an odd feeling, like you described. I feel jittery and a bit anxious that everyone else knows something that I don't. Also, were you retaining exceptionally? I don't remember everything, but I understand the law and how it is being used. I figure the memory portion will be refined during finals crunch time.

Oh, go spurs go!
I was, but I am also a bit of an outlier when it comes to that stuff. I wouldn't worry about retention so much as understanding, which it seems like you get. A deeper understanding of the law is definitely more valuable than a deeper memory of it.

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RCSOB657

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Re: What to do when you find yourself with little to do?

Post by RCSOB657 » Mon Sep 11, 2017 9:40 pm

You could always go hit on undergrads.

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muscleboundlaw

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Re: What to do when you find yourself with little to do?

Post by muscleboundlaw » Mon Sep 11, 2017 9:46 pm

QuentonCassidy wrote:
muscleboundlaw wrote:
QuentonCassidy wrote:Yeah OP, FWIW I spent very little time on school 1L year, at least compared to what my peers seemed to talk about doing. Some would talk about waking up hours before classes started to review the readings and then reading/outlining/studying for hours every day after class, whereas I would wake up just in time to get to class, read for 1-2 hours after classes and then do whatever I wanted after that. A couple of times early on I worried that maybe I was doing something wrong, but that definitely wasn't the case. Moral of the story is that law school seems to take vastly differing amounts of time investment for different people; if you are understanding the material then you do you.
Okay, phew, that makes me feel so much better. I wake up three hours before class, do two hours of reading, and then finish up with a couple of hours once I get home. I then have around 5-10 to do anything. It's an odd feeling, like you described. I feel jittery and a bit anxious that everyone else knows something that I don't. Also, were you retaining exceptionally? I don't remember everything, but I understand the law and how it is being used. I figure the memory portion will be refined during finals crunch time.

Oh, go spurs go!
I was, but I am also a bit of an outlier when it comes to that stuff. I wouldn't worry about retention so much as understanding, which it seems like you get. A deeper understanding of the law is definitely more valuable than a deeper memory of it.
Ahh, okay. Thank you for your advice. I will definitely spend more time on trouble areas if I have any during the course of the semester. I will commit to memory during crunch time as well.

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Re: What to do when you find yourself with little to do?

Post by muscleboundlaw » Mon Sep 11, 2017 9:47 pm

RCSOB657 wrote:You could always go hit on undergrads.
Marriage makes this an impossibility. I feel like an old man with some of the people in my class (I am 29).

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RCSOB657

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Re: What to do when you find yourself with little to do?

Post by RCSOB657 » Mon Sep 11, 2017 10:54 pm

muscleboundlaw wrote:
RCSOB657 wrote:You could always go hit on undergrads.
Marriage makes this an impossibility. I feel like an old man with some of the people in my class (I am 29).

I can tell you marriage does not make this impossible. For some people (not mine, mind you) marriage is a just another chance to explore more.

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Re: What to do when you find yourself with little to do?

Post by A. Nony Mouse » Mon Sep 11, 2017 10:56 pm

RCSOB657 wrote:
muscleboundlaw wrote:
RCSOB657 wrote:You could always go hit on undergrads.
Marriage makes this an impossibility. I feel like an old man with some of the people in my class (I am 29).

I can tell you marriage does not make this impossible. For some people (not mine, mind you) marriage is a just another chance to explore more.
Dude, this is an on-topic thread about work required in law school, why are you bringing poly relationships into this?

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Re: What to do when you find yourself with little to do?

Post by UVA2B » Mon Sep 11, 2017 10:59 pm

Take comfort that you're retaining all of the reading, and just keep a steady strain in retaining the material. The hardest part is still in the near future when you have to synthesize everything into a workable model for understanding complicated fact patterns (it's not that hard, but it's decidedly harder than simply understanding the holding and rationale in a case).

Best of luck and make sure you don't let off the gas when November rolls around and you'll be synthesizing in 5th gear.

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Re: What to do when you find yourself with little to do?

Post by muscleboundlaw » Mon Sep 11, 2017 11:46 pm

UVA2B wrote:Take comfort that you're retaining all of the reading, and just keep a steady strain in retaining the material. The hardest part is still in the near future when you have to synthesize everything into a workable model for understanding complicated fact patterns (it's not that hard, but it's decidedly harder than simply understanding the holding and rationale in a case).

Best of luck and make sure you don't let off the gas when November rolls around and you'll be synthesizing in 5th gear.
Thank you. I will need to make sure I consistently stay active and don't slack. Sometimes, confidence can become an issue.

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RCSOB657

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Re: What to do when you find yourself with little to do?

Post by RCSOB657 » Tue Sep 12, 2017 5:13 am

UVA2B wrote:Take comfort that you're retaining all of the reading, and just keep a steady strain in retaining the material. The hardest part is still in the near future when you have to synthesize everything into a workable model for understanding complicated fact patterns (it's not that hard, but it's decidedly harder than simply understanding the holding and rationale in a case).

Best of luck and make sure you don't let off the gas when November rolls around and you'll be synthesizing in 5th gear.
That's damn good advice

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