Shut down social media during bar prep or keep normal routine going Forum

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gladiator0flaw11

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Shut down social media during bar prep or keep normal routine going

Post by gladiator0flaw11 » Wed May 16, 2018 12:17 pm

Taking Themis Bar Prep Review and my tutor recommends not changing anything in my schedule. I still wake up 5am every day and go to the gym (although sleeping by 7pm during the week, pathetic I know). I'm also in the process of getting my MBA, but completely slacking off due to bar prep. I am trying to listen to the lectures and type out my rule statements from the practice questions and my friends are constantly texting me about weekend plans etc. I'm not sure if I should completely go off the grid and isolate like I did during 1L until the end of July or if I need that outlet on the weekends when I complete my prep during the week. I want to hear from those that did one or the other and passed the exam. Thank you!

SFSpartan

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Re: Shut down social media during bar prep or keep normal routine going

Post by SFSpartan » Wed May 16, 2018 1:29 pm

I didn't turn off social media, but am a big advocate of doing whatever you did during 1L (assuming you were successful). If turning off social media worked for you during 1L, would suggest doing the same for the Bar.

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anandamide

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Re: Shut down social media during bar prep or keep normal routine going

Post by anandamide » Wed May 16, 2018 3:50 pm

I would suggest putting your phone away while you study. Put it away for 50 min then check for 10 min.

deference

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Re: Shut down social media during bar prep or keep normal routine going

Post by deference » Wed May 16, 2018 6:11 pm

I used Barbri for my prep. I treated it like a full time job, 9-5:30, no more and no less, and then put in maybe 6 hours during the weekend. I use the weekday mornings for the lectures and the afternoons for practice questions. I also liked to use the time in the gym when on the treadmill just to go over the outline mentally.

sprintin23

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Re: Shut down social media during bar prep or keep normal routine going

Post by sprintin23 » Wed May 16, 2018 6:51 pm

I would suggest shutting it down. I know it is hard to turn away from whatever everyone else is doing, but it will pay off having one less distraction. I find that the people who have to post EVERY little thing about their bar prep adventures or misadventures are the ones that will likely be humbled come results day. Don't let it be you.

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beautyistruth

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Re: Shut down social media during bar prep or keep normal routine going

Post by beautyistruth » Thu May 17, 2018 12:34 pm

People overblow how difficult bar prep is. If you have mid-May through July to study full-time, treat it like a 9-5 job. Commit to start studying at 9 on the dot, stop at 5, take a lunch break. Turn off social media during that time period if you can't control yourself. That's more than enough hours put in to be well-prepared and that leaves your nights and weekends relatively free.

It's all about making sure that you're actually studying during the time you set aside to study. The only reason bar prep feels like t sucks up your entire life is if you half-study, half dick around when you set aside prep time.

(I sort of thought it was one of the most relaxed summers of my life. Free nights and weekends, no office politicking, no boss to answer to, no deadlines except for one in July).

beautyistruth

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Re: Shut down social media during bar prep or keep normal routine going

Post by beautyistruth » Thu May 17, 2018 12:40 pm

Oh also, FWIW I found that it's a pretty satisfying learning process because at the end of the day, the information is broad, but shallow. None of it is hard. Unlike difficult law school classes where I would spend 5 hours and end up banging my head against the wall, bar prep is so streamlined that if you put in 5 hours, you more-or-less come out knowing 5 hours more material. I really think you'll be find that keeping a normal routine is quite easy.

mec215

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Re: Shut down social media during bar prep or keep normal routine going

Post by mec215 » Thu May 17, 2018 12:58 pm

beautyistruth wrote:People overblow how difficult bar prep is. If you have mid-May through July to study full-time, treat it like a 9-5 job. Commit to start studying at 9 on the dot, stop at 5, take a lunch break. Turn off social media during that time period if you can't control yourself. That's more than enough hours put in to be well-prepared and that leaves your nights and weekends relatively free.

It's all about making sure that you're actually studying during the time you set aside to study. The only reason bar prep feels like t sucks up your entire life is if you half-study, half dick around when you set aside prep time.

(I sort of thought it was one of the most relaxed summers of my life. Free nights and weekends, no office politicking, no boss to answer to, no deadlines except for one in July).
I have a question about the relatively free nights and weekends thing. The way Barbri's PSP is set up, it looks like there are assignments for every day, including weekends (with the exception of Memorial Day and July 4). Did you find that you are able to get through enough material by not studying on weekends, but loading more assignments than Barbri assigns for each weekday?

I feel like I'm not getting how the PSP is supposed to work.

SFSpartan

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Re: Shut down social media during bar prep or keep normal routine going

Post by SFSpartan » Thu May 17, 2018 2:25 pm

mec215 wrote:
beautyistruth wrote:People overblow how difficult bar prep is. If you have mid-May through July to study full-time, treat it like a 9-5 job. Commit to start studying at 9 on the dot, stop at 5, take a lunch break. Turn off social media during that time period if you can't control yourself. That's more than enough hours put in to be well-prepared and that leaves your nights and weekends relatively free.

It's all about making sure that you're actually studying during the time you set aside to study. The only reason bar prep feels like t sucks up your entire life is if you half-study, half dick around when you set aside prep time.

(I sort of thought it was one of the most relaxed summers of my life. Free nights and weekends, no office politicking, no boss to answer to, no deadlines except for one in July).
I have a question about the relatively free nights and weekends thing. The way Barbri's PSP is set up, it looks like there are assignments for every day, including weekends (with the exception of Memorial Day and July 4). Did you find that you are able to get through enough material by not studying on weekends, but loading more assignments than Barbri assigns for each weekday?

I feel like I'm not getting how the PSP is supposed to work.
The PSP is a tool that you ultimately need to modify for yourself as follows - study however you study best, and use the PSP as a way to guide you through the process. So, for example, if you can consume Barbri's videos at 1.5x speed without losing out on comprehension, do that. If you write better in the morning, try to do practice tests then, etc.

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hockeyman969

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Re: Shut down social media during bar prep or keep normal routine going

Post by hockeyman969 » Thu May 17, 2018 5:54 pm

Treat it like a full time job, if you have that luxury. In law school I worked full time and went to school nights then had the luxury of studying for the UBE as a 9-5 and did have a social life, but no social media...big distraction. Do the work they give you but pay attention to your trouble spits, catch them early and keep on top of it.

I studied for Florida while clerking and I returned to that brutality and it was no weekends, studying twice as hard as I did in law school due to limited time.

The PSP is nice, but if you're disciplined enough to keep on top, then use your best judgment and get it done, just make sure you hammer out MBE questions and essays as well as look at MPTs.

beautyistruth

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Re: Shut down social media during bar prep or keep normal routine going

Post by beautyistruth » Thu May 17, 2018 11:00 pm

mec215 wrote:
beautyistruth wrote:People overblow how difficult bar prep is. If you have mid-May through July to study full-time, treat it like a 9-5 job. Commit to start studying at 9 on the dot, stop at 5, take a lunch break. Turn off social media during that time period if you can't control yourself. That's more than enough hours put in to be well-prepared and that leaves your nights and weekends relatively free.

It's all about making sure that you're actually studying during the time you set aside to study. The only reason bar prep feels like t sucks up your entire life is if you half-study, half dick around when you set aside prep time.

(I sort of thought it was one of the most relaxed summers of my life. Free nights and weekends, no office politicking, no boss to answer to, no deadlines except for one in July).
I have a question about the relatively free nights and weekends thing. The way Barbri's PSP is set up, it looks like there are assignments for every day, including weekends (with the exception of Memorial Day and July 4). Did you find that you are able to get through enough material by not studying on weekends, but loading more assignments than Barbri assigns for each weekday?

I feel like I'm not getting how the PSP is supposed to work.
I don’t know anybody who completed the PSP, and mostly everybody I know passed (such that there wasn’t a correlatiom between the few friends I know who failed and how much of thr PSP they finished).

Once you take full practice tests you’ll have a good enough sense to pick and choose what you need to practice.

Tony48

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Re: Shut down social media during bar prep or keep normal routine going

Post by Tony48 » Fri May 18, 2018 11:36 am

Just shut it down. Bar prep is serious. You can get back the moment you finish taking the bar, but for now......just put it away.

Tony48

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Re: Shut down social media during bar prep or keep normal routine going

Post by Tony48 » Fri May 18, 2018 11:42 am

sprintin23 wrote:I would suggest shutting it down. I know it is hard to turn away from whatever everyone else is doing, but it will pay off having one less distraction. I find that the people who have to post EVERY little thing about their bar prep adventures or misadventures are the ones that will likely be humbled come results day. Don't let it be you.
My friend was on FB 24/7 and unsurprisingly failed back in July. Took it again, posting every little detail about bar prep on FB, and -- BIG SHOCK -- failed again. Now, this person is taking it a third time and is posting bar prep questions for everyone to answer to help study, because why not?

Like.....wtf?! GET OFF OF FACEBOOK!

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Legallybrunettes

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Re: Shut down social media during bar prep or keep normal routine going

Post by Legallybrunettes » Fri May 18, 2018 1:43 pm

I thought about shutting it all down, but I actually found it motivating having people tell me you're doing great and such! But also, I took it in February and the weather sucked so I was not missing out on my friends and family's summer adventures.... I think if I took it in summer I may have turned off social media.

I have never done that for finals or anything though besides maybe a week or so 1L finals, and if you're someone who does need to turn it off then you definitely should now.

Bar prep is also a balancing game of maintaining your sanity, I still allowed myself to watch Shonda Rhimes Thursdays on TV and went to see Black Panther. You may need to put in extra hours, but your mental health is also important you can't deprive yourself of everything good for two months, you'll go crazy!

b290

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Re: Shut down social media during bar prep or keep normal routine going

Post by b290 » Fri May 18, 2018 6:33 pm

Tony48 wrote:
sprintin23 wrote:I would suggest shutting it down. I know it is hard to turn away from whatever everyone else is doing, but it will pay off having one less distraction. I find that the people who have to post EVERY little thing about their bar prep adventures or misadventures are the ones that will likely be humbled come results day. Don't let it be you.
My friend was on FB 24/7 and unsurprisingly failed back in July. Took it again, posting every little detail about bar prep on FB, and -- BIG SHOCK -- failed again. Now, this person is taking it a third time and is posting bar prep questions for everyone to answer to help study, because why not?

Like.....wtf?! GET OFF OF FACEBOOK!
THIS! I never shut down mine, but ended up staying away bec I'd to get into too many "spirited discussions." It's a good thing to be off of FB/Twitter/your fav social media & it's even better when you're cut off from the news (Spoiler: It's been getting worse for decades). As for contact, if people really needed to know what I was doing, they could contact me - I'd just respond when I felt necessary.

I remember my Property prof's philosophy from 1L: pick one thing for your off time (it's effectively "sanity time"). But beyond that gradually, but effectively, cut everything else off. You'll have all the time in the world to work/enjoy/BS after the exam - w/ the long wait, you'll even run out of things to do. Unless you live in AK (or Canada), you even have at least a month of beautiful weather (and that's not counting early-mid fall).

Make this your last time you take this exam - your future self will take you later.

My $.02

nixy

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Re: Shut down social media during bar prep or keep normal routine going

Post by nixy » Fri May 18, 2018 9:28 pm

I didn’t change anything about my social media use and passed without issues.

animalpeople

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Re: Shut down social media during bar prep or keep normal routine going

Post by animalpeople » Sat May 19, 2018 10:11 am

nixy wrote:I didn’t change anything about my social media use and passed without issues.
Same. Worth noting I'm not really that active and check FB no more than twice a day.

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