6 posts tagged “bar exam”

The BarBri books are back in their box.  Well, boxes.  All the study materials I accumulated won't fit into one box anymore.  I'm keeping them on the off chance I failed the bar exam and have to re-take it.  Basically, I think that packing up the books and moving them to DC will ensure that I don't ever need them again. 

So yes, the bar exam is over.  It was tough, but not as bad as I thought.  I'm not a terrible test taker though.  I had about a 30 second moment of panic right before the first set of essays was handed out, but after that, I was ok.  And I lucked out - I was in a room of fairly calm people.  Or at least people who kept their freakouts inside.  People in other rooms were throwing up, getting nosebleeds, sobbing, etc.  My room was much more calm.

The test was what I expected, though perhaps not the subjects I expected.  We were told to anticipate certain subjects, but make sure we knew everything, just in case.  One subject we were pretty much assured of being on there wasn't tested, and I spent HOURS on it.  But on the up side, after all those hours, I still didn't really understand it, so perhaps not getting tested on it was a good thing.  Either way, 10 essays (well, 9 and an MPT), and 200 multiple choice questions later, it's done.

I thought it would be a bigger relief.  That I would feel like celebrating.  That streamers would fall from the sky.  Really, it was just very anti-climactic.  No streamers or anything.  Lots of exhaustion.  I guess the real celebrating will come in 8 weeks when we get our results.  For now, we're kind of in limbo, I guess.

• Bar exam = death. 
  
• I learned yesterday that while the IL bar exam is incredibly restrictive (no food, candy, gum, water, flip flops, and please check your soul at the door), the Oregon bar exam is awesome (please wear shoes and no home made baked goods - though how pot brownies are going to help you on the exam is beyond me).
• New Harry Potter movie = awesome, and too short.  I would like to see extended versions of these movies a la LOTR please and thank you.
• I have an apartment in DC!  Well, in the DC area - Silver Spring to be exact.  It's in the complex I wanted, so I'm pretty pumped.  It's also bigger than I wanted, which is good and bad.  Good because it'll be nice to have the space.  Bad because more space = more money.  But it will all work out
• My brother bought a HOUSE.  How is the the more grown-up of the two of us?
• And now that the oven has finished pre-heating, I am back to the studying.  Thinking about being a lawyer?  Don't do it.  Or somehow figure out how to get out of the bar exam (I hear that in Wisconsin (?) you can just go to a law school within the state and if you graduate, BOOM, licensed.  No bar exam.  Cheese and no bar exams.  Might be the best state ever)
  

Bar studying is killing me.  KILLING ME.  I cannot express the pain of this experience.  Thinking about going to law school?  Just don't.  It's not worth the two months of hell you face after graduation.

I had such plans for this summer!  Real plans!  Study most of the day, have some nice leisurely lunches out with friends, see a movie or two every week.  So far?  Only stress filled lunches and one movie (which was Ocean's 13 and was super awesome, but that's not the point).

Nothing compares to the agony of sitting in a freezing cold classroom watching a video of a lecture on some boring legal issue for 3-4 hours (or more) every day and then coming home and studying til I want to cry.  I cannot express how much I dread the 8 hour classes we have Wednesday through Friday.  I cannot explain how horrifying I find S&M jokes mixed into Contracts lectures (you think I'm kidding?). 

I did get to go to Florida for 36 hours this weekend for a party for my grandmother and her husband.  It was nice to see the family, but the weekend was kind of crazy.  And now I'm super crazy behind in the studying.

The lesson here?  Don't go to law school.  The world doesn't need more lawyers.  Don't go to grad school.  Or better yet, go to one of those grad schools where they pay you to go and you can get a job right after you graduate and don't have to pass any crazy tests.  The end.

PMBR continues to not be exciting.  At least my skills are improving.  I got 20 something questions right today.  Out of 50. Contracts.  Big fun.  But I feel like I at least learned something today, and that's good.  We also got a copy of the suggested summer schedule for BarBri.  It's absolutely insane.  I don't know that I have the willpower to do 4 hours in class and then another 8 hours at home trying to study.  My goal was to do about 4 in the afternoon - but then I won't get everything done that they suggest.

I guess the best plan is to just wait and see and figure out what works best for me.

Grades are slowly rolling in.  So far, no surprises.  I expect it'll be weeks before the scary ones roll in.  But I know I passed and that's all that matters.

Running update:
1.84 miles today in 20 minutes, for a pace of about 11:07
4.5 miles this week, 41.7 miles this month.

I'm still behind in my goal to run 1000km this year.  I'm about 11 miles behind right now, which isn't a big deal.  To keep pace, I need to run about 12 miles a week, and I regularly do 15, so I'm sure I'll catch up in a few weeks.

In all my free time, I've been pondering everything I have to do before I move to D.C.  All my security clearance paperwork is in, and the PMF website officially lists me as a hire, so it looks like I'm good to go.  I have no concerns about my security stuff, having gone through various other types of clearances for the bar exam and previous jobs, so I figure that will come through pretty easily.

I put myself on a waiting list for an apartment.  That's a little scary.  I hope something turns up!  I won't find out anything until probably July or so, and I have no clue where I am on the waiting lis (I wonder if I can call and find out), but it would really be nice to have everything settled.

First day of bar review today.  PMBR Torts.  Clearly, I remembered nothing from Torts, as I got about 16 of the questions right in the 50 question test we did.  In my own defense, half of the stuff was stuff I'd never learned, so it was a lot of guessing.  Plus I should have reviewed the subject last night, and I didn't.  Contracts tomorrow, and I'm hoping to do better.  17 out of 50!  

Clearly, this is why I take these review classes.  I tried to review, but my brain would have none of it.  For whatever reason, I didn't sleep well last night, and my body's not used to being up so early.  I was hoping to get to sleep in tomorrow, at least an extra 30 minutes, but I promised Ashleigh that I would take her to the airport.  I need to pick her up between 6 and 6:10.  I think that means I will get up at 5:55.  And wear my running clothes to pick her up in hopes that I get back in time to get in my scheduled 20 minute run.  

Man, my life is so exciting, isn't it?

And now, I need to sleep.  Brain is tired.

Well, one big thing in my list of "things to do" can be checked off.  The symposium I've been planning since last spring was held on Friday, and it went off so well.  I met so many wonderful people, and people who were passionate about domestic violence.  It was just amazing.  If any of you live in an area where there is a Family Justice Center (just do a Google search - there aren't a lot of them), go volunteer.  Help fundraise.  Spread the word that this resource is out there for victims of domestic violence.  I met directors of four FJCs and I want to be them when I grow up.  They were just so passionate about their jobs and their causes.  It's great to get to experience that.

So now the next big thing on my list is the bar exam.  I guess finals should be in there, but I don't have that many, and compared to the bar, I'm not concerned.  I'm actually in the middle of a bar course right now.  Yep, they've started already.  Can't say I'm enjoying it.

I think now that I have my life back somewhat, I need to get back to taking running a bit more seriously.  Oh sure, I'm still getting out there, and I'm still following a running plan, but I think that I need to do more.  Get back to eating well so that runs go easier.  Get back to keeping a good running log - I've got one that has time, distance, shoes, calories burned, and location, but I need to keep taking notes so that I can figure out why a certain run goes well and why a certain run does not go well.

Initially, I had planned to run the St. Louis St. Patrick's Day 5 Mile Run.  I don't think that's going to happen now.  I know I could do it, and could finish, but I'm at the point where I don't have anyone to run it with, and I'm not really in shape to go run it anyway.  My longest runs still aren't 5 miles, since I'm trying to keep a slow build in my times and distances.  No need to thrust myself back into injury territory.

I'm going to re-do this past week's running schedule this week.  35 minutes on Monday, 30 on Wednesday and Friday, and 55 on Saturday.  Since I haven't run since Thursday due to the symposium, I might do a bit more than 35 on Monday, just depending on how I feel.  I'm hoping the weather stays nice so I can run outside.  I can do 30 minutes on a treadmill, but any more just gets monotonous.  I think it'd be different if I had my own treadmill and could watch whatever I wanted on tv.  But I definitely don't have the money or space for a treadmill right now.  So I'm stuck with the gym or the out of doors.  I much prefer outside.  I think most runners would agree.