Self-study
Balancing LSAT Study and Application Prep
Hi everyone! I made a post about this a couple of weeks ago, and I can confidently say I haven't been balancing things well. :(
I feel like I'm not making enough progress on either my LSAT prep or my applications.
I've definitely been spending much less time studying for the LSAT than I should, and I'm getting really nervous since my August LSAT is only four weeks away.
At the same time, all I've done for my applications is put together a school list. I still haven't figured out my personal statement outline.
Does anyone have advice on how to balance both? I want to stay disciplined and make solid progress on both my LSAT and my applications, but it honestly feels overwhelming. How are you all managing your time?
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11 comments
You’re absolutely not alone in this. I saw your post and felt it in my chest because I’m right there with you. I’m taking a gap year, and I had every intention of taking the test in August. But when the time came, I knew I wasn’t ready, and instead of forcing it, I chose to slow down and be intentional.
Working a 9–5, commuting almost an hour and twenty minutes, and still choosing to go straight to the library until 8 p.m after work is not easy. But it’s discipline. It’s commitment. And even when I get home around 9, I feel proud knowing I didn’t give up on myself.
I haven’t started applications yet either, and that’s okay. I’ll get there once my LSAT foundation feels solid. What keeps me grounded is remembering that one test does not define my future. Law school will still be there when I’m ready.
Please give yourself grace. You’re building something bigger than this moment. YOU'VE GOT THIS!
@TiffanyMeadows Really relate to this from the commute to the library, genuinely right there with you
@TiffanyMeadows Thank you so much for this. It honestly made me feel less alone.
I really admire your discipline. Going straight to the library after a long commute and a full workday is incredibly impressive. You're inspiring! We've got this!!
Hi Ashley, start using your stress and anxiety as motivation. Be thankful that you have these feelings because that means you want something. Start reaching out for your letters of recommendation now so that they have time to write a good one for you. Next, when you wake up in the morning, and don't feel like studying then work on application components. The next day if you are ready to study then study. But remember to be disciplined at the same time. I realized forcing myself to study is a mistake when I'm extremely tired or unmotivated I'm wasting time and not retaining any information. Your biggest struggle right now is your mindset. I like looking at my personal statement as a fun way to recap on my life and why I'm interested in law school. Don't focus on what you think law schools want to hear. Be authentic to yourself and I promise you will write a fantastic statement. Don't spend too much time reading other personal statements; this limits creativity. I realized when I stopped drilling so much, I was actually having fun studying for this test. Another thing that helped me was just reading the stimulus of LR or RC; this is a fantastic approach because you are digging into the fundamentals and you might enjoy it too. It might help you with procrastinating because you aren't getting a question right or wrong. You will finally start to see the patterns when doing it this way. I strongly also suggest the loophole and using 7sage. Good luck! You got this.
@EmmaWelch Thank you so much for taking the time to write such a thoughtful response.
I appreciate your perspective on the personal statement. I've definitely been overthinking what admissions committees want to hear instead of focusing on my own story. I'll try to approach it with a different mindset.
Thanks again for the encouragement and the tips—I really appreciate it!
I might not have much advice here, but I just wanted to add that I'm in the exact same boat. You're not alone! A few things I've been trying to implement are:
1) Study imperfectly rather than not at all. E.g. Even if my goal is study for one hour today, if I only have 20 minutes, study for 20 minutes. Or even if I'm more tired than is ideal for studying, still do it/at least try. For me, the overwhelming thing is the actual act of booting up 7sage or opening a study book, but once I'm there, it's not so hard to continue. It's just hard to overcome that executive dysfunction for "only 20 minutes" of studying, but that's really just a mental construct. It actually takes like 1 minute to open 7sage or open to a chapter in a book. So I've just been trying to remind myself of that, so I can practice in smaller chunks if that's all I have. I'd rather study for 20 minutes than not at all.
2) Sometime this week, my plan is to take a realistic look at what my schedule is for each day and see which specific times of day I can put one-hour blocks of time. Abstractly thinking that I can squeeze in these one-hour blocks "somewhere today" has not been working for me. I don't know if your schedule is roughly the same every day, but mine is different from day to day and I've just had to accept that some days I might not have any time, some days I might have an hour block at 9am and another day I might have two one hour blocks at 10am and 5pm. I know it's hard to balance flexibility/realism and discipline, but I think both are needed in balance to create a realistic and successful plan for oneself. Once I find these one hour blocks (my goal is at least one one-hour block per day but ideally two), I'll try to treat them like absolutely set in stone appointments, like a doctor's appointment that you can't miss or you'll pay a cancellation fee.
3) Catch up on weekends. For me, weekends are where I get a lot of studying done because I'm not trying to juggle with my 9-5. One idea for juggling application prep and LSAT studying might be to only do application prep on the weekends, or only do application prep on certain days of the week so that it has a designated "container" and you're not worrying about it the other days of the week. I'm personally prioritizing studying right now, so I might designate only one weekday to application prep. Then more as it gets closer/I'm feeling more comfortable with my LSAT progress.
These are all just ideas. We're all figuring this out as we go, so again, you're not alone! You got this!
@kmbabcock Thank you so much for taking the time to write all of this!
I really like your point about studying imperfectly rather than not at all. There were some times where I just gave up on studying cause I thought I won't finish what I allotted on that day. I definitely need to get out of that habit!
I also love the idea of separating lsat studying and application prep. I've been trying to do both everyday and ended up not doing either of those satisfyingly. This is a great idea!
Wishing you the best with both the LSAT and applications. We've got this!
did you lift this from my bullet journal diary entry lmao - i feel SO similarly. A bit of panic for the August test coming up. I have letters of rec writers...but only 1 has actually written a letter. I don't have a solid school list (the price of CAS and school apps is killing me and i feel like i need to apply broadly but with what money?!?!). We'll simply have to get through this
@monmon We still have a lot of time left until the application opening so we should be fine!! OMG I feel the same about the prices they are simply so expensive and I'm broke as hell lol. We've got this!!
Hey Ashley I understand you so well right now! My advice is to focus on LSATs as much as you can right now! Send emails out to people for recomendations so you can start. You're not alone in your anxieties as I feel the exact same way. I cried yesterday because of my anxieties, but we can do this and at the end of the day we will be lawyers
@Esalas_me Thank you!! I'm so relieved knowing that I'm not the only one crying over this whole process! Yes, we'll all be lawyers at the end of the day. Wish you all the best :)