Am I cut out for the law?

Lawster9

If I’m too lazy to study for more than a couple hours a day, does that suggest I’m not cut out for the rigors of law school and lawyering?

NotMyName

Yes.

If your laziness only permits ~2 hours of study per day then law school is a bad idea.

Ohnoeshalpme

No it does not mean that you aren't cut out for the law. Studying for the LSAT is an isolated, repetitive and disheartening process. You don't really build on the skills that you learn in this test. You are merely studying to get a score. Most students struggle with burnout similar to what you're describing.

Studying in a law school is obviously not similar whatsoever to the LSAT, however in terms of self discipline and perseverance it is similar. In that respect, I would say that the test for yourself is the amount of time and preparation you're willing to pour into law school admissions. This includes financial, geographical and academic research. If you aren't interested in doing any of these things, if you aren't excited to go to law school and if you aren't motivated to do what needs to be done in your LSAT studies then yes, you probably aren't cut out for it.

Lawster9

@NotMyName

@Ohnoeshalpme

Thanks for your insights! I'm currently going through the core curriculum, and I'm just about finished the invalid argument form section of the syllabus.

Was your study schedule like when you guys where going through the CC?

Ohnoeshalpme

@Lawster9 said:
@NotMyName

@Ohnoeshalpme

Thanks for your insights! I'm currently going through the core curriculum, and I'm just about finished the invalid argument form section of the syllabus.

Was your study schedule like when you guys where going through the CC?

I was taking 6 classes and working when I first started studying so I only put in about an hour a day for the first few months. Once I quit my job I was able to sink in 2-3 hours a day and then when I hit summer and worked only part time I ranged from 3-4 hours 6 days a week. Keep in mind that this was over the course of a year where I took off about 3 months because I couldn't find the time between all my other responsibilities.

The bright side here is that I was able to improve doing only little bits here and there and taking several long breaks. My diagnostic was a 149 and I my PT average is a 165. As long as you stay motivated for a long time, you will improve, it's all about getting back up on the horse when you fall off and having a strong long-term perseverance and passion for becoming a lawyer.

NotMyName

I studied about 3-4 hours per day. Some days I only studied 1-2, other days upwards of 6. I finished the CC in 2.5 months I think. The quality of study matters more than hours committed, though.

Citing "laziness" is what's most concerning in your post. It's unlikely that anyone will be enthralled by every subject they encounter in law school. It will still demand your best effort, though.

Edit: I started in September of 2016 and only finished in July of this year. I probably could have shortened that time significantly had I studied properly from the start though.

Leah M B

I think it depends on context here. Since I worked full time while studying, I could only really effectively study for about 2 hours on any given weeknight. I don't think that meant I was lazy. In fact, that's what most folks working full time average on a work day. Some are able to do more, some less. But no shame in 2 hours if you put in a full day of work too.

If you're not working at all or going to school and only studying for the LSAT... then, maybe. But, what @Ohnoeshalpme described above is also a factor. The LSAT can be repetitive and feels like drudgery and, although I do believe it builds some skills that benefit you in law school like logical thinking and intense reading comprehension, it's obviously not the same material as in law school. Lots of folks find it boring or meaningless. It's also very isolating, since you typically aren't doing it along with 100+ other students, like in law school. Most of us don't have real life study groups to make it more bearable.

So that said, I think you should think about what's making you "lazy" and why you're only able to study for 2 hours a day. If it's because you're exhausted from other commitments like work and/or family, that's a factor. If you just don't like the material, that's something to consider. Maybe you are just burned out. But if the answer is... because I don't like studying anything for more than 2 hours and I'd rather be watching TV... then you might need to really think about law school.

I'm currently reading the book "The Law School Decision Game" by Ann Levine. It's only $8 for the Kindle version. I highly recommend it for you. It details out what qualities lawyers need, who is and isn't a good fit for law school, what lawyers actually do, discusses salaries thoroughly and in general is helpful advice to make the decision about whether or not to go. I think it'd be worth the $8 to help you clarify if you're working toward the right goals.

https://www.amazon.com/Law-School-Decision-Game-Prospective/dp/0983845301/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1538760721&sr=8-1&keywords=the+law+school+decision+game

_oshun1_

Yes and no. I worked full time and studied 2-4 hours a day for 6 months bc I want to go to school in 2019. When do you want to go to school? What are your goals? 2hrs a day would be fine if you aren’t applying this cycle. The fact that you aren’t studying more due to “laziness” and not bc of other responsibilities ie work/school is concerning though.

tekken1225

If you have no other commitments, and you're really too lazy to study >2 hours a day, then any kind of school would be a bad idea.

Lawster9

@NotMyName @Ohnoeshalpme @oshun1 @tekken1225 @"Leah M B"

Thank you all for your wise responses! It's awesome to ask a question and then get speedy and smart replies.

Here is a bit more context: I'm working part time (9-1). The max amount of studying I've been able to do so far is about 3 and a half hours using the Pomodoro method (high chance I'm ADHD lol).

I can definitely do about 2-2.5 hours of studying every day. After that amount of time I usually stop because I feel like my brain can't take in any more information... Is that ridiculous?

_oshun1_

Like I said, it depends on when you want to go to school. For next cycle, a couple hours of studying should be fine. You don’t want to rush through the beginning of the CC anyways. I think once you get to the problem sets you’ll probably be more motivated to get more hours in since you’re not just watching videos. Take notes and actively study. If you never in your life have been able to study for more than 2 hrs a day then honestly yeah you won’t be able to make it in law school.
Personally if I had been working part time I would’ve studied like 4-6 hrs a day. When I was working full time I studied 4 hrs a day and 6-8 hrs on weekends.

FixedDice

I don't know about law school, because undergraduate experience doesn't seem to correspond exactly to law school experience. If you want to go to law school, it's up to you. We live in a free country (or free countries, if you do not live in the US, with a number of exceptions), after all.

As for lawyering, however, you must think about others. If somebody does not like using his or her brain or cannot do so for an extended period of time, then I would strongly, strongly advise that person against pursuing legal career. Lawyers have to think constantly. An attorney not being diligent or screwing up is no joke.