Having trouble balancing studying and working FT -- help!

shermankrs

So I've been studying for the LSAT since about February, only really studying in earnest since April. I have the premium course but I am still only 80% done on the core curriculum! I really hoped I could get through the core curriculum by the end of June but have been experiencing waning motivation these last few weeks and haven't been hitting the books as hard. I work full time, try to work out 3-5x a week, cook for myself, all that general life stuff gets in the way. I aim to study about 15-20 hours a week, in reality it's 15 in a good week and more like 10 hours per week on average. I'm also struggling because sometimes it says it'll only take 20 minutes for a logic problem set but it takes me 2+ hours to drill and review that one set 10x like JY says we need to!

I know this topic has been covered a little but but just wanted to hear others weigh in on what works for them. I absolutely cannot wake up earlier for the life of me, so I have been trying to stay late at my office after 5pm and study from 5-9 where there's no distractions. So I get home at 10. That seems to work except it leaves me feeling absolutely exhausted and very burnt out by Friday, and I usually have to get take out or something for dinner those nights. I've also been fairly successful at working out during my lunch break which has helped with the time management somewhat.

Also with just these last three months before October, can anyone suggest what I should really be focusing on? Would you suggest I just try to fast track through these last 20% of the core curriculum and start PTing as soon as possible? I've worked out I could probably do 2 PT's per week during the summer. I've also taken a few days off work here and there on Fridays to try to get more 3 day weekends this summer to allow for studying. I am aiming for a 170, my diagnostic was a 153... Any tips at all is helpful.. or perhaps some commiseration! Lol! Good luck everyone!

mpits001

I think you have a lot on your plate to be planning till October. If you're aiming for a 170 i'd highly suggest taking a lot more time. This also seems like you're going to burnout easily with the pressures of life and the exam. It's possible, but if you have the ability to wait, you should wait and refine your skills to as near perfect as possible!

Pacifico

@mpits001 said:
I think you have a lot on your plate to be planning till October. If you're aiming for a 170 i'd highly suggest taking a lot more time. This also seems like you're going to burnout easily with the pressures of life and the exam. It's possible, but if you have the ability to wait, you should wait and refine your skills to as near perfect as possible!

I definitely agree with everything here. A lot of people have been posting similar situations lately and I've advised all of them to prep for October, but be fully prepared mentally to postpone until December. Most of those people were just looking for 160+ and did not seem to be working full time and had much more time to devote to the LSAT. 10 hours a week is not enough time to really do 2 PTs, decent BRs of both, watch explanations of what you got wrong, etc.

Do not rush through the end of the curriculum, it's just as important as the rest of the curriculum. It sounds like you're looking for some validation to these approaches that you should already know are wrong. If I were you, I'd take a long hard look at what your progress has been so far, and understand how much more you really have to go. In my estimation you're going to end up with less than 20 PTs under your belt before the test, and while people certainly hit 170+ with less than 20 PTs, most of those people likely started in the mid to high 160s on a diagnostic. Breaking into each successive 5 point score band takes significantly more work as you climb higher.

Honestly with 10 or less hours per week studying, and the fact that you're not done the curriculum, I'd say December would be the absolute earliest test you should think you'll hit your target, but really you might benefit more from prepping for the extra year and taking February and June 2016. It sounds like your job is already burning you out on its own and studying at work is probably only going to exacerbate that problem. Furthermore, if you're struggling with motivation 12 weeks (12 weeks!) before the test, then that is a serious red flag to me.

I'd recommend finishing the curriculum at a normal pace and don't take any shortcuts. Then start taking PTs and get in on the group BR calls because they are a great motivator and opportunity for discussion along with the invaluable reviewing. I would stop studying everyday after work and maybe only do 2-3 days per week after work, and then more prep on the weekends (you didn't mention your weekend schedule but I'm assuming you're not doing any LSAT work then.

Also, as far as the LG stuff goes, check this guide out because you should not be needing to do every LG ten times: http://7sage.com/discussion/#/discussion/2737/logic-games-attack-strategy

Anyways, I don't mean to be the bearer of bad news but from the whole picture you paint, it just doesn't seem feasible, and there are plenty of people who study for over a year and still don't hit 170, so I worry that you may have unrealistic expectations for some sort of shortcuts or quick fixes that will get you there. This takes hard work, and a lot of it, so you need to be prepared that it will take some time. Good luck in your studies and feel free to hit me up if you have any additional questions.

shermankrs

Thanks for your thoughts @Pacifico and @mpits001. I have also been considering postponing til December (though I already paid for my seat at the October test) but am concerned it could potentially affect any scholarship chances. I have read that the earlier in the cycle you apply, the better for schollys. I am aiming at potentially getting scholarships at Tier 2 schools.. if I was able to hit 170 I would be a so-called splitter as my undergrad GPA (from a well respected undergrad that is known for not having grade inflation) is 3.3.

My job isn't particularly stressful and isn't causing burnout on its own, the office is a better space productivity wise for me than my own home. I do study on weekends, usually from about 3-8pm on Sat and Sun. I guess I actually study closer to 15+ hours per week, as I can usually get about 10 on the weekends and 5 hours during the week. It just doesn't seem reflected in my 7sage 'progress' because I go a lot slower than the curriculum estimates.

Honestly the reason I have been losing motivation is because I have been having a lot of discussions with lawyers at my firm (I'm a mid-level paralegal), and pretty much all of them have encouraged me to explore other options first. And these are lawyers who are in a successful high-paying job that is actually less stressful and less hours than most corporate gigs -- it's a boutique finance firm. They are not saying this in a way like they don't think I can go to law school and be a successful lawyer. They are saying this in a way that has a hint of 'you will be happier if you don't become a lawyer'. I have thought about this a lot - I have been out of undergrad for 5 years now and had plenty of time to ruminate on whether I wanted to be a lawyer.

I thought I had figured it out -- yes, yes I do want to be a lawyer and set my mind to the task. Now after having lunch with quite a few different lawyers and picking their brains, I am having second thoughts (again)! Agh! I've decided I simply will not go to law school at sticker price -- it's not worth it to me as much as I love the idea of being a lawyer and working with the law day in and day out, it's not worth being $100k+ in debt heading into my 30's. Some associates at my firm have told me they pay almost $2000/month in loans and will be for the next 10 years.. and these are lawyers that many people would say are 'living the dream' because they have $200k+ salaries and 60ish hour work weeks and can take vacations and stuff. It would be a completely different story for me if law school in the US was actually semi-affordable like it is in some other countries.

So I've told myself go ahead and study hard for the LSAT, do the applications, and see where the chips fall in the spring to see if law school is the right path for me. Anyway I think I do agree that it's better to take the LSAT when I'm ready - not necessarily self-impose an artificial deadline of October. Am just really concerned it would affect potential scholarships... any thoughts on that? Perhaps all of this is just stress and hand wringing... I do appreciate other 7sagers input!

Dr. Yamata

You might be somewhat accurate.. for example.. UT's "early admission" reward is like 10,000 per year. To be eligible for that for this cycle, you'd need to have an October score. Taking it in December would miss the cutoff date. (Not saying you're applying to UT, but just an example)

I think it could factor in, actually. But if you end up bombing and scoring below your target, you'll have to wait until December anyway. Maybe taking the test in October then planning to either cancel or retake is a good strategy. Sitting for the test was an interesting experience that I'm not sure I could have simulated any other way.

Pacifico

First of all, while merit aid is to some extent a first come first served type of deal, that is a misleading way to think about it (for many reasons, another of which I'll discuss below) because a 155 in October with a 3.3 will likely get you next to no aid from most schools, while a 170 in December will get you a decent amount of aid and, more importantly, significant leverage to negotiate with. Most apps don't open until late summer/early fall, so nobody is getting accepted in September and beating you to this cash grab you're imagining.

A large number of people don't take their first LSAT until October, and then start on apps thereafter. But a lot of those people don't hit their scores, so even if they apply, they retake in December and their apps get held by adcoms until the December scores come back. All of that is to say that December is not late in the cycle. February/March is late in the cycle depending on the school, but is true in most cases. Furthermore, even if you get a 170 in October and apply immediately, because of your 3.3 your app will most likely not even get read by better schools until December or even January.

While schools purport to have rolling admissions, the truth is that most will roll right on by any apps that aren't above both medians because they want to secure the best students as early as possible. Yield protection is not just an end of cycle thing, it happens throughout, so it makes no sense to take someone above one median and below another at the very beginning when a school doesn't know what they're going to end up needing. If you're a splitter and an adcom figures out they need reverse splitters to maintain their GPA because their LSAT median is good, then you're much less likely to succeed at that particular school. As a splitter, your best chance at acceptance, and your best chance at aid, is a 170+ for top schools, maybe a 165+ for Tier 2 schools with your GPA.

Also, unless you were trying to apply to Northwestern early decision to get their guaranteed $50,000 per year scholarship, don't bother worrying about applying early decision or even early in the regular cycle because your GPA is getting you $0, but your LSAT could get you money if it's high enough. I'd prep for October, take it if you feel good enough to get above a 160 and could use the game day experience, then retake in December. Unlike some others, I'm all for the trial run if that's what you need.

And finally, don't listen to unhappy lawyers. I hear this BS from lawyers all the time. Just because they made the wrong life decisions for themselves and hate being lawyers doesn't mean you will. Furthermore, if they hate it so much, why don't they do something else? For a long time, the law is something that smart people with nothing better to do have fallen back on, and those tend to be the unhappy ones. Don't let them infect you with their misery. I'm not saying don't take some time for self analysis, you definitely need to make sure that you really want to be a lawyer before making this investment in time and money. But don't let other people's terrible choices influence your own. As probably far too many of us say on here, but for good reason, "you do you".

notwilliamwallace

@shermankrs , I totally totally totally understand your dilemma. I, too, have had similar thoughts and have asked myself numerous times whether law school is even worth it. I work for an amazing chocolate company from Switzerland. There, I am part of their Canadian strategy team and I get to work with some amazing and friendly people. Leaving such a great position/company for law school is a risky decision for sure. If I continue my current trend, I can look to get a promotion and steadily keep moving up the corporate ladder. I can also pursue further studies in Finance (that was my undergrad major) and take the less risky road. However, deep down inside, I always wanted to study law. I've always been fascinated by the area of law. Therefore, I am pretty adamant on studying hard for the LSAT and applying to law schools. I don't know whether it will work out or not, but my gut feeling is pretty strong. You know what they say, "take a leap of faith and the net will appear".

notwilliamwallace

@Pacifico said:
And finally, don't listen to unhappy lawyers. I hear this BS from lawyers all the time. Just because they made the wrong life decisions for themselves and hate being lawyers doesn't mean you will. Furthermore, if they hate it so much, why don't they do something else? For a long time, the law is something that smart people with nothing better to do have fallen back on, and those tend to be the unhappy ones. Don't let them infect you with their misery. I'm not saying don't take some time for self analysis, you definitely need to make sure that you really want to be a lawyer before making this investment in time and money. But don't let other people's terrible choices influence your own. As probably far too many of us say on here, but for good reason, "you do you".

Love your response, @Pacifico

odebs2797

To give you a nice and simple answer: I am in the same boat, working 40 hours a week, with gym, ice hockey, and dog owner obligations/hobbies. Basically, you have to give up something. I studied from March-June for the June LSAT (didn't score great so retaking in October) and I stopped working out in April because it was too much. I am a huge video gamer, I gave those up too on weekdays when I worked and only play on weekends if I got enough studying in. I started eating out more because it is faster than cooking a meal. Basically, you have to sacrifice for a few months to a year in order to achieve your goals. After that, you have the rest of your life (minus the pain in the ass of law school) to enjoy your free time. I look at it as 3 months of hardcore studying and reducing my hobbies is worth it to earn a full ride at a T50 school which will hopefully set myself up for great success in law school. Hope this helps, good luck!

Drackedary

@shermankrs

I know you stated that waking up early isn't something you want to do, but I recommend you make yourself do it. As a full time worker who also trains 5-6 days for martial arts and conditioning, early mornings is the only time I have the mental alertness to have quality study time. I believe it's not merely the quantity of the hours I am able to study, but how effective are these hours. I can tell you after an 8 hour shift, I am too mentally drained to study in a meaningful manner. I end up going through the motions. Ask yourself if you feel your current study sessions in the office after work are really as effective as they can be.

Early mornings may sound hard, but it's just a matter of getting in the habit of sleeping early and waking early. I go to bed by 9 usually and get up around 4:30. Besides morning study, I study during work breaks (usually a logic game or an RC) and devote one of my days off work to LSAT prep.

I also recommend doing meal prep once a week to cut down on cooking time. I try to cook enough for an entire week.

nicole.hopkins

@shermankrs said:
Would you suggest I just try to fast track through these last 20% of the core curriculum and start PTing as soon as possible?

Do the core well; devote your full attention to it—but the clock is ticking. Don't rush the fundamentals (!!) but realize that a huge part of prep is taking full timed PT's. Both mastery of the fundamentals and lots of practice are necessary conditions for success.

@shermankrs said:
I am aiming for a 170, my diagnostic was a 153...

Same here! The higher the better—but, I'd walk with a 170. Maybe I'll get that in Oct, try to tutor for a couple of months, and retake in December. More points = more $$ and I know for sure I wouldn't regret that.

@Pacifico said:
And finally, don't listen to unhappy lawyers. I hear this BS from lawyers all the time. Just because they made the wrong life decisions for themselves and hate being lawyers doesn't mean you will. Furthermore, if they hate it so much, why don't they do something else?

YES! I am very fortunate to know a number of very happy lawyers, few of whom went to top law schools. Your sample is unrepresentative—no career is going to make you happy 100% (srsly, life is so much more than work), but getting into the right career for you is a very important step in life.