Oh the strain | School & LSAT

TheDeterminedC

Since @"Alex Divine" has inspired me to deviate from my planned study from Christmas through June, to instead plan for the September 2017 exam; I was wondering who has had experience juggling the study for a 173+ and keeping A's across the board in school.

I will be taking 3 credits in the spring semester Jan-May (I planned to make it a simple and easy June LSAT) and I will have all summer to study while being free from work throughout. But I have not planned--nor am I able to afford--to relax with low credits again during the fall semester that starts on August 15th, 2017. The September 23rd LSAT happens to come the weekend of the 5th week that school is in session. This 5th week has marked the point in time were most of the first exams have happened in the past. If history is any teacher, I surly will have a week full of hell.

I feel as if I would lose my mind trying to stay sane after 9 months of LSAT studying while simultaneously gearing up to take several exams with little sleep in the days prior to the test.


Has anyone dealt with this strain before? Any advice for this predicament? I can handle a lot of stress and I am not afraid to work hard, but I can only imagine the mush my brain would be trying to achieve at this level of perfection. There is a sharp difference between taking exams with no sleep stressed out (pretty easy) and being mentally and physically prepared to be at my sharpest game while writing the LSAT.

I was thinking session B classes maybe, but what are y'all's thoughts?

Alex

I'm glad to hear you are talking the long(er), but totally worth it path to your target score!
I studied for the GRE for about 2 months while maintaining As. And I admit the GRE was basically a joke compared to the LSAT, but at the time it was hard to juggle both. And I will be talking classes and whatnot with you while studying this next year, so don't sweat it.

The secret is a good plan. I find we often have way more time to get stuff done than we realize. That even includes sleep, studying for other classes, LSAT prep, time for friends, and whatever else. I find it is all in great planning.

I would wake up early and study for the GRE from 7-9:30 when I had my first class. Then it was as if the GRE was done for the day before my day really even began. The only thing that changed in my schedule was to go to bed at midnight instead of 3-4am like I had been doing. This meant I had to finish my studying, reading, and papers for other classes earlier, so I started implementing mandatory weekend library time. Now I just as easily focus and get stuff done in my apartment, but I can get easily distracted by the fact that I know my roommates are out there having fun. It is a mental thing, and it sucked, lol.

So everyday Saturday and Sunday, I would get up at like 8 and get all my readings done in the library for the week. I would usually stay until about 3 to 4. So yes, it was a long day, but it really helped lighten my load during the week, thus freeing up more time to study.

This next part is the most important: On Saturday nights I would plan something fun to do! I would take a night off and go to a party, chill with friends, go out to dinner and a movie, etc. I'd stay up until 3am and then sleep in until 10 on Sundays. Having something to look forward to really helped me get through the long weekdays. It also was great to have a good night and not worry about the test, classes, papers and other things coming up.

I won't sugar coat it, I had to make some sacrifices. I wasn't able to be in as many clubs as I wanted. Just student government... I also missed some fun events on weekdays, but often I still made time. It is also important to remember...One day isn't going to matter on way or the other. So give yourself permission to take a Tuesday night off and go out for your friend's birthday.

I'm hoping this same advice holds true this fall/Spring as I juggle LSAT prep and class.

tl;dr Plan

Cant Get Right

Yeah, I think planning for the long game is essential. If you’re taking any writing intensive classes, you’ve got to start your papers as soon as they’re assigned. Study the material for exams like you’re studying for the LSAT so that exam week isn’t really anything special. Stay on top of that shit so you don’t have to make up for a month of lazy habits in the week before your exams.

Also, talk to your professors. Those are important relationships, so you should be doing that anyway. Go and see them during office hours during the first week of school. Explain your LSAT situation early and they may be willing to work with you on some things if it turns out you need a little flexibility. Let them know their class is a priority and you really don’t want to miss out on anything because of the LSAT.

TheDeterminedC

"Alex Divine" I love hearing how you get your studying done. I have to say, in no way am I even close to having the discipline you possess. I do not think I have ever studied in the morning. Moreover, I tend to study how @"Cant Get Right warned not to. I work great when I do tasks last minute in stressful situations (so I think), and it's a habit I have formed now two years into college. I completely love the idea of spending time in the morning or just making things work in general. Actually sticking to this plan... well that is a different story. Success demands a schedule like y'all described so I better adapt I guess.

Thanks you two(:
This helped more than you know!

Cant Get Right

Right on @Coreyy02 . I always say LSAT is about much more than logic. If the LSAT tested us on pub trivia, it probably wouldn’t suffer a significant decrease in accurately predicting who will succeed in law school. I really think the intangibles are much more important: developing an effective study strategy, maintaining high standards, sustaining self discipline, and possessing emotional fortitude. Those are the qualities law schools want, and the LSAT tests those qualities really effectively.

Sprinkles

@Coreyy02 said:
Success demands a schedule like y'all described so I better adapt I guess.

ohhh yes indeed! I'm #foreverthankful that 7sage offers a study schedule for it has made my study process a lot less stressful. Just seeing with your eyes what lies ahead and not just planning it as you go saves so much headache! I've done that way too much in the past which ultimately resulted in me just not giving the task full potential or even worse: giving up. Don't do that! stick around and give this study time your all - it will only go up from here

MrSamIam

Props to you for choosing to balance both. Personally, I waited until graduation to start studying for the LSAT.
However, balancing the two is possible. Focus primarily on school while you're still attending. You can always extend your LSAT studies if you need to, but it's incredibly difficult to retake a class just to boost your GPA.
Focus on the LSAT during breaks (Winter, Summer, Spring, etc.). Also, do some light studying during the semester/quarter when you have some downtime.