Month: July 2019

Categories
Daily Dose Law School

Getting Through Day 2 of the Texas Bar Exam

Holy smokes. Today was…

We got wrecked. Anyone who says otherwise is [I’m fairly certain of this] lying. Those six hours were brutal and I know I must have looked like crap walking back into the hotel because, without saying a single word to her, one of my classmates said “yeah, girl. we all feel that way.”

Seriously, if you know someone taking the Bar Exam this week, please, for the love of all things holy, send them some love. This test really effs with your mind. It’s so easy to talk yourself into the wrong answer because yeah – the Board of Law Examiners likes to test the finer points of law and wants to try and trip you up. I caught myself arguing my way into a certain answer and then, after bubbling in the response, realizing I’d read the fact pattern too fast and the answer was actually something entirely different.

I walked out feeling like I’d been hit by a freight train…and that was only after the first half of the day! I opted to grab lunch and eat in my hotel room while sifting through a few more criminal law topics and torts issues that I felt I didn’t know quite like I should. I didn’t decompress. There was no time to prattle on or chat with my guy (who I kindly told to leave me alone so I could review). Maybe I should have — but I chose to run through my outlines again, just to refresh my brain. A choice I’m sure I will repeat again tomorrow.

There was so much reading. 100 questions in the morning and another 100 in the afternoon. The BLE was not playing, y’all. Those fact patterns were lengthy. I read pretty damn fast and found it difficult to get through them all. Ugh. The migraine resulting from today was spectacular. But you know what? We made it through Day 2!

I’m incredibly proud, albeit a few inches smaller.

Overall, I expected Day 2 to be harder than Day 1. As hard as it actually was? No. I didn’t think it would be that bad. If I fail the Bar, it will be because of this day. Let me be real honest here. The MBE section was tough, and I’m feeling properly blundered. Thankfully, the MBE section is scaled. So, let’s hope for that good ol’ curve!

Tomorrow is the last day of the Bar Exam.
My advice to you (and me) is this:
Thinking about how you did so far, is fruitless. Study up, rest up, and then have a damn good breakfast and show that Bar who’s boss tomorrow! You’re gonna write amazing things!

Do great work! I’m rooting for each one of you. <3

Categories
Daily Dose Law School

Day One of the Texas Bar Exam

Well folks. Day one is complete. I don’t feel like hurling, so I’m going to mark this down as a win. Check-in went relatively smooth, except for the palpable stress levels among the students and the Board staff. There were a few students trying to quiz each other while checking in and someone kindly said “there will be none of that here.” I couldn’t help but smile and silently thank them.

The exam room was freezing! I was so happy I opted to bring my Alpha Phi sweater. There was enough outlet space to plug in my laptop and I was directed to sit near one of my law school classmates (solidarity, yo!). This convention center is giant and, the frustrating bit is we aren’t allowed to have even a casual “hello” or small chat at any point in time. So, here I am wanting to give as much emotional support as I can to my friends, who I saw a couple of times when walking in or out of the restroom, and I couldn’t even give them more than half a smile. I mentally high-fived them and sent all the best vibes I could muster.

If you’re reading this – I love you. I’m rooting for you. You’ve got this!

Despite the fact that I’ve worked on multiple MPT exams and Procedure & Evidence questions in less than the allowed time frame, I still managed to run right up against the clock. I went back to double-check my P&E answers, mostly because I had a fleeting moment of sheer panic at the thought of accidentally inputting the answer for the wrong question number. It seems moronic, and much akin to a straight-up first world problem, but my heart stopped racing when I browsed through them to ensure each statement rested safely within the confines of its proper question slot.

I was really worried the software would glitch.
Thankfully, it didn’t.

The morning started off early, with a Belgian waffle and a vanilla latte because – let me tell you – if I was going down, it wasn’t going to be because I was hungry and uncaffeinated. I’ll be damned. Typically, I don’t eat a big breakfast on an exam day. I was nervous and excited and I just didn’t want to press my luck. I mean…did anyone know how far away the bathrooms would be?

Yes, these are things I think about. Don’t you?

As soon as I finished the exam today, I was feeling good. But then all the things I could have done better, or should have included, hit me like a ton of bricks. It’s a law student sickness. I am sure you suffer from it, too.

Did I really just delete that?! FFS.

Not one to wallow, I allowed myself 3 minutes to think on it, internalize, and then…I let that shit GO! There’s two days left and there is no time to fall apart. Please, don’t torture yourself. Today is done. Tomorrow is going to be better and Thursday will be the best day yet! #TexasEssays

Why so effing chipper? Well, being a gloomy-Gus doesn’t really help matters here. I’d rather be in a good mood, ready to tackle the day, than pissy about something that didn’t work out. Or worse – angry at myself for failing to do something in the last section of the exam because, my dear, there simply isn’t a damn thing you can do to change that. Keep moving FORWARD!

I can state, unequivocally, that I am so elated to have attended a law school that focused on bar readiness and application of the law. The drills and constant progress checks made so much sense today. I forgot a civil procedure question – in the middle of typing my answer – and I closed my eyes and [swear to you] heard Professor Tamer scolding me about missing it on a quiz.

Must deliver thank-yous to the epic profs who got me this far.
Seriously, clutch.

Prepping for Day One is a bit odd, because the style is part quick-fire (the P&E) and part extended logic (for which you cannot actually use much of your attained law school knowledge, as it’s a closed-universe task). I’ve got to tip my hat to the Board of Law Examiners for easing us into the fray.

After the three hours today, I came back to the hotel to eat lunch and nap. I needed to re-charge the batteries. Unfortunately, I ended up having a nap-nightmare involving rogue vegetables, a kind police officer, and a street race while in a vehicle with the brake lines cut. So, I guess that gives you an idea of where my headspace is; make of it what you will.

I’ll be spending the next couple of hours reading through sample essays and decided I wasn’t going to subject my brain to any more practice problems for the MBE (I think 1500+ is just going to have to do). My biggest complaint today lies with the fact that this hotel room is not conducive to studying. However, I managed to make friends with the spa staff and found myself a great little hidey-hole to increase my own productivity.

Here’s hoping your Bar Exam experience is a good one!

Categories
Advice Daily Dose Law School

Thoughts Before I Take The Texas Bar Exam

I’m not sure how to feel right now. The Bar exam begins in 2 days and I honestly don’t feel calm, but I’m also not in a full-blown panic. I’m antsy. I can’t quite put into words the exact feeling coursing through me right now, but I can tell you that I feel the weight of the world on my shoulders tonight. Definitely questioning if I know-know everything, or if I just know everything. Because, I’m not entirely sure it’s ever enough.

There are 37 subjects on this exam. Did you know that? Someone asked me today “do you feel ready?” And my only response to her was, “well, there’s 37 subjects on this test.” But that’s all I needed to say because she responded with “well, damn.” Yes, girl. Damn indeed.

There’s exceptions to exceptions and we’re required to recognize laws at the drop of a hat. It seems easy enough in practice, when you can just tell your client that you’ll look into the matter and get back to them. But under a time-pressured exam, it’s entirely different. I have to figure out a way to let my examiner know that I truly understand the law, with around 600 words per essay (of which, there are 12). And the best advice I was given is something along the lines of “Just keep moving forward and fake it if you have to because you simply will not know it all.”

I’m trying to figure out how to tackle this experience, hoping to convey these emotions and internal monologue. Before I even walk into this exam, I’m doing all I can to clear my mind of the stress and concern caused by the hundreds (yes, hundreds) of hours of preparation I’ve put into gearing up for this three-day test. At this point, I want you to know that there’s still time to review, but there’s nothing left to learn. I promise you, I’m racking my brain trying to figure out what else I can do, but I’m drawing a blank. You’ve put in the time. You feel bruised and battered, brain a little worse for wear, but it will get you through this.

This exam is just that – a test. At this point in your education, you’ve taken hundreds of exams. Each hurdle got you here. You’ve dreamt for this opportunity. Don’t shy from it; go forth and conquer! It’s only three days, in the span of thousands. This experience will not break you. Lay everything you’ve got into this exam because knowing you put the aggregate of your energy and effort into it is all you can truly ask of yourself.

Good luck to you all and may the curve be ever in our favor!

Categories
Daily Dose

Productive Study Breaks

Today was beyond stressful. I spent more time than I care to admit trying to print my notecards because I’d like to flip through them and give my eyes a break from the digital screens I’ve subjected them to these past 10 weeks. But, that plan went to hell when I tried not one, but three different printers, and failed to actually print a useful (double-sided) page.

Instead of taking home this epic array of multi-colored, indexed, and carefully crafted notecards, today was a lesson in futility. Because, what else can I possibly expect this close to the actual Bar Exam? This entire excursion proved fruitless. Rather than flip out or cry, I decided to simply deal with this ish. I changed the format of my notecards and opted to use them digitally, viewed from my iPad, while working through essay questions and quick-outlining. After this hellish summer, I flat out refuse to fall apart now. Neither should you.

Keep your focus, that same drive and perseverance that dragged you through law school will pull you through this exam. I know you’re tired. I am too, friend. But keep going. We’re almost there. Take a break if you need to; that brain needs some rest. I’m not going to tell you to veg-out and watch a show, because this is crunch time. Your breaks shouldn’t be incredibly lengthy, but they need to be valuable. Really take the time to decompress for the short period you’ve stepped away. It’s hard, but do your best to stop thinking about partnerships and fiduciary duties, the fraction that a child takes from their parent’s separate property if the parent died intestate, and all the countless other nuggets you’ve been reviewing.

Take your pups for a walk, or spend a few minutes giving them tummy rubs, they love you and those few minutes with them will re-vive your spirit. I promise.

Re-focus and get yourself back to the grind.
You’re going to give this exam everything you’ve got.

Categories
Advice Daily Dose Law School

Crash-Course Study Methods

I’ve realized that I loathe Barbri’s Property outline. I actually graduated from law school and yet, reading their property outline confuses the ever-loving hell out of me. The condensed version spans more than 60 freaking pages. yes, the CONDENSED version. I searched high and low for other options, including re-reading my own course notes and textbook from 1L year. That helped, but it was still too much to review. Luckily for me, a really helpful guy happened to read my blog and kindly suggested I use a new study tool.

Enter – CRUSHENDO.

I must tell you that I do not consider myself an auditory learner, at least not one that can simply listen to a lecture and nothing else. I’m a multiple-modality learner, which requires me to doodle or write along to what I’m listening. Sometimes, when the audio is too long or not engaging, I find myself drifting. So, I wasn’t too sure Crushendo would offer me anything worthwhile. But this is the freaking BAR EXAM, so there was absolutely no way I was going to avoid trying it out. Here’s my honest review, folks:

This program combines a written outline with a series of audio files. You can read the outline, which is considerably shorter than the Barbri work, and then listen to the playlist for each outline. The playlist includes audio files which are broken into digestible lengths (approximately 4 minutes each). I can listen to them while running at the gym, or while cooking; both scenarios offer me the chance to focus on moving, while also using neurons to work through concepts. Another aspect I love about the outlines are the pictures and mnemonics they incorporate. They’re pretty funny and memorable, albeit really corny or weird. But hey, they suit their purpose!

I had a chance to speak with Adam, creator of Crushendo, and he told me about the history of the company and why they started. These outlines, several times edited and improved, were what he created to get through the Bar Exam himself. He aced it on the first try and scored in the top 5% nationally. [In case you needed to know whether his study tools are useful, they are].

I’m really thankful he had the foresight to create these outlines because I’ve found them invaluable in preparing myself for the Texas Bar Exam. If you’re a law student, especially a 1L, I highly recommend you purchase these MBE, MPT, and MEE (for those states using the UBE) outlines and essay tools. This program allows you to prepare with MBE multiple choice questions, as well as MPT and essay exams (for the UBE only). They include point sheets and you can self-grade to see where you still need improvement. SO USEFUL!

This is a sample piece from Crushendo

I can’t tell you how much I wish I’d found Crushendo during my 1L year. I’m just thrilled these outlines found their way to me. If you need a crash-course for the MBE, these outlines might be just the ticket for you. If you’re barely beginning your law school career, do yourself the favor of purchasing this course content. Once purchased, you have lifetime access to the program; whenever they update with more MBE questions or essays from the NCBE, you have instant access to the content. How great is that?!

Categories
Advice Law School

The Ugly Truth About Bar Prep

Preparing for the Bar exam is unbelievably lonely. I’m not sure what I expected this to feel like, but whatever those preconceived notions may have been were shattered after a few weeks into seriously prepping for this exam. Admittedly, I put off studying for a while. My brain just felt like it couldn’t deal after graduation.

This summer has been the most mentally fatiguing experience of my life and I’ve found myself trying to explain this emotion, or series of feelings, multiple times to many different people. So, here’s the ugly truth about bar prep – it sucks and feels like a hazing ritual. When no one in your immediate family has gone through this experience, it can feel like you’re an island and there’s not even a dinghy to help you escape. But you’ve got to get through it, and you will. Build the damn boat, friend.

The funny thing is, studying isn’t the difficult part. It’s getting myself into study mode. Every day. For hours. Several hours. Like nine hours a day and then time spent for review, and the gym (where I’ve been listening to audio outlines from Crushendo), feeding myself, and getting the dogs to the park for some play time. Aside from the gym, I tend to do a majority of these events alone. Despite what others might think, I am not lounging around at home, eating bonbons, and watching movies. I’m studying, working, working out, stress-baking, or sleeping. Glamorous, huh?

But hey, I bake cookies and send them to friends — that’s a good thing, I think.

I did make sure to maintain my weekly brunches with family because there’s no way this girl was giving up waffles and coffee on a Sunday morning. Also, I stress-bake. And frankly, I don’t give a damn if you think it sounds stupid. It’s how I cope and take needed mental breaks. Stay in your lane, peeps.

I’ve given it plenty of thought and honestly feel like I’ve put in the time this exam requires. There’s still about 100 hours of review left, which sounds ridiculous, but there’s plenty of time left to go over the law I need. Thinking about that time means more minutes alone spent working on essays, P&E practice questions, and MBE questions. It’s a lonely business, y’all. If your brain and personality don’t handle being alone well, then I strongly suggest figuring out a way to study and meet your social needs. [Everything in moderation, folks…including time with your friends and family. Little spurts seem to work best for me.]

In addition to the loneliness, studying for the Bar is also a suffocating experience. I used the Barbri program and, once I get results, I’ll be sure to let you know how things turned out. What I know right now is that I feel so overwhelmed with the breadth of law this program includes. From what I ascertained, it’s more than necessary, compared to other programs. Which is probably why I feel like I’m drowning all the time. Some of the condensed outlines are 70 pages. Let that sink in. SEVENTY. PAGES.

So now, you’re secluded. You’re losing yourself in a pile of books that basically require glue to keep your eyes open, under an amount of law you’re pretty sure there’s no way a single person can know all of, wishing for the chance to just use the degree you already earned. Not allowed.

Plus, there’s the relationships that will – without a doubt – suffer for your failure to be present in the lives of others. Oh, and if that’s not enough stress, there’s the added concern of the countless other things going on in the dark depths of your mind. Everyone has worries. You don’t want to disappoint your family, friends, or yourself. There’s so much riding on this exam and everything in your life at this very moment feels like it’s being held together by balsa wood and papier-mâché. Trust me — you are not alone in this. It may feel that way, but we’re going through it together. You can reach out and vent and talk through your concerns. Every attorney before you has been in exactly this same position.

Every lawyer I’ve spoken to about this process said a variation of the same thing – “this is the worst of it. Get yourself past this roadblock and you’ll be fine.” But no one told me how they did it. Not a single person. Because the only real answer to “how can I get through this?” is simple: everyone does it differently. And no single experience will align with another. Everyone learns differently, studies differently, and works differently. There is no formula for getting through it with flying colors. You just do what you can, give prepping everything you’ve got, and then walk into the exam days with confidence to spare.

There’s 2 weeks left until game day. Keep it up. You’ve got this. Keep going. Little by little, you’ll get yourself there. Plus, in 17 days – you can go back to reading things for fun!

Categories
Daily Dose Reviews

Hudson House

Bright & Airy Atmosphere with an East Coast Vibe

This place sits on the corner of an unassuming strip mall. Most of their seating space is for groups of 6 or less, which makes this upscale casual locale a bit more intimate. Though our brunch group tends to be about 8 people, it worked out quite well that only the Beau and I ventured out this morning. Gorgeous summer Sundays in Dallas mean dog park visits, iced coffee, and the best brunch outings!

Hudson House was on my list for a very long time. I am so happy we stopped in to feast! Their menu is small, which I find refreshing. I think too many places try to provide a wide range of offerings, but then the food ends up being quite lackluster. That’s absolutely NOT the case with Hudson House. Our waiter was genuinely sweet and provided us with amazing service for a busy Sunday. This spot is known for their bagels and fish offerings, so we were urged to order up their Lobster Benedict or Lox bagel.

We opted for the Fresh Herb Lox on a sesame seed bagel. LOVE LOVE LOVED these flavor combinations! The salmon was brined well, with just a hint of salt and didn’t overpower the herbed cheese or fresh dill; the mandolin thin cucumbers added some excellent crunch, too! Angel drizzled a little lemon over this dish and it was incredible. We’re going back for another one, this I promise you!

We also tried their breakfast sandwich and the berry pancakes. Now, you all know how much I love waffles, but…these pancakes are my next favorite breakfast dish. I was a bit disappointed they didn’t have the warm espresso butter mentioned in the menu, but that would only have made the dish even better. These pancakes were stacked five high and only slightly thicker than a crepe. The berries on top were tossed in a light honey and the syrup was warm and buttery. I highly recommend an order of these on your next brunch visit. I plan to order the lemon pancakes next time.

As if I wasn’t already over the moon with my options, I also ordered their power breakfast (because why the hell not?). The poached eggs were perfectly done and I quite enjoyed the fact that everything was separated on the plate. It was a bit pricey considering there was no starch involved, but the overall feel and taste of this dish was healthy and scrumptious! I did move the bacon over into the egg dish because it felt awkward not to.

The only letdown was their coffee. womp, womp.
It isn’t wonderful and a breakfast this tasty deserves some damn good brew. Maybe they can reach out to @WhiteRockCoffee and work on a partnership. Those peeps never disappoint a girl in need of a caffeine fix.

All in all, I think I’ve found a favorite new brunch spot. We plan on visiting them again soon for their daily Happy Hour (3-6pm). Hudson offers some excellent fish dishes (our waiter mentioned the Halibut with a side of velvet sauce and, I don’t know what it is, but I need it!), as well as half-off their bellinis, martinis, and cheeseburgers. I’d say that’s a winning combo, don’t you? Keep in mind, their dinner menu is pricey; based on this brunch though, I’d say it’s probably worth it.

Soak up every lovely minute left of this weekend!

Categories
Daily Dose Law School

You Don’t Know Everything. Adaptibar Can Help.

This is some bullshit. But it’s a mess of my own making and I am big enough to admit that.

I’ve put off intensely studying for Day 2 of the Bar exam because, well…obviously “it’s not that hard.” Welp, I received a helluva gut check when I took the practice MBE this week. I didn’t do well, by any standard. So, I’ve relegated myself to daily practice questions (approximately 100 of them) in each MBE subject until next week, when I re-take the practice exam. As my professors said – I did this to myself. And it’s true. Sucks so much, but it’s too accurate.

I let my personal emotions, things going on at home, with friends, with family…everything else kinda seeped into my mind during my study time and I failed to focus properly. Plus, I didn’t think the multiple choice was going to be that bad and figured what Barbri offered would be enough. I didn’t take my own [prior] advice about ignoring the world and just getting things done. Don’t you just hate when that happens?

For the next five days, I’ll be neck-deep in all things MBE. I’ve added Adaptibar to my study routine, too. Sure, I purchased it in June, but I certainly hadn’t used it. I should have. Hopefully, you’ve already gone through several hundred [yes, I’m dead serious about this] practice problems and are using the hell out of this excellent tool. I didn’t realize how much I was going enjoy the statistics and progress analytics it offers. You can, quite literally, view your progress over time.

With more than 1500 former MBE practice questions, it behooves you to go through them and get better at understanding what the examiners want to know. Remember, we only have about 1.8 minutes to read and answer each question, so it’s imperative you get quite good at speed reading because there will be – without a doubt – several lengthy fact patterns. Shave seconds off the easier questions (from which there should be approximately 35) in order to spend that extra time on more difficult ones.

Extra bonus with Adaptibar? They keep track of the time you spend on EACH question! That’s so damn fantastic. They also compare that time with the average time it took other users to get through the problem. What?! Seriously one of my favorite features, second only to how you rank among other users overall.

Image from my First Login
Plenty of room for improvement…

For transparency, just know I was offered a discount to play around with their tech tools to prepare for the Bar Exam, in exchange for an honest review. After getting spanked on the BarBri practice MBE, I’ve gotta admit that I only know of ONE other tool (crushendo) that would be able to help me get where I need to be score-wise, and that’s for a later post (however, I was informed that program and Adaptibar both license the same set of released NCBE questions, so I did not get access to their platform because I already had Adaptibar).

If you’d like a $30 discount for AdaptiBar, enter Cerebellum as your promo code at checkout. Happy Studying!

I didn’t pay for access to their flashcards, because I do better writing them out myself and subscribe to this method for memorizing the essay components. [Saluting all my multiple-modality learners! 😛 ] Using Adaptibar and going through the practice problems, coupled with reading their rationale after each and every question, is the most effective way (in my opinion) to get the most out of your study efforts.

By the time I sit for the MBE on Day 2 of the Bar exam, I will have completed roughly 1800+ practice questions and studied [dutifully] for more than 300 hours in preparation for this exam.

My (new) study plan was laid out by our Academic Success program, where my professors kindly chewed me out for failing to effectively prepare for this portion of the exam. But you know what? My ego needed the kick in the face. This exam is set for minimum competency, but that certainly doesn’t mean I (or you) should only put the minimum effort into preparing for this test. It’s already grueling, and these next 24 days are going to be completely terrible – but we can do this. You can do this!