The

Undeniable

Ruth

®

…and the Ruth shall set you free!

  • Guidelines for Studying for the Bar Exam

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    Ruth Carter

    Today is my first day of BarBri class.  For the next 10 weeks, I will be on a regimented schedule of going to class and studying as I prepare for the Arizona Bar Exam.  Thankfully, I am a person who thrives in structure, so being on a strict schedule should work well for me.  I have been thinking about what guidelines will apply to my life during Bar prep.

    1. A Student of the University of British Columbi...
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      Stick to the BarBri schedule – go to class every day and study for a total of 8 hours a day, 7 days a week.  It’s better to be over-prepared than under-prepared.

    2. Use study techniques that work for me: class, outlines, and flash cards.
    3. Everyone is banned from the house unless they have an invitation.
    4. Do 30 minutes of walking, jogging, swimming, biking, or yoga every day.
    5. Eat a balanced diet – lots of fresh fruit, veggies, and protein; minimal sugar; & plenty of water.
    6. Get at least 7 hours of sleep every night.
    7. Avoid people and places that bring excessive drama to my life.
    8. No TV except for my weekly indulgences of House and Deadliest Catch.
    9. When I’m studying, I cannot have my cell phone where I can see or hear it.
    10. When I’m outlining on the computer, stay off of email, Facebook, and Twitter.
    11. If I realize that I’m just staring at my books without doing any productive work, STOP and take a break.
    12. The default response to any invitation to social events until the Bar is “No;” however there must be the occasional fun event to maintain my sanity.

    I’ve spent the last few days getting the house in order so that I will have as few distractions as possible while I’m studying.  I have also been reading Chad Noreuil’s The Arizona Bar Exam: Pass It Now.  I’m grateful that my family and friends are being supportive of me and my process.  One of my friends has already put me on notice that if I’m too non-responsive to the point that he worries that I’m getting unbalanced, that he’ll stage a raid.  I doubt that will be necessary but it’s good to know that people care about me enough that they would be willing to do that.

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  • Law School: If I could do it again . . .

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    Ruth Carter

    Today is my graduation day from law school.  I’ve been reflecting all week about my law school experience . . . when I haven’t been running around like a crazy person taking care of everything that I’ve put off during the semester but have to get done before BarBri starts next week.  It’s been fun to remember the person I was when I started this adventure three years ago compared to who I am today.

    Photo courtesy of Stephanie Green

    So the big question is, if I had to do it all again, knowing what I know now, would I have gone to law school?  Absolutely!  I went to law school because I was told it was the best education a person can get, regardless of whether they become a lawyer.  That statement is still true.  If I could do it all over again, I’d still go to law school, but I’d do it a little differently . . .

    I would have skipped more classes. The American Bar Association permits students to miss up to 10% of every course. I should have taken full advantage of that. There were so many opportunities for law students to attend workshops and conferences; however I felt that I couldn’t attend them because it was drilled into my head that missing class would result in me not learning the material.  While I believe that going to class is important, some things are a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that are worth occasionally missing class.

    I would have published more papers. I’m graduating from law school as a co-author of a book chapter about government regulation of emerging technologies; however I have close to final drafts of papers on the legalities of organizing flash mobs, the legal side of blogging, and the legalities of GPS technology. They are all on my back burner of projects that I’ll get to when I have time. It would have been nice to have submitted at least one of them for publication in a legal journal.

    I would have networked more. I have tried to seek out my fellow geeks in the legal community and people who have been successful following their passions. I am glad to have been bold enough to reach out to some wonderful people during my law school career and develop some great relationships. I wish I had had the time and energy to do more of it.

    I would have started Sponsor A Law Kid sooner. I wish I had thought of Sponsor A Law Kid when I first started this blog. This campaign has paid for approximately 1/3 of my tuition during my final semester of law school and it has provided the opportunity to meet some wonderful people and businesses. It would have been amazing if I had been able to use this to fund my entire education.

    I never would have looked at my grades. I went into law school like everyone else, thinking that you have to be in the top 25% to be successful.  It made me focus too much on grades and not enough of learning the materials. Once I figured out that grades are meaningless, I stopped looking at them.  I switched my focus to learning the law, and I became so much happier and learned so much more.  I was more creative, efficient, and relaxed. I have not seen my grades since my first semester of law school, and I’ve been told that my GPA has gone up every semester since. Being in the top 25% is a requirement for some people’s professional dreams, just not mine.

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  • The Marathon of Bar Prep

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    Ruth Carter

    I’m graduating from law school in 30 days, and I’m tired.

    Usually around this time of the semester, I’m gearing up for the sprint to the end of the semester.  There are many late nights of studying and writing papers and excessive caffeination.  Once finals are done, I’m exhausted, and usually get to collapse for a few days if not a few weeks.

    At the end of my first semester of law school, I went to my parents’ house for Christmas and I literally did nothing but sit on the couch for two days.  One day, I literally watched courtroom dramas (People’s Court, Judge Judy, Divorce Court, etc.) from 9am until 5pm, with the exception of one hour.  At the end of my third semester of law school, I drove for over 12 hours to my parents’ house and I was so exhausted that I have no memory of the trip.

    I don’t have the luxury of burning myself out at the end of this semester.  Three days after I graduate I will start BarBri, the class that teaches you how to pass the Bar Exam.  For this semester, once I finish the sprint to finish finals, I have to turn around and line up for the marathon of studying for the Bar.

    From what I’ve heard from other lawyers, all I have to do is follow the BarBri program and study schedule and I’ll pass the Bar.  My classmate looked at our study schedule and reported that we’re expected to study and/or go to class 8 hours a day, 7 days a week.  I did the math and considering study time, sleep, and everyday activities, I’m going to have maybe 4 hours a day for myself.  I suspect that my life is going to get really simple.

    My friends and I have been formulating our plan of attack.  We will have a focused study group in the morning followed by class in the afternoon.  Everyone will be banned from my house unless a specific invitation is extended.  All stressful people, places, and events will be avoided at all costs.  I contemplated having someone change my Facebook and Twitter passwords, but I decided I needed the ability to see what’s going on the real world on occasion.  My phone is usually on or near my person; however, when I’m studying, it will be in a place where I can’t see or hear it except when I’m not studying.

    I will still have scheduled relaxation and fun.  There are select fun events on my calendar during the weeks leading up to the Bar.  I’m hoping to keep a regular workout schedule – walking, hiking, biking, and/or yoga – to maintain my health and sanity.  I have great friends who will remind me how normal people live.  They are also on notice that when I finish the Bar Exam, one of them better be waiting outside the testing center with a strawberry milkshake and a hug.

    There’s a saying in the Carter family: “You can do anything for 6 months.”  I only have to make it through the next 105 days.

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