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Prepping for Law School Finals: One Month Out


I am not sure where the time went butttttt final exams are in like a month. Cue epic freak out. Time to outline, write out flashcards and take practice exams until I'm blue in the face. Here is what I am doing to prepare and set myself up for success one month out from final exams.

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My Tactics for Bar Exam Prep



Well, I am almost done with my third week of bar prep and I am starting to get a routine down I think. I can say that it is not the most fun thing I have ever done but it is also not the worst. I am in my third week and I am 20% through my program already. Below I am outlining what I am doing, how it is working and what I am using to make it happen.

My Study Space
My study space is simple but effective. My husband and I turned our extra room into an office. I have a desk, bookshelf, filing cabinet, printer and it works out just how I need it too.


Two really helpful things I have in my space is a laptop riser and book stand. Both of these help to keep me from bending over and straining my neck. I have linked them below:

   
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Spring Semester Goals



My second semester of Law School is just 3 short days away! Break has flown by. As I prepare to start another semester, I am making some goals for myself to try to further improve my learning and study habits. Hopefully I will stay on track.... Here are my 10 goals for my second semester of Law School.

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Springing into Spring Semester

Well, friends, it's my 24th birthday! It's hard to believe I am almost to my quarter life milestone because I still feel like I am too young to really be an adult. My hubby made me a delicious breakfast and we have a quiet day planned but he is taking me out to a fancy dinner later... I am a lucky wife to be married to this guy.

In other news, I start my 4th semester of law school on Monday. It's hard to believe I am halfway through law school. It's actually pretty surreal. I have a busy tough semester ahead of me: 5 classes (3 super challenging ones)  plus working and my Moot Court competition will take place this spring. I am vowing to get off on the right foot in 2018 and I want to rock this semester. I know... those who have been following for a while are probably thinking I say this before every semester... and you're right. I do try to motivate myself at the beginning to do my best... throughout the semester I do tend to run out of steam because well, law school is really hard.

Following Fall semester, I am mostly pleased and yet still a little disappointed in myself. A few of my grades were great and I was super proud of myself. A few others.... not quite so proud of myself. it's all relative I suppose and balances out in the end. I still hope to further improve my GPA this upcoming semester and get one step closer to finishing my law degree. In order to do this, I have set some goals to work towards as I spring into spring semester (yes I know, terrible puns but I can't help it).



 1. Start Reviewing Earlier
It pains me to write this but it's the truth... I always seem to think I am going to start getting ready for finals nice and early and I still always start later than I would like which leaves me working like a mad person for the week before and weeks of finals. With only three in-class exams this semester, I really think I can manage to start reviewing for those exams much earlier. Fingers crossed that my willpower stays strong. I hope to have my outlines done plenty early and be able to start practice problems, practice essays, flashcards and study group a full month out from final exams. I think this will set me up for better exam success in two of my toughest classes this semester: Evidence and Secured Transactions.

2. Do All Weekly Reading by Monday Night
I do not have class on Monday until 5:55pm. I am going to utilize my mostly open Monday's to *hopefully* crunch out all of my reading for the week so I can spend my time revising class notes, working on Moot Court and outlining after classes. I tend to run out of steam for reading and taking good reading notes as the week goes on so if I do it all by Monday night, I will be fresh and ready to read well and take excellent reading notes. I will then do a 15-minute refresher before class to make sure the reading is fresh in my mind before class. I hope this will make my weeks more productive and leave me with more time to work on goal one, reviewing earlier.

The longer I am a law student, the more I am recognizing my faults and the more I am trying to overcome them to consistently improve my grades and performance. Both these goals are a result of that.

3. Make Law School more "9-5"
I have always had a weird schedule in law school. I tend to sleep in, go to class, take a few hours to relax and then pick up my work and study late into the night. I know it sounds insane but it is the schedule that worked for me because I am a total night owl. This semester, I have early morning classes three days a week and night classes until 8pm four nights a week... this forces me to change up my normal schedule quite a bit. I hope to stay productive and adjust my schedule into more of a "9-5" law school schedule. In between classes and work, I will work on my school work, moot court problem and reading. Then when I come home from night classes, I can relax with my husband a little bit and do some Yoga before going to bed at a normal time. My goals of completing my weekly reading by Monday night will also help with this I think. I hope this new schedule will work out and make my weeks productive while still getting enough sleep.
My busy spring weekly schedule (or at least what I hope it will look like so long as I can be organized)

4. Outline Every Friday
I did so much better with outlining last semester! I was very proud of myself for having them done well before exams. I plan to keep that up this semester by outlining my classes weekly each Friday when I have no class. I work Friday mornings and I can come home and outline all afternoon while I throw in a few loads of laundry. This leaves my weekends a little more open for having a life, lol.

There we go! My spring semester goals. I hope everyone has had an enjoyable break and is ready for another great semester. Best of luck to all of you!





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Everything You Need to Know about Taking Notes in Law School


Notes.... seems like half my life during law school is spent taking notes. Reading notes, class notes, notes on how to outline, notes of how to study, notes on internship searching.... it never ends. One of the pros to this-I have gotten extremely good at my notetaking system.

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Law School Study Habits


Now that I am a few weeks into Law School, my study habits have settled into a routine. It is working well for me. It has taken me a long time to develop good study habits; in High School, I could get by with A's without studying or working very hard. In Undergrad, I stepped up my study habits but still got by easily with minimal effort and a high GPA. Law School is a new ballgame; I really had to buckle down and hone my skills to be successful and keep up. I am sharing my habits in a hope that they may help someone else develop their study habits to be their most successful self.

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How to Create a Manageable Reading Schedule for Law School


Happy Hump Day!

For those in the middle of their first week of law school or law school orientation- stay strong! You are halfway there!

To continue my Law School series for 1L's, I am talking today about my top tips for creating a manageable reading schedule for law school- particularly for 1L year (but I have used these tips beyond 1L year).

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A Law School Update

Sorry it has been so long! Life has been so busy I could barely find time to cook dinner let alone blog. But, without further adieu, here is an update on Law School.

I just turned in my final legal memo for my research and writing class. It was a huge challenge and seemed to overtake my life for a week or so and I am so relieved to have it turned in. However, now the anxiousness of waiting for the grades may just give me an ulcer.

Classes are simultaneously getting harder and winding down at the same time. We are to the point where everything has interwoven and has come full circle.... it is a lot of information to keep straight.However, at the same time, we are getting shorter reading assignments, let out of class early and things are noticeably slowing down. I start to get excited and think I have spare time and then I remember that exams are sneaking up really fast and get right back to work.

On the subject of exams, I am scared to death. I have been outlining and making notecards but I feel like I have so far to go in so little time. Thankfully the memo is out of the way and that frees up a lot of time for studying and outlining.

Another thing that had started to take up my time is professional development. They are officially talking us through the internship search process and we have to turn in resumes, cover letters and etiquette events. Also, we have at least one networking event every week that require dressing up business professional and take a good hour or so.

So long story short, Law School has officially gotten crazy, hard and stressful. It is testing me in a way I have never been tested and challenged before in my life. But it is a means to an end... it will be worth it when I am done and I can add Juris Doctor to my name.

Back to reading! Hope everyone's semesters are going well. 


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A Week by Week Study Schedule

Happy Thursday!

This post come s by request and I think it will be super helpful. I have alluded to my weekly study schedule in the past but I have never devoted a whole post to it so that is what's on tap for today.

Figuring out what you need to study and work on week to week in law school can be challenging. There is always a ton of stuff to do and just so many hours in which to complete it. I am sharing the study schedule which has worked well for me over my 2.5 years in law school. I have honed it to what works perfectly for me. I hope you find it helpful as well!

Here is a sample look at my week to week study schedule. This is what I do during the majority of my semester until about a month before finals. Then I integrate more study time to prepare for finals. More on that in this post: PREPARING FOR LAW SCHOOL EXAMS ONE MONTH OUT




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How to Survive Commuting to Law School



Hello friends!

This is a highly requested post that has taken me a little while to compile information for because it is not something I have personal experience with. I do not commute a large distance to law school- I have about a 15 minutes drive. I know that many people have to commute to law school (or grad school of any kind) and I can imagine it would be difficult on top of an already busy and exhausting schedule. Though I do not have personal experience, I polled a few of my super successful classmates who commute to law school for the information found in this post. Though this is not my own thoughts or opinions, I trust the people who I talked to implicitly and I think their advice is very valuable as they have all managed to commute through law school while still doing amazing in school. Sometimes I quote them directly and sometimes I summarized but overall, I hope this is helpful to those who are currently commuting to law school or those considering it in the future.

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First Semester of Law School Recap


Well... I did it. I finished my first semester of Law School. I am not going to lie- it was the hardest semester of my life and it tried me in ways that I have never been tried before. I studied harder than I ever have in my life, I read more than I ever have and stuffed more knowledge into my brain than I thought was possible.

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A Visitors Guide to the All American Quarter Horse Congress

The All American Quarter Horse Congress.... aka any horse persons personal shopping paradise and heaven nestled in downtown Columbus, OH for the entire month of October. I have heard it called the Superbowl of horse showing. So many of us visit simply to watch, shop, see the famous horses, learn from clinics or just to get a feel for the biggest horse show in the world.

For the last 10 years I have been living in Ohio, a mere 1.45 hours from the Congress, I have visited at least 1-2 weekends every Congress to shop and hang out and watch. With my experience and amount of time spent there, I have amassed a large knowledge base on navigating the Congress as a visitor not exhibitor and many shortcuts and tricks. Here I will be outlining my best tips and tricks for a fun trip to the legendary All American Quarter Horse Congress for those of us not showing.
1. Best Times To Go
 -The first weekend is the best for shopping. Everything is fully stocked, lots of sizes, not very busy. Store workers are fresh and happy and excited to help you. They haven't run out of free stuff at booths yet. Downside is the classes are mostly reining and cow horse and if you don't want to watch that then theres not much to watch. Also, Gilligan stall fronts aren't all set up yet and those are so worth seeing.
-The middle weekends is the best for watching the classes. This is pleasure, hunter under saddle, trail, showmanship, etc. Freestyle Reining is the second weekend and always a fun evening of big stops and good music. It is busy though so shopping and navigating the buildings can be hard.
-Last weekend is a time for deals. Stores don't want to haul it home so prices are often reduced. Also, less traffic this weekend.
What a beautiful sight

2. Best Places to Shop
Personally, I love Schneiders, Rods and Big Dee's. They are the biggest and mainstream and there is good reason for that. They have a great selection and quality products. Schneiders and Big Dee's have very reduced stores at the congress this year but they offer free shipping in. Some of my more hidden favorites include The Tack Room: great quality and selection of English apparel and quality halters, storage materials and little bits and pieces. I also love Kathy Williams Tail Extensions; in addition to great tails, she always has great show clothes in her booth. Chicks and HorseLoverz are also good destinations for little random things- you can't beat the prices.

3. Walk Through the Barns
Trust me- take at least one walk down the main aisle of Gilligan and see the amazing set ups of the trainers. They are pretty incredible. Also, you never know when you will be walking down the aisle and see a famous trainer or horse.
           
Building the Stall Fronts and one of my favorite set ups



4. FOOD
The food stands are seriously the best. You MUST get a cinnamon roll from the Sweet Shop. Also, the Stromboli is to die for. You can't shop on an empty stomach so eat. A lot. It is worth it and you will work off the calories walking around and carrying all your purchases :)
YUM!

5. Go sit at the Practice Arena
This is usually my dad and I's favorite congress pastime. We love to sit at the practice arena next to Congress Hall and just watch everybody ride. It's amazing how much you can learn just watching these great trainers ride and listening to what they tell clients warming up. I highly suggest taking even just 15 minutes to go watch- you never know what you will pick up.

6. Fun Events
Freestyle Reining = enough said. It is a super fun evening. The rides are great, the music is fun... defiantly one of the Congress's best events. Grab a Stromboli and sit yourself down in the Coliseum for a night of music, spins and stops. Also, sometimes you get to witness history... such as 2006 when I watched Stacy Westfall perform her legendary bareback and brideless ride LIVE. The Masters is also a really cool experience- it is awesome to see the upcoming great horses in their first class and witness the pinnacle of talent in the industry.
Few things a cooler then watching Stacy Westfall win the Congress... again

7. Clinic's and Product Information Sessions
Why not? If you are there during a clinic, go stop by. Just like the practice arena, you never know what you might pick up and learn. These are put on by highly skilled and successful professionals and I guarantee you could learn something from any of them. This is also a great opportunity to rest your feet and set your bags down for a few minutes. Also, stop and listen to the product demonstrations. There are always a million new products available here and someone who wants to tell you all about it. Sometimes they are silly and other times they might be your new favorite product. I would have never found EquiFUSE if I had not stopped and talked to the dealer at Congress. It doesn't hurt to stop and get the info and sometimes they give you free samples... and who doesn't like free samples?? (only crazy people)

8. GIVEAWAYS
Ah the giveaways.... they are everywhere at the congress. Free stuff, gift certificates, free breedings... they are endless. When and doubt take the second to fill out that little paper. You can't win unless you play. Smartpak always has a great giveaway for not only starting Smartpaks at the Congress but also a raffle. Farnum usually has one, AQHA usually has one, The University of Findlay gives away hats and t shirts.... I know I am missing a ton but seriously find the giveaways and sign up. More chances to eventually win something.

9. Deals, Deals, Deals
I am a huge bargain shopper. I love nothing more then to find a good deal. Congress is great for this. I always take advantage of the deals on Jeans at congress: this year it was buy 2 get 1 free on Wranglers and Cinch at Rods! Yay! Also, as I previously mentioned, Chicks and HorseLoverZ always seem to have little deals like the zip up Sleazy I got for $20 yesterday! The last weekend will have a lot of places giving even better sales and deals because they won't want to take it home. Bargain shoppers heaven!
Nothing better then new riding jeans :)

10. Watch the Show
After all, this is the reason for the whole shebang. Go sit and watch the best of the best compete for bronze trophies and bragging rights. At risk of sounding like a broken record, you can learn something from this also. Drool over the outfits, dream about the horses and be in awe of the incredible  level of the competition. The Congress is overall, first and foremost a horse show... the biggest in the world.
The Celeste Arena
The Congress is one of my favorite equine destinations... such a convergence of all things equine and it is just a blast. I was there yesterday for the day and it was as good as ever. I got some new jeans, stuff for my puppies, treats for my spoiled ponies, a new sleazy for Charles and some information on breeding... more on that at a later date ;). I love the Congress and I like to think I have it pretty well figured out as a visitor. I hope these tips help you out when visiting the legendary show.
A beautiful evening at the Congress before we left
Happy Shopping and I hope you learn something too :)

 ~ Brandy


- What are your favorite parts of the Congress???
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Tips for Legal Research and Writing

Happy Hump day!

Today I am coming at you with a highly requested post about research and writing in law school. I will preface this with saying I am not the best researcher or writer at my law school and I am okay with that. I have learned a process for research and writing which gives me a solid end product that is correct and respectable.

It has not been easy; I really struggled during my 1L year with research and writing like a lawyer and moving away from the style of writing that had worked well for me in all previous schooling. For anyone else out there who is not naturally good at legal research and writing, I hope this is helpful to you and you can learn from my mistakes and hard-earned lessons.




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My First Law School Midterm


Happy Halloween!!!! Law School is getting real folks. Want to know what sacred me today? I had my first midterm this afternoon. I realize this is a lot later than most schools but my teacher pushed it back a whole week to ensure we covered the last chunk of material. My exam was over Estates and Future Interests of Property Law. According to my professor, this is the hardest material we will cover all of 1L year... I am pretty sure I believe him. That stuff was hard. 
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2018: A Year in Review

Happy New Years Eve!


2018 has been a really good year. I got to travel and explore. I learned so much. I grew as a person and as a legal professional. I made some amazing new friends, cut some toxic people out of my life and decided to focus only on the positive.

January started off with my 24th Birthday and the start of my 4th semester of law school.

In February, we had a new baby horse born- Olympia since she was born the week of the winter Olympics.
   


In March, I traveled for my first Moot Court competition and had a blast!

I also went on a fun trip with my law school friends to the cutest hotel ever to celebrate one of their birthdays.

In April, I took some outrageously hard exams and finished up my 2L year in law school.

In May, I started a summer clerkship with a local state Judge. I also found out that I got the highest grade in my Legal Ethics class which is a high point for my time in law school.


My hubby and I went on the most amazing cruise to the Carribean and had an absolute blast.




In June we attended a beautiful wedding and enjoyed the warmth and sunshine of summer. We also laid a new floor in our master bedroom and refinished our stairs.

We went to see Tim McGraw and Faith Hill in concert which was amazing.
  

I went to see Shania Twain with my law school mentor. 
   


In July, we celebrated our 2nd wedding anniversary.

Made the best of the summer heat.

Visited my grandparent's cottage on Lake Michigan.




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August brought the end of my clerkship. It was such a wonderful learning experience.


We made the best of the time before school started.





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And then my 3L year began- I truly do not know where the time went.


I got to see Taylor Swift in concert and it is one of the greatest moments of my life.




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September was full of school and studying.

We did take family pictures and spent some quality time with our precious pups.
October was busy with school and work. We made some time for walks with the pups and made the best of the Indian summer and warm Fall weather. My husband turned 25 and I surprised him with tickets to a Kieth Urban concert.


I dressed up like Elle Woods for Halloween.
November was full of exam prep and a quiet Thanksgiving.
December brought the end of my 5th semester of law school and a wonderful Christmas holiday. A blogger friend and I kicked off a new book club and we got a Roomba vacuum for Christmas.


I hope everyone has a fun and safe New Years Eve and 2019 is bound to be a great year!

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