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Your school probably has a process for you to get the classes you miss recorded.

Though even if it doesn't, missing a couple of days of class is not going make a difference. As others have already said, all you have to do is get notes from someone.

Do all the people in the thread advocating for the vacation just not get out much? We're talking about Disney World (or Disneyland-- it's not clear). This isn't a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. And while some people are able to skip class at will and do great (which I also doubt happened), the OP can't bank on that. Planning to skip half a week of class sessions is not a good idea in 1L, especially for a trip that can be taken literally any other time.

cavalier1138 wrote:Do all the people in the thread advocating for the vacation just not get out much? We're talking about Disney World (or Disneyland-- it's not clear). This isn't a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. And while some people are able to skip class at will and do great (which I also doubt happened), the OP can't bank on that. Planning to skip half a week of class sessions is not a good idea in 1L, especially for a trip that can be taken literally any other time.

It's this sort of bullshit that makes law school (esp. 1L) such an unpleasant experience

Hand wrote:

cavalier1138 wrote:Do all the people in the thread advocating for the vacation just not get out much? We're talking about Disney World (or Disneyland-- it's not clear). This isn't a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. And while some people are able to skip class at will and do great (which I also doubt happened), the OP can't bank on that. Planning to skip half a week of class sessions is not a good idea in 1L, especially for a trip that can be taken literally any other time.

It's this sort of bullshit that makes law school (esp. 1L) such an unpleasant experience

Yes, it's all the people who have actually been to America's armpit (Orlando) who are ruining it for the rest of you.

Most people don't get offered all-expenses-paid trips every day, though. I'm in the "one long weekend isn't going to hurt you" camp.

cavalier1138 wrote:

Hand wrote:

cavalier1138 wrote:Do all the people in the thread advocating for the vacation just not get out much? We're talking about Disney World (or Disneyland-- it's not clear). This isn't a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. And while some people are able to skip class at will and do great (which I also doubt happened), the OP can't bank on that. Planning to skip half a week of class sessions is not a good idea in 1L, especially for a trip that can be taken literally any other time.

It's this sort of bullshit that makes law school (esp. 1L) such an unpleasant experience

Yes, it's all the people who have actually been to America's armpit (Orlando) who are ruining it for the rest of you.

I have no desire to ever set foot in Florida but the "ZOMG LAW SCHOOL SO INTENSE" attitude is just horseshit. OP should feel fine about taking a trip this far out from exams.

Go on the trip. Unless there is a participation or attendance component for your grades, classes are largely irrelevant to how you score on the exam. Get someone who you trust to share notes and have fun!

I don't think this question will be fully answered until we hit page 8. Hopefully more people will weigh in soon.

BigZuck wrote:I don't think this question will be fully answered until we hit page 8. Hopefully more people will weigh in soon.

What do you think OP should do?

.

Stylnator wrote: .

I'm going to slightly change my position here. I don't think planning for vacations is a particularly good idea during 1L, but people miss time for a ton of reasons, and your reasons for missing a couple days are perfectly reasonable. If this trip means that much to you and your bf/his family, you won't be hurt by missing a few days. Friends will provide notes and the school will have ways for you to listen in on the class.

Go on the trip. It's not great and it'll make the days surrounding the trip slightly more stressful. But when it's important personal relationships, you make that sacrifice. I'm sorry I didn't fully understand the situation originally.

I'd probably go. Part of it depends on what school you're going to. If you're at an elite school where the vast majority of the class does well, then you probably don't need to stress about your 1L grades quite as much as you would at a middling school. I'd for sure be much more willing to take a long weekend if I were a 1L at Stanford vs. a 1L at a random regional.

Honestly, it really depends on the school IMO. I'd have done it and felt comfortable because I knew the students around me would help with the material. At the same time, I didn't realize until second semester how to best study regardless, so I'm not sure that it would have made a difference in my life either way.

When do you need to decide by? If you can, wait a couple of weeks into school to see who you'll be around and if you have friends you trust to help out (or if any of your classes are recorded) (or if any of your professors won't be flexible wrt cold calls and any credit associated with them). If you can't, I'd probably just go. Your first semester grades will be determined based on so much more than those few days, and you can't stop living your life. You are more than just a law student.

If there's one thing I learned as a 1L: don't stop being yourself or having fun. I spent at LEAST 150 hours during 1L doing an activity completely unrelated to school, not studying, etc. It didn't hurt me at all. You may have less time to do those activities regularly if you take this trip, but getting that sort of break may be exactly what you need. I can say for sure that a number of my classmates attended weddings and other functions over long weekends and missed class, and because they did the reading and got the notes, there was no issue. This is at CCN as well, and with people I'd definitely consider gunners. (Found out recently I should probably self-identify as a gunner, but hey, what can you do.) Some people are going to be more risk averse about these kinds of things, but if you won't be too anxious to enjoy yourself, you should go.

EDIT: just read to the end and saw that OP can make the decision after some time in school, so my "if you can't..." above is moot.

Make of this what you will, but I know someone (not at my school) who did this and ended up with bad grades, which seriously hurt him during OCI.

If you don't do well that semester, it's going to suck to think back on that weekend and wonder "if I hadn't gone, would I have done better?"

Don't let FOMO run your life. You'll have other opportunities later.

SmokeytheBear wrote:If you don't do well that semester, it's going to suck to think back on that weekend and wonder "if I hadn't gone, would I have done better?"

Don't let FOMO run your life. You'll have other opportunities later.

The type of person who won't miss 2-3 days of school in the middle of the semester is the type of attorney who never takes a vacation ever. So, no they probably wont.

Sort of in the same pickle myself. I have the opportunity to cross off a bucket list item in Seattle that will require missing 1 day of class (Monday) and i'm hesitant to go. However, my trip is September 15-17 (I have my flight arranged to leave Friday after class as it stands.)

tofuspeedstar wrote:Sort of in the same pickle myself. I have the opportunity to cross off a bucket list item in Seattle that will require missing 1 day of class (Monday) and i'm hesitant to go. However, my trip is September 15-17 (I have my flight arranged to leave Friday after class as it stands.)

DEFINITELY don't hesitate over a single day, especially for a bucket list item. You are more than just a law student, and law students miss 1 day all the time. You will be so much less happy if you miss out on this for one day, especially if you go to class that day and it ends up being largely a waste. You are so much more likely to regret missing rare chances than you are to miss class, especially that little class.

tofuspeedstar wrote:Sort of in the same pickle myself. I have the opportunity to cross off a bucket list item in Seattle that will require missing 1 day of class (Monday) and i'm hesitant to go. However, my trip is September 15-17 (I have my flight arranged to leave Friday after class as it stands.)

Absolutely go. Easiest decision ever.

Desert Fox wrote:

SmokeytheBear wrote:If you don't do well that semester, it's going to suck to think back on that weekend and wonder "if I hadn't gone, would I have done better?"

Don't let FOMO run your life. You'll have other opportunities later.

The type of person who won't miss 2-3 days of school in the middle of the semester is the type of attorney who never takes a vacation ever. So, no they probably wont.

I take vacations all the time.

The issue here is that it's first semester.