Barbri Start Date, Wedding Forum

[futuresuccessstory]

Hello, I'm not sure if this is the right forum.

When does Barbri start in May? After or before Memorial Day?

Are Barbri lessons simply online, similar to the 1L video series or are they actual classes? Can you miss a week of class and be good or is that bar passage suicide?

I recently got engaged and I want to get married in 2019 before I start working full-time and moving to a new city.

I have my heart set on a May wedding, but I graduate around Mother's Day. I want to have my wedding before Barbri starts.

If May is not doable, then I will do August. I'm just don't want wedding planning stuff to take over my bar studying. I'm the girl who has been planning my wedding since I was a teenager.

Thoughts and advice on wedding and bar exam? Thanks!

[NoDayButToday]

Barbri started this past May a week before Memorial Day--May 23rd.

You can generally do online or in person, depending on where you are. Personal preference.

I missed several weeks of bar prep due to husband's graduation week, pack out, and move from Massachusetts to SC, never caught up, stayed 3.5 weeks behind. Passed very comfortably. Would not advise taking off as long as I did because I know it added considerably to my stress levels, but it is possible and a week or two you can make up if need be.

Barbri makes it sound like you have to be studying 6-10 hours every day, but I don't think that's really the case if you took most of the bar subjects in law school, did pretty well overall in law school, and attended a decent law school. Everyone is different though. I know some people who did 75%+ of their Barbri course and failed, and other people who did very little of it and passed easily. It's really just about your comfort level with the material going in and tailoring your bar course to YOUR needs, remembering that BarBri is a "one size fits all" approach.

I think you could do either way. Wedding planning-wise, there usually are a lot of week-of logistics you have to take care of--more if you do a lot of DIY stuff--but since so much of wedding things have to be booked way out (venue, band/DJ, catering/bar, flowers, etc.), at least in my case I found that about 1-2 months out from the wedding there really wasn't a lot left for me to do. I think you could swing an August wedding and have wedding planning largely not interfere with bar prep, as long as you're down to do the bulk of the planning 3L year. Most of it you'll need to plan that far out, anyway, most likely. You could also do a May wedding between graduation and bar prep. And seriously, it's fine if you have to start a week or two late as long as you're willing to make up the time later.

[GreenJay]

I didn't really start Barbri until mid-June and even then didn't do much until July. You don't need to worry about having a wedding in May and you could even go on a honeymoon and be fine. Don't worry!

[pancakes3]

the worst thing you can do for bar prep is to be a slave to the barbri schedule. think critically about the prep and adapt as your needs/weaknesses dictate. so long as you hit the books hard starting in June, you won't be any worse for wear.

the videos are exactly like the 1L video series - just tailored to your state's specific rules. most barbri takers also agree they're a waste of time. you'll learn the material much more quickly and efficiently if you'd just read the outlines and do practice problems.

[Pneumonia]

I, too, started mid-June and did just fine. And I didn't start in earnest until early July. Enjoy your wedding!

[schmooky]

You'll be fine! I missed probably four weeks of studying total. I started a week and a half late for no good reason but that I was tired and wanted a break from studying (finals ran late). Then I was in my friends' wedding and went to bachelor/ette weekend, went to sibling's out of state graduation, and was sick for a week. Passed comfortably having put in the work when I was able to. Felt much more stressed than I needed to be, but my friends who studied for the entire 10+ week period seemed equally stressed. I definitely modified Barbri to better suit my needs (did most of the practice questions and read the answers; basically never read any of their outlines; watched the videos on 1.5x speed, etc.)

[SilvermanBarPrep]

[quote="pancakes3"]the worst thing you can do for bar prep is to be a slave to the barbri schedule. think critically about the prep and adapt as your needs/weaknesses dictate. so long as you hit the books hard starting in June, you won't be any worse for wear.

great advice here.

Sean (Silverman Bar Exam Tutoring)

[Alt123]

To each their own, but in California, I stuck to the barbri schedule. I took 1 day off a week max for the first month (and only because the work load was light and I finished the week's work by Saturday night), and worked 7 days a week 65-70 hours a week after that. Was working 12 hours a day in the final 2 weeks. If you're in an easier state like New York, then you might be fine. Either way, I can't imagine wanting to let the mental weight of bar prep distract you from your wedding.

Edit: And for clarity, I took every recommended bar course in law school minus one (crim pro). You might have done well in law school in bar courses, but studying for the bar exam is different than law school, especially if you are used to open book exams.

[futuresuccessstory]

Thank you all so much!!!! I was worried if I missed a week in May I would be doomed.

Random, would you as a 3L attend a weekday wedding?

I figure I may be ok with missing a week of Barbri for my wedding and honeymoon. But my guest wouldn't.

[pancakes3]

as 3L at the time? no. as a 4L looking back? absolutely.

[NYC2012]

To each their own, but in California, I stuck to the barbri schedule. I took 1 day off a week max for the first month (and only because the work load was light and I finished the week's work by Saturday night), and worked 7 days a week 65-70 hours a week after that. Was working 12 hours a day in the final 2 weeks. If you're in an easier state like New York, then you might be fine. Either way, I can't imagine wanting to let the mental weight of bar prep distract you from your wedding.

Edit: And for clarity, I took every recommended bar course in law school minus one (crim pro). You might have done well in law school in bar courses, but studying for the bar exam is different than law school, especially if you are used to open book exams.

Could not agree more with this, also in CA. OP, if you're in CA, you could probably take a week off and be fine, not saying you have to finish 100% of the program. But don't do what your east coast counterparts are doing and wait until June to start, take off weekends here and there, only finish 50% of Barbri, etc. I know a few people who failed with that approach. CA is a different animal.

[Mobster1983]

Definitely get married in May. Even though most of your planning will be done, the wedding and leading up to it will likely be very stressful, especially since, as you say, you have been planning this forever. Once it is finished, it will be a huge load off your shoulders and you will be able to relax. If you wait, it will always be nagging at the back of your mind, and things will come up that you will feel you have to take care of.

Missing a week will be no problem. My wife gave birth one week into bar prep (Barbri) and between the hospital and taking care of her and the baby over the next two months I only got through 25% of the program. Still passed.

I definitely would recommend doing the online program, which lets you watch the videos at your leisure (of course they still provide you a set schedule). The videos were useful to me, but I would usually watch/listen to them while doing house/yard work or while driving. The key to bar prep is focusing on the practice tests and carefully going through all the explanations. This helped me more than the videos.

Good luck with everything.