Themis Bar Review Hangout - July 2016 Forum

[Nebby]

I start about 9:30am. I teach aerobics and yoga at the gym a few hours a week (I'll sub out my classes in July, but probably still go to the gym once a day). And I've got three children, which makes this much trickier than when I studied for VA right after law school! But they've got school/camp and I've got a college sitter helping out a lot. We are going to be eating a LOT of pizza and take out this summer! My husband is a partner at Dentons in DC and we don't see him much during the week, but he's got kid duty tonight through Monday night! I'm finding enough time to watch videos and take practice tests, I'm just already nervous that I'm not straight memorizing enough.
Take a little time to enjoy the holiday weekend, we'll be way more stressed July 4th!!

Damn. Now I know why you're struggling. That's so much to juggle!

[Mayakovsky]

I'm starting around 9:30 a.m. each day, and only taking short breaks if possible, unless I need to run errands or go to an appointment. Part of the reason I'm struggling is because I had to stop the ADHD medicine I was taking because it was making my heart beat way too fast and causing me terrible anxiety. I'm seeing a new doctor to talk about new medication on Tuesday, but not being on any ADHD meds right now is screwing with me. I just couldn't keep taking the ones I've been on with the way they were making me feel. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that this situation is resolved soon.

All of this is to say that my focus is really messed up right now and I'm just not able to sit still and get substantive work done right now. It's terribly frustrating.

[Hmasterflex]

I'm kinda happy they started with K's first. I personally feel like property is a little more straightforward and easier to follow. In other news, I started a week after the recommended start date and have been able make up enough time to only be behind by 4 days now instead of 7. I feel like a complete goober, but I am really enjoying bar prep thus far. I didn't learn shit in my 1L K's class and it's cool learning all of this material, even though I'll likely never need it in practice

I want to catch up also. Where is the initial schedule posted? The one I downloaded appears to have adjusted to my personal start date.

[Vantwins]

I'm starting around 9:30 a.m. each day, and only taking short breaks if possible, unless I need to run errands or go to an appointment. Part of the reason I'm struggling is because I had to stop the ADHD medicine I was taking because it was making my heart beat way too fast and causing me terrible anxiety. I'm seeing a new doctor to talk about new medication on Tuesday, but not being on any ADHD meds right now is screwing with me. I just couldn't keep taking the ones I've been on with the way they were making me feel. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that this situation is resolved soon.

All of this is to say that my focus is really messed up right now and I'm just not able to sit still and get substantive work done right now. It's terribly frustrating.

That sounds really stressful, sorry!

[Vantwins]

I want to catch up also. Where is the initial schedule posted? The one I downloaded appears to have adjusted to my personal start date. [/quote]


When I click "course schedule" - top right area, next to "course progress" it gives me the "master" schedule as opposed to my adjusted one. HTH

[Hmasterflex]

When I click "course schedule" - top right area, next to "course progress" it gives me the "master" schedule as opposed to my adjusted one. HTH

Thanks! I don't know why the previous ones I downloaded only showed my set schedule. Much appreciated

[iliketurtles123]

What do you guys think about doing most/all of substantive portion before doing the essay portion?

For example, I just finished the Contracts. I just have to write the practice essay. I'm thinking about skipping it and just going onto Property. The way I see it, I won't even remember in a month what I wrote and what I need to improve on. So I'm thinking about doing the substantive portion of K, Real Property, Torts, and may be 1-2 more subjects, then in a couple weeks, reoutlining them a bit (not too much. Just rehashing/organizing the handouts, etc.), then doing the essays in a span of a couple days or a week or so. That way, I can focus on how to improve my essays separately from my knowledge of the subject.
This seems to be more similar to how I prepared for law school finals.

The only thing I guess I'm worried about is that I might be a bit late in learning to write the essays. But isn't that what we did for the past 3 years?

Anyway, thoughts?

[TLSModBot]

woo first graded essay done. Got overall the same answer as the "sample answer" but I left out so much detail. Wonder how that'll shake out.

[bobbypin]

Just submitted my first Graded Essay for Contracts. I felt *okay* with it but looking at the sample answer it looks like they focused on a related issue that I did not focus on. I wonder how the grade will turn out :-\

Did anyone else get the one about the conservatory needing an organ serviced and purchasing a new organ? Can we trade what we wrote?

I got the same hypo. I'm game to trade. I've already received mine back from the grader. I'd love to see what your grader says too.

Okay. Do you want me to wait until I get the grader's response and then send it? I can do it via pm. I should have a response by COB Monday or Tuesday (I don't think the two day wait period counts weekends)

I don't have a preference. I'll pm you in a couple hours with mine.

[not guilty]

this body won't be seeing sun for the next 2 months. A positive is that it won't matter that I'm out of shape.

[salix]

Checking in. Monday was my first actual day, so I started a week behind the recommended schedule, which started last Monday (5/16). So far I've done Ks/Advanced Sales, and started Torts. I've worked hard this week, and I can't begrudge myself the time I took off between graduation (which happened just a few days after my last final) and starting bar prep. Still, I'm feeling a bit anxious about the volume of work ahead, especially considering all of the other obligations I have between now and the bar exam. But my FB timeline is full of folks celebrating their bar passage today, and I'm sure that at some point they each felt as worried as I do right now.

So, knocking off for tonight, but tomorrow... KBO!

[mu13ski]

Just submitted my first Graded Essay for Contracts. I felt *okay* with it but looking at the sample answer it looks like they focused on a related issue that I did not focus on. I wonder how the grade will turn out :-\

Did anyone else get the one about the conservatory needing an organ serviced and purchasing a new organ? Can we trade what we wrote?

I got the same hypo. I'm game to trade. I've already received mine back from the grader. I'd love to see what your grader says too.

Okay. Do you want me to wait until I get the grader's response and then send it? I can do it via pm. I should have a response by COB Monday or Tuesday (I don't think the two day wait period counts weekends)

I don't have a preference. I'll pm you in a couple hours with mine.

I'd be down to share too once we get comments back. Maybe instead if just individually PMing we could set up some sort of google drive?

[TLSModBot]

My K's graded essay was about selling a creamery, I think.

[Rahviveh]

Anyone who didn't take some of the black letter classes like conlaw and evidence in LS?

Wondering if I should do those earlier to catch up

[Vantwins]

I start about 9:30am. I teach aerobics and yoga at the gym a few hours a week (I'll sub out my classes in July, but probably still go to the gym once a day). And I've got three children, which makes this much trickier than when I studied for VA right after law school! But they've got school/camp and I've got a college sitter helping out a lot. We are going to be eating a LOT of pizza and take out this summer! My husband is a partner at Dentons in DC and we don't see him much during the week, but he's got kid duty tonight through Monday night! I'm finding enough time to watch videos and take practice tests, I'm just already nervous that I'm not straight memorizing enough.
Take a little time to enjoy the holiday weekend, we'll be way more stressed July 4th!!

Damn. Now I know why you're struggling. That's so much to juggle!

Thanks, it's definitely not ideal! I feel like I at least have some confidence that I passed VA on my first try so at least I know I'm not inherently crappy at taking bar exams, if that makes any sense. I've just got to put the time in. MD doesn't have as many topics as VA, but wow, the ones they do have are so boring. When I practiced I did mostly criminal defense, so Advanced Sales/Commercial paper/secured transactions, all that is torture IMO.

[Vantwins]

I'm studying MD contract distinctions this morning before I do my first graded essay. The handout says:

A promise to pay a debt after the statute of limitations has run is enforceable without new consideration.

That's a MD distinction, but I thought it was the same for the MBE?? I went back to MBE outline and don't see it, does anybody recall?

Thanks!

[ndp1234]

I'm studying MD contract distinctions this morning before I do my first graded essay. The handout says:

A promise to pay a debt after the statute of limitations has run is enforceable without new consideration.

That's a MD distinction, but I thought it was the same for the MBE?? I went back to MBE outline and don't see it, does anybody recall?

Thanks!

I have that in my Contracts & Sales Outline (UBE)

Section I.C.1 - Promise to Pay a Debt Barred by the Statute of Limitations:
"A new promise to pay a debt after the statute of limitations has run is enforceable without any new consideration"

Hope this helps!

[Vantwins]

I'm studying MD contract distinctions this morning before I do my first graded essay. The handout says:

A promise to pay a debt after the statute of limitations has run is enforceable without new consideration.

That's a MD distinction, but I thought it was the same for the MBE?? I went back to MBE outline and don't see it, does anybody recall?

Thanks!

I have that in my Contracts & Sales Outline (UBE)

Section I.C.1 - Promise to Pay a Debt Barred by the Statute of Limitations:
"A new promise to pay a debt after the statute of limitations has run is enforceable without any new consideration"

Hope this helps!

Thank you!! Why do they bother putting it in the state specific outline if it's the same as MBE????

[TLSModBot]

I'm studying MD contract distinctions this morning before I do my first graded essay. The handout says:

A promise to pay a debt after the statute of limitations has run is enforceable without new consideration.

That's a MD distinction, but I thought it was the same for the MBE?? I went back to MBE outline and don't see it, does anybody recall?

Thanks!

I've been going through things like this in the MD distinctions as well - I think some of the 'distinctions' are just the Maryland rule where there exist majority and minority rues in the MBE (and MD seems to follow the majority and/or modern approach).

[ndp1234]

I'm studying MD contract distinctions this morning before I do my first graded essay. The handout says:

A promise to pay a debt after the statute of limitations has run is enforceable without new consideration.

That's a MD distinction, but I thought it was the same for the MBE?? I went back to MBE outline and don't see it, does anybody recall?

Thanks!

I have that in my Contracts & Sales Outline (UBE)

Section I.C.1 - Promise to Pay a Debt Barred by the Statute of Limitations:
"A new promise to pay a debt after the statute of limitations has run is enforceable without any new consideration"

Hope this helps!

Thank you!! Why do they bother putting it in the state specific outline if it's the same as MBE????

I would submit a question about it. It may look the same to us untrained eyes, but a distinction may nonetheless exist.

[luxxe]

My first Ks graded essay just opened today (UBE state), and was also about a conservatory. Felt better about it than I expected to!

[not guilty]

evidence guy:

"you need to get around 75% of the questions correct"
"good news, this is a minimum competency exam"

lol. I think we can let go of that phrase, the exam writers sure have.

[luxxe]

Is anyone else getting a lot of repeats on MBE PQs? I did torts pqs 5 and property pqs 4 today, and in each I had 5+ repeated questions. All of which I know I've gotten correct before, and even some repeats of the same question in the same sets! Annoying, Themis.

[countryfried]

Is anyone else getting a lot of repeats on MBE PQs? I did torts pqs 5 and property pqs 4 today, and in each I had 5+ repeated questions. All of which I know I've gotten correct before, and even some repeats of the same question in the same sets! Annoying, Themis.

Yes, I had this happen with contracts.

[Nebby]

I finally upgraded from 1.5x to 2x speed on the lectures and am so happy