Best Friend's Wedding or Bar Prep? Forum

[Imacompuda]

I am a rising 3L who is planning on sitting for the bar next July. Unfortunately one of my best friends has decided to have his wedding literally the weekend before bar week.

I will most likely be taking the CA or the IL bar.

Obviously firm is picking up the tab for the bar prep.

Question:

Do I have to skip the wedding? I'm sure it'll be a whole weekend celebration.

[grixxlybear99]

Start prep a week early and dedicate your entire summer to it. End prep that weekend. Enjoy yourself but don't drink too much. On Monday before bar, review all your notes/lecture handouts.

[Imacompuda]

Forgot to mention, unless I star studying during school, I'll be starting late already. I'm on the quarter system and won't graduate until the first week of June.

[Addraen]

It's a very tricky situation- summer of my 1L year my 3L roommate went to a wedding the weekend before his bar week. Failed the PA bar by .25 and had to retake in February. I'm in roughly the same boat as you- sitting in July but the wedding is two weeks before and my on my RSVP I drew and checked a box next to a picture of a magic 8 ball saying "reply hazy, try again later." Contacted the friend and filled him in that my appearance will be based upon a game-time decision. Maybe see if they're willing to let you have a tentative yes, make up for the lost week by prepping a few weeks in the spring and then lock it down.

It's nice that your firm is picking up the tab on the prep class, though! Knowing myself that'd make it even harder; I'd be torn on saying "party because it's not my money" and "behave because it's not my money." Jealous but not jealous

[Addraen]

Forgot to mention, unless I star studying during school, I'll be starting late already. I'm on the quarter system and won't graduate until the first week of June.

Any clue on your exam workload for summer '17 quarter? If you're 3Ling "right" (unlike myself) you may manage a finals week with no finals/papers/etc. If this is the case, start bar prep as soon as they open the course

[Imacompuda]

Forgot to mention, unless I star studying during school, I'll be starting late already. I'm on the quarter system and won't graduate until the first week of June.

Any clue on your exam workload for summer '17 quarter? If you're 3Ling "right" (unlike myself) you may manage a finals week with no finals/papers/etc. If this is the case, start bar prep as soon as they open the course

Yeah I've been 3L-ing it since 1L Spring exams.

I won't know my schedule until close to March, but I think the plan is to take as light a load as possible to free up my schedule for early bar prep.

[BillCooper]

I am a rising 3L who is planning on sitting for the bar next July. Unfortunately one of my best friends has decided to have his wedding literally the weekend before bar week.

I will most likely be taking the CA or the IL bar.

Obviously firm is picking up the tab for the bar prep.

Question:

Do I have to skip the wedding? I'm sure it'll be a whole weekend celebration.

Is this a serious question?

[justonemoregame]

How many fucks do you give about classes during 3L? Just start bar prep now - seriously, instead of reading cases for your dumbfuck classes, read bar outlines. Your gpa matters less than masking the fact that you're an unresourceful asshole.

[Imacompuda]

I am a rising 3L who is planning on sitting for the bar next July. Unfortunately one of my best friends has decided to have his wedding literally the weekend before bar week.

I will most likely be taking the CA or the IL bar.

Obviously firm is picking up the tab for the bar prep.

Question:

Do I have to skip the wedding? I'm sure it'll be a whole weekend celebration.

Is this a serious question?

Totally serious. Everyone in my life is freaking the fuck out about the bar right now. I wasn't really concerned until my social media was inundated with people crying and hating their lives.

[BillCooper]

I am a rising 3L who is planning on sitting for the bar next July. Unfortunately one of my best friends has decided to have his wedding literally the weekend before bar week.

I will most likely be taking the CA or the IL bar.

Obviously firm is picking up the tab for the bar prep.

Question:

Do I have to skip the wedding? I'm sure it'll be a whole weekend celebration.

Is this a serious question?

Totally serious. Everyone in my life is freaking the fuck out about the bar right now. I wasn't really concerned until my social media was inundated with people crying and hating their lives.

I'll put it to you this way, as someone who just took the bar. You need to dedicate two months of your life, five days a week, 6-8 hours a day to bar prep. One month out kick it up to 8 hours min. This is ESPECIALLY true if you are taking CA bar.

This exam is not difficult in that you have to be a rocket scientist, but you have an insane amount of information that you must be able to recite on demand. If you've been on cruise control since spring 1L, I highly suggest that you start preparing early. You have to be ready for this. You don't want to be the guy studying 14 hours a day with a week to go before the bar trying to catch up.

Look at it this way, every day that you are not studying, someone else, and they are picking up small nooks and crannies of the law that is tested.

[Desert Fox]

This probably sucks, but you can definitely just do the Saturday for the actual wedding. Take one day, get a little drunk to keep your mind off it.

[styr]

Do I have to skip the wedding? I'm sure it'll be a whole weekend celebration.

Is this a serious question?

Totally serious. Everyone in my life is freaking the fuck out about the bar right now. I wasn't really concerned until my social media was inundated with people crying and hating their lives.

Before or after the actual exams? If after, I sort of get it.

[GBAADCCH]

I think you are OK, and honestly, it could be to your benefit. I had a major commitment the Saturday before the bar. I also started prep around June 1. These two things made me much more focused and motivated throughout June and early July, so I got done what I needed to get done, and then I could take off that Friday and Saturday before the bar comfortable that I was in good shape. Taking those days off, I actually felt like a lot of the anxiety and stress of the impending test sort of dissipated. The bar went fine.

My advice would be to take in IL, unless the wedding is in CA, and go ahead and commit to taking off 1.5 or 2 days that wedding weekend. Make sure you don't drink so much on Saturday that you can't get in the right mindset to review things Sunday evening. And then just brush up on everything Sunday evening through Monday evening.

I am a rising 3L who is planning on sitting for the bar next July. Unfortunately one of my best friends has decided to have his wedding literally the weekend before bar week.

I will most likely be taking the CA or the IL bar.

Obviously firm is picking up the tab for the bar prep.

Question:

Do I have to skip the wedding? I'm sure it'll be a whole weekend celebration.

Is this a serious question?

Totally serious. Everyone in my life is freaking the fuck out about the bar right now. I wasn't really concerned until my social media was inundated with people crying and hating their lives.

[Addraen]

Forgot to mention, unless I star studying during school, I'll be starting late already. I'm on the quarter system and won't graduate until the first week of June.

Any clue on your exam workload for summer '17 quarter? If you're 3Ling "right" (unlike myself) you may manage a finals week with no finals/papers/etc. If this is the case, start bar prep as soon as they open the course

Yeah I've been 3L-ing it since 1L Spring exams.

I won't know my schedule until close to March, but I think the plan is to take as light a load as possible to free up my schedule for early bar prep.

In my experience, we know the majority of classes offered in spring well before registration/exam schedules are made as well as the profs that (usually) teach these classes. Find any rising 3Ls or recent grads and pick their brains. I'd wager you could prefab a schedule before registration and worst case, you get surprised with an exam on the schedule when it comes out in march.

[Imacompuda]

I think you are OK, and honestly, it could be to your benefit. I had a major commitment the Saturday before the bar. I also started prep around June 1. These two things made me much more focused and motivated throughout June and early July, so I got done what I needed to get done, and then I could take off that Friday and Saturday before the bar comfortable that I was in good shape. Taking those days off, I actually felt like a lot of the anxiety and stress of the impending test sort of dissipated. The bar went fine.

My advice would be to take in IL, unless the wedding is in CA, and go ahead and commit to taking off 1.5 or 2 days that wedding weekend. Make sure you don't drink so much on Saturday that you can't get in the right mindset to review things Sunday evening. And then just brush up on everything Sunday evening through Monday evening.

I am a rising 3L who is planning on sitting for the bar next July. Unfortunately one of my best friends has decided to have his wedding literally the weekend before bar week.

I will most likely be taking the CA or the IL bar.

Obviously firm is picking up the tab for the bar prep.

Question:

Do I have to skip the wedding? I'm sure it'll be a whole weekend celebration.

Is this a serious question?

Totally serious. Everyone in my life is freaking the fuck out about the bar right now. I wasn't really concerned until my social media was inundated with people crying and hating their lives.

Won't really be my choice. I have an offer in CA, but I'm trying to transfer to the Chi office. I'll sit for the bar in the jurisdiction that I begin working in.

[Imacompuda]

I think you are OK, and honestly, it could be to your benefit. I had a major commitment the Saturday before the bar. I also started prep around June 1. These two things made me much more focused and motivated throughout June and early July, so I got done what I needed to get done, and then I could take off that Friday and Saturday before the bar comfortable that I was in good shape. Taking those days off, I actually felt like a lot of the anxiety and stress of the impending test sort of dissipated. The bar went fine.

My advice would be to take in IL, unless the wedding is in CA, and go ahead and commit to taking off 1.5 or 2 days that wedding weekend. Make sure you don't drink so much on Saturday that you can't get in the right mindset to review things Sunday evening. And then just brush up on everything Sunday evening through Monday evening.

I am a rising 3L who is planning on sitting for the bar next July. Unfortunately one of my best friends has decided to have his wedding literally the weekend before bar week.

I will most likely be taking the CA or the IL bar.

Obviously firm is picking up the tab for the bar prep.

Question:

Do I have to skip the wedding? I'm sure it'll be a whole weekend celebration.

Is this a serious question?

Totally serious. Everyone in my life is freaking the fuck out about the bar right now. I wasn't really concerned until my social media was inundated with people crying and hating their lives.

Thanks for the advice. This was my plan, I just didn't know if it was actually possible or if I am going to stress the fuck out and have to cancel the trip. Generally I do not over stress, I've been pretty care-free all of 2L, but everyone sitting for the bar this summer is freaking the fuck out.

[whitecollar23]

Forgot to mention, unless I star studying during school, I'll be starting late already. I'm on the quarter system and won't graduate until the first week of June.

Coming out of Chicago (any other schools do quarters?), I'm sure you could pass if you take it extremely seriously and work very hard for 4-6 weeks. Won't be easy, though.

[whitecollar23]

I think you are OK, and honestly, it could be to your benefit. I had a major commitment the Saturday before the bar. I also started prep around June 1. These two things made me much more focused and motivated throughout June and early July, so I got done what I needed to get done, and then I could take off that Friday and Saturday before the bar comfortable that I was in good shape. Taking those days off, I actually felt like a lot of the anxiety and stress of the impending test sort of dissipated. The bar went fine.

My advice would be to take in IL, unless the wedding is in CA, and go ahead and commit to taking off 1.5 or 2 days that wedding weekend. Make sure you don't drink so much on Saturday that you can't get in the right mindset to review things Sunday evening. And then just brush up on everything Sunday evening through Monday evening.

I am a rising 3L who is planning on sitting for the bar next July. Unfortunately one of my best friends has decided to have his wedding literally the weekend before bar week.

I will most likely be taking the CA or the IL bar.

Obviously firm is picking up the tab for the bar prep.

Question:

Do I have to skip the wedding? I'm sure it'll be a whole weekend celebration.

Is this a serious question?

Totally serious. Everyone in my life is freaking the fuck out about the bar right now. I wasn't really concerned until my social media was inundated with people crying and hating their lives.

Thanks for the advice. This was my plan, I just didn't know if it was actually possible or if I am going to stress the fuck out and have to cancel the trip. Generally I do not over stress, I've been pretty care-free all of 2L, but everyone sitting for the bar this summer is freaking the fuck out.

Oh, you will definitely stress out. A lot. But it's your buddy. You'll make it work.

[GBAADCCH]

OK, well if you have to fly to CA and sit for that decidedly tougher exam, then the margin for laxity in June and July shrinks to almost nil. Not talking about 8-12 hour days throughout, but maybe that for the last couple of weeks. It's going to take you 2-3 weeks of that just to catch up with Barbri or whatever course you start late. But still, you can do it.

I think you are OK, and honestly, it could be to your benefit. I had a major commitment the Saturday before the bar. I also started prep around June 1. These two things made me much more focused and motivated throughout June and early July, so I got done what I needed to get done, and then I could take off that Friday and Saturday before the bar comfortable that I was in good shape. Taking those days off, I actually felt like a lot of the anxiety and stress of the impending test sort of dissipated. The bar went fine.

My advice would be to take in IL, unless the wedding is in CA, and go ahead and commit to taking off 1.5 or 2 days that wedding weekend. Make sure you don't drink so much on Saturday that you can't get in the right mindset to review things Sunday evening. And then just brush up on everything Sunday evening through Monday evening.

I am a rising 3L who is planning on sitting for the bar next July. Unfortunately one of my best friends has decided to have his wedding literally the weekend before bar week.

I will most likely be taking the CA or the IL bar.

Obviously firm is picking up the tab for the bar prep.

Question:

Do I have to skip the wedding? I'm sure it'll be a whole weekend celebration.

Is this a serious question?

Totally serious. Everyone in my life is freaking the fuck out about the bar right now. I wasn't really concerned until my social media was inundated with people crying and hating their lives.

Won't really be my choice. I have an offer in CA, but I'm trying to transfer to the Chi office. I'll sit for the bar in the jurisdiction that I begin working in.

[dudders]

As long as you're diligent about studying you will be completely fine.

Most of my friends and I that had actually put in appropriate study time leading up to the bar weren't learning anything new this late in the game. You're just reviewing and drilling. (I don't mean we knew everything, but our brains had reached maximum capacity on bar exam shit ... ). Lots of people were traveling and/or relaxing the week/weekend before. I spent a lot of time the week before packing because I was moving soon and taking long walks because I literally couldn't just sit and study any more, and I also knew I didn't know everything, but that I knew the maximum amount of stuff I could stuff into my brain and it was just about staying fresh. My last few nights of bar study were halfheartedly doing MBE questions while drinking wine and mostly watching TV.

The bar is the same as law school - do the work, study smart ... and you don't have to, nor should you, be up studying 20 hrs a day leading into finals ...

You will never know or understand everything for the bar exam. You're aiming for a D+. You have plenty of time during bar study to go to weddings, take a night off and crush some drinks, and do whatever you need or want to do to stay happy and sane. I think bar exam study was when I had the most free time in my entire life actually, because I had nothing to do except study and 100% control over my schedule.

[dudders]

Also, if this person is truly your best friend, and the wedding will in fact be a weekend long celebration, I'm sure you friend will understand if you skip an event or two. No sane friend will hate you if you say I can do the wedding and rehearsal dinner, but I'm skipping the day before the rehearsal dinner's golf tournament boozeathon or the day-after's all-you-can-drink champagne fest.

Drink and be merry, but as was already said, don't get so stress-hammered you'll still be hungover on Monday.

[ironbmike]

Obviously firm is picking up the tab for the bar prep.

lol. obviously.

[bigtex29]

I am a rising 3L who is planning on sitting for the bar next July. Unfortunately one of my best friends has decided to have his wedding literally the weekend before bar week.

I will most likely be taking the CA or the IL bar.

Obviously firm is picking up the tab for the bar prep.

Question:

Do I have to skip the wedding? I'm sure it'll be a whole weekend celebration.

You will regret not going to the wedding.

[rcharter1978]

I think you're better off skipping the wedding, if you're taking the CA bar.

You're already going to be starting late. You are going to have to learn CA state specific subjects, and at least three where you have to know Federal and CA law (Evidence, PR, and Civ Pro). Since you are starting late I think you're going to need every minute you can get.

I also don't see how you go to a wedding a weekend before the bar exam and not think about the bar exam the entire time. I think people should take a day off or a few hours off right before the bar exam, to relax, but having been in and at weddings......I don't think they are particularly relaxing.

Unless you're in the wedding as a best man, or a groomsman, or the person that has to do the bible reading I would skip it. I imagine your friend would understand and is it really going to make a huge difference to his happiness if you're not there? Maybe you guys are that close, but on the day where I'm going to marry the love of my life, one non-family member not showing up wouldn't make that much of a difference to me. Especially if I knew they were on the cusp of a serious exam, because they wouldn't be much fun anyways.

When people say "you just have to get a D+" that is all true, but in law school you could probably draw a picture of a donkey and get a D+. With the bar exam, you have to write a pretty decent paper to get that D+.

And if its on the weekend that means you'll be flying back on a Sunday....for an exam that starts on a Tuesday? I just wouldn't.

But hey, you may go to your friends wedding, everything turns out great and you pass with flying colors. And you'll probably do great on the PT's. But I think if you're taking it next July you'll be taking the revised CA bar, which could be easier...or harder to pass. I'm not sure.

ETA: I just checked the changes for the July 2017 exam -- I think its a much better situation for you. Day 1 will be 5 hour long essays and a 90 minute PT. Day 2 will be the MBE. 50% for the writing, and 50% for the MBE. You're probably already studying/have studied the MBE subjects and won't need to know any CA distinctions. The writing used to be 65% of your grade, but now its only 50% and part of that is the PT, which you can easily do since you've been writing. The actually essays (where you would really need to know CA law) are worth less than 50%. I would still skip the wedding if I was taking CA, but its probably not as bad as it would be if you were taking the exam in February.

https://admissions.calbar.ca.gov/Portal ... 0815_R.pdf

[BoobGoddess]

Bar prep.