Typical Hours Spent Weekly/Daily Studying

[coffeefiend312]

Hi all! Attending Queens in the fall - wondering what the typical hours spent studying typically may be for a 1L gunning for BigLaw (i.e. amazing grades) - Outside of classes how much time is spent daily studying/reading?

[Mignonette]

I think successful students often treat law school like a 9-5.  I aimed as much as possible to be on campus within those hours, regardless of whether I had lectures or not.  When I wasn't in lectures, I would head to the library and do some readings.  If I didn't have readings to do, I would work on extra-curricular activities, job applications etc.  There was always something that needed working on, and I would commit myself to filling those hours so that by the time I left in the evening I didn't have to take much home.  In 1L, readings took me significantly longer - you are learning how to read in a new way and it takes a while.  As time goes on, you learn what you can skim.  In the beginning, I also had a hard time figuring out how to take notes.  Again, you are preparing for a different type of exam and note-taking in a way that is quite different from undergrad.  As time went on, it made more sense to get an outline (canned notes) from another student and to adjust it myself, but in the beginning I was taking a lot more of my own notes while I learned how to learn.  

Exam season obviously longer hours, and there are definitely several nights where I was in the library after dark, but in general I found dedicating 30-40 hours a week all-in made me satisfied with my grades.  

[ditiae]

Prob like 3-5 hours outside of lecture each day. This doesn't account for visiting profs during office hours to go over concepts or practice problems (which I think is key for excelling). 

I tried the 9-5 thing but it never worked for me. I'm a slow starter in the morning and I could never settle into reading case law before a morning lecture. I also enjoyed having lunch with friends midday or chatting with friends in between classes. I found myself reading most evenings from 6-10pm!

[Siteslow]

I echo the 9-5 mindset! For me it was closer to 8-4pm. Coming from working professionally for a few years before law school, I tried to keep this schedule by going to bed and waking up at the same time, regardless of my lecture times. I took all my own notes, did all the readings, and made my own exam outlines in first year and it served me really well grade-wise. I found I could book off most of the weekend if I worked hard during the week. First month was a little more intensive because there was a large learning curve, though.