If you follow any of those law school meme pages on Instagram, you’re probably thinking ‘WHAT DID I GET MYSELF INTO!’ Trust me, I have had the exact same thoughts more times than I can remember. Here’s the deal, law students do have a life – it just requires striking the right balance between that extensive reading list and self-care. So, without further ado, this is what a typical week looks like for me in April as a Graduate Entry LLB student at The City Law School.
Monday
My alarm goes off at 6:30am, I hit snooze a few times. I try to keep my wake-up time and morning routine consistent – check my school email, personal email and read the news for Toronto. This morning I did not get out of bed until 9:00am. Today, I lay in bed thinking about where the weekend went, scrolled around on Instagram, and thought of all the things I must get done this week – read for Charter, catch up on Land Law, and make time to see my best friend. But first, coffee cup number one!
This week was long because it’s a fortnight and this means lectures followed by tutorials. My first lecture is Canadian Business law. The lecture is from 1:00-2:00pm and is followed by a two-hour tutorial. I stopped at Pret while on my way to class and buy a flat white. The only preparation I had to do for this lecture was to watch a movie called Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room. For this class, we discussed Enron, went over corporate structures, and talked about our summative. After the lecture ended, a few classmates and I walked over to Exmouth Market to have tacos. We talked about our weekend, had a couple of margaritas and after a few hours, we said our goodbyes and parted ways. I read my Charter of Rights transcript on my 40-minute commute home.
Tuesday
Tuesday started early and was a very long day – seven hours of lectures to be exact. As always, I started my day with a cup of coffee. I prefer to do my revision and answer all my tutorial questions in the morning so that the material is still fresh in my mind. Law of Evidence started at 9:00am and was my first tutorial for the day. We spent the time discussing the right to silence. I then had a two-hour break between my Evidence and my second lecture. I used this time to buy some lunch from the café and continued reading my Charter transcript. Next up, Charter at 1:00pm which is a 2-hour seminar and today’s discussion was about Freedom of Expression. After class, I stopped at the school’s café and bought myself another Coffee before heading to Equity – the last and final three hours of the day. After Equity, my classmates and I headed to our local pub for a drink.
Wednesday
No school, so it’s self-care Wednesday! Today I slept in and spent the first half of the day catching up on my favourite tv shows. I took a nap from 4:00pm-5:00pm and then I decided to watch a couple of Land Law lectures. I made dinner, took a shower, prepared for my Land Law lecture and tutorial, and read the uploaded slides for Solicitors Professional Qualifications.
Thursday
My first lecture on Thursday was Solicitors and it started at 1:00pm. The lecture lasted for two hours and was immediately followed by my Land Law lecture and tutorial. Land Law ended at 5:00pm and I was feeling exhausted, so I politely declined the classmates offer to join them for dinner and drink. I headed home, took a shower and had an early night.
Friday
Another early day – my first lecture started at 9:00 am. I woke up at 7:00am, took a shower, had coffee and left home by 8:15am. Solicitors was my first lecture of the day. This course is fairly easy to keep up with, as it does not require extensive preparation, so I read my Law of Evidence slides on my way to school. My Solicitors lecture was immediately followed by my 11:00am Evidence lecture. Evidence ended at 1:00pm – by 2:00pm I was home, in bed and ready for a nap.
For me, it is easier to keep up with the learning materials for each week by getting most of the reading and studying done on the weekend. I also use my 45-minute commute to school as a way of reviewing and catching up on whatever material I did not cover on the weekend. This leaves me with more time during the week to socialize or simply take some time for myself. Some days will be overwhelming and while my week may look simple, yours may not be the same. Create a learning pattern that works for you and embrace the journey.
Written by Monique, GE LLB student at The City Law School