Summer Series: Actions Steps to Take as you Prepare for the Bar

Our Summer Series begins again! This series highlights different Latina students and law grads as they embark in their summer jobs and/or bar prep all across the country. We hope to provide a variety of work experiences, options for a healthy work-life balance, and general motivation through different guest contributors to help you to take charge of your summer and professional goals!  Today we hear from Maya, an solo practitioner who took the Bar this past winter, and has incredibly relevant and timely advice for those prepping for the Bar!

Hello, my name is Maya and I was born and raised in Lima, Peru. I graduated from the University of Baltimore School of Law in May 2015 and sworn into the Maryland bar that December. I own a solo practice, Zegarra Legal, that focuses on immigration and family law in Baltimore, Maryland.

I am happy to share with you some advice for your bar prep studies:

1. During bar prep your whole life is the bar exam. This may seem a bit too extreme right now but I once I internalized the fact that during bar prep my summer would be over and that I would do nothing but study, I felt better. You already survived 3 or 4 years of law school classes, exams, cold calling, internships, and work, what is one more summer? I started my bar prep course knowing my summer was forfeit and I was ok with it. You have come too far to let the idea of not having a summer prevent you from fully focusing on the bar.

2. Talk to your family and loved ones. As a Latina, we all know family is very important; however, the next ten weeks are crucial. You must be fully invested. Talk to your family and friends, tell them you love them, hang up, then put your phone on “Do Not Disturb” until the end of July. I call my mother several times and visit on the weekends, so telling my parents that I would not be around for a while was not easy. Breaking this news to your family and friends early and often will definitely relieve the pressure and, hopefully, some of the guilt.

3. Have a study schedule and stick to it! Whether you are taking a formal bar prep class (which I highly recommend) or not, make sure you have a study schedule and that you follow it. You should not be randomly choosing what to study each day. A huge advantage of taking a bar prep course is that detailed study schedule. I woke up every day with every single minute of bar prep study planned for me. All I had to do is follow it.

4. Prepare your meals. During bar prep, every single minute is extremely valuable. Whether you’re studying contracts, practicing MBE questions, or taking a break, you would not be surprised at how much time it takes to choose either burgers or pizza and whether it’s worth it to walk an extra block for the slightly cheaper pizza. This may seem like a minor detail, but preparing my meals actually worked out great for me. I used my Sundays to do my household chores: laundry, grocery shopping, and meal prepping. I cooked three or four different meals for the whole week and during my study days all I had to do was toss them in the microwave.

5. Exercise. You may already be doing this since working out is one of the best stress relievers. During bar prep it is extremely important that you exercise, not only to de-stress, but also have the energy to endure your ten plus hours of bar prep each day. I woke up at 5:30am every day to work out for 45 minutes every morning. I am not a morning person at all, but I kept telling myself, it was worth it. I actually lost some weight due to all the exercise, which of course was an added bonus during bar prep.

6. You can do this! You are a smart intelligent bright individual. You have finished undergrad, maybe also grad school. You have survived your terrifying 1L year, extremely stressful 2L year, and your super long 3L year. Congratulations! The bar exam is another task you must tackle which stands between you and becoming an attorney. But you’ve already accomplished so much, so believe in yourself again. You can do this!

Bar prep is not fun, it is awful, you may even hate it, but remember you can do it and you will do it! Have faith in yourself.

Good luck!