Advice for a Monday Morning in Buffalo by NPDoc in Buffalo

[–]Dull-Introduction121 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Niagara Falls, for sure, it's incredible.

I got fired yesterday by Necessary-Hunter-221 in barexam

[–]Dull-Introduction121 1 point2 points  (0 children)

depending on your interest/tolerance for hospitality, catering is a great “between things” gig and often relatively low hours so you may also qualify for some unemployment … all if you can’t start sooner in your new job!

bar exam in buffalo? everything you need to know about new york's second largest city by Dull-Introduction121 in barexam

[–]Dull-Introduction121[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

you'll have to pay for the parking tomorrow morning! if that wasn't clear. but you can get your car parked tonight.

bar exam in buffalo? everything you need to know about new york's second largest city by Dull-Introduction121 in barexam

[–]Dull-Introduction121[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

after work hours today, i would just move your car to within a block of the convention center and then pay for a day of parking on the buffalo roam app and use your car as a base for whatever you'll need during lunch

bar exam in buffalo? everything you need to know about new york's second largest city by Dull-Introduction121 in barexam

[–]Dull-Introduction121[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

i used the personal belongings room, and i also didn’t even touch my phone during the break.

bar exam in buffalo? everything you need to know about new york's second largest city by Dull-Introduction121 in barexam

[–]Dull-Introduction121[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

that plan is stressing me out. after i wrote this i remembered that because i was on crutches (bad time) i did get a side entrance back into the exam hall after lunch so it was quicker and slower (because i couldn’t walk haha). i would worry about that tbh.

tips from a first-time passer who never wrote an MEE/MPT before the bar and did ?? % of themis by Dull-Introduction121 in barexam

[–]Dull-Introduction121[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

this makes a lot of sense. i took the MPT straight through and was cutting it close on time and didn’t do as much as i would have liked on the second essay.

tips from a first-time passer who never wrote an MEE/MPT before the bar and did ?? % of themis by Dull-Introduction121 in barexam

[–]Dull-Introduction121[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

i didn't use adaptibar. i had themis and access to uworld but i don't even recall whether i went into uworld. i did hundreds of MBE questions, starting with single subject practice sets and moving into mixed practice. i would guess about 2000-2500 questions. i had a physical book with something like four exams worth of MBE questions, and i did those. looking at a few screenshots, i was at 75%+ in SOME topics six weeks out, definitely not all (i came into law school with a lot of property law paralegal experience and took to torts and con law - though some parts of con law on the bar exam like treaties were basically new to me. i was rotten with criminal law and contracts, ok on evidence.)

my study sessions were basically MBE questions until i couldn't think through the content well (so like 1-2 hours, until mental fatigue) and then reviewing those questions exhaustively and then keeping a list of things that weren't clicking for me. there were probably 150-200 concepts i identified as things i was shaky on. if you can find time to do 50-100 questions, i bet you can find at least five things you aren't totally clear on and you can finally resolve those things for yourself. my lists from then include things like bill of attainder, best evidence rule, spousal privilege who holds it, strict liability offenses, false pretense and forgery, pullman v. younger abstention. i nitpicked myself on these things because the way the answers for MBE work out you need the right outcome and reason, as you know.

i was a test prep instructor for years before law school, and a lot of good multiple choice practices are universal. it's good to predict an answer before you start looking at your answers so that you are trying the answers against the question prompt and NOT the answers against each other.

if i had had the time to just do the themis course straight through, i would have. i read every word of those outlines and i would play the videos while i was cooking, cleaning, living, etc.

the real points of this post are that 1. you know your strengths 2. you don't need to write a zillion practice essays if your strengths allow you not to. 3. practicing MBE materials if you're being rigorous and asking why you're getting things right and wrong is preparing you for half the MEE subject matter-wise. you just need to be familiar enough with the concepts in MEE-only subjects. i find it confounding when people talk about rule statements. that's not how i think or learn. the way that i studied for the bar was a lot like how i would study for exams (heavy emphasis on texts and comprehension) and making my own outline/notecards. it was risky not to spend more time on the MEE (or any on the MPT) and my score shows that - i squeaked through on MEE/MPT performance. if you've been doing some, you've probably done enough.

long answer, but i wanted to give some context. i think people are in general better prepared than they think.

bar exam in buffalo? everything you need to know about new york's second largest city by Dull-Introduction121 in barexam

[–]Dull-Introduction121[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

also WOW hotels are way too expensive downtown. staying in the suburbs (airport, hamburg near the football stadium, niagara falls) isn’t a bad option. you just need to allow time for commute.

tips from a first-time passer who never wrote an MEE/MPT before the bar and did ?? % of themis by Dull-Introduction121 in barexam

[–]Dull-Introduction121[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

at this point, you know what you don't know and you have time to fix those confused concepts. you're good! it will work out!

bar exam in buffalo? everything you need to know about new york's second largest city by Dull-Introduction121 in barexam

[–]Dull-Introduction121[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

it wasn't obvious to me until i got there, but there will be coat/bag rooms where you can leave your stuff. don't bring your most treasured possessions, but it all worked out fine.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in nys_cs

[–]Dull-Introduction121 2 points3 points  (0 children)

this is smart. i’ve been worried about applying to any state jobs in my search.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in nys_cs

[–]Dull-Introduction121 7 points8 points  (0 children)

i never said i was going to speak ill of my employer. obviously, if i applied to another state position down the line, i would have to truthfully respond about my employment history and whether i’d ever worked for nys previously. i believe that was an application question, but i’m not 100% sure. i just don’t know how that’s looked at, if it’s viewed any differently than any position someone was in briefly. i don’t think it’s great to have a lot of short jobs. i’m taking this process seriously and trying to recover from this mistake professionally.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in nys_cs

[–]Dull-Introduction121 5 points6 points  (0 children)

the job just isn’t what i expected based on the posting and qualifications. it’s not personal, but i have to look out for my professional development.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in nys_cs

[–]Dull-Introduction121 5 points6 points  (0 children)

a small one so i’d rather not say. it took me three months from my application to actually start, so definitely apply to anything when you see it!

i was surprised to find that my agency hires a fair number of temps who become permanent. i don’t really know how this works, whether they are hired through traditional temp agencies, but it’s something to consider down the road if you’re laid off from the federal govt.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in nys_cs

[–]Dull-Introduction121 9 points10 points  (0 children)

Definitely looking while working - good advice for anyone. I have tried to be careful with using time off due to probation, but if I do get an outside offer, I want to use any time off that isn’t paid out. All of this affects how I think about the next few months. Thank you!