Three U of T Law students share insights into their daily lives.
Christina Roussakis, 3L, on exchange in Lyon.
![Christina Roussakis](/sites/default/files/content_images/content/students/christinaroussakis.jpg)
During 1L, what did your week look like?
I like getting a fairly early start to the day. I went to the gym every morning during the week at 7 am. I would usually stay on campus to complete readings before class and because I lived so close to campus (a ten minute walk) I would also usually go home for lunch a few times per week (if I was not attending something at school). My life outside of law school is very important to me, and I was determined to keep commitments with my friends and family. During the week I would often plan phone calls or meet with my partner or close friends for a dinner – usually once or twice per week. I like to have a clean break from my school work, so I aimed to be done my work by 8:00 pm. This definitely wasn’t consistent, and there were some nights where I worked until 9:00 or 10:00, but I found having 8:00 pm as a goal to be really helpful.
How long did it take you to prepare for class in 1L?
In 1L I decided early on that in order to make the most of law school, I needed to complete and take notes on all of my readings. 10 pages would often take me an hour or longer to complete, depending on how much rereading I felt I needed to do.
What do your weekends look like during the regular semester?
I really enjoy taking clear breaks from my school work. I like to designate at least a few hours on both Saturday and Sunday where I am not going to do any work and I am going to stay off of my phone and computer (to avoid getting sucked into work). I often go for coffee or breakfast or to a farmer's market on Saturday morning. I then usually dedicate a solid 3-6 hours to my school work. I also would usually make plans for Saturday night - either a night out with friends, visiting family or spending time with my partner.
What did you do before coming to law school?
I did research on the experience of youth in the mental health care system.
Leslie Anne St. Amour, 3L, member of ILSA.
![Leslie Anne St. Amour](/sites/default/files/content_images/content/students/leslieannestamour.jpg)
During 1L, what did your week look like?
In 1L I was a member of the Indigenous Law Students’ Association, an Asper Center Working Group and a volunteer at Downtown Legal Services (DLS). Every week I would have a DLS shift and often a meeting for another group. Classes tended to be roughly 9-5 for me in first year and so most meetings took place during the lunch break.
I also sat on the Advisory Council of a non-profit named Young Women’s Leadership Network during 1L (and still do!) and so in the evenings I would often do my work for the organization as well as occasional meetings or events.
What did your week look like in your upper years?
In 2L I’ve been a member of the Indigenous Law Student’s Association, the Environmental Law Club and sat on the Advisory Council of YWLN and the Board of Directors of Aboriginal Legal Services. Each week I likely have at least one commitment from one of these organizations in additional to school work. In my upper years, classes have had less of a 9-5 scheduling with more classes going into the evening and more classes which only met once a week. Because of this, during the week I was often able to go to the gym at off times, usually between 11am and 3pm which I enjoyed much more than the after 5pm crowds. I also would swim at least once a week at the pool on campus in the evenings.
Because I had days with only one class or days with classes starting late in the afternoon, week nights felt more like weekends because I wasn’t as concerned with getting up early in the morning. This was good and bad. I’d often meet up with friends or dates on week nights which was great but meant I did more school work on the weekends that I would have liked.
What do your weekends look like during the regular semester?
I have recently taken up Australian rules football and so during the semester Saturday mornings are often spent training with my team in Liberty Village. After that I will go home and shower and either study at home, or at a nearby coffee shop. I avoid the library as much as possible. Saturday evenings I might go out with friends, stay home and watch Netflix or go on a Bumble date.
What did you do before coming to law school?
I completed a BA at McGill and the Oceanpath Fellowship which had me doing community development work while also working for a First Nation as a consultation assistant.
Erica McLachlan, 2L in the JD/MPP Program
![Erica McLachlan](/sites/default/files/content_images/content/students/ericamclachlan.jpg)
During 1L, what did your week look like?
Generally, I would get up early in the morning before class to do a couple of hours of reading, since I work best in the morning. I would attend class and spend the two lunch hours either talking with classmates, doing a little extra reading or attending one of the interesting lectures/workshops offered by a club/the Faculty. In fall term of 1L, most evenings I would wrap up reading/working by 9 pm. The winter term was a bit busier with job applications added on top, so I spent more of my lunch periods working and worked a bit longer in the evenings.
How long did it take you to prepare for class in 1L?
It depended a lot on the class and the amount of reading. Most classes, I had to prep around 30-50 pages of readings per class, which would usually take 2-3 hours, depending on the complexity. However, I had one course, in particular, where there was considerably more reading (90-120 pages per class). Those readings I tended to do after class, so that I knew where to focus my attention, as I did not have sufficient time to do a close read prior to attending class.
What do your weekends look like during the regular semester?
Most weekends I would spend about two thirds of the day each day completing assignments or catching up on readings. It was only during the busy periods—exams or when an assignment was due—that I would be pushing into full days of work on the weekends. However, I was not spending all weekend every weekend working.
I managed to sleep 8 hours most nights, work out a few times per week and chat with people on breaks at the law school.
What did you do before coming to law school?
My undergrad was a double major in History and Religious Studies at Queen’s University, and then I did a Master’s in Religious Studies at the University of Calgary