Three U of T Law students share insights into their daily lives.
Christina Roussakis, 3L, on exchange in Lyon.
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.
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
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
