National Peanut(s) Day: Bar Prep Lessons from the Gang
- Tommy Sangchompuphen
- Sep 13
- 6 min read
Updated: Sep 15
Today, September 13, is officially National Peanut Day—a celebration of the nut that finds its way into ballpark snacks, trail mix, and peanut butter sandwiches. But I’d rather give a nod to something with a little more character: National Peanuts Day. Charles Schulz’s classic comic strip introduced us to Charlie Brown, Snoopy, Lucy, Linus, Peppermint Patty, Marcie, Schroeder, Pig-Pen, Franklin, and more.
For more than a half century, Peanuts appeared in newspapers worldwide, offering humor, heart, and occasional wisdom through the eyes of kids and one very imaginative beagle. Even if you didn’t grow up reading it, you probably recognize the sight of Charlie Brown trying to kick a football, Snoopy perched on his doghouse, or Linus clutching his blanket.
And while Peanuts was never about law school or the bar exam, the gang has plenty to teach us about study skills, habits, and mindset. Each character brings a reminder of how to prepare—not just what to prepare—for the exam ahead.
Let’s start with Charlie Brown, the face of perseverance.
Charlie Brown – Resilience and Growth Mindset
Charlie Brown is the eternal optimist. He never wins a baseball game, never quite gets the kite to fly, and never manages to kick the football before Lucy pulls it away. But despite constant setbacks, he always comes back and tries again.
Bar Prep Lesson: You won’t get everything right in bar prep. In fact, you shouldn’t. Practice questions are designed to expose your weak spots. Like Charlie Brown, your success comes from persistence—reviewing missed questions, learning the rule, and trying again. A growth mindset means recognizing that mistakes aren’t signs of failure but opportunities to improve.
What to do: Keep a “mistakes notebook” where you write down each missed MBE question or essay issue and the rule behind it. Revisit this regularly. Over time, you’ll notice fewer repeated mistakes, which is the surest sign of growth.
Lucy Van Pelt – Accountability Partners
Lucy is confident, opinionated, and sometimes bossy—she runs her famous “psychiatric help” booth and charges 5¢ for advice. She also never misses an opportunity to hold Charlie Brown accountable, even if her style is harsh.
Bar Prep Lesson: Having someone to keep you accountable is critical. Lucy’s methods might not be gentle, but they illustrate the importance of not doing this alone. When motivation fades, accountability keeps you consistent.
What to do: Find a study buddy or mentor you can check in with weekly. Share your study goals and progress. You don’t need to study together—you just need someone who will notice if you start falling behind and nudge you back on track.
Linus Van Pelt – Study Rituals & Comfort Systems
Linus is Lucy’s younger brother, known for his deep philosophical musings and his ever-present security blanket. The blanket comforts him and provides stability in a chaotic world.
Bar Prep Lesson: Like Linus, you need a “security blanket” ritual—a small, reliable routine that grounds your study sessions. Bar prep is stressful, and a consistent ritual helps reduce anxiety and focus your energy.
What to do: Create a pre-study ritual: maybe a cup of coffee in the same mug, five minutes of review flashcards, or writing down your top three goals for the session. Repeat it daily. Over time, your brain will associate the ritual with focus and productivity.
Snoopy – Creative Study Breaks
Snoopy, Charlie Brown’s beagle, spends much of his time on top of his doghouse, imagining himself as a World War I Flying Ace or a bestselling novelist. His daydreaming and creativity balance out the seriousness of the other characters.
Bar Prep Lesson: Study breaks matter. Constant grinding leads to burnout. Snoopy reminds us that creativity and rest fuel productivity. A refreshed brain learns better and retains more.
What to do: Schedule 5–10 minute “Snoopy breaks” every hour. Go for a quick walk, sketch something, stretch, or put on music. The activity should shift your brain into a different mode. When you return, you’ll process information more effectively.
Woodstock – Personal Notes & Mnemonics
Woodstock, Snoopy’s tiny yellow bird friend, speaks only in chirps that no one understands except Snoopy. His language may not make sense to others, but it works perfectly for him and his best friend.
Bar Prep Lesson: Your study notes should make sense to you, not anyone else. Whether you use mnemonics, acronyms, or doodles, what matters is creating memory cues you’ll recognize.
What to do: Develop quirky mnemonics for frequently tested rules. For example, for hearsay exceptions, you might picture Woodstock chirping the first letter of each one in a silly order. No one else needs to understand your system—if it triggers recall on exam day, it works.
Peppermint Patty – Learning from Mistakes
Peppermint Patty is athletic, good-natured, but not always attentive—she often falls asleep in class and sometimes thinks every test is “open book.” Despite her blunders, she keeps pushing forward and adapts.
Bar Prep Lesson: Mistakes aren’t failures; they’re feedback. Many students review practice questions superficially. But like Peppermint Patty, you need to examine where you misunderstood, misapplied, or skimmed. That’s how real learning happens.
What to do: After each practice set, spend at least as much time reviewing your answers as you did answering them. For each missed question, write: (1) Why you missed it (knowledge gap, misread, time pressure), and (2) What you’ll do differently next time.
Marcie – Asking for Help
Marcie, Peppermint Patty’s loyal sidekick, is quiet, thoughtful, and always calling Patty “Sir.” She isn’t afraid to ask questions others avoid, often clarifying what’s really happening.
Bar Prep Lesson: Don’t struggle in silence. The smartest students are the ones who ask questions early and often. Seeking help isn’t weakness—it’s efficiency.
What to do: When you hit a wall, reach out: email a professor, post in your course forum, or set up a check-in with a bar coach. Prepare specific questions (e.g., “I don’t understand why this hearsay exception applies” vs. “I don’t get hearsay”). Clear questions lead to clear answers.
Schroeder – Deep Focus Sessions
Schroeder is the piano prodigy who spends hours playing Beethoven, tuning out the chaos around him. He demonstrates intense focus and immersion in something meaningful.
Bar Prep Lesson: The ability to block distractions and sustain focus is a superpower in bar prep. You need deep work sessions where you can fully engage with complex materials.
What to do: Try the Pomodoro method: 50 minutes of uninterrupted study followed by a 10-minute break. During the session, silence notifications, close email, and commit to one task (e.g., outlining, essay practice). Like Schroeder at his piano, dive into concentration.
Pigpen – Messy but Functional Notes
Pigpen is always surrounded by a cloud of dust, yet he’s comfortable in it and unbothered by what others think.
Bar Prep Lesson: Your notes, outlines, or flashcards don’t need to look like Instagram posts. They need to help you recall rules and practice applying them. Don’t waste precious time making things pretty if messy-but-functional works.
What to do: Give yourself permission to have “dusty notes.” Use shorthand, arrows, or even doodles. Focus on usability and repetition, not aesthetics. If your system helps you learn, it’s good enough.
Franklin – Balance and Perspective
Franklin is one of the most level-headed members of the Peanuts gang, often providing calm insights when the others get caught up in drama. He was also introduced later in the strip’s history, long after the core group was in place.
Bar Prep Lesson: Don’t wait until the end of your bar prep journey to add balance and perspective. Franklin’s later arrival is a reminder that while it’s never too late to find calm, it’s better to build it in from the beginning.
What to do: From day one, schedule “balance blocks” into your study calendar—time for sleep, meals, and activities that recharge you. Waiting until you feel burned out to add perspective is too late. Start early, and let balance guide you all the way to exam day.
The Peanuts gang reminds us that preparing for the bar exam isn’t just about memorizing rules. It’s about building resilience, creating habits, seeking help, and maintaining balance. On this National Peanuts Day, take a lesson from Charlie Brown, Lucy, Snoopy, and the rest: success is not about being perfect from the start—it’s about persistence, creativity, and perspective along the way.
