how to survive law school by atty laserna.docx

8/13/2019 How to survive law school by Atty Laserna.docx

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How to survive law school

By Atty. Manuel J. Laserna Jr.

25 TIPS FOR STAYING SANE DURING LAW SCHOOL

Law school is stressful, and thats by design: the rigors of earning your law degree

are similar to the rigors youll endure as a budding legal professional, where only the

strong survive. And although law school can be difficult, that doesnt mean you have

to become insane on the way to graduation. There are several ways to cope, prevent

stress, and stop the insanity before it starts. Weve outlined 25 tips that can help

you stay sane and happy, and even live like a normal person now and then.

1. Keep your goals achievable

Its great to set big dreams and work toward making them a reality, but be careful

not to overdo it. Think about how youre going to get there, and set achievable goals

that you know you can reach along the way. Checking off goals that are realistic for

you to achieve can really build your self-confidence, and give you momentum to

keep going for the big stuff.

2. Give your mind a break after lectures

After going through lectures and briefing, your mind needs a break. Although its

tempting to go straight to the books, spending a little time vegging out is important

to your mental health and energy. For an hour after your lectures are over, just take

some time to do something else, like playing with your pets or watching TV.

Anything that can temporarily get your mind off of law school and let you be yourself

for a while.

3. Practice time management

Its tempting to just jump in and do all you can without thinking about how its

actually going to get done, but by budgeting your time, you can accomplish moreand have less anxiety about it all. Manage your time by reviewing your weekly goals

and tasks, then organize your time into daily task lists. You may not meet your goals

perfectly every week, but by managing your time, you will likely get closer to perfect

and have less worry about how its all going to get done.

4. Eat a balanced diet

Junk food is convenient and easy to mindlessly shove down your throat while youre

trying to focus on studying, but its terrible for your energy and health. Take the

time to eat food thats actually good for you, because junk food will catch up with

you eventually. Healthy food including fruits and vegetables can be made accessible,

and they will help keep your mind going when you need it the most.

5. Spring clean your life


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Before you begin law school, tame all of the issues that might pop up as a distraction

to your studies. Visit the dentist, organize your house, and take care of any nagging

issues that can mess with your time management. Do whatever you can to automate

your life, including paying bills, so that you can focus on whats absolutely

necessary. If you didnt get a chance to do thisbefore school started, be sure to take

care of it during breaks.

6. Figure out your financial situation

Law school is scary on its own without the worry of financial ruin, but if you dont

have a clear picture of how youre going to handle the six-figure student loans that

come along with your law degree, you just might lose your mind while youre

working to get your degree in the first place. Have a plan for the investment and

how youre going to take care of your living expenses while youre in school. Its also

wise to work hard to find scholarships so that you dont have to bear the full weight

of law school on your own.

7. Use The Buzzer

If you just cant get anything done, avoid distractions, or focus, using The Buzzer

method for law school can be incredibly helpful. With this method, youll set a timer

for 45 minutes, work straight through without any interruptions, not even bathroom

breaks, and then take a break and repeat. You may not get anything done, but

chances are that at some point in the 45 minutes, youll get bored and want to start

doing some sort of productive work. If this method works for you, it can help save

your sanity and make you get things done so you can move on and do things thatdont revolve around law school.

8. Hug a puppy

Get some perspective and release endorphins by taking a minute to hug a puppy

when youre at your most stressed. At George Mason University School of Law, 15

homeless puppies were enlisted in the fight against exam stress, and made students

feel like they could get to be human again. The Yale Law Library has added a

therapy dog, Monty, as well, and the Washington Post reports that he helps to break

the pressure on campus.

9. Think about the exam on the first day of class

The Girls Guide to Law School shares a secret: whats tested in law school isnt

necessarily whats taught in law school. It sounds weird, but its true. So that means

youll need to consider what you really need to know from the very beginning, and

save your energy by simply working on that. Shoot for a flexible understanding of

the law, or, as The Girls Guide to Law Schoolsays, figure out whats set in stone,

and whats malleable.

10. Have an outlet

When law school is consuming your life, its easy to forget that youre a real person

with interests other than legal briefings. But you actually are a real person with

needs, and an outlet is a great way to meet them. Do something fun for yourself,


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like going to the gym on a regular basis, or taking the time to go to the movies on

occasion. Its essential that you indulge yourself from time to time so that you dont

burn out.

11. Recognize and minimize procrastination

If youre feeling stuck and lonely during long nights of studying, it might feel like a

good idea to log on to Facebook and spend a few hours connecting with your friends

and family that you never seem to have time for anymore. But the more time you

spend putting off studying, the less time you have to actually participate in real life.

Buckle down when its time to do the work, and enjoy the fruits of your labor when

its appropriate.

12. Avoid coping through chemistry

Drugs, alcohol, and overloading on caffeine can make a small stress problem even

bigger. Dont be a drunken lawyer and give the Bar a reason to refuse your

application. Learn to cope through healthy outlets, and use, but dont abuse, alcohol

as an occasional way to relieve stress.

13. Dont be afraid to rely on the study skills you already know

Plenty of people will tell you that law must be studied in a way thats radically

different from anything else, and you have to do things completely different from the

methods youre used to. But Ilya Somin of The Volokh Conspiracy does not agree,

remarking that if it works for you, you can certainly study the same way you got

through your work as an undergrad or graduate student. You may need to makeminor modifications, but its certainly possible to go with what you know and avoid

the stressful process of learning a brand new way to learn.

14. Break large projects down into small tasks

Make humongous efforts feel like less work by taking them one small step at a time.

Identify tasks within large projects, breaking things into subtopics and assigning

smaller time blocks so that you can focus on manageable pieces. This will help you

keep things organized, and give you motivation to keep going as you accomplish

small goals along the way.

15. Dont be a perfectionist

Law school naturally attracts highly driven students who are bent on doing

everything perfectly, but life is much easier if you accept that some things dont

have to be perfect. Many schools have a B- curve, and some professors simply dont

ever give As. Recognize that a good grade isnt always an A plus, and that you dont

have to be in the top 10% of your class to become a good lawyer.

16. Dont get sick

Law school can make for close quarters and a perfect environment for picking up

germs that can knock you down and make studying even harder. Stay well and on

the top of your game by putting up a good defense: maintain a regular sleep

schedule, a healthy diet, and practice good hygiene and hand-washing techniques.


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17. Focus on what you really need to know

As Listless Lawyer notes, 95% of what you want to achieve in law school will be

based on your grades, which come from your exams. And while youll spend lots of

class time looking over the minutia of cases, chances are, that same minutia isnt

going to show up in the relatively short exam. Focus on the holding thatsummarizes the rule that the case stands for, and anything else you may retain is

gravy on top.

18. Avoid taking on too much

MSU Law recommends that you simply focus on the stress of law school without

adding to it unnecessarily. Getting in over your head and overextending yourself

with too many society and association groups can seriously bog down an already

busy workload. Consider which opportunities offer the most value to you, and focus

on doing well with them. And of course, know yourself and what you can reasonablyhandle.

19. Put everything where it belongs

Emily Rushing, law librarian, recommends that law students keep their lives neatly

filed. Keep emails, notes, projects, and anything else you might collect in the right

place. By putting information where it belongs, you can easily retrieve it when

necessary. As she points out, being smart is often more of a question of whether you

can find information, rather than how much you can absorb or retain.

20. Take short breaks when youre feeling the pressure

Its natural to feel a little overwhelmed in law school, and its also understandable for

students to want to push through and work as hard as possible. Its important to be

human, and take short breaks before your stress and anxiety turns into full-blown

panic and a situation in which you just cant get anything done. Take short breaks,

do mindful breathing, and allow information to sink in while you rest.

21. Treat law school like a job

If you let law school become your life, you truly will go insane. Set limits much like

you would with a job. Plan to work on law school studies during certain hours, and

then actually put in the time, but when its over, you really do have to put the books

down and stop studying. If possible, study away from home, and when you get

home, leave your books in the bag.

22. Remember that its only temporary

If youre a first-year law student, its easy to feel the strain and feel that the reality

youre in will continue for years two and three as well. But UCLA law students Sylvie

Levine and David Burke point out that things get more relaxed as you go. The

second year becomes a little more relaxed than the first, particularly with fewerclasses to attend. The third year is the most relaxed, as most students have already

secured jobs, and with their eyes on the prize, are just hoping to get things done


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without screwing up enough to lose their jobs. All of this is to say that law school is a

downhill battle, one that may be tough in the beginning, but gets easier as you go.

23. Maintain relationships in law school

As law school wears on, its easy to crawl into your own hole and buckle down withwork, but maintaining relationships with your classmates and professors is

important. Use the people you know in school for both positive reinforcement and

references. You should also continue to build your network, as youll certainly find

opportunities to call on them during your job search and career as a lawyer.

24. Know your deadlines

Always know when your assignments are due. This is a simple task that will save

you time and allow you to better juggle your schedule. Whether they are papers,

projects, or assignments as a summer associate, always find out the date and time

an assignment is due, and dont be afraid to ask for clarification if you need it.

25. Have friends outside of law school

Although law school relationships are important, you should also make a point to

maintain your friendships outside of law school as well. While youre freaking out

about exams, your law school friends cant really helpyou: theyre dealing with the

same issues. But people in the real world can bring you out of your dark hole when

your law school friends fail to do so.

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