So, I don't think that it's any big secret that law school sucks. The good thing is, law school can actually be amazing, fun, and one of the best experiences of your life. But in order to make that happen, you need to be able to do some things to make law school suck a little bit less. Although I'm still learning these things myself, I've found a few things that make law school way better. So if you're at a point where law school just absolutely and completely sucks, try out some of these things to make law school suck even less.
1. Find a Hobby
This sounds like the most simple thing, but you need to have something that you enjoy outside of law school. Although it may seem like you need to spend every waking hour in the libary, the truth is that is the exact opposite of healthy. Not only do you need to stand up every now and then (trust me, you will get back problems if you study too much), but you need things in your life to care about other than law school. Do you like to play sports? Most graduate students are still able to join university intramural leagues. Are you crafty? Set up a paint corner. If you like playing board games, host a board game night with your friends. Take a cooking class, go for walks, or join a volunteer league. Personally, my biggest stress relief is crocheting, and I have made so many blankets out of this yarn for my friends and family!
2. Find Your Support Network on Campus
All of us have friends and family that love us and support us. But when you move to a new environment or first start law school, you might not have that readily available in your law building. So try hard to establish and grow that support network. I recommend having at least two or three close friends that you trust, as well as a professor or school administrator. I personally have a handful of professors that I trust, and a couple of friends that I would consider best friends at this point. Having that network is key, because spending time with people you love makes life suck less. And when life sucks less, law schoool sucks less.
3. Give Yourself Something to Look Forward To
For some reason, law school semesters seem endless. Like I don't know why a week in law school seems like a month in real world time, but it does. One of the best things I've done is learn to break up my semester by planning something fun to look forward to each month. This upcoming weekend I'm taking a quick trip to Disney World with one of my best friends. Next month is a brewery tour with some of my friends. After that I'll go home for Thanksgiving in November. Having these little things each month really keeps morale high. Plan concerts, day or weekend trips, have friends or family visit you, or look for a really cool festival in your school town. Doing this will make the semester fly by, and you'll feel rewarded for your hard work every time you do something fun.
4. Manage Your Finances
Law school may suck, but being broke sucks even more. So it's time to adult up and manage your finances. I wrote an entire post on being financially smart in law school, so go check it out if you need more tips! Mostly, it comes down to writing a budget, sticking to it, and shopping the sales. One recent thing I've been doing to save money is by using my Discover credit card to get up to 5% back on my purchases. Then I use my reward money to pay my bill. I seriously make over $50 a month in cashback bonuses. Check out awesome cards like this to help you save money by spending on the same stuff you already by.
5. Read Something Unrelated to Law School
Does everyone else keep a tally of the record number of pages you've had to read in a week? I know I do. In law school, we read a lot. So much that it can make you hate reading. One way to avoid this hatred of the written world is to read something that's not related to law school. Recently I picked up this book and could not put it down. It was so funny, and I couldn't put it down. I forgot how much I loved reading when it doesn't relate to the law. So read for fun one day, and it will make the reading you do for school seem a lot better.
These are just a few things that you can do to make your law school adventure feel a bit more like adventure and a bit less like torture. Do you like these ideas? If so, let me know in the comments below and I'll do a part two!
Haha law school might just suck regardless, but anyhow these tips and tricks sound pretty helpful. Thanks for this wonderful post, hope to see more helpful posts soon.
ReplyDeleteYou're right, it's going to suck a little bit. But words of wisdom here - it might suck for 3 years, but it's worth it for a lifetime in a career you love :)
DeleteHi Bailey! Just found your blog, I love it! I know it is pretty far behind you now but do you have any tips on the LSAT? Or any good resources you would recommend?
ReplyDeleteLoved reading this thankk you
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