A GUIDE TO SURVIVING LAW SCHOOL

I graduated law school! YAY! And that’s the main reason why I haven’t posted anything lately. I was writing my thesis and preparing my thesis presentation over the last month and than celebrating the graduation since last Monday. But even though I have graduated, it doesn’t really feel like it, since I still have to do my masters next year. So it’s not the end yet, but at the same time, it’s something.

I have to admit, five years of law school weren’t a piece of cake and they are not suppose to be easy, since it’s freaking law school, right? But there are some things (tips) that can help anyone, who is struggling with their law studies or thinking about studying law in the near (or far) future that helped me. I want to share three of them with you.

1. You butt will hurt, but it’s worth the pain!
Meaning you will have to sit behind your desk and a pile of books for hours and hours (my maximum was 13 hours of studying per day for a week or two). Law school is tough and there are a lot of subject that you will probably find boring (maybe not at first, cause the professor is really fun, but when you will have to remember all 1000 pages in a book he wrote, he will not seem so fun anymore, trust me), but you have to pass them or, if you’re like me, pass them with a grade that contributes to your average score. It’s a lot easier when you study subjects that are really interesting and are a part of a field of law you hope you will work sometime in the future. But for me, that was a really short list of subjects. But every time you think about giving up just remember, you will be a lawyer when you finish school. And with a great grade average, even in a bad economy, there will be working opportunities waiting for you. Maybe you will have to find them by yourself, maybe work you butt a little bit more, but eventually, you will find something you like to do and all the “butt pain” will be forgotten.

Untitled

2. Behind every successful woman there is a substantial amount of coffee!
Simple. If you have to study more than half of your day, you need something to keep you awake. I have to admit, I have always hated the taste of coffee. I survived unrealistically early mornings, after just a few hours of sleep, all throughout high school without a sip of coffee. But in my third year of law school I realized that I’m running out of my “youngster” energy and that I need to find something that will keep me up for hours. And there it was, a warm, light brown, wonderful cup of coffee with milk, just waiting for me to try it. It wasn’t love at first sight, but I grew more and more fond of “her” during all the long nights of studying that year. And now it’s true love, a love that helped me pass all my exams, write my thesis and graduate. Thank you, you delicious cup of heaven.

Untitled

3. Friends don’t let friends do stupid things alone!
After all the long hours behind (maybe not always so) useful books, you will get grumpy. Trust me, you will. And that’s when your (good, amazing, the best) friends jump in. They are the ones who will have to listen to all your complaining about how law school is killing you, how you chose the wrong faculty, etc. And since they will have to be the one to make you feel better, make sure you have really good friends standing next to you (or at least one). The one that will drag you away from the huge pile of books, order a beer for you in your favorite bar, tell you a gossip or a joke and make you forget about all the not-so-amazing stuff you have to study for the exam you have the following week. Believe me, just sitting locked up in your room for weeks or months is not productive at all. My grades were actually higher when I took some time to unwind during exam periods than they were when I was just studying and not at all socializing (which I did during my first two years). So, even if you know you there is still a lot you have to learn before your exam, trust me, a half an hour and a quick chat with your best friend will only do you good.

Untitled

Here you go. Here are the three main things that got me through my five years of law school. Maybe they seem obvious to you, but it took me some time to realize what really matters and what motivates me. I really wish I knew everything I know now about how to approach law studies when I started my first year. Things would be a lot easier. So I really hope this post will help at least one person, somewhere, sometime. :)

Love, Kaja. ♥

Copyright © 2014 RANDOM BLONDE LAW STUDENT