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Friday, April 23, 2010

How to survive first year in Law School


First Year is the most crucial because this is the adjustment period. It is the first step and when you get through, you'll surpass everything. The secret of success in the legal studies lies beneath you. It depends on how you cope up with everything. The following are ways you should follow to reach your goal.

1. Pray

Wait a second don’t leave yet. Do you really think I’m kidding? Prayers can really move mountains and since I entered law school, I prayed millions of times within a year. Much more than how much prayers I’ve done in my 4 years of high school ( I was from a catholic school run by nuns). I’ve even completed a novena to st. jude (read my blog about this) And here I am, at the doorstep of the sophomore class. So do your best and god will be right behind you.


2. Set your mind

Do not underestimate the power of your mind. Believe in yourself that you’ll reach the finish line. Those who have second thoughts do not last long. Be decisive about your plans and actions. I think that is the reason why the last 8 in our batch manage to stand strong. We really wanted this and we won’t let anything or anyone stand in our way. So hang on there and you’ll rock!



3. Time Management vs. procrastination

" If you could analyze cases faster and pace up your life then you can sleep longer. " ~Atty. Albert Muyot.

It takes time to understand the law because of its ambiguity. But we don’t have enough time. Time management is the key to be able to do all reading assignments and get good grades or pass. But unfortunately facebook was invented so we tend to procrastinate and ignore workloads. Don’t do them till later or you’ll regret wasting your time on not so important things. The legal study requires great effort, focus, and attention to be successful.



4. Make your own notes.

There is nothing more effective than that. The best outlines are the ones you create yourself (Steven J. frank said in his book Learning the law: Success in law school an beyond) Do not rely on handed down notes. You may use them as guide for changes you need to make on your outline or as cross references. Making your own notes is an assurance that you understand whatever is written on it. And it is easier to remember them because they are your own. While reciting you can take a quick glance if you forget about something your professor is asking about. Update your notes every week or every time there are additional assignments. Once you have a complete reviewer you may want to share them on every law students in the world by uploading them on sites like Scribd.com. Believe in good karma.

5. Be confident.

Professors don’t like nervous voices. It is a sign of being unprepared or being unsure. They’d be glad to bombard you questions and you don't want that.



6. Learn to speak the legalese tongue.

If you are able to learn this you will sound and think like a lawyer. That’s what professors expect from you. you.


7. Take care of yourself.

Stress and Anxiety is common in the legal study and these things make you sick. Drink vitamins and eat healthy. You sure don’t want to miss classes because of fever and flu or any other sickness. You will miss out all the fun and lessons you could have learned.



8. Learn to digest cases.

Brief cases in a manner you can you remember them in a glance. During exams you won’t have all the time to read cases all over again. Case Briefs are very helpful during recitations and exams.



9. Sleep Well.

My first year was experimental. In the first few weeks I overslept and I wasn’t able to do well in class. When I reduced sleeping hours to 6, I was always sleepy and my performance did not improve that much because my thoughts were wandering somewhere else while I’m inside the class and even while having the exams. When I had 8 hours of sleep my performance improved.



10 Party Hard after Studying

Never ever Study hard but party harder while in law school you very well know what your responsibilities are. But life sucks when you miss out all the fun. Do not deprive yourself from these things. You are only taking away something from yourself called—LIFE. It’s ok to have fun but always know your limitations.

_something has gone wrong with my fonts, sorry I'll fix this soon..

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