Don’t Lose Sight of Important Personal Interests During Law School
The summer before law school begins, you may find out that personal interests don’t seem quite as important, as suddenly you are consumed by two main things: thinking about going to law school and passing the bar so you can get on your way to creating a successful practice as a trial lawyer. You may be consumed with scouring any available coursework, reading all possible materials ahead of time, and feeling some anxiety about the weight of the impending journey ahead.
The best gift you can give yourself before beginning law school is to square away every detail possible and start off with a strong, confident foundation. It is critical to be feeling as good as possible, getting as organized as you can and preparing yourself for the rigors of the first year, which will require serious practices in adaptation. Do not put off appointments that need to be made before school starts, car repairs that need to be handled, or issues that can consume your time when you will need to be studying later. Try to go into law school with a complete, steady focus on the tasks at hand—and blinders on, at first. This is the path to success, although some details along the way have the possibility to derail you—from issues with procrastination once you get started, to overdoing it all together and burning out barely before you have even begun.
At some point during school, however, you may become exhausted and feel like you are losing the initial hold you had on your studies and your future. You may begin to feel a little bit lost as stress and burnout settle in—usually accompanied by symptoms such as a growing lack of motivation, and some level of confusion or regret about your decision to go to law school in the first place. Burn out occurs in even the best of students, but it requires immediate attention.
You may be a law student—expected to suffer through superhuman amounts of studying and classwork—but you are still a human being with limits. And it may be time to set some boundaries to create a normal school/life balance again, taking time out for the personal interests you normally enjoy—whether it is playing chess, reading a series of books by a favorite author, writing, enjoying outdoor activities, or you may even have a lifelong hobby or side business that you have been neglecting. Just as it is important when you head into a personal relationship to remember not to lose your own sense of self, the rules apply with law school too. While you may only have a fraction of the time you used to for devoting yourself to personal interests, make the most of it. This also includes keeping up with friends and family. They may begin to feel like they have lost you also, even if you already prepared them for the rigors of law school.
Losing sight of yourself and your interests can have a devastating effect if you don’t remember to take care of yourself—including physical and mental health—before everything else. If you begin to feel hopeless though, or sinking into serious depression, speak with a counselor as soon as possible.
Our mission at CDTA College of Law is to educate, train, and develop extraordinary legal advocates. Your legal education will be comprised of bar-tested academic subjects, skills training, and values reinforcement. Upon completion of your 4-year course of study, you will be fully qualified to take and pass the California Bar examination. Call us today at (760) 342-0900 or find out more online here.