During Law School: Self-Care is Vital to Your Success
Just those two little words, law school, may invoke terror in students about to embark on four undeniably challenging years; in fact, many individuals may just be terrified by school in general, depending on the level of difficulty. In law school, however, and hopefully this includes you—many students worked extremely hard to get to that point and enthusiastically preparing not only to take the California State Bar, but also branch out into a fulfilling career that could span many decades.
You may hear varying reports and tidbits of advice, from warning you to be afraid, to reminding you to enjoy every minute because you will be making some of the greatest memories of your life—but there is one thing you can rely on hearing from nearly everyone: be prepared. In most cases, this will refer to your new lifestyle of attending classes, reading copiously, and studying on a variety of different topics whether you are learning hard skills like criminal law, civil procedure, wills and trusts, or the ‘softer skills’ like negotiating, writing, ethics, and more.
The key is to enter law school like you would a full-time job (a very consuming one). If your studying skills, reading stamina, and organizational skills need refining, the summer before you enter law school is a great time to begin bolstering all those details. That is also a good time to make sure you tie up any loose ends—make sure your living situation, car situation, and even your relationship ‘situation,’ is as stable as possible so you can put your entire focus on studying the law.
Continuing to take time out for yourself is vital, still. Spending time with family and making the effort to attend events like cultural activities or seeing new movies is a great way to get out and take a break. It is important to remember, however, and to plan accordingly for simply not having quite as much time to do as much as you used to recreationally. It will be important to have a constant structure, so you never get behind on studying or find yourself cramming at the last minute.
More so, keep up with all your normal exercise routines, and even if you were not a healthy eater before, become one now! This will help you stay well in the face of those inevitable late nights of studying. Avoiding junk food is vital to your health (plus, no one feels good trying to study or sit through class when they are stuffed full of fried food), as well as overdosing on caffeine. While socializing in moderation is a good idea, also avoid alcohol as much as possible.
Are you interested in becoming a skilled lawyer and negotiator? 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.