Law School Is All Consuming—But You Must Take Time for Yourself

While law school tuition may set you back a bit financially, you will certainly be rich in other areas during your four years, especially at an online school like California Desert Trial Academy College of Law. In taking advantage of distance learning, one of the greatest benefits is having all the comforts of home at your constant disposal, with everything you are used to at your fingertips. Upon enrolling at CDTA, you can enhance your life with the expanse and new intellectual realm of law school—working toward a new and impressive degree without having to move out of your home or adjust to a new geographical location.

Law school comes with so many other benefits too though, from enjoying and being exposed to a shared community of other students currently working to meet the same challenges and goals you are, along with the obvious: you will be presented with constant intellectual stimulation and challenges, with learning opportunities literally at every turn, and so much to look forward to and plan for—from that summer internship, to considering what type of firm you want to work for after you graduate and pass the bar exam.

You will also be able to surround yourself with more experienced legal professionals who have enormous, valuable amounts of knowledge to pass on not only in the teaching atmosphere but on campus; for instance, at CDTA, you can look forward to weekly barrister luncheons, along with other opportunities to speak to and hang out with other law students.

There is one area where you will not feel ‘well to do’ in, most likely though, and that is time. This is normal in law school, and while one of the main skills you will learn as a law student is how to manage your time, that doesn’t mean that you can make more of it magically appear. In many ways, law school is like having a full-time job – but one where you work lots of overtime too. Most law students are highly motivated by the end goal and strive hard to succeed every day. None of this has much value though if you begin to go downhill physically due to lack of sleep, lack of exercise, lack of good nutrients, and bottom line, lack of care for yourself.

In taking time for yourself, you will find that your outlook on everything is much more positive, and you will be that much more equipped to deal with the rigors of law school. Consider these tips:

• Get enough sleep! Although you may be tempted to burn the midnight oil constantly, sleep must happen if you are to be successful, and chances are, even if you try to stay up all night studying you will find yourself napping during the day out of exhaustion. Create a written daily schedule, outlining study times—and rest times. Although it may be challenging, attempt to go to sleep at the same time, and get up at the same time each morning.
• Exercise! We all know how difficult it can be to exercise even in the best of times, with a completely free schedule. In law school, this is particularly important though, because it gets your circulation (and brain) working, and promotes the good health you need, especially during a stressful time. If you are having trouble motivating yourself, try reaching out to some other law students, or friends or family, to see if they would like to buddy up.
• Avoid caffeine, alcohol, and junk food. Like a finely tuned machine, this is the time to be treating your body right, eating whole foods, lots of fruits and vegetables and protein, while eschewing alcohol, the classic temptation of caffeine, and urge to enjoy the conveniences of fast food and junk food/snacks.
• Take time out for fun. Obviously there won’t be as much of this as there used to be, but set aside some time each week where you can at least catch a movie, go out to dinner with friends or family, or just settle in with a nice book and enjoy a respite from legal studies so you can start fresh again the next day.

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.