Student Life, Work Life, and Good Grades

A question was posed in a prior post regarding my thoughts on how to balance school and work and still achieve good grades. This is a tough one. I am inclined to say that it can’t be done. That law school is way too far-reaching and all-encompassing to have any time to do anything else but study as much as you can and worry about not studying enough. However, I can’t say that because I did it. I worked the 20 permitted hours during my first year. And my first semester of my second year was satiated with work and extra-curricular activities. So where’s the balance? I will focus first on your first year because that’s where you are headed. I worked, but it was a big mistake. If it wasn’t because I had about 10 reading days before the final exams I would have been singing a totally different tune (probably not writing in this blog about what to do in law school . . . lol). I recommend no work at least your first semester. I understand everyone has different needs, but if you are shooting for the top of the class, if you work, you are also shooting yourself in the foot. I did it and I can’t tell you how. I have always done better when I have a lot on my plate. Now, one thing I never swayed from--any work I did take I made sure that it was law-related. Everything you do should be helping you toward your ultimate goal of becoming a successful lawyer one day. Some tips on what I did to handle everything include: (1) write everything down on a calendar and check that calendar often; (2) don’t procrastinate and make sure to work on all your legal writing projects early because they will surely mess up your entire schedule if you don’t; and (3) outline your classes early (I’ll tell you more about outlining on another post). In regard to the first semester of second year . . . wow! That semester will need its own post titled “10 Easy Ways To Drive Yourself Crazy for an Entire Semester” . . . lol. Until then good luck! And I welcome any other questions you may have.