Ways to Excel in Law School

Law school can be a tough place. A student must deal with competition, long hours and intellectual bombardment. Here are ways to help you cope and even excel in law school.

If you want to excel in law school, be sure you want to be lawyer. This seems obvious. You spent your undergraduate life working toward law school and you prepped and took the LSAT to get into the law program you wanted. Still, be sure you want to be a lawyer because the first year of law school will be a shocker.

There is no way to adequately prepare a law student for their first day or first year of study. If you want to excel in law school, be prepared to realize that you are now an adult dealing with adult situations and issues. The best way to get you through your three year program is to have the desire and motivation to see the program through to graduation.

One thing you must cultivate is efficient study skills. It’s not just about how much time you have to study. Sometimes there are not enough hours in the day to get all your work done. Be sure to prioritize your workload.

What you need the most time for is reading. Your coursework will be packed with pages of case studies and briefings. Be sure to make enough time to get through those pages not just once but two or three times. What you need the most time for is acclimating yourself to the words that are used and the ideas that are expressed. If you become familiar with reading law then you will begin to read through your work faster and more critically.

Many law students express feelings of losing themselves in law school. Law school is a rigorous journey that ultimately leads to a critical and analytical mindset and cultivates the ability to argue effectively. Yes, you will be changed after law school as most people are when they finish any type of graduate school. The difference with law school is that it changes the way you view the world. It shows you that there is more than one right answer and that the best answer is the best argued one.

Because of the rigorous course workload, a law student must take time for themselves. It’s easy to get caught up in the world of law. You are attending lectures for many hours and have to study for even more. You can spend 100 hours a week just studying. You don’t want to burn out.

Refresh yourself by taking some time out to see friends and family. Although it’s hard to find the time or energy, try to exercise once in a while. This will help you relieve stress and improve your endurance.

The best advice is to get through the dreaded first year as best you can. After that it’s more of the same. Your third year will be your best. You will attend less lectures and find that you can grasp the material quicker. So work hard, study efficiently, and have some fun.

Review more industry related articles by Catherine Zandueta at CareersandEducation.com. Catherine Zandueta is a feature writer and often covers topics related to Campus Degree Programs and Career advice.