Loving the Law: Handling Stress During Law School

That first semester in law school may be the most difficult time you will ever face in life. Trying to get used to the huge workload, the unusual classes, and the new environment is always hard on students, and the prospect that you're stuck here for the next three years doesn't help.

Talk to Older Students

One of the best things you can do for yourself is talk to older students. Get their opinions and advice on classes, teachers, and stress. They have been where you are and can be an important fountain of wisdom when the going gets tough.

Ask For Help

Never be afraid to ask for help in law school. If you are facing problems in your classes or have personal issues that are affecting your performance, go ahead and ask for help. Waiting until it's too late is a mistake that too many students make due to pride.

Be Realistic

Remember that unless you really want to specialize in some areas or work for certain sections of the government, you don't need to be the top person in your class. In fact, all you really have to do is graduate, though it would be ideal to be in the top fifty percent of your class.

Study with Friends

Study groups are a fun source of amusement in law school. Since you really have to keep studying as much as possible, you can always take a short break by studying with friends. Take a picnic or snacks and groups can get together to study and have some fun before the big test.

Find a Great Internship

When it comes to finding your internship or externship, be sure that you find something that truly interests you. After all your hard work in classes, you deserve to do something that you enjoy. Start early and find something that really fits in with your career goals and dreams. What to Remember

When you're stressed out in law school, particularly during your first year, remember these things:

Talk to Older Students

You can ask for help.

Be realistic.

Study with friends.

Find a great internship.

Amber Smith is a feature writer for CareersandEducation.com. Review more of her work and read about using a Career learning center and explore her thoughts on online degree programs and online colleges.

Law School Salaries: Is the Increase Worthwhile?

Lawyers make up one of the highest paying professions available. Their investment of time and money, though, is part of what allows them to command such high salaries, so let's talk for a minute about the salary increase for lawyers and the commitment required.

Three Years

After finishing your undergraduate degree, you will have three more years of full-time schooling before you can become a lawyer. The requirement of time and commitment is great, and many people find that it is simply too much. Before applying to law school be sure that you are truly interested enough in the law to invest this kind of time and effort.

Shadow

Before you officially start law school, shadow several lawyers. Once you start school, you will have a lot of choices about what type of lawyer you will become. It's best if you can actually shadow a few people before making such a huge commitment of time and money. Check out the profession and see if it's something you can actually see yourself doing for many years in the future, or at least long enough to pay off your student loans.

How Big Is the Increase?

Lawyers can make anywhere from $80,000 a year to well over $200,000 a year depending on the type of lawyer, their experience, and the geographical location. The increase is certainly significant, especially if you eventually own your own practice. Just remember that the increase is partly so large because this is a high stress job. Make sure you can take it before you begin law school.

Before Signing Up

Before applying and paying for a law program, consider the following:

Can you commit to three more years?

Have you shadowed a lawyer?

Can you handle the stress of the job?

Is the salary increase worth all that work?

When you've answered all the questions, then you'll be ready to decide whether or not a law program is right for you and your family.

Catherine Zandueta is a frequent contributor to CareersandEducation.com. Catherine Zandueta is a feature writer that covers topics relating to MBA Programs and online colleges.

10 Ways To Be A Good Law School Student

1. Find out where the veteran law students hang out -- the 2Ls and 3Ls -- and get them to be your friends.

When you're just starting out in law school, the students who have been there a while longer than you are among the most valuable resources for those looking to be good law school students. Pick their brains about whatever questions you may have. If you don't have any questions, ask them: What do you wish you had known when you were just starting out here? What they tell you will light the path toward being a good law school student in your own right. In addition to this instantaneous benefit, befriending these students could help you get a job, or at least a lead on a job, after you earn your degree. They will be out in the working world before you, right?

2. Ask experienced students what you should absolutely not blow off.

Count on information overload in law school. On your own, you might not know exactly where to place your priorities. Once you've made friends with a 2L or 3L, ask them for their advice.

3. Have your 2L or 3L friend clue you in to what you can safely blow off.

Equally important to your mission of being a good law school student as doing the important stuff is not doing the unimportant stuff. By getting some insight into what activities you can let fall a bit by the wayside, you will save your resources for the really important stuff.

4. Have your 2L or 3L friend help you pick the best professors.

Another question that probably only another student will be able to answer honestly is whose class you should definitely take, and whose class you should definitely avoid. The registrar probably won't tell you: "This prof's class is kind of lame. Take this one instead," but a more experienced peer will.

5. Pick their brains about various specializations you might be considering.

If you're caught between two emphases, use your new friends as sounding boards. They have been around a little bit longer than you and probably have some insight you will benefit from.

6. Do law review.

Few things look better on a recent graduate of law school's resume than participation in law review.

7. Do internships and clerkships.

The more professional experience you can gain during your time as a law school student, the better your opportunities will be for securing work as a young lawyer.

8.Plan where you'll land after you get your law degree before you get your law degree.

It is never too early to set your sights on a firm or an appointment that you would like to have after you've passed the bar. If you can set your sights on a specific target early in your law school career, you'll improve your chances of getting your dream job.

9. Take some time to do non-law school-related things.

Law school is its own little intense bubble. Take some time to live life outside of law school as well.

10. Stay healthy.

Even the greatest law school student is only as good as his or her health. Take care of yourself so that you can approach your studies with the energy and enthusiasm they deserve.

Review more industry related articles by Elizabeth Saas at CareersandEducation.com. Elizabeth Saas is a feature writer and often covers topics related to Campus degree programs and Career Advice.

Law School: Yes, It's Worth It!

“Why are you’re here?” was the question I heard a lot in law school, from fellow students and professors.

It seemed like a mystery that an already successful consultant--someone who was prominent in his field and even did frequent “Phoners,” guest appearances via cell phone with radio stations worldwide from the school’s parking lot—why would he NEED a law degree?

To placate them, I’d tell them that I wanted the knowledge for defensive reasons, to protect the intellectual property rights I was accumulating at a fast clip with my books, audio and video programs, seminars, and other media.

Partly true, that wasn’t the only reason, though technically I suppose it was one of the best.

I wanted the law degree largely because I wanted it.

It was a mountain to climb, and having finished a Ph.D. seven years before that, I was itching for a real intellectual challenge.

I got what I had bargained for. Pursuing my consulting gig and attending classes was a real challenge. It meant restricting my clientele largely to west coast companies.

I finished the program, early as it turned out, and I was the only person to walk through graduation having already passed the bar exam.

Soon after that, I was asked: “Was it worth it?”

In today’s dollars, I was out of pocket more than $150,000, and I had foregone some lucrative consulting engagements that could have brought in a lot more. Pegging the true cost of the experience at about $750,000-$1 million, that “value” question loomed large.

Was it actually worth it?

The answer is yes.

Doing a little self-lawyering, I recouped my tuition within a few short years. Armed with the knowledge, I undertook even larger consulting engagements with fully open eyes about the risks versus rewards that were involved.

But most important, I realized a dream, an aspiration that was suitable for me. I proved something to myself; broadened my outlook and abilities, and boosted my self-confidence.

Along the way, I’ve helped some other people, as well.

If you decide to go to law school or to any graduate school, you’ll probably ask yourself many, many times, as you’re bogged down with interminable homework, “Is this worth it?”

Money aside, if it’s what YOU want to do, of course it is!!

Best-selling author of 12 books and more than 850 articles, Dr. Gary S. Goodman is considered "The Gold Standard"--the foremost expert in sales development, customer service, and telephone effectiveness. Top-rated as a speaker, seminar leader, and consultant, his clients extend across the globe and the organizational spectrum, from the Fortune 1000 to small businesses. He can be reached at: gary@customersatisfaction.com.

How To Be A Law School Superstar

Superstars Know The Best Way To Focus Is To Take The Occasional Break

A law school superstar lives, breathes, and eats the law, but is sensible enough to take a break every once in a while and do something outside of the realm of law school to keep his or her mind sharp and hungry enough for more law once break time is over.

Superstars Know How To Manage Time and Meet Deadlines For School -- They Also Ask For Help When They Need It

To rule the realm of law school when your sensibly taken break is over, a law school superstar either arrives at law school an expert in time management, or quickly transforms him or herself into such an expert. A law school superstar quickly realizes that the amount of work he or she faces would overwhelm a typical person, so a law school superstar makes it his or her business to effectively prioritize the workload so that the most important stuff gets taken care of right away, with the less important stuff taking a back seat. Most law school superstars make connections with more experienced law students who can help them determine how to prioritize their workloads.

Superstars Keep Shining Even During Their Breaks From School

In addition to performing at the top of their game in their assignments and in the classroom, law school superstars are always on the lookout for their next great opportunity to gain exposure to the practice of law outside the classroom. Law school superstars don't work at Starbucks over their breaks, but instead have used their time management skills during the year to find the time to reflect on how best to utilize their time away from school. Of course, they will schedule some fun to keep their minds refreshed just as they do during the school year, but during their times of reflection, they will have discovered the highest caliber internships and clerkships available to them. And, being law school superstars, they will have applied for these opportunities early and secured them handily. In this way, a law school superstar can smoothly make the transition from superstar law student to superstar lawyer once the juris doctorate is in hand.

Superstars Know The Key To Shining Is Specialization

How do law school superstars know which summer work is the best for making them into superstar lawyers after graduation? They have put some thought into what area of law they would like to practice once they get out of school. They probably had some idea before entering law school, but since they are superstars, they also did their homework once they got to school. Law school superstars investigate the various possibilities for the trajectory of their careers by talking to more experienced students, faculty members, and mentors. By formulating a clear idea of what kind of superstar lawyers they'd like to be upon passing the bar, superstar law students are able to arrange their experiences in law school to maximize their chances of securing a position in the field of their choice.

Elizabeth Saas is a frequent contributor to CareersandEducation.com. Elizabeth Saas is a feature writer that covers topics relating to MBA Programs and online colleges.

Getting Into Law School

LSAT and grade point average are two most important things for law school admission. However, you should know that law schools also are interested in students’ work experience. Many law schools require personal statement and letters of recommendation.

Furthermore, students who apply to law schools must send their college transcripts to Law School Data Assembly Service (LSDAS). The student’s GPA is calculated separately each year. A law school can see the improvement of GPA and overall GPA. The GPA is the average of the grades. If a student has a high GPA, he has good chances of admission to law school. Nevertheless, GPA is not the only factor for admission. A law student must also take challenging courses each quarter.

You do not need to have a certain major to enter law school. Law schools generally are interested in liberal arts background. You usually want to take wide variety of classes such as math, business, social sciences, and statistics.

Law schools want their students to be mature and responsible. They want to see that you participate in activities during college. You want to show them your exceptional leadership ability. So you should participate in student government, school newspaper, or special research projects.

Finally, You should get to know your professors. Law schools generally want you to submit two or three letters of recommendation.

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Michigan Law Schools - How to Find & Get Into a Great Law School in Michigan

There are six great law schools in the State of Michigan. These include the Ave Maria School of Law in Ann Arbor, the University of Detroit Mercy School of Law in Detroit, the University of Michigan Law School in Ann Arbor, the Michigan State University College of Law in East Lansing, the Thomas M. Cooley School of Law in Lansing, and Wayne State University Law School in Detroit.

Of course, not all Michigan law schools are alike, and in choosing a Michigan law school - as you would with any school - you should make sure that you are making the correct choice for YOU. Unfortunately, far to many prospective law students fall into the trap of letting magazines and artificial law school rankings make the choice for them. If you were to do that, you might focus on the University of Michigan Law School, which admittedly enjoys an outstanding national reputation, to the exclusion of several other excellent law schools in Michigan or elsewhere.

One of the things I try and emphasize to students trying to select a law school is that you get a very similar education no matter where you go. The "elite" schools will never admit that, but its true. Moreover, having been a practicing lawyer now for almost 10 years, I assure you that where you went to law school will very quickly become virtually meaningless to your employers and colleagues. I've known great lawyers and terrible lawyers who went to great schools - and I've known great lawyers and terrible lawyers who went to no-name night schools.

Therefore, if you've decided you want to go to law school in Michigan, you should carefully analyze which of the excellent choices will be the best law school for you. If your aim to get a high-paying job in Manhattan immediately after graduation, the University of Michigan Law School is probably a place you should target. On the other hand, if you're looking to set up a local practice on of the smaller local schools may be your best choice.

Although the substance of what you will learn is largely the same at every school, the environment is definitely not. That's why, if you've decided you want to go to a Michigan Law School, you should visit every school you're considering to get a feel for the campus and physical surroundings. You should also speak with some students to see what they have to say about the atmosphere. Some law schools are definitely more friendly that others.

No two Michigan law schools are created alike, just as no two law students are created alike. Finding a good match should be your top priority. You're going to spend three years of your life and tens of thousands of dollars - regardless of which Michigan law school you select - and you should do everything possible to make sure its not a miserable investment.

When I was choosing which law school to attend I spent hundreds of hours and thousands of dollars researching and in many cases visiting the eleven schools that made my final list. In the end, I didn't choose the highest ranked or most prestigious school I got into, but I did choose the best law school for me. And I made the right choice.

This is just one of the many topics I discuss in my ebook Covert Tactics for Getting Into the Law School of Your Choice and in the Covert Tactics Law School Newsletter, both of which are available at my website.

This article may be freely reprinted or distributed in its entirety in any ezine, newsletter, blog or website. The author's name, bio and website links must remain intact and be included with every reproduction.

H. Jefferson, Jr. is an expert on on law school admission, having applied to and been admitted by 11 of the top law schools in the United States. To learn more about the the techniques and strategies you can use to get into the law school of your choice, visit http://www.coverttactics.com