The Bitter Law Student

Words to the Wise

If I could pass a message onto the incoming 1L's starting law school in the next couple of weeks, it would be this: HA HA HA SUCKERS! Get ready for 3 years of Hell!

But seriously... I wish that someone would have told me about the joys that are Westlaw and LexisNexis points sooner in my first year of law school. That way, I'd have more points accumulated and that iPod Nano would be mine. Now I have to wait at least another semester. My advice to incoming 1L's: Start saving those points early. You'll be amazed at how fast you can rack 'em up.

I'm not advocating study guides as THE only way to pass law school (as it's not) but when you have several members of the faculty recommend them over your first two years of law school... you start to think that there may be something to them. My advice to incoming 1L's: If a subject is giving you problems and you can find a study guide to help make sense of the black-letter and case law, then use it. Don't rely on it to pass, but use it to help your understanding of the subject.

Finally, the MOST important piece of advice I can pass on to any incoming 1L: Don't take law school too seriously. Yes, it's hard. Yes, you're going to wish yourself dead every once in a while, but don't get so consumed by it that you lose yourself in the process. Maintain relationships with your friends who are NOT in law school and make an effort to schedule yourself some "you" time. Yes, you are in the process of entering a very noble profession. Just don't let it get to you too much. As I am constantly reminded by my friends (both law and non-law related,) no one likes a tool.

And if none of this works, I can think of quite a few people who advocate drinking as a way of getting by. When all else fails = ALCOHOL.

posted by The BLS @ 8/18/2006 10:00:00 AM