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Written by Christina
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Saturday, 23 February 2008 13:29 |
As a former evening law student who juggled a full time day job as a paralegal, I can tell you that the process won’t be an easy one. Many late nights and a great deal of schedule juggling await you. However, the sense of accomplishment I felt upon graduation was unlike anything I had felt before. By JCKham on Flickr
Streamline Responsibilities
Once you start law school, time will be at a premium. It is important to get your home base in order beforehand. Take stock of your responsibilities and determine what you must do, and what should be cut out. Then think of ways that you do these things most efficiently.
For example, consider grocery shopping. When I was in law school, I found an online grocery store, which allowed me to shop online from the comfort of my own home, and have the groceries delivered. Thus, while awaiting their arrival, I could be studying or taking care of other personal matters.
Your lunch hour at work is a valuable time for errands. Consider finding dry cleaners, pharmacies, gyms, and the like near work or school. This will allow you to get out and clear your head, as well as to save time on weekends. You also need to make difficult decisions as to what things you simply will not be able to do.
Before law school, I volunteered at a homeless shelter. As rewarding as I found the work, I made the tough choice to discontinue this work. It was better for me to be realistic, rather than to risk overextending myself and risk disappointing those depending on me.
Map Out A Schedule
Once you have your class schedule, it is very helpful to take a look at your personal, professional, and educational responsibilities and figure out a plan of attack. If you don’t plan ahead of time, you may find yourself spending too much time on some things, while failing to complete others. A calendar book with times or a computerized calendar such as that on yahoo.com are great tools for this. You will also feel less overwhelmed by what you have to do if you have an idea how to use your time best.
Multi-tasking is also effective. For example, if you take a train to work, that time is great for a bit of reading, or returning phone calls. Time intervals between classes can be used to review your class notes or brief cases. If you are waiting for a treadmill at the gym, bring flash cards with you to review while you wait. When I was in law school, I started paying my bills online, to avoid trips to the post office. I also found a new hair dresser near my law school, rather than going to my previous salon that was further away. I would then get my hair cut on a much needed study break, clearing my head and allowing me to return to the library more quickly and with another task completed.
Discipline is crucial
It is all too easy to come home, eat dinner, and decide that you are too tired to study. Rather than sitting in front of the television, and getting too relaxed, sit at the kitchen table and read while you eat, to keep yourself in study mode. Set a goal for yourself in advance of how many pages you are going to read, or hours you are going to work, and stick to it!
Pay Attention To Your Physical and Mental Health. An evening law student juggles a myriad of responsibilities, and often winds up putting him/herself last. This is a mistake. Taking time to ensure your physical and mental health is not a waste, but imperative to your best performance. If you are not in the best shape that you can be in, you will not be able to excel to the best of your ability.
An exercise regime is a great stress reducer. Healthy eating and sleeping habits will prevent you from getting sick and missing class or losing study time. If you start to feel too stressed out, take a break and get a cup of coffee, or talk to friends, family or even fellow classmates. Putting yourself in the right state of mind will help you to study and perform at work more effectively.
Manage Personal Relationships/Surround Yourself With A Support System. Once you start law school, you simply will not have as much time to spend with your friends and your loved ones. It is best to prepare them in advance, so that they do not feel neglected. Those who truly care about should support you in your undertaking, and help you through these next four years. Your scheduling is helpful here, as you can let them know when the best times to reach you are, which can be reassuring to them, as well as to allow you to manage your time. Your friends and family can also be of assistance to you in accomplishing some of the personal tasks that you might not be able to get to.
Don’t be afraid to ask for help---people who care about you want to be there for you. In addition to your personal relationships, it is helpful to get to know some of your classmates. At first, I found that I was tired after class, and wanted to get home as quickly as possible. At the library, I wanted to get through as much material as I could, and talking to people seemed like a waste of time. That was a mistake.
Once you start talking to your classmates, it can be reassuring and refreshing to realize that you are all in the same boat. You can also learn effective study strategies, time management skills, and better grasp your learning materials by interacting with your classmates. Stopping after class to talk to a classmate and getting home a bit later is not needless socializing but rather important relationship building. Your classmates will also be future colleagues, and valuable contacts can be made while in school.
Enjoy Yourself
While attending law school at night is challenging and demanding, it is also rewarding. You are expanding yourself intellectually, changing the way you think, and preparing yourself for a new and exciting career. You should be proud of yourself for having the courage to embark on this path. You are investing in yourself and your future.
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