I blinked and suddenly I’m not only a 3L, but a 3L with one semester left of law school. In my 25 years of life you’d think I’d have a better grasp on how quickly time passes, yet I’m sitting here shocked that I started this blog after my 1L year, and now I’m preparing my bar application. And if you’re anything like me you might be experiencing a lack of motivation in this final push to the finish. If you’re not, you can read this post with a heart full of gratitude that you are not me, and know that I envy you!
From Weekly Outlining to Cramming
When I was a bright-eyed and bushy-tailed 1L, I was so on top of my game. I went over every case with a fine-tooth comb, added to my outlines every week, and went into finals without having to study too much because I had been studying all semester. Oh how things change. I just finished my Fall Semester and made zero outlines, skimmed cases, and focused more on work than I did school. 1L me would have to pick her jaw up off the floor. However, I’m not completely bashing my new methods; I think the longer someone is in law school, the quicker they are at picking up rules and applying them to a fact scenario, and the prep that goes into a solid outline just isn’t as demanding once familiarity sets in. Should I have struck a better balance? Perhaps. But when finals period rolled around, I was still able to sit down, study hard, and go into my final exams feeling apprehensively confident. It also helped that they were all open note… 🙂
As you can probably tell so far, this post isn’t really one giving advice. The whole purpose of this blog throughout my time in law school has been to share my experiences to hopefully foster some environment where other law students can come to receive an honest, empathetic perspective, and sometimes that means me posting about times where I may have fallen behind.
Regaining Motivation
Like I said, I’m not here to give advice on this topic, but I will tell you the things I’m focusing on implementing to try to regain some semblance of a routine as I head into my last semester. I don’t think I’ll go back to my 1L ways of weekly outlining, as I feel I’ve gained more efficient ways of learning material during my 2.5 years, but I also don’t want to find myself in a position where I enter my reading period feeling hopelessly unprepared.
One thing I have to look forward to in my last semester is my classes. If you’re at any point in your law school career, I urge you to get your required classes out of the way as soon as possible so you can have at least your final semester taking “fun” classes with your favorite professors. Next semester, I’m signed up for two classes I’m super excited about: Sports Law and Representing Entrepreneurs. From former 3Ls, I’ve heard that the content is not too difficult to keep up with, and it’s actually really interesting and engaging. It also helps that both professors are among the favorites at my school.
I also think that I need to remember that I’m literally months away from graduating law school. We all view law school as some daunting experience that will never end, but when you think of 3 years opposed to the rest of your life, it’s really nothing. The fact that the finish line is in sight is giving me an unexpected yet welcome burst of energy. And if you’re not a 3L, try to remember how quickly it goes by, and be grateful for what is likely your last experience being a student! Soon we’ll all be contributing members to our capitalist society, which has its pros and cons, and there will be times where we look back, reminiscent of the days of student loans reimbursements, study time with our friends, and a (debatably) more flexible schedule.
It’s not realistic to expect yourself to be 100% motivated 100% of the time. We all go through highs and lows, and it’s important to remember that it’s all temporary. You will gain motivation again. You will lose motivation again. You will count down the days to graduation. You will try to cling to the present for fear of the future. So I guess my final thought is that while I may have lost some of my drive along the way this year, I know it’ll come back and I’m happy that I was able to let myself “relax” a little and trust myself enough to know that it’ll all work out.
Happy end of the semester! And Happy Holidays!
Law Student Balance 