Surviving Law School Evaluation

Planning
A careful evaluation of all resources is needed before you decide to join law school. You need to assess your financial, social, physical, and educational resources.


Financial: For a successful and fulfilling experience in law school one needs to be financially prepared. Finishing law school is an expensive proposition and you need to be ready for this. You need to be absolutely free from this aspect so that you are able to focus 100% on your course. Plan your finances well before you start law school.

Health: The pressure of law school can cause a lot of stress, which in turn affects your health. You need to be perfectly fit to be able to take the stress. Proper meals, exercise, and rest should be a part of your routine. Saving time by neglecting these aspects will not pay off in the end.

Social Support System: Support from family and friends is equally important to survive the stress of law school. Make sure you spend enough time with your family and friends. They are your buffer against stress.

Time: Time will be your biggest problem in law school. Law school demands a lot of time, and it will not be possible for you to carry on the activities or responsibilities you were able to do before law school. Understand the demands of law school and set realistic goals for yourself.

Preparing for Class

Reading
You will have to do plenty of reading in law school. Read whatever you are assigned, though some extra reading will always help. It is extremely important that you read your assignments well and grasp what you read. Use references, re-read difficult passages, compare, question, check out secondary sources. Only with this kind of critical reading will you be able to understand and grasp the subject well. Making notes while reading also helps in understanding the subject.

In Class
Law school classes are not passive classes. They are very different from traditional undergraduate classes. Your attendance is extremely important for your success in law school. You have to make the most out of these classes. You must to be able to learn and come prepared to class and pay full attention. Taking notes in class can also be very helpful. Keep a different notebook for each class to take down notes.

Review
It is important to review what you have learned in the class. If you don’t review at regular intervals you may not be able to recall what you learned. Spending some time reviewing the lesson after the class will help you to retain knowledge. Review immediately after the class. You may re-read or re-write your class notes. Follow this by reviewing the next day and then keep reviewing each week till the section ends. Frequent reviewing will help store the information in your memory long term.

Exam Time
The most important aspect here is to come thoroughly prepared academically for your exam. Your answers should reflect your clarity of thought and complete understanding of the subject. Read the questions, organize and write your answers logically, write legibly, and allocate your time well. Apart from this, come physically prepared and be confident. Be well rested.

Review the Past Semester
Each semester should be a learning experience for the next semester. Once the semester is over and the grades are in, review your grades and try to improve your performance in all future semesters. Do not evaluate your performance solely on grades. Apart from grades you need to acquire skills necessary to become a successful attorney. Review your past semester and see whether you have acquired the necessary skills. Meet your professors to analyze your answers. Interact with your colleagues and compare answers.

New Semester
Once you are in the new semester, move ahead with experiences from your last semester. Though your experiences of previous semesters can be a guide for you, you cannot bank on them completely. Be prepared to face new challenges each semester. With each semester expectations will increase, and you will be expected to have better judgment, precision, and greater skills in reading and analyzing the law. With each semester your workload will increase and professors will expect you to have a lot of prior knowledge. You may need to change your study methods to take into account the additional demands.

Friends
Law school has an extremely competitive environment with many students being overachievers. In order to be successful attorneys, however, and for the legal system to work, you need to cooperate too. You must manage your stress effectively, and you need a couple of good friends. Make some good friends with whom you can laugh and share drinks.

Networking
After law school, it is not very easy to find jobs. Very few students get directly placed and therefore contacts are very important. Network as much as possible. It requires a little effort, but will pay in the long run. Contacts will come in very handy during your interviews and job search.

Conclusion
Finishing law school requires lot of perseverance from your end. It is demanding, and you have to grasp the theoretical, as well as practical, aspect of this subject to become a successful lawyer. You need to plan well and once you have made a decision, implement it. With the right attitude and hard work you can succeed.