It's Love...

There’s something new in my life. It wakes me up in the morning, and keeps me grounded during the day. It’s personal; it has my name on it. I love how we communicate—so fluid, so immediate. Being together lets me know for sure my life is in order. I’m better because of us; my world touches my hands. Since I’ve been with it, I haven’t been the same—I’ll never be the same. In fact, I don’t know how I ever did without. This is what it feels to love…It’s true: the blacker the berry…

The only thing that could make me cheat on my 8700g? The Blackberry Curve. The music we’d make together:http://www.t-mobile.com/shop/phones/Detail.aspx?device=a2262565-32f0-4d50-bd1c-4fd62ce2db70 … Anyone feel like giving?

MY LIFE AS A LAW STUDENT...

In case you don’t already know, I’ve spent the last two-and-a-half years in law school. With finals just having ended, and the start of my last semester in a few short weeks, I’m writing an entry long overdue: What it’s like to be in law school.

I was inspired by the environment I studied in during finals this semester: my alma mater, The University of Maryland. The 30,000+ state school is, of course, a majority undergrad. As I studied, I could tell: people would leave the library after studying for about three hours, probably feeling as though they had accomplished a lot (and maybe they had). They also had time to use the library for private activities, such as making out—and in conspicuous places: near elevators, outside bathrooms, at study tables. They also spared the time to engage in fights with friends and lovers, and have loud, lengthy cell phone conversations in quiet study areas.

As I observed the extracurricular activity, I shook my head. Undergrad; those were the days, I thought to myself…the days when studying was well…secondary… to things like hanging out with friends, going shopping and eating out. It’s not that I didn’t study at all in college, it’s just that I didn’t really have to do it that much. I worked hard on my fair share of papers and news stories, and did my cramming for tests, but if I worked really hard for one week, I could take a break for the next two-to-three weeks. I’d say that’s pretty much the college experience, at least for a significant number of majors. I will say that I did learn how to study in undergrad—my methods haven’t changed, I just have to execute them exponentially more…

As a law student, I’m an athlete, and studying is my sport...Well, maybe not for all three years, but even now, when I do study, I study hard. Welcome to my world. I’ll acquaint you with the essential terms and rules.

THE BASICS: GET YOUR GEAR.
When you’re studying a lot, you become obsessed with certain things, like office supplies. Florescent note cards for closed-book exam memorization; tabs to mark sections of your outline for open-book exams (known as “tabbing”); those Post-It flags for marking key sections of your research…The coolest supply ever—one that gets people staring—is this sturdy, portable book stand from Office Depot that expands or collapses to hold almost any size book. Highlighters are, of course, great, because you can use one for each element of court cases you read: one for marking the case’s main issue; the court’s answer to the issue, or, the “holding”; and the court’s rationale for the holding. I also like to have an extra color for “key quotes” to include in my outline. I personally prefer binder clips for huge stacks of papers to three-ring binders, because for me the holes always end up ripping. Those expandable files are great, too, along with those erasable pens from elementary and middle school—they’re essential for exams where you can’t type your exams (it’s amazing how many mistakes you can make).

PRE-EXAM PERIOD TRAINING SCHEDULE
I was once told by the author of a prominent book on strategies for success in law school that, during the semester, the law student is supposed to study 60 hours per week, including classes. This guy also said it was possible to get in all those hours in Monday-Friday (provided you work til 11-12 pm at night), and then take the weekends off. I’ve never known anyone who’s been able to do that, but I will say that, on an all-day study, eight-hours (minus break time) is pretty good. How do you do it? You find ways to be comfortable. For many, music is a must, along with packed snacks (which we refrain from eating in the library, of course); bottled water; coffee or Red Bull; gmail chat or IM breaks; text-a-thons; facebook wall every once in a while. I personally stay away from most of these coping devices, but I do have the unique habit of wheeling over an extra chair to prop up my feet, and sometimes I bring a mini-pillow and blanket to the library.

EXAM TRAINING SCHEDULE
This is where things go crazy, and why people fear the beast that is law school. If the exorbitant amount of material given during the semester weren’t enough—or the fact that, at 15 credits per semester, we take an undergrad load with not-so-undergrad content, studying during finals puts things on overdrive. Unlike most other graduate school programs, in law school there are few, if any, midterms: Instead, each class has an all-or-nothing final, usually worth 90% of your grade; sometimes, 80 percent, with 20 percent discretionary, or “participation.” In addition, there’s a curve (a harsh one in some schools that require only a small number of “A”s, and mandates “D”s…AHEM). When you have everyone scrambling for the limited accolades, during finals people use whatever study techniques they think will put them ahead of the curve (thankfully, where I go, people don’t rip pages out of books). By exam time, studying becomes round-the-clock…but then when it all ends, you’re relieved. Depending on your level of nerves, however, the exam jitters may come back right before the Spring semester starts, when grades come out…

Now that I’m done for the Fall, I feel that relief. I’ve traded 14-hour plus study days for all day lounging, movies and chit-chats—well, at least that was me for two days, although tomorrow I’m back on a 9-3:30 day for the next week…oh well…My soon-to-be-life-as-a-lawyer will certainly not be any less stressful—from what I hear, it will be more—so I’m planning to enjoy my last semester—kind of. For now, Merry Christmas….