What to do over Thanksgiving Break as a Law Student

I feel like I blinked once and Fall is almost over. Where did time go?!? Thanksgiving is next week! Wowzers. What this means is that I only have a few weeks and a lot of turkey and mashed potatoes between me and Fall semester final exams (my first exam is 12/2/18).

I wrote a post not too long ago on my final exam prep during the month leading up to exams. You can read it here. I had a few questions lately about what you should do over Thanksgiving break to get ready for exams so I decided to write up a post about it.

I will start with a disclaimer- everyone is different and everyone studies differently. Take my advice with a grain of salt; what works for me may not work for you and vice versa. Read it, use any tips you find useful and do what you need to do to be successful. You know yourself better than anyone so do what is best for you.

Sunday Six 11/11/18

Happy Sunday!

I normally do this on Friday but I had a really busy week and I just ran out of time. So instead of a "Friday Five", I am doing a "Sunday Six" of things I am currently into.

Ohio is currently freezing and experiencing our first snow so I have spent most of my weekend bundled up and cuddling with my hubby and pups. We also took down Halloween decorations, did some Christmas shopping, cleaned our basement and I got one of my outlines up to date. I know, we are really living it up. I have no class tomorrow so it's a 3 day weekend and there is nothing better than that to get rested and prepared for the week ahead.

Preparing for Law School Exams One Month Out

Happy Halloween!

I am currently dressed up as Elle Woods, including carrying a stuffed Chihuahua, because I realized this is my last chance to do that as a law student and let's be honest, Elle Woods is our queen.

How I Pull Myself Out of a No-Motivation Rut

Happy Tuesday!

If anyone has been following my Instagram stories lately, you might have noticed that I have been in a little bit of a "rut". It's the 5th week of classes, I've been fighting a little bit of a head cold, I have a million things going on, work is getting busy, we are trying to get projects done around the house before the weather turns and I have just been feeling blah. I come home and just want to do nothing but sit on the couch and watch TV and avoid my responsibilities.... hence, I am in a no-motivation rut.

I feel like I hit a rut like this every semester at some point. Once the excitement of starting a new semester wears off and the hype of exams hasn't set in yet, I get super burnt out and unmotivated for a time. However, I really don't have time to give in to this. I am a busy law student and lazy time is not built into the schedule. As this has happened to me several times, I have established a little routine for pulling myself out of the rut. It might not work for everyone, but this does work for me!

How to Survive Commuting to Law School

Hello friends!

This is a highly requested post that has taken me a little while to compile information for because it is not something I have personal experience with. I do not commute a large distance to law school- I have about a 15 minutes drive. I know that many people have to commute to law school (or grad school of any kind) and I can imagine it would be difficult on top of an already busy and exhausting schedule. Though I do not have personal experience, I polled a few of my super successful classmates who commute to law school for the information found in this post. Though this is not my own thoughts or opinions, I trust the people who I talked to implicitly and I think their advice is very valuable as they have all managed to commute through law school while still doing amazing in school. Sometimes I quote them directly and sometimes I summarized but overall, I hope this is helpful to those who are currently commuting to law school or those considering it in the future.

What it is like Being Married to a Law Student

Hello everyone!

Today we have a fun post from a different point of view- my wonderful hubby is guest posting! I have had several people ask for more posts on what it is like to be married while in law school. I thought it would be interesting to see the other point of view- what is it really like to be married to and to live with a full-time law student? I am sure there are lots of spouses/boyfriends/girlfriends out there who wonder what it is like to live with and deal with a full-time law student. I successfully bugged my husband until he agreed to do this post.

A little background: my husband and I got married the summer before I started law school. We were still very fresh newlyweds living together for the first time when I began my 1L year. It has not always been easy to balance marriage and the demands of law school and I know it has been hard of my husband. To his credit, he is has been a trooper. He puts up with my constant studying, listens to all of my whining and complaining about classes and makes sure I eat and sleep during final exams. I am beyond lucky to have such a wonderful partner beside me throughout this journey!

Now without further ado, I turn the keyboard over to my wonderful hubby!

Hello blog-people. I am the husband of this situation. My wife won't stop bugging me to write this so I finally caved. Maybe it will help future law student husbands or wives or boyfriends or girlfriends. I have 5 tips for being married to and living with a law student. It is not a walk in the park but I am still happily married after 2 years so it is possible.

How Different is Law School from College

Happy Saturday!

For all of those who finished their first week of law school- CONGRATS! Isn't that a great feeling?

I was having a conversation with some of the new 1L's at my school the other day about how law school is different from undergrad. I thought I would type up my thoughts on the subject as a blog post because this is a question I have gotten quite often from prospective law students while I give tours at my law school.

Law school is in a league all it's own. There is really no way to "prepare" yourself for it.... even if you were a pre-law student in undergrad, law school is going to be very different from anything you have ever done. I think this is good and bad; on the plus side, it is a fresh start and provides an opportunity to reinvent yourself in preparation of a legal career and everyone comes in in the same position... on the negative side, it involves a lot of trial and error to figure out how to be a good law student. I found that law school was vastly different from undergrad in both good and bad ways. Here are a few of the biggest differences.

1. You MUST Prepare for Class
Maybe others are different but I was able to get by in undergrad without ever truly preparing for class and I still got really good grades and graduated Magna Cum Laude. I would read in the 10 minutes before class or do a quick skim while the professor was saying hello to the class or sometimes I would just show up and hope for the best. Don't get me wrong, I studied for exams and spent some time on my papers to make sure I turned in something halfway decent but for class, I was able to get by without ever really preparing for classes.

If I have said it once on this blog, I have said it a million times: In Law School, you really have to prepare for class. Like extensively. Before class, I do the reading, I take reading notes and I make sure to do one last skim in the last few minutes before class. Because many law professors cold call during class, you never know when you will be expected to answer questions on the reading material. Also, law school classes are intense and without reading before class, it can be very difficult to keep up in class. I had a professor during my first week of 1L year tell us that you need to work like it's finals week from the first day of law school. To me, that means making sure I am 110% prepared for classes and any potential cold calls, keeping up on my notes and outlining, and going to the professors when I am feeling confused about something.

More: HOW TO BE PREPARED FOR A LAW SCHOOL CLASS

2. One Exam = Your Whole Grade
So this might be my least favorite think about law school... right behind core grammar from 1L year. In almost every law school class, one final exam at the end of the semester over the entire course will make up your entire grade. Prior to law school, I had never been graded in this format. In undergrad, my grades were always based on a variety of assignments, quizzes, tests, and papers. None of my undergrad professors graded on a curve. It seriously stressed me out when I realized that my entire grade in law school boiled down to one gigantic exam. It takes some getting used to and through the semester, you have to stay self-accountable to prepare for the exam because generally there won't be quizzes, tests or assignments to keep you on track as there are in undergrad classes. (I have had midterms in a handful of my classes but they are the distinct minority and a few of my classes count participation into the grade but it is only like 3-5% of the total while the rest is from the exam). I think what stressed me out the most was knowing that if I had a bad day on exam day, my entire grade would suffer.... and the two straight weeks of non-stop study are pretty unpleasant. But I have survived it and gotten used to it... I won't say it is fun but you just have to power through and make it happen.

As for grades, they are not the end all be all of your legal careers. Most law school classes are graded on a curve and only so many A's are given out. This can be very frustrating because you can complete what feels like an A exam and still get a B+ because the curve was tight in that class. But, it is not the end of the world. One bad grade doesn't kill you and it's all relative. In some classes, I feel I deserved higher grades and in other classes, I was surprised my grade was so high. But at the end of the day, if you work hard, do your absolute best and learn something from the experience, then you have done all you can.

3. Professionalism Matters 
There is nothing wrong with wearing leggings and a baggy sweatshirt in undergrad. In fact, it was pretty much my entire wardrobe. Showing up late to class in undergrad may be embarrassing but most professors don't really care. You can online shop all through class and generally, it doesn't matter. I also didn't really think about the bigger picture and any career stuff other than getting into law school.

Law school is different- from day one of orientation, they will be preaching professionalism at you. Your legal career begins the day you start law school. And all that other stuff I talked about above should probably come to an end. You never know when lawyers will be in the law school so I always dress presentably for class in law school. I refuse to be late to any of my law school classes. I generally don't even use my computer in classes for law school. Also, from day one you have to be thinking about your professionalism, your future internships and jobs and character and fitness for the bar. Law school is in a whole other league of professionalism from undergrad.

4. Time Management is a Thing 
I don't know about everyone else but I kept myself pretty busy in undergrad. I was a varsity athlete, I had a job, I had two majors, I lived on my own all four years, I was in a bunch of organizations and held leadership roles, and I planned my wedding. However, I was horrible at managing my time because I could get away with procrastinating on my homework and other stuff in favor of watching High School Musical with my roommates or going to a party.

Law school has forced me to actually learn some time management skills. There are just so many things going on and so many hours in a day and procrastinating is simply not an option. I have really had to get regimented about my time and my responsibilities because I am pulled in a million directions. I take a full course load, I work in admissions, I am on Moot Court, I coordinate the oral advocacy competition at my school, I am president of the Criminal Law Society, I am Clerk for our schools chapter of Phi Alpha Delta, I mentor 1L's through SBA, I participate in a legal clinic with my own clients as a certified intern, I have a part-time job as a social media manager, I blog, and I have a house, husband and 3 dogs to keep up with. Keeping all the things organized and getting everything done is no small task but it is manageable as long as you manage your time. I am actually really glad that law school has forced me to become so good at managing my time because that is just a great life skill to master.

More: TIPS FOR TIME MANAGEMENT IN LAW SCHOOL

5. It's a bit of a Flashback to High School 
One of my favorite things about college was that it was nothing like high school. I absolutely hated high school. The only good thing that came out of it was that I met my now husband... other than that, my high school years were spent studying, avoiding classmates, traveling the country for horse shows and counting the days until I was out of there. I hated the cliques and drama and nosiness. College was much more my speed and I loved every minute of my 4 years of undergrad.

Law school surprised me by being a bit of a return to high school. You spend all day in classes with the same people, you have lockers, you generally hang out with your classmates in spare time.... lots of elements reminiscent of high school. I vastly prefer law school to high school but there are some overlaps I could do without. Law school can be kinda cliquey... I try to avoid it and be friendly with everyone but there are definitely cliques at my law school. Also, there can definitely be some drama.... putting a bunch of people together in a high-stress environment will always breed a bit of drama. While law school is not exactly like high school, it definitely brings back some elements from my high school years. However, I have had a much more positive experience in law school than I did in high school.... and despite this fact, law school retains quite a bit of the college atmosphere thank heavens. Regardless of your high school experience and any similarities between high school and law school, you can have a different experience. My law school experience has been really fun and I have met wonderful people and made lifelong memories. That is the polar opposite of my experience in high school. Make law school its own experience- it's not high school, it's not college so don't let those dictate how law school goes for you.

How to Create a Manageable Reading Schedule for Law School

Happy Hump Day!

For those in the middle of their first week of law school or law school orientation- stay strong! You are halfway there!

To continue my Law School series for 1L's, I am talking today about my top tips for creating a manageable reading schedule for law school- particularly for 1L year (but I have used these tips beyond 1L year).

5 Things I Should Have Believed Before Starting Law School

Happy Sunday! 

I am pretty sure that many law school orientations are happening all over the country this week or it is the first week of law school for many as well. For me, this is my last week of freedom before my 3L year starts. I am doing some self-care, binge-watching a lot of Netflix and helping with my school's new 1L law student orientation as a student ambassador. I cannot believe I am starting my last year of law school and this journey is coming to an end. 

I have been thinking back to my 1L year a lot as my law school career is nearing its end and I have realized I was wrong about a lot of things before starting law school. Today I am highlighting 5 things people told me that I should have believed before starting law school and (stubborn me) I didn't believe until later. 

A Full Recap of My Experience on Law School Moot Court

Morning all! Happy Monday!

Today I am going to talk all about my experience as a member of my law school Moot Court team throughout my 2L year. Spoiler alert, it was the best experience and I loved it. It challenged me and pushed me out of my comfort zone but in the best possible way. For those wanting to work in a courtroom and do litigation at some point in their law career, the experience you gain in Moot Court is invaluable (or at least it was at my school). I can't speak to how Moot Court works at every school but hopefully, there are enough similarities for this to be helpful to a variety of people.

The Evolution of My Law School Study Habits- Everything I do to be Successful

Hi all! I have had a few requests lately to do a post about how my study and note-taking habits have changed since my 1L year following my post about how I have been able to raise my GPA. I am now in the summer before my 3L year- my last year of law school. I have learned so much over the last 2 years in regards to studying, time management and productivity. A lot of my study habits and note-taking strategies have changed and a lot has remained the same. I will outline what has changed and what has remained the same in addition to all the tools I use to be successful as a law student. Buckle up folks, this is going to be one long blog post.

My Opinions on 1L Core Classes

I am just getting started in my fourth semester of law school. Thus far I have taken 15 classes and I am in the process of taking 5 more. Throughout all my classes, I have had some favorites and some that I did not enjoy. I am going to touch on the highlights of both for the 1L core classes everyone has to take. While everyone is different and enjoys different classes or concepts, my hope in doing this is to just give a little more insight into what law school classes are actually like: the good, bad and ugly.

Contracts
I took Contracts in two installments 1L year. Overall, I found Contracts to be extraordinarily boring. I felt like it was mathematical... a good contract requires filling in a formula of sorts. You have a formula of law to create a contract and a formula of law to breach one. Though this made the class relatively easy for me and I did very well, it just wasn't my cup of tea. I have never been a math person and I think that is why contracts didn't click with me either. For others in my class, they loved the formality of contacts. I think it is a class you either love or hate.

Property 
Oh Property... it's a love/hate relationship. This was another class I took in two installments 1L year. I LOVED some parts of Property law... I loved how historical it is and how the law has changed little in hundreds of years. It is precedent based.  It brought out my inner history nerd. I also loved how it is so applicable to real life- as a homeowner, I could relate to Property law because I had used it. However, some concepts just blew my mind and I could never quite grasp them (and yes I am talking about Estates and Future Interests... and mortgages...). Though I genuinely enjoyed Property law class, I found studying for and taking Property exams to be some of my biggest challenges 1L year.

Torts
I took Torts my very first semester and it was my highest grade first semester. I LOVED Torts. I think it is such a fun class. The concepts are conceivable- we have all heard that if you slip in a store, you could recover damages. You can wrap your head around the laws easily. The cases can be so ridiculous they are hilarious- one I always remember is a claim by a woman that her car trunk should have had a release from the inside because when she locked herself in the trunk of her car to commit suicide and it didn't work because the trunk wasn't airtight, she should have been able to get out on her own; instead she was in there for 5 days until someone opened the trunk by happenstance (she lost because it was decided that suicide was not the intended purpose of a car trunk). The utter ridiculousness of this case makes it impossible for me to forget, along with the accompanying Tort law concepts. I love Torts so much that I asked to be a part of the Products Liability Moot Court Team when given the option.

Civil Procedure
Civil Procedure is a great first-year class because it involves cold, hard, black letter law rules. There is no guessing and arguing- there are just rules. Though this made it a great class to learn in and was easier to study for than some others, it also felt a bit stale and stifling at times. I had a great professor who made it as fun as legal rules can be but it still is just very stale. I know that it is a very important class for those who want to go into civil litigation and trial work and if that is your focus, I suggest making Civil Procedure a priority!

Constitutional Law 
Con Law is a very important class. I know not everyone will agree with me but I truly believe it is. The Constitution is the basis of our country and its legal system. As aspiring attorneys, the legal system is going to be our bread and butter. Knowing where the laws came from, why they came to be and how they came to be may not always be fun but it is integral. Con law seeps into all other classes because a constitutional issue will inevitably pop up in every other law class. I always felt there was something extra important about learning the law of our country through the frame of our constitution... it is just so important as an American. I also enjoyed the historical aspect because I am and will always be a self-professed history nerd.

Criminal Law 
Crim law is my absolute favorite. I have always said I wanted to go into criminal law but I really didn't what that entailed until taking this class in the spring of my 1L year. Two weeks in and I knew this was the only law I wanted to practice. I just love the challenge each case presents- you need to find out the truth of the case and fit it into the elemental boxes of a crime and then argue for or against conviction. My professor taught us criminal law by assigning us defense or prosecution and letting us argue our way through class according to the statutory provisions and facts of a case. I just loved every minute in that class. Criminal law is unique because you are applying statute to facts to determine if there is a crime or not. It is a bit different than other classes that have laws based more on the decisions of precedent cases and the common law system. After finishing Criminal Law, I knew this was the field for me... and it was my highest grade in law school to date which certainly made me happy.

Legal Research and Writing 
Legal research and writing is such an important class. It is truly hands-on and simulates what you will do in practice as an attorney. However, it is also technical and at times very frustrating... and it is easy to put on the backburner during the hustle and bustle of 1L year. By the end, I wanted nothing more than to burn my bluebook. I did really well with the appellate brief because it was persuasive writing. But I struggled with objective writing for the memorandum. A lot of the things they made us do in LRW just felt like busy work... I never want to hear the words "Core Grammar" again. But all of that aside, I did learn to be a better legal writer and when I went to my internship after 1L summer, I was armed with a group of skills to complete any research or writing assignments they gave me. So no matter how annoying and boring it was, legal research and writing is so very necessary and a class that should be taken very seriously.

Well, there they are: my very honest opinions and thoughts about 1L classes. I know everyone is different and has very different opinions about which classes they enjoy and which they hate. I just hope this helps to give some insight into what to expect in these classes so you can go into 1L year with some understanding of what to anticipate.

Also, I am happy to have no classes today in honor of Martin Luther King, Jr. day but I want to take a moment to remember why we have no classes. Today we honor a man who worked tirelessly for justice, equality and rights for all- the three things I think lawyers should strive to protect and uphold. Today, I remember a great man with a dream for freedom and I will work extra hard toward my own dreams so that someday, my license to practice law can help me to provide justice, equality, and protection of the rights of my fellow citizens.

Springing into Spring Semester

Well, friends, it's my 24th birthday! It's hard to believe I am almost to my quarter life milestone because I still feel like I am too young to really be an adult. My hubby made me a delicious breakfast and we have a quiet day planned but he is taking me out to a fancy dinner later... I am a lucky wife to be married to this guy.

In other news, I start my 4th semester of law school on Monday. It's hard to believe I am halfway through law school. It's actually pretty surreal. I have a busy tough semester ahead of me: 5 classes (3 super challenging ones)  plus working and my Moot Court competition will take place this spring. I am vowing to get off on the right foot in 2018 and I want to rock this semester. I know... those who have been following for a while are probably thinking I say this before every semester... and you're right. I do try to motivate myself at the beginning to do my best... throughout the semester I do tend to run out of steam because well, law school is really hard.

Following Fall semester, I am mostly pleased and yet still a little disappointed in myself. A few of my grades were great and I was super proud of myself. A few others.... not quite so proud of myself. it's all relative I suppose and balances out in the end. I still hope to further improve my GPA this upcoming semester and get one step closer to finishing my law degree. In order to do this, I have set some goals to work towards as I spring into spring semester (yes I know, terrible puns but I can't help it).

1. Start Reviewing Earlier
It pains me to write this but it's the truth... I always seem to think I am going to start getting ready for finals nice and early and I still always start later than I would like which leaves me working like a mad person for the week before and weeks of finals. With only three in-class exams this semester, I really think I can manage to start reviewing for those exams much earlier. Fingers crossed that my willpower stays strong. I hope to have my outlines done plenty early and be able to start practice problems, practice essays, flashcards and study group a full month out from final exams. I think this will set me up for better exam success in two of my toughest classes this semester: Evidence and Secured Transactions.

2. Do All Weekly Reading by Monday Night
I do not have class on Monday until 5:55pm. I am going to utilize my mostly open Monday's to *hopefully* crunch out all of my reading for the week so I can spend my time revising class notes, working on Moot Court and outlining after classes. I tend to run out of steam for reading and taking good reading notes as the week goes on so if I do it all by Monday night, I will be fresh and ready to read well and take excellent reading notes. I will then do a 15-minute refresher before class to make sure the reading is fresh in my mind before class. I hope this will make my weeks more productive and leave me with more time to work on goal one, reviewing earlier.

The longer I am a law student, the more I am recognizing my faults and the more I am trying to overcome them to consistently improve my grades and performance. Both these goals are a result of that.

3. Make Law School more "9-5"
I have always had a weird schedule in law school. I tend to sleep in, go to class, take a few hours to relax and then pick up my work and study late into the night. I know it sounds insane but it is the schedule that worked for me because I am a total night owl. This semester, I have early morning classes three days a week and night classes until 8pm four nights a week... this forces me to change up my normal schedule quite a bit. I hope to stay productive and adjust my schedule into more of a "9-5" law school schedule. In between classes and work, I will work on my school work, moot court problem and reading. Then when I come home from night classes, I can relax with my husband a little bit and do some Yoga before going to bed at a normal time. My goals of completing my weekly reading by Monday night will also help with this I think. I hope this new schedule will work out and make my weeks productive while still getting enough sleep.

My busy spring weekly schedule (or at least what I hope it will look like so long as I can be organized)

4. Outline Every Friday
I did so much better with outlining last semester! I was very proud of myself for having them done well before exams. I plan to keep that up this semester by outlining my classes weekly each Friday when I have no class. I work Friday mornings and I can come home and outline all afternoon while I throw in a few loads of laundry. This leaves my weekends a little more open for having a life, lol.

There we go! My spring semester goals. I hope everyone has had an enjoyable break and is ready for another great semester. Best of luck to all of you!

8 Ways to Prep for a Healthy Final Exam Experience

Law school finals are coming... it is time to prepare for the onslaught of outlines, notecards and practice essays. I have compiled a list of some of my best tips for staying healthy throughout final exams.... exams are super important but they are not worth sacrificing your health and wellness.

1. Prep Healthy Snacks and Dinners
I spent a good part of this weekend making myself some healthy snack packs and prepped some healthy dinners. I made baggies of carrots, celery, apple slices, crackers, pretzels, and blueberries. I love having them ready and bagged in my fridge so I can just grab a healthy snack on the go and avoid the temptation of a handful of Pringles or cookies.

For healthy dinners, I like having ingredients on hand for some easy dinners in the heat of finals week. A few of my favorites are chicken and rice casserole (only 4 ingredients!), tacos, grilled chicken salad, tuna salad sandwichs and shepherds pie. I always have broccoli and green beans for sides.  I would rather make something quickly at home with healthy ingredients than stop and pick up fast food.

As one of my professors recently said, eating crappy food makes you feel crappy so eat healthy and fuel yourself the right way! Having healthy food ready on hand is the simplest way to do this.

2. Mental Health is Important
During finals, especially as a 1L, it is very easy to psych yourself out and let the stress get the best of you. You have to right to stay right mentally. Take breaks, go for a run, take a bubble bath, have a good cry... whatever you need to do. Final exams is as much an endurance challenge as it is an academic challenge- take care of yourself and your mind so that you can make it to the finish line.

3. Exercise
Exercise is a great way to stay feeling healthy and energized. I enjoy a yoga session or a short run during finals as a mental break. As the great Elle Woods said, exercise gives you endorphins and endorphins make you happy! You need to be happy during finals so do whatever you need to. You can even take your books or outlines to the gym and read while you ride the stationary bike.

4. Sleep
It is tempting to pull all-nighters and skimp on sleep during the heat of finals. As much as that extra hour of studying seems appealing, the extra sleep will do you much better in the long run. Getting a normal amount of sleep during finals will help you so much. Your brain cannot process information when it is overtired so your studying will be far more effective if you are rested. Also, 2 weeks of little sleep will make you a walking zombie... don't let it get to that. Manage your time and plan for 5-6 hours of sleep each night minimum.

5. Take Care of Your Eyes
Studying involves staring at papers, books, and computers for outrageous amounts of time... this is very hard on the eyes- especially if you already have poor eyesight and wear glasses or contacts. I generally wear contacts and I have found that blue light blocking glasses help immensely when studying for long period of time. Also, I keep eye drops in my bookbag for long study sessions because my eyes inevitably get dry. I also alternate between contacts and glasses to keep my eyes from getting to dried out by my contacts. Keep your eyes feeling good so you can keep staring at the books!

6. De-stress in a Healthy Way
Law school exams are stressful, there is no denying that. But de-tressing should be done in healthy ways... basically don't drink away your problems. It will not help. Exercise or go to the park... find a healthy way to get rid of your excess stress and don't let it take over your life. I usually bake cookies, clean my house or take a bubble bath when I need to de-stress. Drinking away your stress will only lead to problems.

7. Surround Yourself with Support
You need people to lean on during finals. Spend time with the people who support you: family, friends, significant others, study groups. Avoid negative influences in your life. Find a study group that is productive or study alone if that works for you. Call your mom when you need to talk to someone. Have dinner with your significant other as a study break. Cuddle with your pet while reviewing notecards. Let your support system support you during this stressful time.

8. Eliminate Distractions
I find that removing social media app's from my phone during finals is a great way to cut out all that drama and distraction from my life. the important people in my life will text or call so I am not missing out on anything important. I am not sad about missing out on a Christmas party to study if I don't see the snapchats of it and I am not tempted to scroll through Instagram for 30 minutes if the app isn't on my phone. As soon as finals are over, I re-download but for two weeks, life is just fine without social media.

Best of luck!! Go crush those exams!

Holiday Gift Ideas for the Law Student in Your Life

Christmas is coming up!! Call me crazy but I have been listening to Christmas music and watching Hallmark Channel as much as possible. It is my favorite time of year!

I love shopping for Christmas presents and finding things I know the people in my life will love. But us law students... we are a special breed and our wants and needs can be different from most. For all those family and friends out there who want to be supportive and help out your law student, here are some gift ideas that will be helpful and appreciated as they finish their legal education!

1. Wireless Headphones 
These are so wonderful for law school!! I can listen to my music or recorded lectures, with no strings attached!! In loud and busy law school areas, these will be a law students best friend- particularly around exams!

2. A Coffee Mug 

Law students tend to go overboard with caffeine so a coffee/tea mug is never a bad idea. I think this one is perfect for any aspiring lawyer ... Trust me (I am almost a lawyer). 

3. A Professional Bag 

Every aspiring lawyer needs a professional bag for interviews and internships. This would be a super useful gift that will serve your law student very well through law school and beyond! 

For the ladies: 

For the men: 

4. Gift Cards

Law students are notoriously broke and stressed. Gift cards to take themselves out to dinner, for a relaxing shopping trip or most importantly, for coffee. If all else fails, you truly cannot go wrong with some gift cards to let the law student in your life treat themselves.

Also, gift cards to help law students build their legal wardrobes are a great idea. Express, Banana Republic, J. Crew are all great options for them to purchase professional wardrobe staples. 

5. Stress Relief 
Law school is super stressful... items to help your law student get some stress relief are always a good idea. Bath bombs, oil diffusers, a yoga mat, candles... etc.

6. Inspirational Items 

Your law student is probably always looking for inspiration... cute desktop signs or things to hang on the wall of their office to keep the motivation up in the heat of finals is a great gift idea. 

7. Travel Mugs and Water Bottles
Remember when I said caffeine is very important to law students?? Well, this is extremely true and travel mugs are a lifesaver in the morning when you are running out the door for class. I LOVE the Contigo no spill mugs.

Long days of class also call for lots of h2o. I have two favorites for this: Camelbak water bottles and my RITC tumblr (keeps ice cold for a full school day!). Your law student would certainly get lots of use from either of these. 

8. Amazon Student Prime Membership

Amazon prime is the greatest thing. Not only do you get access to Prime movies and TV shows and the Amazon music library, there is free two-day shipping on almost everything! For busy law students, that is the best way to shop. Your law student would be so appreciative of an Amazon Prime membership and for students, it is half price! This is the gift that keeps on giving all year long. 

Happy Holidays!!

Mid-Semester Finals Prep Guide

Well hello! It has been a full month since I last blogged. Life has been absolutely crazy- I made it to the final four in my law schools interscholastic appellate advocacy competition which involved 2.5 weeks of daily practices and constant revision on top of reading, class, work and food/sleep. It cumulated in an oral argument in front of 3 real, federal judges as well as our whole student body. It was stressful and exhausting but such a great experience. 

It is now midway through the semester and I know there are many 1L's out there getting stressed about final exams but are not sure quite what to do to start preparing. I have gotten a few questions about prepping for finals so I am sharing what I am doing at this point in the semester to start prepping for final exams. I hope it helps! 

1. Update Outlines 
I know every 1L ever is beyond tired of hearing the word outline but this is the time to be working on them and updating so you don't end up spending your whole Thanksgiving break outlining. I have been working on updating all of my outlines to the current point of material so that I can relax more on Thanksgiving break this year. For more on outlining see this post: A Guide to Outlining.

2. Meet with Professors
Now is the time to clear up confusion in the material. As you are outlining, make note of areas where you are confused or your notes were messy. Go get it cleared up by the professor sooner rather than later so you are not stressing at the last minute and fighting for office hours with all the people who waited until the week before exams to ask for help. Having your outlines updated will help you to know if there were confusing areas you need to get some help with. Then you know that whatever info is in that final outline is correct and you fully understand it.

3. Practice Essay Questions 
Law school essay questions are a new breed of essays you have likely never encountered. My biggest downfall my first semester of law school was not doing enough practice questions, not being comfortable with how to write them out and not having a solid plan for how to attack them. I highly highly suggest tracking down some practice essay questions for each subject and taking some time to write them out in exam-style conditions. It will help you to become comfortable with the feel of law school essays and make it less intimidating come exam day. The best case scenario is getting old practice questions from your professor along with model answers. If you can't get those, many of the bar prep companies give out free study materials on first-year subjects and there is also tons available online after a simple google search. There are often practice questions in your casebooks as well so make sure to look there.

4. Practice Multiple Choice
Just like essays, law school multiple choice questions are very different from other multiple choice. Find some to practice and get comfortable with them. It will make exam day way less stressful when you are prepared for the type of questions you will encounter. In addition, practice essay and multiple choice questions can pinpoint some weak areas in your understanding of the subject that need to be cleared up before exam time.

5. Start Studying
I know it seems crazy early, but it is time to start actually studying. Practice essay questions and practice multiple choice are a part of that but substantively studying the material is most important. I like to start making flashcards and reading over my outlines at this time. I also start meeting with my study group or study partners to go over out outlines and ensure that we have everything/there are no holes. I love group studying but it is not for everyone. If you are studying solo, start making a habit out of studying and find a good spot for it. If you plan to group study, start meeting with your group and ironing out the kinks. Law school exams require you to know and understand a massive amount of information. The earlier you start studying, the better.

6. Relax and Stay Healthy 
Don't get me wrong, this is a stressful time and working hard is vital. But doing so at the sacrifice of your mental and physical health is not good. Eat well, get plenty of sleep, take some time for yourself and the things you enjoy, exercise and spend time with friends and family. Law school takes over your life but you have to fight back a little bit and keep yourself happy and healthy. Also, it is cold and flu season so it wouldn't hurt to start taking a multi-vitamin and vitamin C- it is no good to be sick during exams!!

Shop my exam printable materials here: https://www.etsy.com/shop/LegalDuchessShop?ref=simple-shop-header-name&listing_id=1059870419

Here is a free printable to help you stay on track! 

Print HERE

Best of luck to all! Thankfully, the light at the end of the first-semester tunnel is growing closer.

How I Have Changed My Study Habits as a Second Year Law Student

Hello friends!

I feel like I have been neglecting this little blog. School has been crazy- I am in the middle of an oral advocacy competition and I have to make new arguments and go head to head each week in addition to class, reading, writing an appellate brief for moot court and working in admissions. Blogging just got pushed down the priority list. But I am back!

Now on to today's topic... as I am a few weeks into 2L year, I have made some adjustments to my study habits. Some of my upper-level courses are structured a little differently than my 1L core classes which have forced me to adjust as well as my own shifting and evolving learning process and knowledge base. I have posts from 1L year about my note-taking and study habits and I do believe that they served me very well at that time and for those classes. The adjustments I have made are more due to changing class structures and my ever-evolving way to understand the law as best I can and as thoroughly as I can... and I have become busier so efficiency is my #1 priority now. Here are the changes to my law school study habits.

1. Class Reading/Preparation
Unlike many of my classmates, I continue to read everything for class and take notes on my reading. Many of my classmates have dropped down to just book briefing but I find that taking notes is the best way for me to truly understand the material and have the best retention of it. Unlike my 1L year, I actually take more detailed notes from the reading and I count on them more in class as I participate more. 1L year I was content to answer cold calls, sit and listen and only voluntarily talk if I truly felt confident in what I had to say. Now that I am a 2L and a lot less nervous, I raise my hand whenever I have something to contribute and therefore having good reading notes helps me to follow along with class and have insightful comments. Also, my real life experience of working in a prosecutors office has given me some real-life legal context for some of the things I am learning in class. Therefore, when reading for class, I jot down notes of real-life examples that are related to bring up in class or in office hours. I find that having some real-life context is really helping my retention of the material so far this year. Additionally, my classes are structured a little different: one of my classes has little to no case law and is based on problems... Another is based purely on statutes. It has required me to read and learn differently.

2. Class Notes
Another change I have made from 1L year to 2L year is I take all of my class notes by hand. I found that when I took computer notes last year, I more easily became distracted and I did not retain as much of the information. This is reasonable because many scientific studies have been done that prove handwriting aids in retention and better understanding. By hand writing my notes, I am forced to synthesize the professor's points because I cannot physically handwrite every word as easily as I could type every word. This is a constant practice in analysis, issue spotting big rules and synthesizing which are important legal skills. I find that I remember the information better and when I type it up later into an outline, I am working from my own synthesized words and rules, not the professor's words and it helps me to have a deeper understanding. I have found that simply word-vomiting the professor's words/phrases onto an outline does not equal full understanding and was not the most effective way for me to outline. I also color code all my class notes because bright colors are easier for me to remember long term and it distinguishes class info from reading notes; I take all reading notes in black ink and class notes in a color designated for that specific class (ex. Constitutional law is blue, criminal procedure is purple...). I also love the freedom handwriting notes provides- I can make graphs, pictures, tables, etc. Whatever I need to do to get that information, I can. Sometimes computers can hinder notetaking in my experience because of the formatting problems and having to pause during class notes to fix the bullets or margins, etc.

3. Outlining
I learned my lesson first semester of 1L year- outline as you go. I spent last Thanksgiving break frantically outlining and it was the worst. Now, my approach to outlining is to outline after finishing a section or chapter. This way, I am outlining throughout the semester and I can address questions, confusion or concerns sooner rather than later. It also helps that the information is fresher in my brain when I outline it and it helps me to formulate and synthesize it better into the outline thus creating a much more effective study aid come finals. I just finished the fourth week of the semester but I have all my outlines started and 2 are completely up to date...the others will be up to date by the end of this weekend. I refuse to stop making my own outlines- I think it is such a valuable skill and learning tool... simple printing another persons outline will not allow me the same level of understanding nor the learning provided during the outlining process. Overall, outlining no longer scares me the way it did 1L year... I just buckle down, set aside some time each week and get it done.

4. Review/Practice Problems
Kind of like outlining, I have started reviewing throughout the semester instead of just at the end. Not only is outlining itself a form of review, I make a point to review my notes after class, twice after reading and to attend office hours. I attempt to make sure that I understand everything right away instead of waiting until the end of the semester to figure something out. There just is not enough time to do it all at the end of the semester and I need excellent grades so I am putting all the extra effort in. I have started doing some of the practice problems from the casebooks and as the semester moves on, I will be completing multiple choice questions each week and practice problems that I can take to professor office hours for feedback. This is something I neglected 1L year and I think I did myself a disservice. After reviewing my past exams, I have identified a few issues I would like to work towards resolving in the future when taking exams- I am not waiting until the end of the semester; I am starting right away to do everything in my power to be as successful as possible for exams this semester. Unlike 1L year, I know exactly what I need to do to be successful... I just have to buckle down and do it.

5. Organization/Planning/Efficiency
My schedule is a little more diverse this year. I have more responsibilities beyond just reading, class, studying. One thing I haven't changed is my dependence on my planner. I would seriously go insane without it. Beyond that, I have had to be a little more inventive with my time to fit everything in. I multitask- cooking is also my Netflix time, I work in between classes to make money, I do my reading right when I get home from class so I don't procrastinate, I outline and review on Friday afternoons before 5pm so I can have Friday nights off. For my appellate brief for moot court, there is very little structure. Therefore, I set aside time each week within my planner to work on it and stay accountable. I have started to do this with everything- I plan time for cleaning, grocery shopping, outlining... everything is planned and I do my best to stick to it. I meal plan and utilize a crockpot often to make sure that we eat decently without wasting a bunch of time in the kitchen puttering around or doing the "what sounds good" or "what do we have" discussion. I record my oral advocacy competition arguments and listen to them while driving to and from class to enforce my memorization of my arguments. 2L year for me is all about efficiently and effectively using my time so I can get everything done and still have some time to relax.

For me, 2L year has been about implementing the lessons I learned 1L year and making myself a better student and a more efficient person. I do not regret the things I did 1L year... I was not the same person I am now and I am choosing to move forward to be the best I can be. 2L year is definitely different and is stressful and difficult in different ways than 1L year. However, I am confident that I will be successful and I am more confident than ever that the law is what I want to do.

Helpful printables: https://www.etsy.com/shop/LegalDuchessShop?ref=simple-shop-header-name&listing_id=1059870419

How to Maintain a Law School-Life Balance

Acclimating to life in law school is not easy. It is nothing like undergrad and the difference takes some getting used to. Tomorrow night I am going to be a part of a 2L student panel to give advice to my schools new 1L class during their orientation. One thing I am going to stress to the new students is a school-life balance and how important it is to maintain. It may not be easy and it will likely take a few weeks to establish a good balance between law school and life but it is very important. I suggest starting right from the beginning with establishing a solid school-life balance.

My first few weeks of 1L year were trying... I had a hard time finding a balance between my school work and my normal life. It was about a month into school when my husband sat me down and let me know that I was letting law school take over my life and he was worried. From then on out, I made a point to maintain a better balance between school and life. I wasn't always successful- around final memo time or exams, law school took over. But the rest of the semester, I worked to maintain a good balance between school and life and I think my mental health benefited greatly as did my marriage, family relationships, and friendships. It is easy to get caught up in law school and letting your life revolve around it in the first few weeks/months; if you make a school-life balance a priority from the beginning, it will be easier to maintain in the long run. Here are my tips for establishing a school-life balance right from the start.

Why the First Semester of Law School Does Not Define You

If you have been reading for a while, you may know that I struggled with my first semester of law school. If you have not been reading for a while, here's the cliff notes version: I entered law school having always been a top student, one of the smartest in my classes, on a full-tuition scholarship and having just graduated Magna Cum Laude with dual Bachelors degrees. I was ready to crush law school just like everything else. Suddenly, everything I thought I knew about school and studying didn't work and I was surrounded by people just as smart and often smarter than me. That was a big adjustment. I questioned myself and my choice to attend law school daily. Eventually, I got into the swing of things and it got easier. Then, I took law school exams... wow. They were unlike any exam I had ever completed and I struggled. A lot. No matter how hard I studied, it didn't seem to be enough and the format of the 4-hour exams was just draining. I squeaked by but my grades were nowhere near where I wanted them to be and I was confused, heartbroken and completely frustrated. I contemplated dropping out. I thought of back up plans if I couldn't finish law school. I cried to my parents and husband.

Finally, my wonderful mother got tired of my whining and moping and gave me the kick in the butt I needed- She informed me that it was okay to be upset and disappointed with myself. But she also said I had never not excelled at something I put my mind to in my entire life and it was about darn time I got knocked on my rear. She told me to stop whining and make a decision- I could either buckle down, work harder than ever before and prove to myself and my school that I could excel in law school the second semester. The other choice was dropping out and figuring out something else to do with my life. I took the first option.

I am happy to report that my hard work paid off- I re-engineered my study tactics, worked my butt off and was able to pull my GPA up 2 entire points after the second semester. I got a higher grade in every single class and I even got my first A in law school which led to me dancing down the hallway of my internship. I am eligible for Moot Court and moved up in the ranking. I have a wonderful internship and I am learning something every day. Overall, I am heading into my 2L year much more confident and set in my plan to finish law school and succeed in the legal field.

So why did I tell this story?? Because one semester does not define you. You can fail and fall flat on your back... it's okay. You can cry it out. Just pick yourself up, make some changes, buckle down and choose to improve. Never ever let one bad class or one bad semester break your dreams. I failed. I had the worst GPA of my life. I got my first C's. I took that failure and let it fuel me to never get those grades again and succeed. If I can do that, so can you!

Never give up after one tough break. You are smart enough, you are good enough and they would not have let you into law school if you couldn't do it. Re-engineer, redouble your efforts and attack it with a vengeance-fueled by all your frustrations. Work so hard you will never have grades that low again. Make success the only option. Whining and complaining will not change your grades- only hard work will do that. Do not give up after one bad semester.

The caveat to that is that it is okay to change directions. If after the first year you truly realize that law is not for you, then find something else. That is not giving up- that is making a way for yourself that is right for you. The law may not be for everyone and it is not what it seems from the outside looking in. There is no shame in choosing to go for a different career. You must do what's best for you.

I wish everyone finishing their first year the best of luck as grades come back- I hope the curve falls in your favor. For those gearing up for their first year of law school, prepare for a lot of hard work, exhaustion and the possibility of failure... but remember, you can always improve and that first semester does not define you. As my internship supervisor wisely told me, there are a million great lawyers out there making a difference and some never even got an A in law school. Grades do not define you. Keep your head above water- you can do it!!

An Easy Diet for a Young Professional

I will preface by saying I am dieting merely out of a personal effort to be a little more healthy and to eat less junk food in the wake of final exams where I ate like crap. It is not a lose weight diet but merely a more regimented way to stay on a healthy eating plan. Bikini season is just around the corner so this healthy diet will be paired with some exercise and hopefully, all that winter flab and finals week pizza will be gone. 

I have always been a healthy person blessed with a high metabolism. I have always been very active, growing up on a farm with endless work to do and riding horses daily my entire life. My family ate pretty healthily and I have never been one with a huge appetite so I have always been thin and trim and had zero concerns about my body. After starting law school and moving to a new city with only a small yard to work in and no horses to ride, suddenly all of my physical activity was cut out of my life and I spent all my time hunched over books or sitting in classrooms. Though I still ate healthily, took the stairs and did Yoga when time allowed, I could definitely tell a negative difference in my body and my overall fitness.

Now that school has ended for the year and the weather has gotten better, I have made a vow to get my fitness back under control. Besides the gym membership I will be purchasing in the next few days, I know a healthy diet is the best basis for a healthy body. I have done some research and devised an eating plan that will be simple enough to stick to as I start my internship and could work for most busy young professionals looking to trim up a bit and feel better about what they are putting in their body without breaking the bank or giving up enjoying food.

Breakfast

I will start my days with a whole bunch of coffee (non-negotiable) and one of a few varieties of filling, yummy and healthy breakfasts. I also take a variety of vitamins every morning including: Biotin, Magnesium, Vitamin D, Calcium, B12 and Vitamin E.

• Oatmeal with Fruit 
• Whole Wheat Toast with Peanut Butter
• A Fruit Smoothie
• Egg Sandwich (1 egg, 1 slice of cheese on an English muffin)

Lunch

I will be packing lunches to take to my internship so they need to be portable and easy enough to eat at the office. My lunches will include carrots and ranch, low-fat vanilla yogurt, whole wheat crackers and a variety of entrees. (oh and a cookie because I have the worlds biggest sweet tooth)

• Leftovers from previous dinners
• Baby Spinach Salad
• Turkey Sandwich on Whole Wheat Bread

Dinner

My husband is on a Gluten Free diet per doctor's orders so most of our dinners are Gluten Free. Because of this, they are all homemade and relatively healthy. I have a variety of go-to recipes and I am always looking for more. Here are a few of my favorites:

• Lasanaga
• Shredded Chicken Sandwiches
• Chicken and Rice Casserole
• Mongolian Beef Stirfry
• Shepherds Pie
• Grilled Chicken with a Vegetable side

Dessert

Did I mention my sweet tooth? It's rather persistent so I will need some sort of dessert in my life that still operates within the general realm of "not too unhealthy". 

• Cookies made with applesauce in place of butter
• Chocolate covered blueberries
• Dove Dark Chocolate Squares
• Chocolate Pudding

Snacks

I am a bit of a grazer so I always have to have some snacks available. This is usually how I end up eating junk so I am trying to be proactive and have some healthy snacks available. My goal is to limit to 2-3 snack breaks per day but we will see how that goes....

• Crackers and Laughing Cow Cheese
• Carrots 
• Celery
• Apples and Peanut butter
• Fruit Smoothies
• Yogurt 
• Granola bars 
• Trail Mix (nuts, cheerios, m&m's and raisins)

Well, friends, we will see how this diet fairs... fingers crossed my willpower is strong!