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#The1Llife: Pressing On After A Loss

GUEST BLOG by Dani Gies,
1L at UCLA School of Law

This post is going to be of a different tone than my previous ones.

Fotolia_99579860_Subscription_Monthly_MLast Thursday, I lost my great uncle to lymphoma. He was more like my uncle and second dad to my mom though. He was a brilliant, compassionate, selfless, encouraging, loving man who impacted thousands of lives over his lifetime of service to students, marginalized peoples, and his family. He served a long term at UCLA, and I feel his spirit constantly.

I have been depressed for a while now, and his passing really dropped me to a low. I was definitely not myself when a classmate approached me and asked me to record classes for her this week because she was headed home for a funeral. She lost her grandfather three days before I lost my tío. Two weeks before that, another close friend flew home for his grandfather’s funeral. And one month before that, the morning of her Torts exam, my close friend lost her grandfather.

It is very difficult for me, and my classmates, to deal with loss like this during law school, particularly during 1L. 

I’ve lost most of my motivation. What is the point of reading the Constitution when it seems we are at the age where every moment could be a loved ones’ last, and time spent in the library could be spent with family? People who wanted us to succeed, to pursue our goals, are now gone. How do we continue to press on? How do we take our already-stressed out, reclusive, exhausted selves and make them yearn for school while our families carry on and we barely have time to grieve?

To be honest, I don’t really know. The cloud of sadness that has been casting its shadow over me persists. I still begin to cry after periods of high stress when my adrenaline fades and I have a few moments to ponder. But today it was easier for me to ponder the positive. Everyone who has learned about my tío’s passing has been kinder than I could have imagined, including especially one of my teachers. I have found in this sadness that I have made friends who deeply care about my health and wellbeing. My law school community has been generous and gentle, two words not oft associated with law schools. My dance crew, although a recent acquaintance, has consoled me with hug after hug and much encouragement.

I write this post in the event that you too are experiencing loss or another hardship that has derailed you. 

I’m not quite back on track yet, but I’ll get there. For the moment, I will continue to try to focus on the amazing blessings coming my way in the form of caring friends and their words and actions. I wish for you that you too recognize the light in your life and that your law school community supports you and picks you up when you fall. If you’d like to talk about anything, please DM me on Twitter @The1Llife.

Wishing you peace,
Dani

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5 Reasons You Should Start Studying Early

By Mike Sims, BARBRI President

5 Reasons You Should Start Studying Early For The Bar Exam

The final semester of law school. Finally you can see the light at the end of the tunnel and begin to dream of a life outside of law school. Congratulations on all you have accomplished.

Of course, there is one tiny obstacle between you and the life of your dreams. The bar exam. Just saying the words makes many students shudder.

At this point every the year, students ask me if they should begin studying early for the bar exam. Does it hurt or does it help?

Experience tells me it helps. Here are 5 reasons why.
  1. You are more likely to pass the bar exam.
    While plenty of students do very well by following the traditional BARBRI schedule, we have found that those who engage with BARBRI 67 days or more before the course begins are statistically more likely to pass the bar exam the first time.  Start early and you’ll do better.
  1. Bar exam pass rates continue to fall
    Mean MBE scores are the lowest they have been in 10 years. In response, a growing number of law schools are partnering with BARBRI to offer early bar prep. That’s also why BARBRI completely overhauled our early start program and made it available in January to students who have already committed to BARBRI.
  1. Spreading the work out now avoids burnout this summer
    You’ve heard it before. Studying for the bar is a marathon, not a sprint. Time spent learning now is time you don’t have to spend this summer. If you can devote about 24 hours to BARBRI’s early start program (just a couple of hours a week) between now and May, you’ll have a less stressful June and July. 
  1. Early learning is not forgotten – it’s foundation
    We’ve all crammed for a final exam, and sometimes it worked. Cramming won’t work for the bar. Learning will. BARBRI’s early start program begins with BARBRI AMP, an exclusive online learning tool that teaches you the law faster and helps you retain it longer. BARBRI AMP draws upon the latest learning science to help you build a solid foundation of Multistate mastery – a foundation that will stay with you throughout the bar exam.
  1. Studying smarter, not harder, makes a difference
    BARBRI’s early start program focuses your study on the 25 most frequently tested bar exam subtopics. Students who complete this early work are statistically much more likely to pass the bar exam.  This summer your study will be guided by BARBRI’s Personal Study Plan (PSP), which analyzes over 1,000 points of data to give you the smartest path to success. When asked about the PSP, one BARBRI student put it best when she said, “All I had to do is figure out what to eat!”

Simply put, people who start early and study smart, don’t just pass the bar, they #OwnTheBar. You can join them.

It only takes an additional $250 payment to commit to BARBRI and begin Early Start Bar Review. Over 20,000 members of the class of 2016 have access to Early Start. All of us at BARBRI look forward to seeing you join them and look forward to seeing your name on the pass list this fall.

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#The1Llife: The [Cover] Letter

GUEST BLOG by Dani Gies,
1L at UCLA School of Law

THE [COVER] LETTER (Shout Out to Kehlani)

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Happy New Year! I hope you had a restful vacation (or if you start late like me, are enjoying the last few days of non-law-school-reading bliss!).

In between waking up late and watching Netflix, you hopefully started preparing your materials for your job search.  Here at UCLAw, we host the Southern California Public Interest Career Day where all of the SoCal schools come to interview with over 150 nonprofits, firms, and government organizations focused on the public interest.  Thus, many 1Ls are scrambling to edit their resume and craft a cover letter. Here are a few tips for getting ready to apply to jobs!

DO: Start preparing early. One pass over your resume to add your new law school will not be enough. Highlight the experiences you’ve had that are relevant to the position to which you are applying, and please remove anything related to high school if you have not done so already.

DO: Tailor everything in your materials to the position. A stock cover letter is not going to pass muster under the eyes of people who have read thousands of applications.  Keep away from stock phrases as much as possible.

cover-letter-guide-2015-capilano-university-student-employment-services-12-638DO: Review your writing. As a 1L, your options are limited for what to use as a writing sample, unless you had previous legal writing experience. If you got feedback on a memo, incorporate it. Just because the memo has been turned in and graded does not mean you should submit it untouched. Tighten it up and even send it to your professor or advisor for another look. Most applications call for a sample no longer than 10 pages, so keep that in mind.

DO: Have someone else review your materials. Your mom or other non-law school loved one is probably not the best choice, however. Even if you have a peer look over your resume for formatting issues and grammatical errors, be sure your materials pass under other eyes before submitting.

DO: Keep your formatting consistent throughout your application. It may seem minute, but the format of your application helps to tell a coherent story about the applicant, a.k.a. you. Different spacing and fonts tells the reader that you didn’t spend enough time on it and that you’re a little scrambled.

DO:  Let your passion for the work shine! If the job is one you really want to do, be sure to make that clear in your cover letter. This is your first impression—make it count!

You’ll notice there are only DO’s on this list.  That’s because you should stay positive and be excited about your upcoming search!  Best of luck, and be sure to tweet me @The1Llife to talk applications, jobs, and other tips!

 

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#barpreplife: What’s ‘Relaxing?’

GUEST BLOG by Gianna Venticinque,
Graduate of Northern Illinois College of Law

It’s almost the new year, #barpreppers!

Along with the whole ‘new year, new me’ attitude comes another ‘new’ adventure we’ve all been getting ready for, yet holding at a distance: bar prep. I don’t know about you, but the bar has been like a black cloud over my head for the last 2 and a half years. The faculty made sure to plant the impending seed of doom during the first day of law school orientation… and since that day I’ve had the bar in the back (really more like the entire frontal lobe) of my mind. But now, the bar exam consumes my entire mind (yay.) and will continue to do so until I – fingers crossed – pass.

Since I finished up my finals last week, I’ve been doing a lot of this thing people call relaxing. It’s a weird concept for us law school survivors – I know. But I urge you to do some relaxing yourself before BARBRI lectures officially start up; although, you should be taking advantage of the Early Start Paced Program. It gives you the opportunity to jump-start bar prep and at least in my opinion, it gives me an idea of what to expect once classes begin.

I’d suggest hanging out with the friends you likely won’t see until you’re celebrating getting through the bar. I’ve admittedly been MIA that last few months (cough cough years) so I had dinner with one of my best friends tonight. She made me a “Bar Exam Prep Survival Kit” complete with a survival guide. Honestly, I don’t know if I’ve ever been so – dare I say – excited(!!) to start bar prep. Not only was it the most thoughtful gift in the world, but it reminded me that I’m going to need to do this relaxing thing once and a while during bar prep.

Fotolia_98241929_Subscription_Monthly_MIf you need ideas of what to stock up on (or what to tell your family and friends to get you), here’s a list of some of the things she put in the basket:
  • sticky notes (because they’re #barpreplife essentials)
  • wine
  • a face mask
  • candy (another #barpreplife essential)
  • a candle – “because studying stinks, but the space you study in doesn’t have to”
  • The Lincoln Lawyer on DVD (because Matthew McConaughey)

*Spoiler alert*  I have anxiety – the medically diagnosed kind – and as of today I’m thinking positively about lighting the fire underneath me and getting bar prep started. If you’re ever feeling anxious, which I’m sure you will at some point, unless you’re as cool as a cucumber (if you are, I’m jealous), just remember you’re not in this alone. There are a ton of us doing the same thing, feeling the same way, and hoping for the same results. To me, bar prep is a marathon, not a sprint and I plan to take it one day at a time. We can and we will #OwnTheBar.

Happy studies,
G

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#The2Llife: Tips for Effective Study

GUEST BLOG by Lauren Rose,
2L at University of Detroit Mercy 

Classes are over and final exams are here!

This semester really flew by. By now, you should have your outlines complete and study questions ready. It is obvious that you should work on memorizing the rules and how to apply them, but what else should you be doing to prepare for exams?  Here are a few suggestions.

  • Keep track of your study hours. This may sound a little crazy, but it is helpful to hold yourself accountable. There are a few ways to do this. You can write down the amount of hours you will study on a calendar. This is a good idea so that you do not schedule anything else during that time. You could also create a spreadsheet to track the amount of time you studied and to track what material you studied. One of my friends used the “tracking” method for her study hours and felt incredibly accomplished after finals. By writing down the amount of hours that you studied, you are able to feel a sense of pride and accomplishment after finals are over. This may also help to create efficient study habits for other exams or even for the bar exam! (This is also great practice for the future when you will be billing clients!)
  • Ask questions. This is pretty self-explanatory, but it is has taken me a long time for me to figure this out. I usually refrain from asking questions in class and I normally do not go to office hours. This semester, I’ve tried to change that behavior. I have attended review sessions and asked questions. It is so important to ask questions while you are studying because you do not want to memorize the incorrect rule. So, go to your professor’s office hours, shoot them an email, or bounce questions off of your friends!
  • Find a study method that works for you. It is pertinent to determine the best study method early on in law school. You may find that studying in a large group is helpful. Or you may find that you like the complete opposite. Personally, I like studying with one, or two, other people because I find it helpful to ask questions while I am studying. However, it is incredibly easy to get distracted when studying with others, so make sure you try to stay on track.
  • Man sleepingFind a study area that works for you. As important as it is to find out what the best study method is, where you study is almost equally as important. Studying at your house or apartment may be convenient, but it may be full of distractions such as roommates, pets, or TV. You may like studying in the library, a coffee shop, or somewhere else where you can zone in and optimize productivity. This could take some trial and error, but by this time in the semester, you should have a few options to use if your main spot is unavailable.
  • Sleep. I cannot emphasize this enough! All-nighters have a bad rap and it is for a good reason. You will retain much more information if you have a decent night of sleep. It is so, so, so important to give your brain a rest from rules and cases!

Do you have any other study tips? Tweet me @The2LLife!

 

 

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