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#thebarlife: Remembering My Mantras

GUEST BLOG by Ifeoma Ukwubiwe
Graduating 3L from Rutgers School of Law-Newark

It’s no surprise that in law school you can easily feel like you’re drowning in stress.

image001The first year is devoted to academic achievement in the classroom and finding the best summer internship. At the conclusion of most courses, you get one final exam to test your substantive knowledge of the black letter law. However, for many students, the second year of law school is the busiest year. Although the unique pressures of the first year are gone, second-year law students find themselves juggling a full schedule of classes, student organizations, externships and interviewing for a summer internship. After surviving the first two years, you reach the third and final year. For many students, the third year of law school is a fun and enjoyable experience. Most third-year students get to take courses that truly interest them or courses that will give them the most A’s. Although, every law student has a unique experience in their respective schools, most students must plan ahead for the Bar Exam.

My three years at Rutgers School of Law-Newark is near the end. My final exams are completed, I’ve picked up my graduation regalia and I’ve received my Bar prep books. I’ve even started the “BARBRI Early Start Bar Review.” I know I have a long road ahead. One way I’ve prepared for my own unanticipated, but nonetheless certain, stressful moments this summer is by keeping in mind these mantras:

  1. “Trust yourself.” – Ifeoma
  2. “As you study, remind yourself often of how much you have already achieved to have earned the opportunity to prepare for this exam. Studying is a privilege that countless people wish they had.” – Prof. Franzese
  3. “This too shall pass, and so will you. You have earned the right to be here. Not by chance, By hard work. You’ve got this. What comes thereafter will make all of the hard work worth it” – Prof. Franzese
  4. When you hear yourself thinking “I can’t get this done,” “I don’t understand any of this,” know that feelings aren’t facts.” – Prof. Franzese
  5. “Under stress, emotions distort truth. The truth is you can do this, you will understand enough to pass, you have the time you need.” – Prof. Franzese
  6. “You don’t have to do this, You get to do this” – Ifeoma
  7. “If you do what you’ve always done, you’ll get what you’ve always gotten.” – Tony Robbins
  8. “Your past does not equal your future.”– Tony Robbins

I know there will be times when I will be sliding towards the edge of “Mush Land,” the place where my brain will involuntarily shut down and no longer process words on a page. I will repeat my mantras. I will take a walk. I will rest. I will breathe.

I challenge all the bar-preppers out there to create their own mantras and keep them mind while you #OwnTheBar.

Until Next Time,
Ifeoma

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#The2Llife: Year in Review

GUEST BLOG by Harrison Thorne,
2L at UCLA School of Law

ucla3A lot has happened over
this past year.

I transferred to UCLA Law. I became a managing editor of a secondary journal. I also became an articles editor of another journal. I then became the Editor-in-Chief of that journal. I took difficult courses, including business bankruptcy and evidence. I excelled in bankruptcy, and competed in a moot court type bankruptcy competition, and externed part time for the U.S. Bankruptcy Court.

But most importantly, I learned
a lot. I learned that hard work
is absolutely essential.

I learned that working around the clock is sometimes unavoidable. I learned that when a deadline is approaching, sometimes an “all-nighter” is necessary. I learned that when I want something, I have to be willing to do whatever it takes to reach the goal.

But I also learned that working hard is not necessarily the same as working smart.

For instance, there is no point in reinventing the wheel when it comes to creating outlines or learning complex material. Many schools have some form of outline bank. Or, students from past classes will give their old outlines to students who politely ask. Why spend hours trying to figure out how the pieces of a topic fit together when you could create your outline using somebody else’s as a guideline? I cannot imagine how much time I saved using past course outlines and BARBRI outlines to create a master outline for myself. And, in turn, I will pass my outlines onto anybody who asks.

I also learned that keeping up with hobbies, interests, family, and friends is absolutely essential.

I am lucky enough to have a very supportive network of friends, a great family, and an amazing girlfriend. I also like to read (I just read all three books by Gillian Flynn—the author of Gone Girl, and I’m about to start a more serious book by the economist John Meynard Keynes!). And when I feel antsy, I go to the gym. Maintaining these interests and relationships has allowed me to stay sane, and, paradoxically, work harder. Many students think that if they “waste” time pursuing anything other than studying, they will fall behind. That’s not the case.

If I could do the year over, I would change a few things, though. I would have been more focused on prioritizing and scheduling. Sometimes I spend too much time on a reading assignment and have to make up other assignments by eating into my personal time. I would have gotten more sleep. A lot of nights when I am ready to go to bed I innocently check what is on television and end up staying awake until 2am. I would have networked more. I definitely did my share, but there is never too much.

Overall, however, I am beyond thrilled with the past year. I went from a nervous 1L, to a strong student at a top law school. I developed strong connections with peers and professors. I secured a top leadership position on a law journal. And most importantly, I had fun while remaining true to who I really am.

If anybody reading this article has questions about anything I have said throughout the past year, or just wants to discuss some things, please feel free to reach out to me. My email is harrisonthorne1@gmail.com. Thanks for reading, and I will be back next year!!!

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#The3Llife: Graduating Law School

GUEST BLOG by Shaun Sanders,
3L at Chapman University’s Dale E. Fowler School of Law

When I began writing this post, the first theme that came to mind was the tried and true mantra of, “We made it!”

It seems simple enough. Short. Punctual. Fits comfortably inside of air quotes. But in its simplicity, so much is lost. “We made it” is better suited for times where, despite the journey’s perils and pitfalls, you ultimately arrive at a place you had always expected to be; an anticipated conclusion. Yet, sitting here, thinking back over the past thousand and six days of law school, I can’t say I could have predicted any of this.

257704-funny-lawyer-jokeMy fellow 3L’s and I have sacrificed sleep, weekends, liquidity, holidays, and countless Shark Weeks to rewire the way in which we observe and understand the world around us. We have willingly paid a premium to subject ourselves to thousands of hours worth of academic hunger games. Why? Well, in hopes of joining the ranks of the most despised and unappreciated professions in the world. I kid you not, a Google search for “lawyer jokes” comes back with nearly six million results. To put that in perspective, the number of results for “clown jokes” is less than two million. So why did we do it? If we are so smart, why did we choose this path? In the words of Tupac, “The only thing that comes to a sleeping man is dreams.”

Law school has been an awakening experience. The world we live in exists as an aggregate emulsion of conflicting wants, desires, decisions, and choices. To maintain a balance, we elect officials, create governments, and, ultimately, encode our cultural DNA into a system of laws. Law, it turns out, is the source code of society; its language. For as long as there is free will and thought, there will be discrepancies in what is believed to be “fair” and “just.” We have been trained to identify harms and issues and articulate them in ways that, if successful, will invoke the inhibited sovereignty, power, and authority of the United States government to enforce or defend our sense of truth. And while many evils throughout history have been defeated by the physical, brute force of soldiers and social movements, it is ultimately the legal architects who create the barriers that keep the monsters at bay.

After sharing a three-year prologue, we graduates have arrived where each of our individual stories begin and we are free to write whatever story we want with our remaining pages. We survived law school so that we may live better lives — and now we may begin living better lives. This degree is a means to much greater ends. It is a permission slip to pursue my dreams, wherever they made lead…

…after bar prep.

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#The1Llife: Rapidily Approaching. . . Finals!

GUEST BLOG by Lauren Rose,
1L at the University of Detroit Mercy

Finals are basically here.

This whole semester went by so incredibly fast. It feels like January was just yesterday. My finals are rapidly approaching and while I am not mentally prepared to become a hermit for the next month I know that it is for the best. I hope that all of the other 1Ls out there were able to pick up a few study habits and tips from the first go-round. Here are a few of the things that I’ve learned and my recommendations for second semester exams.

Outlines. Outlining is not fun. Everyone that I know ends up with outlines that are 298,472 pages long (more like 40 pages… but you get the point). If you are able to get an outline from an upperclassman, I definitely recommend doing that. This will give you guidance as to what to put in your own outline. Also, this can help clear up confusion if there are gaps in your outline. I also suggest looking at commercial outlines. BARBRI has great outlines that are really helpful with blackletter law!

On a sidenote, I’m sick of explaining what an “outline” is to everyone who is not in law school. Obviously people know the purpose of an outline, but everyone always gives me a really weird look when I tell them about it. I’ve decided to call it a “study guide” when talking to non-law school people because it is way less confusing (and I avoid all of the weird looks).

Practice Problems. Check to see if your law school has copies of old exams on file. If they do, use them!!! This is a super helpful study aid because you can test your knowledge of the subject while you are studying. Also, you should bring your practice answers to a professor or T.A. for feedback. If your school does not have old exams on file, check out supplements. Many supplements have problems in them. BARBRI offers online questions, which is super nice because then you don’t have to lug around a book and you get answers immediately.

Start Early. Start studying earlier so that you don’t have to cram the night before a final exam. This sounds like a no-brainer, but it is definitely easier said than done. Create a study schedule or some other type of plan that works for you. Be sure to build in time to do other things (like working out, watching t.v., or hanging out with friends) so that you don’t go completely crazy!

What did you learn from the first round of law school finals? Are there any upperclassman or lawyers that have advice about preparing for finals? Tweet me @The1LLife!

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#The2Llife: Best Way to Outline (IMHO)

GUEST BLOG by Harrison Thorne,
2L at UCLA School of Law

With the semester wrapping up, many students are beginning to outline, or refining past outlines.

The importance of outlining is probably clear at this point—a good outline will be useful during the exam (provided open note exams), and creating it will help reinforce concepts as well as show what you may not know or understand.

However, it can be tough to “know” how to create an outline. After a long semester, most students have reading notes (i.e., case briefs), class notes, and a handful of problems or handouts. How do you turn all these random pages into a workable outline?

My method, which I feel works effectively, is simple. I print out everything I have. I then obtain an outline from a former student in that class, and print it out. Next, I download BARBRI’s outline on the black-letter law. With all these resources in hand, I am ready to go.

AppleLaptopWhen using a BARBRI or former student’s outline, I primarily look for structure. Most classes teach things in a logical flow. However, it can be hard to understand how all the concepts fit together. For instance, in torts, you might learn about negligence per se, then move on to doctrine of chances, then next to but for cause. Seeing an already-existing outline will help you understand how these concepts and doctrines work together, and where they fit in. Using this refined flow will help you create an attack outline or a “steps of analysis” chart.

I like to create my headings and get the flow of the course by looking at the former student and BARBRI outlines. But then I fill in the blanks with my class and reading notes. If there is a concept I don’t fully understand, I reread, talk to my professor, or discuss with another student.

After I have my outline in working condition, I move on to practice problems or past exams.

 

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