Going to Law School?

So you took your LSAT, wrote your entrance essay, and got that law school acceptance letter? Congratulations! The hardest part is over. So what do you need to succeed in law school? Here are five keys to success:

A Whole Lot of Precious Time

Law school is different than college. In college, perhaps you did minimal studying and still pulled off A's and B's. Perhaps you wrote a few "B.S." papers and still scored high marks. Perhaps you attended keggers the night before exams and still passed. Don't count on that in law school! Law schools typically recommend that for every hour you spend in class, you spend six hours studying outside class. That's a lot of studying! Some law schools don't even allow students to have jobs, because they don't want students to receive poor grades.

My advice? Treat law school like a 9-to-5 job, with one day off per week. If it's between the hours of 9:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m., you're in the library studying. If you prefer two days off per week, study from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. on the other five days. Or, alter the hours if you will retain more of what you study at night.

A Study Buddy or Study Group

It is the rare law student that can study solo and still pull off stellar grades. A study buddy is good to have, because you can fill in gaps for one another that may be important. You can also determine where you are at in your understanding by studying with others.

If you do not already have friends in your classes, consider these potential friends: the Hand Raiser, the Teacher's Pet, the Everyone's Friend, or the Quiet Library Slave.

Hand Raiser is a good study buddy because he has something to prove. Because he has something to prove, Hand Raiser will take extra care to get the material straight.

Teacher's Pet is another good study buddy. Sometimes in a study group, questions about the material will come up, and many students will feel perplexed. Not Teacher's Pet. He'll go right to the professor's office and find out what the answer is.

Everyone's Friend is a good study buddy for the same reason that Teacher's Pet is. If questions arise during a study group, Everyone's Friend has a large pool of potential experts from whom to seek advice.

Quiet Library Slave might be the most precious study gem available. Quiet Library Slave is serious about success. He forfeits nights and weekends to study in the library. He has all of the answers, and you should be his friend so that you can have all of the answers too.

Courses That Cover Bar Exam Material

Here's a news flash: You can be a top achiever in law school and still fail the bar exam afterward. You can be the Editor in Chief of Law Review and fail the bar exam. Really, it has happened. As for the people I have met that did not pass the bar exam, they all had one thing in common: They did not take courses that cover material tested on the bar! Courses like Secured Transactions (blech!) and Negotiable Instruments (ew!). Take these courses. They are a lot easier to understand in a semester than they are in a few weeks.

Study Supplements

Your professors might tell you that study supplements will only confuse you, and that you'll be better off just sticking with their course book and lectures. They are lying! Check out a study guide. It will help you to understand the structure of the class. Also check out the "horn book" that was written to accompany your assigned text. Or, if there isn't one for your text, just get one that covers the same material. These books are extremely helpful for explaining concepts that you are just not sure about. They are written by the experts in the field. All the smart kids are using them. You should too.

Relaxation Time and Stress Outlets

You will be way ahead of your classmates if you can find time to exercise or otherwise relax and distress (read: alcohol). You are in this for three years, and after law school is over, life only gets more hectic. Find a way to enjoy life now.

If you get a chance for vacation during your first winter break, or during your first summer, do it. It may be the last vacation you take for the next few years. Most law students try to get jobs during the second summer, so that they can be offered after-graduation employment. Party while you can.

Congratulations on making it this far! Law school will be challenging, and there will be many ups and downs, but it will be a very rewarding experience. Good luck and study hard!