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Motherhood as a Law Student

June 16, 2020 by Leave a Comment

Motherhood as a Law StudentThis week we welcome guest writer Rigien Bagekany-Jackson, a recent law school graduate, to talk about how she has balanced motherhood and law school the last three years.

Do you ever reflect on how you got to where you are now? I do.

Sometimes you can pinpoint that moment or decision that brought you to where you are. For me, that moment was in June 2016. I was 35 weeks pregnant with my first child working at a bank when an armed man walked in and held me up at gunpoint. This was the point when I decided to start law school. I had initially thought to postpone my offer of acceptance, but at that moment, I knew that there had to be a way to make law school work with having a newborn child. [Read more…]

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Doing a COVID-19 Media Diet

April 7, 2020 by Leave a Comment

Doing a Covid-19 Media DietThis week we welcome guest writer and tutor Ariel Salzer to talk about disconnecting somewhat from media coverage of the coronavirus.

“The Coronavirus,” “COVID-19,” “the Rona” if you’re trying to make light of things, or, even scarier, just “the virus”… It’s all anyone is talking about. And it makes sense, right? We are worried—worried for our friends and family members who staff hospitals, worried for elderly relatives and kids with health problems. Worried about our own lives and futures. And you know what? This pervasive and all-consuming uneasiness is skyrocketing our stress levels. And worse, it’s affecting all of us. [Read more…]

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Why Therapy Should Be Embraced in Law School

February 18, 2020 by Leave a Comment

Why Therapy Should Be Embraced in Law SchoolThis week we welcome back guest writer Alexandra Muskat to talk about why therapy can be an important aid for any law student.

There is a certain kind of person that goes to law school. They want to change the world, they hope to make a lot of money doing it, and, or, they want to impress their family. They are hard workers, very driven, and meet the demands of law school with outward ease and inward anxiety. Now, there are always a few outliers – those who went to law school to change the world and are calm and collected, outwardly and internally, without a care for grades or the bar exam. [Read more…]

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Falling in Love With Law School (Again) – Mindful Reminders to Get Through the Semester!

January 28, 2020 by Leave a Comment

Falling in Love With Law School (Again) - Mindful Reminders to Get Through the Semester!This week we welcome back guest writer Shirlene Armstrong to talk about keeping up your momentum during second semester of law school.

Do you remember the start of the school year or even the start of law school? When you were bright-eyed and bushy-tailed? When you were excited for what this school year would bring you? When you were looking forward to the next steps of your legal journey? Ah, those were the days, right? Now you are a seasoned law student, hardened to the outside world and just chugging away to the end of the school year. It is the law school slump. The time of year when the end of the semester seems so far away, but you are already burnt out. I get it, I have been there too.

Law school is a stressful and difficult time. There are so many cases to read, activities to be a part of, and classes to attend. You fall into a pattern of just trying to make it until Friday (trust me, that doesn’t end with law school either) But there is a reason you went to law school, and you once had joy and excitement about being a law student. Allow me to give you some mindful reminders and tips on how to keep yourself going and help you fall in love with law school again!

[Read more…]

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Post- Semester Blues: How to Bounce Back from a Bad Semester

January 21, 2020 by Leave a Comment

Post- Semester Blues: How to Bounce Back from a Bad SemesterThis week we welcome guest writer Stephanie Nweke to talk about how to recover if first semester didn’t go well.

It’s a new year, and a new decade. Congrats on making it through another semester, or if you’re a 1L, your first semester of law school.

Things happen unexpectedly during the semester, and it’s unfair that your class grade is usually the sum total of your performance on one exam. That’s why law school grades aren’t always indicative of how great of an attorney you will be.

Regardless of your satisfaction with your grades from last semester, you should always take time to reflect and prepare for the upcoming semester.

So, from my personal experiences, I want to share some of the things that have helped me bounce back!

[Read more…]

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Preparing for a Fresh Start Second Semester

January 7, 2020 by Leave a Comment

Preparing for a Fresh Start Second SemesterThis week we welcome back guest writer Briana Borgolini to talk about starting things off on the right foot in the new semester.

Whether you feel satisfied with your performance first semester, or you think you could improve a bit, preparing for a fresh start second semester is something all law students can benefit from. The first semester is often stressful and difficult to manage for many students, which makes starting second semester with a good frame of mind crucial. Regardless of first semester’s outcome, it is important to remember that you can’t change it now. However, you can use it to reflect, and to set yourself up for a fresh start second semester. [Read more…]

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How to Stay Resilient When a Professor Criticizes Your Efforts

December 24, 2019 by Leave a Comment

How to Stay Resilient When a Professor Criticizes Your EffortsThis week we welcome guest writer Alexandra Muskat to talk about handling criticism from a professor and bouncing back.

Early in my law school career, namely first year, first semester, about halfway through, we had a civil procedure midterm. Up until this point, I hated law school. I felt like everyday my schedule would shift, or swell. I felt overwhelmed by everything; I hated taking the train in and out of Boston, and my weekends were filled with a noxious amount of anxiety.

Then this midterm approached. I can still remember staring at the essay question and my blank page on Examsoft and thinking, “What the heck am I doing with my life?” [Read more…]

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Cultivate Relationships with Faculty After Graduation

October 29, 2019 by Leave a Comment

Cultivate Relationships with Faculty After GraduationThis week we welcome back guest writer Mark Livingston to all about maintaining relationships with your professors and other faculty after school.

Law school is all about connections. Connections with your classmates, faculty, and supervisors and colleagues at internships, externships, and clerkships throughout law school. The people you interact with in law school represent the foundation of your legal community. If given the right amount of care and attention, you can cultivate these relationships and feast on the fruits of your labors for years to come. [Read more…]

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Three Reasons Reading Fiction In Law School Is Important

October 8, 2019 by Leave a Comment

Three Reasons Reading Fiction In Law School Is ImportantThis week we welcome back guest writer Hillary Vaillancourt to talk about why adding some fiction reading into your law school routine might be a good idea.

Open any law school online forum and you will likely find numerous instances of prospective law students asking questions like, “I’m thinking of going to law school, but I also like to read for fun. Can I do both?” or “How do you find time to read for fun in law school?” Oftentimes you will find responses such as, “Read for fun in law school? I couldn’t even find time to read my horoscope.”

The real answer to whether or not you can go to law school and also read for fun is yes, yes you can. But, more importantly, here’s why you should read for fun in law school.

[Read more…]

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Take Two: Learning From Our Mistakes and Regrouping For Another Round

October 1, 2019 by 2 Comments

Take Two: Learning From Our Mistakes and Regroup For Another RoundThis week we welcome back guest writer and recent law school grad Mark Livingston to discuss how to learn from your mistakes and move forward.

Fortunately, law school is only three years long. Unfortunately, law school is a long three years. Although you only have a finite amount of time to get things right while earning your JD, there is room during those three, long years to make mistakes; learn from those mistakes, regroup for the next exam, paper, or semester; and grow as a law student. When I began my law school journey as a non-traditional student, I was certain I knew how to study, what my learning style was, and that all of the things I learned from my previous career had provided me with all I needed to reign supreme in class. I was in for a painful surprise. My initial feedback was less than I had expected, but exactly what I deserved. I needed to regroup and adjust if I had any hope of avoiding failure. Here are a few tips that apply as well to life as they do to law school. [Read more…]

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