Fall Semester Update

Hello again, Jury of Peers! While everyone else is gearing up for the “most wonderful time of the year,” here in law school, stress levels are rising as we quickly approach finals. So, right now, this blogger is stressed.

But maybe I should recap the events that got me to this point, since every finals week has whole semester attached to it. As a 2L you get to pick your own classes which means you have a lot more control over your day-to-day schedule than you do as a 1L.

Last year, I always had class from 8am -12pm then took an hour lunch break and studied until about 7pm. This year, my class schedule is more spread out through the day so my study hours are more “wonky” than last year. Usually my work hours are 10am-11pm with two one-hour breaks to eat.

This semester I took Evidence, Ethical Lawyering (two of the three required 2L classes), Entertainment Law, and Business Associations. I also have been doing work as a staffer for the International and Comparative Law Review. All said and done, my school days, which are Monday – Thursday, are consumed with law school. I usually take Thursday nights off and then spend Friday – Sunday working on my law review assignment for the next week, prepping for next week’s classes, or outlining.

Now, if you were like me when I was preparing for law school, the words “all-consuming” might incite some anxiety in you but let me explain. Ask most law students and they’ll probably use those words too, but we only mean there isn’t an abundance of time for things outside of law school. You can still go grocery shopping (with a mask on) and call you mom. You just can’t also spend four hours of your day binge watching Netflix.

Law school is one of the grandest examples of delayed gratification there is. Push through the week and take a night off and do nothing. I really love music so I make time on the weekends to spend time singing and writing music. I don’t spend nearly as much time as I really would like to, but I do what I can with the time that I have. I also love to bake in my free time so I have snacks to study with!

See you in the next one,

Kelsey