Hello again Jury of Peers! As a returning blogger I get to tell you what I did over summer as a law student. While everyone’s summer looks a little different, today I want to tell you about something you may not hear very much about: summer classes.
I took Fundamentals of Bar Writing over summer and I can’t recommend this enough as a summer course. I am a somewhat nervous test taker and this 7-week Pass/Fail course relieved a lot of my anxieties about taking the mammoth test that is the Bar Exam.
What I found most valuable about this class was the fact that we got to do a practice essay almost every week of the class. We also peer reviewed each other’s essays which helped each of us see our weak spots and out strengths. And this is all stuff that does NOT happen in a typical bar review course. So not only did I get many extra practice essays in, I got actual feedback from other students – pretty sweet deal.
I also really enjoyed having different parts of the Bar broken down. My professor separated the multiple choice, the essays, and the performance test, and discussed strategies for all three types of skills. She explained that the Bar is not only a knowledge test but also a skills test: how can you find a rule amongst a fact pattern if none come to mind; how to approach multiple choice questions; what order you should read the performance test sections; etc.
But Fundamentals of Bar Writing is not the only course available over summer. There are lots of other bar courses and electives offered. And you might be thinking – aren’t I supposed to have a job over summer? What do you mean, school?
Some student’s work and take one or two nighttime classes over summer break. It’s definitely possible with time management. Some students take a full semester over summer so they can work during the fall semester for units. Some students take summer classes because they just have such a passion for learning they can’t do it all during the semester.
Just like summer jobs, summer classes are different experiences for everyone. So, however you choose to spend your summer, there are learning opportunities around every corner. But, that being said, use summer to also do things you like: travel, creative projects, seeing friends, etc. Summer break is a perfect time to take some self-care opportunities you don’t have during the school year. I got to focus a lot on making music and YouTube cover videos which is something I really enjoy doing in my free time. I also got to see some friends that were back in town post-lockdown. My best advice is to relish the last summer breaks you are going to have as much as possible.
See you in the next post,
Kelsey