Yeah, my summer before 1L went by faster than I thought. Before I knew it, I was sitting in my 8:00AM Civil Procedure class learning about “Due Process” and notice. Ugh.
But in the three months leading up to law school, I can say with confidence that I did absolutely nothing over the summer.
That’s a slight exaggeration… I did a few things.
I worked part-time as an auditor and made some dough. I attended my graduation ceremony literally several months ago (Claremont McKenna College, Class of 2021). I also reunited with my longtime best buddy after 11 years. Who, by the way, now has a beautiful wife and baby boy!
And maybe—just maybe—I had one-too-many martinis to drink while riding a flamingo floatie in the lazy river of a San Diego resort.
So, yeah, I did some things. But none of those things were dedicated towards preparing for law school.
I didn’t learn how to case brief.
I didn’t read books on mastering exams and midterms.
And I didn’t listen to podcasts or watch any videos that would prepare me for seemingly the next three years of my life…
But the truth is, you don’t have to do those things. In fact, you can—and should—enjoy your summer in any way you see fit. It doesn’t have to be a vacation in Cancun, or a spontaneous backpacking trip through Europe. Enjoying summer can also be watching Anime with your cat; hitting the gym; or even playing Call of Duty: Cold War with the bros.
^^^ That was 95% of my summer, by the way.
Point is, law school will come eventually. And you’ll be more prepared than you think when the time comes. But if I could offer any advice on what you should do before law school arrives, do the 1st week of readings the week before class begins. Trust me, you’ll thank me later.
But aside from that. Enjoy your summer. Do what you love, and love what you do. Because that will be worth it in the long run.