How I Am Surviving Law School

My first semester of law school is nearly over. Granted, I still have a major assignment to complete, and of course I also have to take finals, but otherwise I am more or less done.

So far, I think I have survived pretty well, so here is my "How I Am Surviving Law School" post.

Number 1: Caffeine
Although I really try to limit myself to four cups a day. I make this most days.

Number 2: MacBook
My poor computer. Her battery is completely kicked (she only runs connected to the wall). She has multiple dents in her case. Two weeks ago, she lost one of the rubber feet on her bottom. Yesterday, the plastic that lines the casing began to chip off. Her open button lost all it's paint. Her screen has a "dead spot." And yet every day, she works for at least 7 hours. She wakes up faster than I do in the morning. She gives me the highlights of the news, both worldly (CNN.com) and social (facebook.com). She makes the commute with me, then dutifully records notes through 4-6 hours of class. She spends time in the library. Then she comes home with me, and we work some more. No complaints, ever. Best money my parents ever spent.

Number 3: Mac iPorgrams
By this I specifically mean iCal, Mail, Spaces and Preview. These genius programs are so well integrated with each other, they make my life so much easier. Mail collects and reads all my email addresses in one central location. iCal adds events automatically, reminds me when blog posts are due. Preview opens ANY attachment that comes my way. Spaces keeps everything clean and sorted. No hassle.

Number 4: Word for Mac
Although Word is a slightly buggy and clunky program, Word for Mac, especially with the Notebook setting, is pretty essential for taking notes in class. Also, it opens a large variety of files and shares well with professors on Windows systems.

Number 5: My iPhone
This is actually pretty brand new, but already I don't know how I lived without it.

Number 6: Peanut Butter
See Tabitha's post here. I, as well, wake up to Peanut Butter Toast for breakfast pretty much every day, and dinner a few nights a weeks.

Number 7: Velvetta Mac and Cheese
For when I am feeling like fancy dinner.

Number 8: UB's Ridiculous Ongoing Pizza Events
I mentioned this earlier here. But FREE PIZZA for lunch is one of those little pleasures in life that few other things can match.

Number 9: My Classmates
Many of you may not know this, but when you are applying to law school, people do their best to discourage you. One way is to tell stories about how awful your peers will be. Horror stories about super competitive, backstabbing students abound. Fortunately, UB does not have this. No lie, there are some students who go out of their way to be unhelpful, and a number will sit silently as you struggling with a difficult question in class, but most are genuinely good people who share in your misery. Missed classes are easily caught up with not just from shared notes but from shared time. Students here are quick to share found resources, rather than try and hide them in an effort to get a leg up. And then comes the weekend, and suddenly you have so many best friends who just want to hang out, even though you hardly know them. It is amazing how you can go to law school happy hour, and just because you go to the same school, you are automatically friends.

Number 10: My Family and Non-Law School Friends
As great as law school is, sometimes you need to get outside of the law school bubble, and this is how I do it. It is so nice to be able to meet people for dinner and not get dragged into talking about proximate cause or Rule 12(b)(6) motions.

Number 11: My Professors
Although they are in some ways the source of 99% of the stress in my life, almost all of them are also 90% of the reason that I am able to get through this. The ones who have been teaching for a little while are amazing at presenting the law in a way that I can learn it, understand it, and work with it. I can't even begin to tell you how much material I have covered in my Contracts class. Or how hard I work, because Professor Tiefer accepts nothing less than your best. In Criminal, not only have we covered a bunch of cases, but I feel like I have a grasp of the bigger picture of how the law works, and how I can apply it to new situations later in my career. Professor Rochvarg never hesitates to ask us to think about the real world application, not just the pages of a case book. And although this is his first year teaching, Professor Lindsay somehow seems to know just how much work we can handle. Also, if there ever was a class in which I think 95% of the students feel comfortable raising their hand and talking, it is his. Even in law school you have professors who want to foster a collaborative and comfortable learning experience.



Well, as positive as the tone of this post is, my phone, ipod, and computer all just simultaneously went off with reminders about my assignments due today, tomorrow, and friday, so I guess the time has come to finish this up and get back to the grind.