June 27th, 2005
sanity might be overrated, though
TP asks how I plan to keep my sanity 1L.
Right now, I’m not really sure. Not having yet gone through 1L, I can’t say with any certainty what things will work and what things won’t. In general, I cope with stressful situations in a couple of ways—I nest (start baking, making up recipes, rearranging furniture or tinkering around the house) or I burrow (hide in my room and read books, watch sappy movies, drink). The first of those methods is probably the more healthy approach; the latter is somehow more satisfying. I can see myself falling into either of them during 1L if things get particularly hairy.
But I’m hoping to stave off any stress breakdown by keeping organized. I’ve worked an 8-5 job for the last 6 years, so I think I’ll try treating law school the same way: get to campus early, study and do my work while I’m there, and then, when I get home, spend the evenings with my husband. He’ll be in class at least two nights a week, so those can be my stay-on-campus-late days, if I need them (and I think I will later in the semester). I want to have Saturdays or Sundays free, so we can explore the city, see movies, continue our culinary experiments (I like to try out new recipes on the weekend), and generally spend quality time together. I think if we can manage that, my sanity will be safe. Mr. Angst keeps me sane, really, so we’ll HAVE to manage it!
Other ways I hope to keep my sanity? Staying in touch with non-law-school friends. Finding a little time to watch a favorite TV show each week. Squeezing in a reread of a favorite book. Flipping through trashy magazines at Barnes & Noble. A well-balanced life = sanity, so that means trying to do other things besides law school for at least a few hours a week. Maybe I’ll join a choir, if I can find one without onerous rehearsal requirements. I think Mr. Angst and I will try to continue practicing Aikido, and that can be a nice outlet, too.
What do the other 0Ls out there think?
comments
Sanity is definitely overrated.
Thanks for answering. My one and only observation on this point:
1L = exercise in stress management, no more, no less, IMO. if you generally manage stress well, you’ll do fine. if you don’t, might be more difficult.
I tend to totally isolate myself and eat sleep and breathe whatever is stressing me out. That’s part of why I want a roommate- to avoid complete isolation. I would like to be healthy and work out a few times a week, but I’m not sure if that will happen. It would be nice to have one night of nothing each week, even if it’s a weekend night.
I would like to think my life experience will keep me from freaking out and doubting myself when things get tough. I mean, it’s just law school, and millions of other people have done it.
Not a 0L, but I can tell you that the vast majority of students cope with “drink”.
Which is certainly not the most healthy way to deal…
I think the fact that you have “real world” work experience will go a *long* way… many students don’t have that. Nor do they have a spouse to remind them that they are human every now and then.
And above all, keeping grounded by people who aren’t lawyers and law students goes a long way to preserving sanity and injecting a little levity into the experience every now and then.
Dave, that’s what I think. Making friends who aren’t law students or lawyers is a big goal for me. Of course, finding those people when I spend all my time at school will be the real test…
Sleep. I need lots of sleep. Also, my almost-husband will hopefully do the same for me. I need his company to stay sane, and I plan to try and schedule studying etc. so that we can still spend time together. Am also hoping, like you, that having lived on an 8 to 5 schedule for the past few years will help - I’m not in student slack-and-cram mode, and hopefully won’t get into it.
More or less the same as you… except I won’t inflict my singing on the world. Anyway, JW will probably be happy to have lots of time to watch baseball uninterrupted.
Drinking will inevitably become a part of staying sane. I also highly encourage the keeping of non-law school people around. My outside friends ABSOLUTELY helped me through 1L. I would also recommend a regular work-out routine. Get into it and keep up from day one. That will really help during exam time to step away for an hour or two. You will come to cherish that time.
Horray for non-traditional students.
I believe we’re mature enough to handle the stress in a healthy way and experienced enough to manage time efficiently.
my advice: stay away from your fellow law students when they are freaking out and over-stressed. i’m telling you, man, anxiety breeds anxiety. i found the best thing for me to keep my sanity during 1L (not sure I did that great a job of keeping my sanity, so keep that in mind…) was to remind myself periodically that actually, grades aren’t EVERYTHING. yes, it’s true, they’re important, but i’ve found they can also be pretty arbitrary. i think they mainly matter for your first job, and after that, it just matters what kind of lawyer you are, not what your gpa was in law school. in my case, yay for criminal law, where it doesn’t matter much anyway, even for your first job. :p.
Tip to stay sane: Go back and read this entry from time to time, after you start classes.
And hey, law students aren’t all that bad. They drink too much, there’s a lot of stress - but I actually found my law school peers (my close friends, my outer friends, and my many acquaintances) to be the greatest group of people I’ve ever assembled in my life. I couldn’t have made it through law school without them.
Plan A is to stay current with everything and review continuously so I don’t panic about not being on top of everything.
Plan B is to panic. Embrace the stress.
Yeah, I don’t think Plan B is so hot either. I do think that down time is extremely important, and at least 5 minutes a day with your family.
I would echo the comment that grades aren’t everything. Don’t get sucked into the vicious cycle of competitiveness. I tanked my first year and have improved ever since — and have received the feedback that most employers take that all into consideration.
The other thing is to figure out early what strategy you’re going to take with each class. Some classes require all the reading all the time while others have more flexibility. I realistically could not do all the reading all the time, so don’t stress if you don’t get through it (in some classes, the reading can almost be superflous). And reading — but not necessarily relying on — the commerical outlines and prep books is helpful.
“Horray for non-traditional students.
I believe we’re mature enough to handle the stress in a healthy way and experienced enough to manage time efficiently.”
But, there are exceptions. For my part, I agree with TP — sanity is highly over-rated.
You’ll do fine!
You’re going to do juuuuust fine. Just remember, none of it is real.