5 Why's You Quit Law School

I left law school many times but only to return when the humdrum of my daily work-home routine gets too predictable.  I love the challenge of being pressed for time when I am studying (not really ;P).

I am sure, if you are a law student who at one point thought of quitting would identify with any of these 5 reasons.

1. Change of heart

At one point, you might feel that becoming a lawyer is no longer a path you want to take. You might have another passion you are just dying to pursue. This happened to me at one point.

When this happens, it helps to take a break for the meantime rather than push through with it only to give up permanently after you have spent so much money, time and effort.

After working as a legal assistant, there was a time when I told myself I don't want to do this kind of work for the rest of my life. I had a burnout that time so I took a semester off.

After a while I missed law school and came back. It is like a love and hate relationship for me. If you change your mind, don't worry it is free to change your mind again. Just don't do it after you have finished all your academic units (short of graduation).

2. Family 

Being in law school is already hard when you have nothing else to think about.  When you have a family and work on the side, it becomes an ordeal.

If your partner does not understand how demanding law school can be, it will put a strain on the relationship. Suffice it to say,  breakups are common for many law students.  Nursing a heartbreak while studying law is not something I would wish on anyone. I had experienced it and it was a struggle just to finish the semester.

In an ideal world, it would be nice to study law while you are still single with no other worries (or even heartbreaks) to think about.  In real life however, you have to deal with family and relationship mess ups while maintaining your grades and trying not get kicked out of law school.

3. Work priorities

While there are law students who are able to finish law school while doing full time or part time work, there are some jobs that will be difficult to handle while one is studying law. You might be working part time while studying and your boss can no longer accommodate your school schedule.

It will come to a point when one has to choose between continuing law studies and giving up the job. For most of us, this is not doable especially for those who are self-supporting their studies, so when that time comes, you haven't got a choice but to prioritize your work.

It might be a delay to your dream of becoming a lawyer but if you are really bent on pursuing it, you will be able to go back at it in the future when the circumstances are more favorable.

I worked while I was in my 2nd and 3rd year in law school and it was really hard. I slept at most 4 hours per day just to survive. When I think about it, it was an awful time in my life full of challenges but I managed to do it with black under eye circle to boot.

4. Stress

This is one of the major reasons why some people quit law school and I believe this is the most serious. I personally think it is a wise decision for anyone to take a breather once the  rigors of your law studies become too much.

Having a healthy mental state can be compromised when a person is unable to handle stressful situations in a proper manner. Being a law student subjects you to a different kind of mental and psychological stress.

Most who are unable to handle it can go insane and worst, commit suicide. Mental issues and stress should therefore not be taken lightly if you are in law school. Try to have other activities or if it is really needed, take a break from your studies.

5. Limited funds

Going to law school is very expensive. You have to factor in your tuition fees, living expenses, daily expense and yes, those costly law books can definitely cause a dent in your budget. Unless you are filthy rich, going to law school can be a drain on your family's finances.

Just some of the reasons why people quit law school. If you feel like I have left out some important points or that you might be in the same situation, feel free to leave a comment below.

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5 Reasons to Ditch the Nightlife When in Law School

Party's over for me

If you are keen on surviving law school but still undecided on what to make of your nightlife, here are a few tips from Laws and Found Blog to make that decision for you less painful. First things first,  I guarantee you an abundance of (over)night kind of life for the next four or five years, and a you get to spend with books!

1.  Find a middle ground
If you cannot give up the 'partying 'til the sun comes up' kind of life, you may opt to reduce the frequency to say once a month or once every two months.  Don't worry dear,  the receptionist at your favorite club, or bar won't forget you despite the absence.  See,  now you will have a different level of nightlife, one spend in complete silence as you pore over them codals, cases and voluminous books.

2.  Seriously,  you will benefit from not spending a night out.  
It's a win-win situation.  Your weekends well be less stress-inducing, you get to have a good night's sleep to prepare you for the arduous week ahead.  I've been there, trust me.  Dancing the night away in clubs is fun while it lasts but after it is quite torture on the feet, on your head and everything else, unless you count dancing as your cardio.

3.  Save a lot of moolahs.  
Sure, fun and happiness are supposed to not cost you your law school education fund but admit it, going out every weekend can put a drain on your pocket.  You have to buy killer dresses.  I have to buy lots of party dresses,  I for the life of me, cannot imagine wearing the same outfit to the same club. For me that was like a big sin,  like committing a felony under the Revised Penal Code.  Then drinks in those clubs are not cheap honey,  unless you look like a supermodel and get free drinks, then you better stick to icedtea or water if you don't want to spend the moolah in those night outs.

4.  Preserve your life or limb.
Spending nights in the parking lot is not the safest way to roll.  Well, it is part partying like a commoner, unless you are Paris Hilton and have a chauffeur to wait on you, there will be nights when staying in the parking lot until it's light will be part of the deal.  You cannot risk violating our law on drunk driving, it is akin to signing your own death certificate.

5.  Save a night, save the day after.
For each night you spend hanging out in a club or drinking in a bar,  you might as well say goodbye to the day after that. You see, when you go out,  most probably you get a hangover and then you need to sleep the day after.  This is precious time you could spend instead in reading.

I haven't been out for almost four months now.  Before this period I used to be in party mode as early as Friday morning.  Now it's like, "Wuhoo it's Friday, almost weekend, bed here I come!"

Don't take me seriously,  law school is serious enough, so whatever you read here, do take it with a grain of salt.  Our subject of study is heavy enough so my posts are half-serious.  If you want to read more about my 'out of this world' kind of experience of being in law school, don't forget to click on the Follow button on the right side of this page.

I Haven't Blogged Much, Here's Why

Busy but same old cray me #lawsandfoundblog

Hey it's summer in the Philippines!  This is the time of the year when I ought to be spending my days in a hammock by some perfect beach. But WAIT!  I haven't blogged for years, or was it errrr weeks? That can only mean one thing -- that my life has been so exciting that I didn't find time to sit down and write something. Well, let's just leave it at that, ahem.  Let me just update you on some harmless happenings for the past weeks. Oftentimes, I forget I am a blogger.

School!

I have been busy with school, what else is new?


Partying

Moreover, I took the partying part on a higher notch and even went out on some weekdays, so much for being a good law student, eh?  I know, right?  As I always say, life is short baby so let's make each and every moment count.

The rule before is that I have to do school on weekdays then party two nights on weekends.
I am quite sure that this partying phase will soon be over hence, I am still in control and it will never spiral into a long term thing.

Nevertheless, when I party, it has to be over the top.  It came to some point when I even party on a weekday and take this,  the best thing about it? I have an early, like early 8AM major class the day after!  Man,  it is not something for the weak-hearted.  Maybe I was just lucky that I manage to survive my 4 hour class being sleepless, having a hangover and yes, needing to read tons of pages.

When you have an 8am class and
you partied hard the night before

You meet a lot of awesome people when you got out and then some aweful creatures at the same time.  Good news,  I still manage to get good exams results that are way better than when I didn't party, so I am sure I am doing something awesome!  Don't do this my dear fellow law students, what works for me may not work for you, I'm warning you!

Yay, got the top marks!  So much for being a party gal, eh?

Weightlifting

What else?  I have been weightlifting lifting crazy these past weeks to the point where I convince myself that my day would never be complete if I am unable to do so.  I am kinda addicted to it right now.  It is like having a really nice new boyfriend or something. You could not get enough of it.  I am still gunning for my target body and will stick to this sort of routine until I get there.

My favorite rack #dumbells

All by ma self! #gym

Sometimes,  I make lifting a reward of sorts which I would look forward to after finishing a certain number of book chapters. I would read then do some reps. Awesome, right?

Ahh, makeup diva and nail polish stuff!

These days I am also into makeup and nail polish , like I am truly obsessed, literally.  Some days, no - make that everyday, it doesn't matter if I have class or not, if I go out of the house or not, I just have to fix my makeup, my hair first thing in the morning.  Thank you so much makeup for stealing my reading time, I really appreciate this development.

The only drama I can stand is in my lashes #eyemakeup #fleek

But you know what? I realize that since my limited time has now been reduced, then I get to be resourceful in studying so I make use of the little time I have.  For some reasons I feel like

I am sure girls would relate, you know how awful it is when your nail polish chips right?  So some days I get to change my nail color every 2 days or so, so where do I get the time to do this out of my law school reading schedule? Of course I lessen my sleep time, I get by with just 2 - 4 hours of sleep time on most days.

Nail polish 

The Fitness and Law School Struggle is Real!

Hello second sem!  I had an awesome week! School is open and of course I love going back to my books. I love the smell of new books, too bad the prices have double too! Oh well, one day I can see myself publishing my own law book,  watch out for that!

On another note, I can feel a struggle going on.  Since I have to be on track on my fitness regimen (Fit Mob blog), some days I find it difficult to do things when I have not done my workout for the day!

I would often sleep early and wake up early because I find it really easier to read when the world is sound asleep (in my location at least). Then at around the 3am or 4am I start doing my fitness routine before everyone else wakes up or before the sun rises.  There is something primal and addicting about these hours and though it may seem weird  (but I like weird),  I love it!

So that seemed to work for the past week and I hope to keep it up with a few modifications to accommodate be school commitments further.  On one hand, my class schedule has been really irregular and also at unusual odd times at certain periods of the day.  In short, my class sked is not a routine, now that may be exciting for me but it puts a damper on my "early to bed, early to rise" program.

When I wake up at 1am or 2 am, that means that by 6pm, I'm almost ready to call it a day, but then I got an evening class on some days.  Nevertheless, there is always a way to work things out.  Maybe a nap will extend my wake up hours on those days I have an evening class.

To my fellow law students, let's kick the high gear early on!  Good luck to everybody this second sem.  Let's rock law school!

Focus, Focus

I focus better when it involves food. :)

I noticed my dwindling interest in reading and find it hard to focus and motivate myself.  I only got a couple topics left but here I am needing a truckload of motivation.  This means I am in real deep trouble.

I admit,  I like to do many things all at the same time.  The variety fuels me and keeps me from getting bored.  Law school however is like a jealous and demanding lover.  It wants my undivided attention, unwavering commitment, dedication, and my loyalty.  If you are a restless soul like me,  being in law school is akin to being tied down in chains for the equivalent of four or five years.  It is like being married to someone not your soul-partner, or something like that, maybe.

These days,  I am addicted to everything fitness: cardio, strength-training, weight loss, fat-burning, the whole works.  I am so consumed with it that I become voracious for learning new things, new exercises,  weightlifting stuff and all of these take a huge chunk of my time.

Focus will lead to positive results and I am losing weight slowly but surely.  I am seeing amazing changes in my physique that I never imagined possible, I mean not even in my wildest dreams.

When you see results  in a matter of weeks,  it is addicting and pushes you to do more of it because you know that your efforts are effective.   I am not saying that law school will not lead me somewhere but it just takes a little more time for me to get there. There's the graduation,  the review, the bar exams itself and then the waiting.

On days that I miss my jogs, walks or gym workout I become restless.  I wish I could say the same when I miss my readings.  Actually I made a reading plan to serve as my guide so that I can review systematically.  Unfortunately,   right now that plan remained a plan,  the execution is just not happening.

Despite this, I am fully aware of the consequences if I don't straighten up.  I know that I'll be 'forced' to seriously do skydiving this year (I wish!) and work also on my digital marketing endeavors.

The thing is,  I have this obsession that if I do something then I have to excel in it.  For me, the worst thing one can do is to waste time and effort on something and end up with a mediocre product.

Focus. Focus on reading. Focus on everything law.  God help me.

Things a Law Student May Do on a 4-Day Break From Law School

Photo: Wikipedia

Honestly, a break from books and cases is a very welcome relief for law students. So here are the top things on the list that any one studying law may do to be productive. You may add more in the comment section if you can think of more creative suggestions.

1. GET SOME SLEEP

A normal person would think that sleep is a matter of fact part of life, but ask any law student and you will soon find out that sleep can be a luxury. A 4-day break may not mean much to make up for those daily sleepless nights and abuse on one's health but hey, any chance to have a full night's sleep is very welcome.

2. DO A SHORT WORKOUT

It may not be part of your vocabulary but any exercise or workout will do not only your body good, it will perk up your thinking abilities as well. So get yourself moving, put on those running shoes or a cute workout outfit and do some rounds (after stretching of course) or head to your nearest gym. A workout does not have to be fancy or lengthy. If you are bent on not spending anything, the internet is a rich source of workout videos.

3. CLEANING YOUR ROOM

Cleaning your room is the least of your worries when you don't even have time to put on a new shade of nail polish. Use this 4-Day break to clean up the dusts and cobwebs in your room. Who knows, you might find that ring that you have been looking for.

4. GET A MASSAGE

De-stressing your mind and body will do a great deal for your studies. It will not only relief your body of tensions and aches caused by hunching over those books and burning the midnight oil, a massage will also get read of the cobwebs in your mind. Who know, it might give you a new perspective or another effective strategy to ace law school with less effort. :)

5. LEARN A NEW HOBBY

I know a 4-Day break is not much, but if you want to add another interesting hobby in your life, now is the perfect time to learn it. Enrol in a short course in cooking gourmet, learn a new dance move, or just about anything you can think of.

Always remember, everyday is an opportunity to learn and grow.

The Law Student Survival Kit

If there is one, would you buy one for yourself?

Law school is not for the weak. I am glad that a lot of women have taken on the challenge to pursue their dreams of becoming a lawyer. Success and survival in law school does not depend much on gender, it is more on how bad you wanted it.

If a survival kit for law school is made, what do you think should be included in it? This article might give you some ideas to make your law study, well, bearable. :)

"Your Survival Kit for Law School"

The Value of Speed Reading in Law School

Speed reading should be one of the basic weapons in your arsenal as a law student. It significantly reduces time spent on studying. Law school means tackling voluminous reading materials on a regular basis and this is where speed reading becomes handy.

Learning how to speed read is pretty easy when you know the basics. First thing, you need to learn to put yourself under some sort of stress by setting a definite time to finish a specific number of pages. I do this by, say, I need to finish 300 pages of textbook in 2 hours.

Then, you have to train your eye to spot on words that are relevant, while merely skimming over the not-so relevant mumbo-jumbo of (articles, conjunctions, etc.), and simultaneously making a mental note of important points in what you are reading. In goes like this, it is akin to jotting important ideas and notes in your head and mentally highlighting them, in you mind that is. In short, teach your brain to multi-task. I do a mental bulleted version or mental highlighting of those phrases and words that are worthy of remembering.

Finally, after you put down that volume of material, review and recall the important points. If some ideas are still unclear or you miss out some pertinent stuff in the reading material, go over it fast, of course.

So there, that's how speed reading saves me time. It is very helpful when you try to read voluminous books before a class or before your exam. I often do two readings in order to reinforce what was read the first time, and for better results and retention.

I once had to finish a 500-600 page Prof. Balane book in 4-5 hours, I didn't have much time left since my exam is the day after. With speed reading I was able to do a second reading of that same book all in one day. Isn't that great?

For more help in training yourself how to speed read, the Extreme Speed Reading E-Book might be a good idea for you to try. There are also online accelerated reading training courses that you could try like SpeedReaderX.

10 Tips to Survive Work and Law School

You must be crazy to be in law school and work all at the same time. But yes, I did it for two years, stopped, then again, now in my final years (hopefully), and boy it is crazy -- suicidal even. The first few months are difficult but soon you will get the hang of it.

It has its own perks, yes, but everyday is a total adrenaline-pumping and stress-juice producing ride. I love the earning part of it. That means I don't have to ask for dole outs from generous benefactors (kinda) but I admit, it eats me up little by little. I have to trade money for sleep, time, sanity and beauty!

Contrary to popular belief a full time law student doesn't always have the upper hand when it comes to study time, so hurray for us working law students! When one has the luxury of time, there is a tendency to be complacent, right? I even have time to do this blog, plus 5 more others, still have time to do freelance work online, roam and be fabulous all at the same time. :)

So how do you survive being in-between two equally-demanding responsibilities of work and law study?

1.  A Cool Boss
First, you must have a really cool, understanding and supportive boss. One who allows you to leave work in time for you not to be late for your class. It is hard when there is a deadline or meeting you need to attend and you need to rush off to class without missing a beat. I'm glad I can say I'm one of the lucky few.

2. Understanding Boyfriend, Girlfriend, or Spouse
Oh I almost forgot, you are also a living human capable of having a relationship. Well, your loved one must be understanding enough to take 2nd priority, period. Law school is demanding enough, but add work, oh well, you do the math, because a day consist only of 24 hours.

3. Manageable Law Professors
You are lucky if your law professor is not so nit-picky when it comes to lates and absences, otherwise, it's another reason to add to your woes.

4. Your Own Transportation (a.k.a. car)
There are days when you would simply want to teleport from the office to your classroom in order to save time and energy. A car would be good to make that last minute dash from the office to law school or vice-versa, on rush hour. Having your own mode of transport is also great when you need to catch that much-needed 10-minute power nap. But hey, don't sleep and drive, or drive and sleep -- both two dangerous combo that could cause you limb and life.

5. Location, location, matters
Choose a school that is accessible from your work, or workplace which is accessible to school, whenever possible. I traded schools solely on this consideration. It would be great if all three (school, work and home) are close to each other for you to save on commute time.

6. Get a good task scheduler app
If you are like some people, a task scheduler to help you manage your little time might help. In my case, I have all this Android apps which supposedly help me budget my time - which I don't have much really. If you are not so techy, then your good ol' notepad will do. Just jot down what you need to accomplish on a weekly and daily basis. Make sure you stick to those tasks somehow ( I don't most of the time!). My list would often go like this...

Day 1
                   -  9pm-11 pm, Digest case for (subject), edit/proofread, 
                                           then post to blog (haha!)
                   - 11pm-12 mn, Do house stuff
                   - 12mn -3 or 4am, Sleep (on my study chair most of the time).
                   - 4am-5am, Read codal for 30mins, then attempt to read 
                                      corresponding book
                   - 5am - 7:30 am, Prepare for work, do house stuff, etc
                   - 7:30am - 8:30am, Commute time, Mad rush
                   -  9am-5pm, W-O-R-K
                   - 5pm-5:30 pm, Commute time
                   - 6pm-9pm, LAW SCHOOL

Oh well, you get what I mean.

7. Schedule your leaves at work nicely
It is good to reserve your work leaves for exam periods in law school. It helps to maintain your sanity during those gruelling days when you have to review for that exam.

8. Limit and manage your social network time
Facebook and other social media are great time-stealers. It is easy to forget time when you are sharing stories and photos or chatting with your friends online, but really, you don't have to update everyday (unless your a social media practitioner). On most days, I would allot 10 minutes per visit, and more than that, I would already feel guilty.

9. Get a massage every payday
Yeah, why not! It is one of those guilt-free pleasures that you can allow yourself to indulge in. After all, you deserve to destress you body. Get a massage twice every month, or more.

10. Eat heartily.
Those sleepless nights can definitely take a toll on your body but its always good to counterbalance this health-adverse activity (law school, I mean) with the consumption of good and healthy food. It's alright to gain some healthy weight when you are in law school. If you are working and studying law, dieting should be the least of your worries, staying up 20 hours a day will m=be more than enough exercise for you, believe me.

All in all, pursuing a law degree and working for another master (your employer) is not for the weak. I bade you to have a strong heart, mind, and body to withstand all the challenges. Your success in both largely depends on how bad you want to be a lawyer, so there! Goodluck!