Motivation in Law School (1 Viewer)

[= Jennifer =]

Hey Everyone

I am finding it soo hard to stay motivated and actually do my work. Any tips to combat this?

Thanks

 

[melsc]

I've definately hit a slump...getting so sick of uni with all of my friends doing three year degrees finishing up and talking about getting full time jobs. I am so sick of having no money. I guess I keep thinking of what sort of jobs i can do when I am done and push on.

 

[Frigid]

i think starting is the hardest part.. once you've revised one or two weeks' worth of material, then things start falling into place and it's a matter of consistency.

motivation after third year arises from the fact that marks are significantly important in getting a clerkship, even if other factors are also relevant. when people say, 'all you need is a high credit', that's true, provided that your work experience and extracurriculars are significantly better than the majority of the law student population. in other words, unless other aspects of your CV are stellar, crappy marks mean crappy chances of getting a job.

lastly, take electives you enjoy. if you like the content, the lecturer's mode of delivery, the assessment structure etc, then law will be less of a drag and more fun. and at the end of the day, it's about doing what you love, isn't it?

 

[Iron]

motivation after third year arises from the fact that marks are significantly important in getting a clerkship, even if other factors are also relevant. when people say, 'all you need is a high credit', that's true, provided that your work experience and extracurriculars are significantly better than the majority of the law student population. in other words, unless other aspects of your CV are stellar, crappy marks mean crappy chances of getting a job.

My...balls

 

[hfis]

Have an incredibly active social life and put it above readings. I've been doing this since first year, and when people ask me how I manage my workload and get good marks, I tell them that's how. No one ever believes me, and so they continue stressing themselves silly by reading more than they have to, without any kind of social outlet.

I forget who it was on these forums that said it, but I found the following observation correct: law is easy. You just need to read the relevant key principles and know where they come from, and be able to apply them. Reading full cases is a complete waste of time outside of a research essay, and this goes double in practice.

Love life, and don't forget to live - most people only get to do the uni thing once!

 

[Lara1986]

I've definately hit a slump...getting so sick of uni with all of my friends doing three year degrees finishing up and talking about getting full time jobs. I am so sick of having no money. I guess I keep thinking of what sort of jobs i can do when I am done and push on.

Wait til you graduate from your first degree! It's a far less enjoyable occasion when everyone else is talking about going on holidays and things like that and all that's on your mind is the class you have the following Monday and law assignments

I'm only finding it so hard to be motivated i think because i now have a pretty clear idea as far as the kind of career i want to pursue, and since that does not equate to 'commercial lawyer', it's hard to stay focused when a lot of my teachers and fellow students are so focused on that and as a result their approach to teaching and the subjects that we were 'forced' to undertake are also focused on that.

I think i'd find it much easier to be motivated if I could spend my time doing family law related units rather than Law of Associations and the disaster that is my Equity experience lol

 

[Cookie182]

Have an incredibly active social life and put it above readings. I've been doing this since first year, and when people ask me how I manage my workload and get good marks, I tell them that's how. No one ever believes me, and so they continue stressing themselves silly by reading more than they have to, without any kind of social outlet.

I forget who it was on these forums that said it, but I found the following observation correct: law is easy. You just need to read the relevant key principles and know where they come from, and be able to apply them. Reading full cases is a complete waste of time outside of a research essay, and this goes double in practice.

Love life, and don't forget to live - most people only get to do the uni thing once!

This approach really interests me man. So how much much reading would you say u did a week in first year? By third year, is the reading way way more intense? Youv'e motivated me to go to town haha

 

[hfis]

This approach really interests me man. So how much much reading would you say u did a week in first year? By third year, is the reading way way more intense? Youv'e motivated me to go to town haha

I do twice the annual load and would say I do about 1/5th the required reading during session. For midterms and finals I tend to cram in the chapters I know will be tested. This of course is really hard when the outline says "weeks 1-13 are assessable," which is where the notes of previous students and those nutshell books come in handy as a reading guide.

I've found that the lecture notes for my subjects have been about 95% spot on in terms of the important principles that I need to know for the final exam. I usually start there and flesh them out as required.

To answer your question, in first year I did close to the full required reading load. It was only in second year that I thought 'screw it' and in doing so realized that it was mostly superfluous anyway.

Remember: different study methods for different people! I'll go out on a limb and guess 'not doing the readings' is inadvisable for a lot of people

 

[Omnidragon]

Hey Everyone

I am finding it soo hard to stay motivated and actually do my work. Any tips to combat this?

Thanks

You'll be respected if you become a criminal barrister