How to Survive (or Conquer) Law School

The essentials. Two highlighters and a
strong dose of caffeine!

It's June once again and school is about to start, and, for some, it has already started. I just graduated (with Honors, luckily!) from Ateneo Law last April but my memories of my first year in law school are still fresh and vivid. Sleepless nights, bad recits, and constant stress. Law school is hard enough. But the harder part during first year is how to adjust to the new environment especially if you didn't take college seriously, or in other words you didn't study, only partied.

Some people would say that law school is only hard during first year, that second year to fourth year would just be a breeze. I beg to disagree. It gets harder and harder every year, not only because the subjects are more complicated, but also because your professors would expect more from you. For example, during first year, some would understand that you're unfamiliar with some legal concepts and terms. But after that, they'll assume you know all of them, more or less. Anyway, without further ado, here are my thoughts on how to survive, or better yet, conquer law school!

1. Read the originals of the assigned cases and avoid relying on digests unless you are really pressed for time. Some professors know how to catch students who didn't read the originals. Moreover, it would be easier to read and understand the original Supreme Court decisions than the digested ones, especially if they are only made by your fellow students. Trust me, you will reap the benefits of this practice once you reach junior and senior year.

2. Read to understand, not to memorize! When reading annotations, statutes, and cases, aim to understand the material instead of memorizing it, unless the professor explicitly tells you to memorize it. It would be better to recall what you read if you understood it. This will do wonders for you during recitations and exams. Plus, some professors give hypothetical situations that can only be answered if you understood what you read. Also, it would be easier to understand the law if you know the purpose or circumstances behind its passage. For example, the Writ of Amparo was passed because of the deficiencies and flaws of the Writ of Habeas Corpus.

3. Avoid too much extra-curricular activities! I'm not telling you to be a loner. It's good to have friends in law school so that you have a support group who understands what you're going through. But minimize your involvement in school organizations. At the most, join the Law Journal of your school because you'll hone your writing skills and be familiar with pressing legal issues. If you're the type who likes being busy, then go ahead and join all the organizations you want. Just be prepared to suffer low grades or  get booted out of law school.

4. Get tips from the upper batch. Different professors have different styles. Some don't repeat their questions, some do. Some verbatim, some partially modified. It would be great to know the quirks and style of the professor so that you can tailor fit your study plan accordingly. It would also save you time and effort, and, hopefully, some time to do other things aside from studying.

5. Quality over quantity. When you study, aim for quality instead of quantity. Never mind that one of your classmates has already read the material 3 to 5 times. Stick to your own pace. Even if you studied it only once or twice, you are still better off if you took time to understand, analyze and interweave the law and the court's interpretation of the law.

And finally, never forget to pray. Pray that someone else gets called, not you! Especially if you are not prepared to recite the law or the case!