The summer before you start law school is certainly a time to relax! But you can also take advantage of this time to build good habits and do some law school prep! This will make law school seem less daunting and feel more enjoyable from the get-go. Here we tell you how to wisely spend your summer before law school!
- Get into good habits now.
Building good healthy habits now will help you during some of the stressful days of law school! Work on eating healthily, exercising regularly, and sleeping the right amount. It is best to get into these habits before you start law school so you are not adding more to your plate as you are also trying to learn to navigate law school. As a bonus, you will see added benefits of taking care of your body and brain once you get into law school. You will be able to better focus and learn new information. - Get started learning law school strategies!
It’s no secret that law school is different than undergrad. Learn some key skills like how to take good class notes, how to efficiently read cases, how to outline, and how to prepare for law school exams. The JD Advising law school prep course is completely free and teaches all of this. It also covers the substantive law for each of your first-year classes, so you can get an overview of what each of your classes will cover. Walk into class confidently with some skills—and law—under your belt! - Add some helpful books to your summer reading.
There are two books we highly recommend. The first is Getting to Maybe: How to Excel on Law School Exams. This book is written by two professors and focuses specifically on how to do well on law school exams. Remember that in law school your final exam grades will typically determine your class ranking, so it is important to figure out how to approach exams from the beginning.
We also recommend Law School Done Right: Proven Tips for Success from Recent Grads. This book is co-written by a graduate of Yale Law School and a graduate of the University of Michigan Law School. It takes less than an hour to read and has wonderful advice for students in every year of law school (and those applying to law school). Â
We highly recommend adding one or both of these books to your law school summer reading list! - Spend time with family and friends. Â
You can—and should—see your family and friends when you are in law school. But you may find yourself skipping some social events to study. So, make sure to maximize your time with your family and friends the summer before. Spending time with them the summer before will help you feel less burnt out and more motivated to get to work when you start law school! - Consider what strategies worked for you in undergrad.
For example, ask yourself some of these questions:
- Did you study best in the morning or evening?
- How did you best learn (i.e., memorize) material?
- Did study groups help you?
- What helped reduce your stress level?
- What were your strengths?
- What were your weaknesses?
Taking an inventory of what helped you in college (and what didn’t help you!) can be useful when you start law school. It is true that law school is different than undergrad, but you do not need to completely reinvent the wheel. The same study habits that led to success in undergrad will also lead to success in law school!
Ashley Heidemann is the owner and founder of JD Advising, a law school and bar exam prep company offering services ranging from LSAT tutoring and application assistance to bar exam tutoring, courses and seminars.
