Resolutions of a Successful Law Student
Resolutions of a Successful Law Student
Want to make a New Year’s resolution that will have the side effect of making you a better law student? Here are some New Year’s Resolutions that will help you to succeed in law school:
1. Exercise regularly. Exercise is good for your body and your brain. Not only can it give you a nice study break and re-energize you, but it can also help you to learn and encode information.
2. Get enough sleep. Law students that skip out on sleep to study more are not doing themselves any favors. If you do not sleep, you are less likely to learn and internalize material. Further, it will be harder for you to concentrate – both during class and when you are attempting to study. Last, it will likely lead to other bad choices (i.e. poor eating habits). Make sure you are getting the amount of sleep you need!
3. Make and follow a study schedule. Make a study schedule that includes class time, study time, time to exercise, and time to relax. By doing so, studying and other healthy activities such as exercise and time to relax will be automatically programmed into your day. Further, you will likely feel less anxious because you will have a sense of control over your schedule.
4. Eliminate distractions in your study environment. If you find that you get very distracted when you study, take some time to think about why it is difficult for you to focus. Is it Facebook? The internet? Do you end up texting or talking to friends? People watching? If so, try to eliminate those distractions (i.e. don’t connect to the internet, put away your phone) or change environments altogether (i.e. study away from friends).
5. Outline right away and regularly. One way to lighten your workload around exam time is to outline right from the first day of your semester. If you are constantly outlining and organizing the material all throughout your semester, you will feel more in control of the material and you will be more prepared by the time study period rolls around.
These are just examples of some resolutions that may also help boost your GPA. Remember to make your resolution specific: “Exercise more” isn’t nearly as good as “Exercise Monday, Wednesday, and Friday morning at 7:30 before class.” Also, make your resolutions realistic. Do not make a study schedule that entails studying 14 hours in a row…it won’t happen!
If you have your own resolutions, please feel free to share them below. Good luck and happy New Year!
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