Finals are coming, and many of you are trying to find the strength to gear up, to motivate, to work hard --perhaps even harder than you have all semester, and to pull it out. Good grades will be your reward. Gratification in the short run. A huge pat on the back. A confidence builder. But, good grades can also open doors. They can get you better summer jobs and good letters of recommendation from professors. They can sometimes get you a chance to write an article or do some research on a particular subject. They can also shine a light into where your strengths and passion lie. An A in evidence ----maybe you really would enjoy being a trial lawyer. Maybe not, but at least consider it.
Of course grades in law school are not the be all and end all. You've got to pass to stay in the game, but not everyone will get As and it's not a referendum on your future success to get Bs or even Cs. As noted, you must pass however. And, whatever your ultimate scores, you should know that you did your best. It's really not funny to do the shoulda, coulda, woulda stuff....
And, what else? You should use your scores to work toward improvement. Law school can be a progression. Hopefullly you are progressing toward ends far greater than you can even imagine. So work to improve those grades each semester, each year, each moment you can until the test that really really counts occurs: the Bar Exam. Because if you can avoid repeating that one, you want to do so; you'd really like to pass the first time around. And, if you are repeating it; you really want to pass this next time and be done with it.
So?? How do I motivate, you ask? I'm tired. I've put in long hours all semester. I have headaches. I don't understand it all ---or I feel like I don't. (I prep for class. I prep hard. And, yet, inevitably, I come out more confused than I went in.).
Well, well... Sounds like you are in law school! Good thing to be confused from class. That probably means it was a good hearty discussion, and that you were thinking. You probably have a professor skilled in twisting hypos, and if you are confused maybe it means you are seeing the facts from different angles (again, a good thing!)
Relax. Class and exams are two different animals. For exam preparation, in addition to writing your course outline (which hopefully you have been working on all semester), you want to get some practice essays (and mutliple choice questions if that is how your professor tests) and work them through. Write them out in full. Do them open book if necessary. Learn all the rules as you are analyzing and writing. (Make flashcards with all the main rules after you have completed a practice exam.)
Where to find practice exams? First see if your professor has any on file from past classes. If not, check with your Academic Support instructor. If those two do not work, enroll in a reputable outside academic success program and/or get hold of some old bar exams to study and write as practice.
OK, Fine ---you say, but what about that motivation piece! I don't want to study. I am tired.
Well, part of the answer there is Just do it. Kick yourself in the pants and get going. You signed up for law school. Get with the program. It's supposed to be hard, and tiring. Duh! And, you know what, as soon as you graduate it will get even harder, because when your "studying" is preparing for a court hearing the following day, and a client's liberty, property, or possibly even life is on the line, the last thing you will do is gripe about being tired. Oh, maybe you'll gripe, but you'll stay up anyway, and be as prepared as possible because it's your job, because you are being counted on, and because you care.
So?? Lots of tips on motivation in the weeks to come but tonight's message --care. It matters. Get in gear because you signed up for the program, and, hopefully, because you want the end result. Good grades, yes. But also the real end result, a career path and an education that promises incredible rewards and infinite potential. And, pppppppsssssssst, guess what?? It is worth all the hard work. It is so worth it!!!!!
