Law School Q&A

Instagram recently rolled out a new feature which allows your followers to ask questions. It is super cool, and I decided to try it out. It's super fun to answer question, so I think I will make this a monthly thing- but I also want to share the questions and my answers with you all. I also want to expand on some of my answers. Here is the first batch of questions:

What kind of law do you want to practice?
These past few months I have been deciding between a couple different practice areas. Right now, I am planning on practicing business or corporate law. Within business/corporate law, there are a lot of sub areas, and I don't know which I want to specialize in yet. Hopefully, these next few years of law school will help me focus on which specialities I want to practice in and where my skills best fit!

What type of planner do you use for school/life?
I LOVE this question mostly because I am a planner addict. I use Day Designer by Whitney English, and I love it! It is a daily planner, and it is the only one I've found which has enough page space so I can fit both school and life stuff on one page. For a more in depth look at my planner, check out My Law School Planner.

How do you prep during summer for the next year?
I do minimal prepping for the next year. During the summer, I like to focus on relaxing (it's well earned time off) but also on my internship. I do like to order all of my books, find some good supplements, and make sure I have enough binders/highlighters for the coming year. I also like to plan out my ideal week, which you guys will see in a couple weeks! I use my ideal week as a tool to keep myself focused- obviously things pop up, but it's a good starting point!

Did you have trouble deciding between law schools? Why did you choose your current school?
I applied to 13 schools, and yes I had trouble deciding between schools. There are a lot of factors to take into consideration such as location, reputation, academics, opportunities, etc. For me, I ultimately chose my school based off my scholarship and the reputation of my school. I figured out where I would get the best bang for my buck. On top of that, I loved the town, the campus, the atmosphere of the school.

What is the process of securing a job? Is one guaranteed after graduating?
I could do a whole post on this, and I will soon! Unfortunately, law school is not like med school and a job is not guaranteed. Don't be too discouraged because all law schools have some sort of career office or resource to help with your job search. Most, if not all, law schools do on campus interviews, which are a great way to secure an internship or future job. Within a few weeks, I have an OCI post planned.

Would you say law school is worth it? I've been doing a lot of research that says otherwise.
This is a difficult question and answers will vary for each person you ask. Compared to about 8 years ago, it is a much better time to go to law school and would be worth it. For some people, it is not worth it. For me though, absolutely! This is something I wanted to do since I was 11 years old. Being a law student and intern has only confirmed that this is what I want to do with my life. However, some people may not feel the same way. Even if all of the research says it is not worth it, at the end of the day, you have to decide for yourself if you want to go to law school.

Have you done a post about what actual school supplies to use in law school? Notebooks, pens, etc....
I've done a post about Essential Law School Supplies, but not about what I actually use. I will be posting about this in the coming weeks!

What made you decide to start this account?
While I was applying to law schools, blogs like Brazen and Brunette and The Legal Duchess helped simplify the process, gave me insight into what life as a law student was like, and inspired me. I wanted to be able to help future law students as well. I added a fitness aspect too, because that is very important to me.

What is the most stressful part about being a law student?
I think managing work life balance is the most stressful part about being a law student. However, it is great practice for once you are in the legal field. I think a lot of times, law students get focused on doing the most: reading the most pages ahead, reading the cases three, four, five times, spending the most time researching, etc. That isn't necessary! A common principle in economics is the law of diminishing productivity: at first, an increase in input (time studying) will produce an increase in output (good grades). But at some point, further increases in input will have limited, no, or even negative effects on your output. In law school, this can mean that for every extra hour you spend studying above your point of diminishing returns, you won't be helping your grades and may even be hurting them. Plus, spending all of your time on school can burn you out. Fitness is a way for me to maintain my work-life balance and reduce stress, which is why I added this aspect to my blog!

Can you show us your planner via video as a way to see what your typical day looks like?
This is kind of hard to answer on in a blog post, but a couple of my previous posts can help show you what a typical day looks like me for: My Law School Planner and A Day in the Life (of a 1L).

Who is your favorite dog that you've met while in law school?
My friend's dog Paco! He is a Chihuahua mix, and the cutest dog ever! Check out his Instagram: @pacotails.

What kind of planner do you have and do you like it or do you prefer something else?
I have a Day Designer by Whitney English, and I love it! This is the second year I've used one, and I highly recommend them.

How much free time do you have in law school? What does a your typical weekend look like?
More than expected but not as much as undergrad. I like to have about two hours to workout every night, so I spend a little bit more time on school work and prep during the weekend as compared to some of my classmates. I always take Friday afternoons and nights off, as well as Saturday night. The rest of my weekend is spent working on school work, with a some breaks (to workout, to eat, for coffee, etc.). Some weekends, I'll have a fun event planned with my friends, so I will make sure to plan ahead so my school work is not compromised.

Do you have any tips for starting a blog? I'm planning on starting one and have an Instagram but not a blog yet.
I do! If you have an idea and a name, go ahead and start the blog. Make sure to get your name before someone else takes it. If you end up not starting a blog, it's no big deal! I recommend brainstorming a ton of post ideas ahead of time. I also think having a schedule (for example, I post every Thursday and every other Monday) is helpful. Life gets busy but if you know when you will post, it makes it easier to remember to post and your blog is more consistent!

I had so much fun answering questions and interacting with everyone! Like mentioned earlier, I am going to be doing these once a month in the middle of the month. Make sure to follow my Instagram @fitfutureattorney (I follow back!). If you don't have Instagram, feel free to email me at fitfutureattorney@gmail.com, and I will answer any questions from there too! Another great place to leave questions is in the comments.