So I have had a lot of time on my hands lately. I am done with school for the summer and I have no job so I have to find a lot of things to keep myself occupied. One of the things that I have began doing is looking for all things law school related. I have been finding law blogs, reading books, watching movies; anything that I can find to give me some sort of insight into how my first year will go.
I have read plenty of books and (I know it's a little late) I just borrowed The Paper Chase from the public library. But today after I finished watching The Paper Chase I turned my television back to the t.v. mode and did something out of the ordinary for me. I began to watch a movie that was already in progress. (I hate getting that feeling that I have missed something so I usually don't watch a movie unless I catch it from the beginning.)
The movie that I dropped into was Penelope. This is a movie starring Christina Ricci and she has been "cursed" with the nose of a pig. As a result of this "curse" Penelope's mother and father make the decision to keep her locked up on the family's estate to "protect" her from the harsh reality and criticisms of others. Now I know at this point you're probably saying, "And what does this have to do with law school?" Well this story was written as a fable and every fable has to have a moral and I believe that this one is applicable to everyone, but it really hit home. "It's not the power of the curse, it's the power that you give the curse."
I think that quote just satisfied what I have been blindly searching for these past weeks. I wanted something to quell my fears of everything that I have heard about the first year. It's amazing that what I needed was to not do what I had been doing. By looking for any and all information that I could find I was simply feeding into the idea that law school will be hard. I mean I know it will be hard, but as long as I try my best and make sure that I keep a balance it will be bearable. I will be able to do my best (my personal best, not my best compared to 299 others). I will get through this with what little sanity that I have left intact (I did go to an all girls Catholic high school so the mere fact that I have any sanity left is a miracle).
Friday, May 29, 2009
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All girls Catholic high...I feel your pain.
ReplyDeleteAnyway, I thought this reflection might be helpful to you. Before I started my first year I read the Paper Chase, Planet Law School, One L, etc. Looking back, I wish I had either (1) not read at all because there is PLENTY once school starts and you don't want to burn out or (2) -- the better option-- start reading supplements. Contracts, Torts, Property, Criminal Law, Civ Pro -- the basic 1L courses. Pick up Gilberts, E&Es, Emanuels, Understandings. You can hit the ground running once school starts or start now while you're all pumped up to read and absorb new info. GL