National Jurist - February 2009 - (Page 34)

skill. The only thing that matters is the law, a student’s analysis and ability to complete a legal argument. There’s no question that this is an important skill to learn. But, it doesn’t have reservation and is not conditioned with warnings. “We should tell people in orientation that we’re going to teach you a skill that has very limited applications,” Krieger said. “If you use it broadly or identify with it personally, you will suffer and your personal life will fail even if your career doesn’t.” Krieger says students need to balance their awareness between this argumentative, analytical function and then get back eating is a difficult task, but the better I become at achieving this balance, the more my quality of life improves.” Rob Teel, a second year student at the University of Michigan, also focuses on getting some outside time to restore his balance. Having a border collie that needs to run is another motivator. Teel said he came to law school after receiving a Bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from Oregon State University. He chose Ann Arbor in part because the city “is just the right size to provide things to do, while not being too big as to be a distraction.” That kind of advice has worked for Briana Conklin, a third year student at the University of Denver’s Sturm College of Law. She chose UD in part because she is from the area, and she wanted to remain in the Denver area after graduation. It also gave her the time to see family, friends and the all-important area ski slopes. “Once I got to law school I found that making sure to prioritize time for myself outside of school helped to keep me pretty sane,” Conklin said. “One thing I have always done though is to make sure I have at least one day a week where I’m not doing anything related to law school. On that “ esearch shows there is a lot we can do R to help students find balance. — Lawrence Krieger, professor at Flor But he does find other law students to be stressful, so he does most of his studying at home. He avoids using a laptop in the classroom because it proves too much of a distraction from the conversations there. ida State University College of Law to their core — “their morals, their purpose and values.” “It’s about who you were on the day you walked into law school. You don’t want to walk out less than what you were,” he said. Depression, anxiety and stress among law students are so serious that groups including the American Bar Association have taken notice. The ABA Law Student Division recently announced its Mental Health Initiative and selected March 27 as the official National Mental Health Day at law schools nationwide. “The MHI was developed to address concerns about the lack of attention that was being given to law student mental health issues at law schools,” said Wells Griffith, vice chair of the ABA Law Student Division and a student at Mississippi College School of Law. “Every law student needs to do something to help them balance the many stresses of law school,” Griffith said. “The thing that helps me offset the stresses inherent in law school has been to remain active in various law student organizations. This keeps me interacting with other law students, while working toward achieving common goals.” Griffith is amazed at how many hours in a week law students spend sitting at a desk reading and studying. “Whenever this causes me to feel stressed, I will go for a run outside, to clear my head and get some fresh air,” Griffith added. “Balancing my studies with family and friends, my faith, exercise, and healthy Managing your time Students can alleviate a lot of the problems generated by law school through good decision-making, said Tomas Gonzalez, senior assistant dean for student life at the College of Law at Syracuse University. “We start talking to students about balance at orientation. All law schools should do that, but many do not,” Gonzalez said. “Students become shocked (by that first year in law school) and for some of them it spirals and goes into destructive areas.” Syracuse goes beyond orientation by offering students advice through its Wellness Wednesdays program. During these sessions, students can meet with area professionals to receive guidance on everything from time management to physical fitness to healthy on-the-go cooking. Gonzalez also recommends students look outside the law school for other programs and assistance. If a law school is connected to a larger university, it too has resources that are available to anyone who is in need. “You need to set time aside for yourself,” Gonzalez said. “Going to law school is like having a job. You need to manage your time for work and play. It’s always surprising to students that once they do that they do have the time to do it all.” 34 THE NATIONAL JURIST February 2009 day I try to get errands done, catch up with friends, catch up on some of my favorite TV shows, read a non-law book and so on.” She also tries to keep her life and law school separate. “I think the one single thing that has made it possible for me to get through law school is my nonlaw school friends. Being able to escape for even just a fe w minutes a day to talk about something that isn’t related to law or law school is quite refreshing,” Conklin said. Anger admits her decision to attend Wayne State was difficult, especially because she received her undergraduate degree and played softball for the University of Michigan. Ultimately, she feels satisfied — and that is what helps her sleep at night. “Law school is challenging, but it does not need to take over your life,” Anger said. “I have found that it is all about making choices. You have to make sacrifices, but I think that makes the end result even more rewarding.” ■ ”

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of National Jurist - February 2009

National Jurist - February 2009 Contents Entertainment: Get Organized! The Firm Report: The Part-Time Lawyer News: Keeping Ethics Intact, New Law Deans, Latest Survey Findings Seattle Law Students Secure Asylum for East African Women Laptops in the Classroom Attorneys Dissect Health Law Law Students Contribute to 2008 Election Process Remembering Professors Obama and Biden Bar Exam Diaries How Well Balanced are Law Students? How to Choose a Summer Program Career Hotline Linguistic Gymnastics Disturbing the Peace

National Jurist - February 2009

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