Creator of the site Juriswin and author of around twenty books, Rémi Raher recounts his dual experience as a dissipated student who became a tutorial manager in “Chronicle of a Law Student”. He gives us 5 tips for success – and enjoyment – in a law degree.
Entering law school means, in addition to a break in the rhythm and learning specific to the transition from high school to university, new concepts, a more elaborate methodology, a new vocabulary to master… To help you find your way, “Chronicle of a Law Student” addresses more or less… Classic questions. Are we going to enjoy this subject that we have never studied? Do we really have to learn everything by heart? How do you choose your options? But also how to work less, but revise better? How to guess exam topics? And can we even go on vacation instead of going to class? The author, Rémi Raher, has agreed to share 5 of his best ideas to make your return to school and life in law school easier Law Notes.
1. Timetable in law school: get organized from the first weeks
The first weeks of the university year are sometimes a little moment of uncertainty: classes have started, but not yet the tutorials… Does this mean that you should take it easy and let yourself live ? Well… Yes and no.
Take advantage of these first weeks with a light schedule totest what suits you and develop good habits. This may involve arriving early to sit quietly in the lecture hall, but it may also be a matter of choosing the seat that suits you best during the lectures. The front row isn’t for everyone but neither is the back row! You can therefore try different seats, with the objective of being sufficiently comfortable so as not to feel oppressed (but also not too comfortable to the point of not listening to anything…).
But a light schedule does not mean that you should do nothing and wait and see. On the contrary, it is the time to make very down-to-earth but ultimately decisive choices for your comfort and efficiency during the months that follow, for example taking notes, how to classify your courses, organizing your schedule according to your other activities, etc. This organization at the university will allow you to be as successful as possible in your law studies.
2. Law studies: choose your optional subjects without rushing
University studies are designed in such a way that certain subjects are imposed on you (and not always the funkiest ones) but you also have the right to choose from several others. So here you are in control of your destiny; an ounce of freedom for a kilogram of responsibility. It seems that too much choice kills choice… So how do you make your choice?
Well the first thing to do is to check the course content, because sometimes a title sounds great but the course outline is rather boring. So it’s better to check what you’re going to have to study. Ditto for the teacher, by the way! Let’s not be hypocrites: the crime of being a dirty person exists, it must be admitted, and if the teacher doesn’t come back to you, you will have difficulty motivating yourself to go to the lecture hall, which is generally the start of the problems. .
A good way to find out is to attend back-to-school meetings (yes): there is often a parade of teachers who come “ sell” their material, which allows you to get a first idea. You can also find out about the different avenues of law studies and see which subjects could be interesting for you. Another solution: go to the first lessons to see if the content is as sexy as the title; it takes time but it saves problems!
3. What is the law: filling the gaps without wasting time
If you are wondering how to be accepted into law school, know that entry into L1 is open to anyone with a baccalaureate or its equivalent and that’s good news if selective courses aren’t your thing. On the other hand, this can also mean that you have quite a few shortcomings when you arrive so it is urgent to correct them.
Generally speaking, in law school, we notice the same difficulties for everyone: the use of legal abbreviations, the use of capital letters and basic notions of legal vocabulary (such as the use of the verbs stipulate and dispose). Whatever your difficulty, now is the time to work on it! Because putting things off is always a bad idea in law school : the weeks pass quickly and time becomes a rare commodity as exams approach.
4. Take full advantage of TDs as soon as they start
Depending on your university, your TD grades will count for 50 to 75% of your final grade; It would therefore be a shame not to do everything to maximize your chances. Furthermore, TD managers are often more accessible than teachers and they are an important source of information on the expected methodology, the organization of exams, gaps to fill…
And to get good grades in tutorials, the recipe is simple: you have to bet everything on the methodology ! Even if your knowledge is a little shaky, the method alone counts for seven to nine points in the scale. Conversely, a “learned” copy but without methodology will never get the average.
5. Stay cool: Everything will be okay
When you’re 18, you often have a lot of hopes and a lot of illusions… but above all a lot of questions. Each decision takes an incredible amount of energy and we feel like we are gambling with our future as soon as we have to choose between two possible options. Life will teach you that this is rarely the case. There isn’t really an opportunity that won’t come again, there isn’t really a choice you can’t come back from and there’s really nothing definitive in life (apart from death, which marks the end of it). Give yourself the opportunity to explore unknown lands, take risks and experience new adventures, that’s how you will discover what you like, and more importantly: what you don’t like. You are doing law today but you will probably be something else tomorrow. By reading Chronicle of a Law Student, you will discover around fifteen “great witnesses” who went through law school but had different paths and different jobs despite not always easy beginnings. Even if your desires seem far from your reality, don’t lose sight of your dreams… and work to achieve them. And then, as Bernard le Bovier de Fontenelle said so well, “don’t take life too seriously, you won’t come out alive anyway.” Really, stay cool: everything will be fine.