Sometimes we put so much focus on finishing something, that we don’t give credence or attention to how we began. We look at the result, how we did, what we have to show for it, and don’t respect the first steps we took to make it to the end. As law students, it’s easy to use your grades as a measurement of your experience during a semester, but really the path to those grades started fourteen weeks before the exam. And now, with the spring semester just beginning, you have the opportunity to start off as strong as you mean to end.
What do I mean by that? In order to do well on exams, you must approach the entire semester in a manner that will lead to success in the end. If doing well on exams takes hard-work, grit, and determination, then you must put hard-work, grit, and determination into your everyday routine. It’s early in the semester and exams seem far away, but that doesn’t mean you should take it easy.
Take advantage of the programs around you – come to the ACE session on Friday, January 29 at noon in K2B where we will discuss how to approach the spring semester now that you know your first semester grades. Schedule time with your first semester professors to go over your exams in order to learn both what you should work on and what you did well last semester. Get in the habit of exercising good time management skills, working hard, asking questions, and keeping up with your reading. Don’t dig yourself a hole that you need to climb out of before exam time. If you start off on the right foot, you increase your chances of ending up on the right foot – and exactly where you wanted to be when you started the journey.
“Get in the habit of exercising good time management skills, working hard, asking questions, and keeping up with your reading.”
Starting off on the right foot is also critical when you begin looking for a summer internship. First impressions are important. As you look for a job, that first impression typically comes in the form of a cover letter, resume, or meeting a potential employer at a job fair. Each impression frames how the employer will think of you going forward. A typo-ridden cover letter, an over-embellished resume, or unprofessional behavior in person will likely keep an employer from ever thinking of you again. A strong cover letter, a firm, confident handshake, and a smile, conversely, will go a long way in convincing a potential employer that they want a second and third impression of you. If your goal is to find a summer internship or job, start down that path with your goal in mind, but don’t blow off those first steps. Stay upbeat and professional in every communication and interaction with a potential employer, or anyone who can put you in touch with a potential employer. You’ll get to your destination, and the easiest path there begins with a solid start.
Finally, don’t forget to value what you are learning, and not just as precursor to achievement. Academic pursuits are not only about good grades and getting a job. Learning is not just a means to an end; it is an end itself. Students have different reasons for embarking on an educational journey but we can all focus on being present in the moment as we learn. So take those first steps this semester and enjoy the ride; the finish line will be on the horizon soon enough.
