Getting Ready for Law School

Getting Ready for Law School

            As of today, I have 14 days before my first day as an official law student. I’ve been getting ready, probably shirking some other responsibilities (I really need to do laundry.), and worrying that I may or may not have everything I need.

            Last week I finally got all of my classes and schedules and even our syllabi. Everyone has told me that the law books would be super expensive, like way more expensive than my undergrad books. However, I am here to tell you that that assumption is false. I was able to find all of my books on Amazon, either rentable or used, and the total for my books for this semester was under $300.00. My school estimated that the books would end up being over $600.00, and I am so glad that I decided to find the books on my own.

            I have also been hitting up the back-to-school sales at Walmart, Target, Staples, and Office Depot. The prices for paper are amazing right now, I don’t even care if that is a major nerd thing of me to be excited for. In my paralegal classes, I went through 3 paper bundles in a half a semester time period (so roughly 8 weeks). I know how expensive paper and ink can be, and let me tell you, $1.50 is way better than $2.79. I also picked up some composition books, because hand written notes have always stuck better in my mind than typing out my notes. I got 4 (One for each class) in different designs. Two of them are sparkly, and the other two have bohemian designs on the front.

            Generally, on my composition books, I like to write out four things on the cover, even if it looks a little tacky. 1) The professor; 2) the class; 3) Date and time; 4) CRN number. In undergrad writing down these four things not only helped me make sure I was in the correct class (because seeing a kid run out half way through the class because he realized his CRN didn’t match the CRN on his schedule was a little traumatizing) but it also helped me remember my class room numbers, the professors associated with the class, and over all, if the composition book was pretty, I was a little happier. What can I say, I really like sparkles.

            I have also bought some really pretty pens (type 1 and type 2) and thought I would try my hand at color coordinating my notes this semester. I don’t know how long it’ll last since I generally cannot stick to color coordinating, but I’m going to give it a real go this time. They write super smoothly and they come in such pretty colors. I am kind of a pen snob, not going to lie. If they don’t write smoothly, I will usually toss them as soon as they start giving me trouble. Highlighters have never been a big part of my studying life, but since working in a law office, I’ve come to appreciate the highlighters a bit more. Once again, I got a variety color pack and I’ve read good reviews on the Sharpie brand, so we’ll see how that goes.

            A lot of people take their in class notes on legal pads, and while I take my notes in composition books, I love legal pads to make notes on for assignments, or for my outlines. So I bought a pack of these legal pads, they spoke to me on a superficial level because they weren’t the boring yellow color that I see everywhere else. The blue, purple, and pink are so much more cheery than the plain old boring yellow ones.

            And finally, I also bought a new backpack. I wanted something that would once again, speak to my superficial side. I wanted something pretty and that was also functional. A lot of the bags that I saw for college students were completely boring and I couldn’t help but hate them. If I’m spending money on something, I want to make sure I’m going to love it not only this year but next year as well.

            I’ll update this post should I find anything else I really feel you guys should need.

            Good luck and stay sane.