There are orange traffic cones and yellow police tape all
around the front of our building today. I am certain it is unrelated to Valentine’s Day but has happened because a blizzard and a few days of 45 degree temperatures make
an icicle hazard. In a building full of lawyers and lawyers-to-be, we know
better than to risk it with innocent pedestrians and litigious law students
walking in front of the building.
Ironically, though, it looks like a crime scene. And I think I know who the victim is: student morale. This is the time
of year when time moves both too fast and too slow for our students and this time-shifting paradigm doesn’t bring good feelings with it.
There is too little time to keep up with all the deadlines. Papers are due, interviews are happening or being set up and
classes are moving along. This means
that there is writing to do, resumes to create, “interview suits” to be
purchased and the ever present ogre of outlining howling at the door; all at
the same time. Spring break isn’t
for another month. These students feel isolated, and in part, it is because they have no time for anything but school. Being in the darkest
part of the tunnel seems to lend itself to tunnel vision for students.
But time is both a student’s friend and enemy. I have recently begun to work with our
students who were flagged by their midterm grades as being “at risk”
academically. As part of our initial
meeting I ask them to fill out a self-diagnostic where I ask them about the
time they spend studying. I ask if they
briefed cases, outlined, worked in study groups and also if they felt they had
enough time to do things outside of school.
enough time to work with me because their schedules are packed. And for the most part, the students too busy
to see me are evening students who work a full time job (often outside of the
city where we are located) and are barely keeping up as it is. I have the most respect and often sympathy
for evening students; they juggle far more than I have ever been able to, and
by and large they are successful. But
on the other hand (and here is where I start sounding grumpy), some students I
see make me wonder. If they are smart
enough to get into our evening division, why don’t they understand the
commitment that going to law school at night entails?
Perhaps what makes me grumpy is the belligerent feedback I
get from students who complain that seeing me will be the straw that broke the
camel’s back in terms of their time commitments. I, respectfully, disagree. Spending an hour every other week or so with
Academic Support is like priming the time pump. We can help. Coming to Academic
Support will be a good investment of time because perhaps there is some
ineffective studying going on, or incorrect and inefficient outlining. Or maybe, we know who you need to see
immediately if you are drowning in work (outside and inside school) and need
some relief.
Oddly, there are other students who seem to have too much time. They are studying
morning, noon and night and are still panicked. Their outlines are up to date for next week. They are also worried (not surprisingly) that their relationships
outside of school seem to be suffering. These students are compulsively doing more because they are still
spooked by the specter of those midterm grades and are trying to be prepared
for the next set of exams now. But,
really, all you can do at this time of year is do the reading for class, go to
class and outline consistently (and in real time, not future time).
So here is the bottom line: students need to invest their time wisely and remember
to not let their relationships with people outside school become the victims of
panic. They will need these
folks to lean on in May and it would be a crime indeed to let them go. (ezs)
