Welcome Welcome, the loudest of welcomes to the first ever UCULS Law School Diaries. We encourage law students to get involved by submitting to our email content on numerous topics, interests, opinions, news, experience, events, lifestyle, and much more that will be informative, captivating, interesting and relevant to the students’ journey at UCU School of Law. Do not forget to add your name and necessary details.
POST 1; Official welcome to the first ever UCU law school diaries and allow me congratulate you on entry into law school, regardless of the number of years you’ve spent in law school. I’m super excited to unveil these diaries and cannot wait for the journey we shall take together ahead; hope you are just as eager to read the content it entails. Here, you will find all the basics you need to become the next Jeff Bezos, world’s ever greatest lawyer or judge, <just kidding>, that takes a lot more work, but this is a stepping stone. Get through law school just fine. So, take my hand and let’s get through this step together………
POST 1;
First things first, let’s navigate the academic arena because what is law school without the law and grades and what are the grades without academic reality. Now because we all want good grades or at least quite reasonable grades (for the exceptional minority); we have to understand what exactly it takes to excel in law school. Here are few pointers, tested and proven.
Classes are largely elaborative and help you understand better. Attend classes and I mean ACTUALLY attend class, be present and engage in the class discussion, seek clarity where need be and avoid social media, games and various distractions while in class. Put your gadgets as furthest away as you can unless you’re required to make use of them. And besides, dearest reader, you’re paying a huge sum of money for tuition after all, so why not maximize the package that comes along with it. Take down important points while in class and pay close attention especially to the hypothetical scenarios that you the professor or tutorial assistant may use.
To fully benefit from the class sessions, ensure you read prior to the class so that you can actively participate, appreciate concepts better and ask necessary questions, which you cannot do if you haven’t prepared for the class. The bonus is attendance marks which at times make quite the difference.
FORM A STUDY GROUP
Study groups are meant for academic discussions and they should be comprised of a reasonable number of people, preferably one’s classmates. Choose your discussion buddies wisely, look at specific attributes, focus, determination and zeal to mention but a few. Keep in mind that study groups are not gossip or social groups, you can socialize after the discussion but stay focused to the very essence of the group which is academic. Schedule the number of times you meet per week and the topics you wish to cover then. Acquire past papers and analyze questions in relation to the topic in discussion. Seek guidance thereafter from competent seniors (upper year law students). Vital to note is that if you’re not gaining from the study group, then you should consider exiting the non-beneficial group and joining another study group.
ATTEND THE ORIENTATION PROGRAMME
At the start of your academic year in law school, student leaders from the UCU Law Society (UCULS) usually organize an orientation programme specially for year one law students (Freshmen) which covers basics of law school and helps you navigate through law school efficiently. The essence of the programme is to effectively simplify law school for the year one study. The UCULS holds other events in relation to law and social life that make your time in law school worthwhile. To know which events are upcoming, check out upcoming events and updates.
TAKE PRACTICE EXAMS
Practice exams are a personal initiative different from the assignments, course works, and examinations given to you by the professors and tutorial assistants. Practice exams involve answering a few questions from past exam papers or wherever and thereafter engaging your lecturer, mentor or senior to evaluate the work. This helps you keenly evaluate your academic growth and guides you in the appropriate direction in the academic arena.
EXAMINATIONS
Prepare for your exam in time, do not wait for the last minute to try and grasp an entire semester’s work (that is a suicide mission). Law school is not entirely about straight A’s, good grades and perfect attendance record, its about the content behind those grades, the big question is whether you have internalized the concepts and principles covered. Law school exams do not cover all the skills required in legal practice, so don not kill yourself over grades (this does not mean that all grades are good), maximise your potential, do your best and be content. Not everyone can be a numero uno and being a numero uno does not guarantee that you are smarter than everyone else. Be humble and respectful toward your classmates, share ideas and strive to
reach your full potential choosing healthy competition every time. Review your exams after the results have been issued out. Request your lecturer to review your exam paper with you so that you can best evaluate the reason as to why you got the grades you got whether good, bad or average.
HEALTHY EATING AND LIVING.
Eat, eat, eat and hydrate. Now, there is a point you get so occupied and feel necessities like eating are not as nearly important as your workload and you can skip a few meals. But what you are overlooking is that the key to great grades starts with a healthy body and mind. Physical and mental health go hand in hand, a fit healthy body harnesses the mind in a positive manner, causing calm and allowing you concentrate on specific tasks. You cannot work effectively on a tired mind and neither can you function competently on an exhausted body and empty stomach. Take appropriate meals and drink lots of water and other healthy drinks.