Law students: seven ways to motivate yourself
Studying law can be overwhelming at times, but changing your attitude can make things a whole lot easier
Here’s some advice I wish I’d followed from the start of my journey into a law career:
1. Don’t compare yourself to your peers
People often question their chances of success compared to the top
students. There’s nothing wrong with healthy competition, but constantly
comparing yourself to others means constantly undermining yourself.
Katy Wellstead, a law student at Middlesex University, says: “It’s so
important to make sure you concentrate on your own progression. At the
end of the day, it’s your degree – not theirs.”
2. Be yourself
Students hear this constantly, but it’s natural to change the way you
speak in front of legal professionals. However, many law students do so
in a way that makes what they’re saying incomprehensible.
Dawn
Hyland, a barrister for the Crown Prosecution service, says: “Many
professionals enjoy an ordinary and relaxed conversation rather than
people trying to impress them – always have a few interesting or
memorable alternative topics up your sleeve”.
A family judge once
told me the finest barrister he ever met was one who spoke as if he was
in casual conversation – he was straight to the point and easy to
understand. Keep calm and remember, they’re people just like us.
3. Remind yourself of how far you’ve come
Everyone, at some point, feels like giving up. Greta Reichel, a law
student at the University of Portsmouth, says: “Whenever I feel like I
can’t keep going I talk to friends on my course about it. They usually
feel the same way and it’s easier to motivate each other”.
You
may feel like giving up because you received a grade you didn’t expect
or you’re just generally fed up. But remind yourself of how far you’ve
already come – the fact you’ve made it to university and are studying
law is an achievement in itself.
I think back to my early
experience in education and remember how much I’ve progressed, which
motivates me further. There’s always something to be proud of.
4. Have a goal
Studying law can be tedious and seem endless, so ask yourself why you’re doing it and what you want from it.
Claire Sparrow, a former barrister and law lecturer at the University
of Portsmouth, says: “You’ll only do well if you’re doing the right
course in the right place. You have at least three years of hard work to
complete and it’ll be easier if you enjoy the subject and like where
you are”.
For many students, their main goal is a career in law.
Personally, I also want to prove a few things to myself and this has
helped me through my first two years.
5. Be consistent
You’ve
probably been told by your tutors to complete seminar work. There’s no
point doing it one week then not bothering for the next two weeks.
Consistency in your study schedule is key. Admittedly, I didn’t do
seminar work in first year and was clueless when it came to exams.
But I did it in second year and flagged up anything I didn’t understand
to my tutor. This helped considerably during exams. I felt more
confident and understood the content with greater ease. Changing your
attitude in this way could be key to your success.
6. Keep looking for opportunities
You may find you’re attending endless networking events and leaving
without having gained much. But make the most of these events by asking
for email addresses, handing out CVs and asking for work experience.
Legal professionals attend them to help us and if you don’t ask, you
won’t know what might have come of it. The worst they could say is no. I
attended a bar networking event and came out with work experience and a
new mentor. Opportunities don’t need to be confined within law; you
never know what one event could lead to.
7. Remember, it’s not impossible
Law is competitive and fierce, so maintain a realistic mindset if you
wish to pursue it as a career, but don’t let the competition discourage
you.
Murshida Khan, a law student at the University of
Portsmouth, says: “Law is a fantastic, challenging and respected degree.
If you genuinely have an interest in law and the ambition to achieve,
you’ll make it through to the end”.
Don’t give up because you’re
afraid of the challenge and competition. It’s difficult, but with
self-motivation and optimism, not impossible.
