You’ve been admitted to law school and now comes the somewhat awkward waiting period. During this period you’re likely hearing horror stories about how much work first year law school is and how time consuming it will be. Logically you’re now curious what you can do to better prepare for your first year in order to get a leg up on the competition prior to beginning. This is likely how you ended up at this article, by googling for tips on preparation for law school. Unfortunately, in all honesty, there isn’t much you can do. I am sure you stumbled upon books which are advertising the most essential tips to preparing for law school and succeeding in your first year in law school. All helpful tools of course but all tips and suggestions as well. You’ll notice there isn’t actual material to be learned or memorized, but merely mentally preparing yourself for what is to come.

Although there is no golden secret to success in preparing for law school that will give you a head start to what is destined to be a daunting and competitive year, here’s some advice for the summer prior to your first year in law school.

1. If you haven’t already, talk to current lawyers and get their opinion on the first year in law school. This will be incredibly helpful, but don’t just talk to one lawyer, getting multiple opinions is important.
2. Law school forums and blogs can be a great source for what first year is all about.
3. Sit in on a law school class. (If it is summer, you should check into sitting in on a summer course).
4. Talk to current students at the law school your intending to attend. You can do this by contacting your law school and they will put you in contact with a current student who will be able to give you advice and answer all your questions.
5. Set up your battlestation. It’s important to view law school as war. Make sure you have all the essentials (PC, backpack, pens, highlighters, etc.). It’s most important, however, to make sure you have a readily available study station at all times. Don’t settle for a couch. DO NOT use your bed as a desk. Reading is far too dry and far too long to be done in comfortable positions. Aim for a large flat table and an ergonomic chair.
6. Make sure you have a fan. This is crucial. No matter where you are in the country, you’re bound to be hot during the summer (unless you’re in the Australia of course, where it’s winter). Air conditioning may often be a luxury too especially given student budgets. A fan will always come in handy to cool you down during the hot summer orientation months
7. Make sure you get the best PC laptop possible. Macs are not a viable option in law school as most courts, schools, and law firms rely on PCs for software compatibility. Moreover, it’s incredibly likely you’ll be using some version of Examsoft, a propriety piece of software installable only on Windows operating systems. That said, if you absolutely have to have a mac, then make sure it can run Windows too. Still a bad idea though as many student running Examsoft on their Macs have had the Macs crash during an exam. In the end a PC is still the best bet. (Stay tuned for a technology article on the best law school laptop).
8. Get your textbooks early. The worst thing you can do is show up to the first day of class completely unprepared. Most profs will supply a reading list even before the first class. Make not mistake, this isn’t undergrad anymore and the first class no longer stands in as the “intro” class. It’s full on. So make sure you find decent copies. Many students will attest that they can’t stand getting used copies of textbooks. The reason is that if you’re a good student, you’ll likely be writing and highlighting all over your text. Then, once you sell that book back, the next buyer of your used textbook will not be able to read the text without seeing all your scribbles. That’s fine. It’s supposed to be like that. If you want to succeed in law school, you should be buying the more expensive newer versions of the books without any marks, scribbles, or highlighting. Any prior writing may be completely off-topic or completely unwieldy. If you still want to save some money, make sure you get a used book with little to know highlights or scribbles. Some students are either just that smart or dropouts. Either way, getting to the law school bookstore early will help you in the long run.
9. E-mail all your questions to LawRiot@gmail.com. A LawRiot admin will respond promptly.
10. Enjoy your summer and try to relax.