To Prep or Not To Prep...
I want to first say "THANKS!" to all who have, do, and surely yet will offer advice to the rising crop of 0Ls.
One of the topics of recent discussion has been whether the summer before 1L should be used to study or to mentally relax. Some say do, a little. Some say, whatever you do DON'T. I imagine that which to choose would vary from individual to individual; a little gunnerishness, a little fear, a little stress, a little curiosity, a little exhaustion all play into that decision. And it's great to give and receive advice, as long as nobody minds if anybody listens or not.
True confession time - I'm a gunner at heart - not that I intend to be, that is. When I watch Harry Potter movies I just so identify with Hermione. Books are cool. Ideas are cool. Histories are cool. Like water on parched earth. I mean, I even spent the first couple months here (more than a dozen years ago) reading histories of Longmont, learning all about how come Gay Street jig-jags through the town, and which famous national merchandiser got his start here (in case you didn't know, it's JCPenney), and all that cool stuff. I can even point out the KKK-built but-never-finished dam, up in the mountains.
It's the same way with law-related stuff... the delight of a suggested reading list is not that it represents an 'oughta do' or a 'kiss-up ammo depot,' (though it doesn't hurt on those points) but rather, 'wow! more books I hadn't heard of that maybe I'd enjoy!' Admittedly, there is a wee dram of 'gotta get my thinking up to snuff,' having been out of undergrad so very long. But mostly, its for fun. And to a large extent, that's the whole point of going to Law School... for the thrill of pushing myself, learning something new, something challenging.
But I'd really rather not be "center square." So nudge me if I get obnoxious, will ya? (I'm betting that anonymity aside, y'all will figure out exactly which 0L I am within a week.)
And one more thing, if I can be so bold as to give advice, and this one comes out of 40 years of livin': Enjoy each day as its own creation. Don't put off contentment for an elusive future yet-t0-be, don't pine for some idyllic past... find joy in what you're doing and where you're at today, every day.
Shutting up now.
One of the topics of recent discussion has been whether the summer before 1L should be used to study or to mentally relax. Some say do, a little. Some say, whatever you do DON'T. I imagine that which to choose would vary from individual to individual; a little gunnerishness, a little fear, a little stress, a little curiosity, a little exhaustion all play into that decision. And it's great to give and receive advice, as long as nobody minds if anybody listens or not.
True confession time - I'm a gunner at heart - not that I intend to be, that is. When I watch Harry Potter movies I just so identify with Hermione. Books are cool. Ideas are cool. Histories are cool. Like water on parched earth. I mean, I even spent the first couple months here (more than a dozen years ago) reading histories of Longmont, learning all about how come Gay Street jig-jags through the town, and which famous national merchandiser got his start here (in case you didn't know, it's JCPenney), and all that cool stuff. I can even point out the KKK-built but-never-finished dam, up in the mountains.
It's the same way with law-related stuff... the delight of a suggested reading list is not that it represents an 'oughta do' or a 'kiss-up ammo depot,' (though it doesn't hurt on those points) but rather, 'wow! more books I hadn't heard of that maybe I'd enjoy!' Admittedly, there is a wee dram of 'gotta get my thinking up to snuff,' having been out of undergrad so very long. But mostly, its for fun. And to a large extent, that's the whole point of going to Law School... for the thrill of pushing myself, learning something new, something challenging.
But I'd really rather not be "center square." So nudge me if I get obnoxious, will ya? (I'm betting that anonymity aside, y'all will figure out exactly which 0L I am within a week.)
And one more thing, if I can be so bold as to give advice, and this one comes out of 40 years of livin': Enjoy each day as its own creation. Don't put off contentment for an elusive future yet-t0-be, don't pine for some idyllic past... find joy in what you're doing and where you're at today, every day.
Shutting up now.
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