Author: Anonymous
In Sarah Harland-Logan’s UV article, she mentioned that HWSAC would help to chip away at the law student culture of “smiles and lies.” I’ve decided to write in and give that a shot.
First of all, maybe you don’t feel as if you have to maintain that “high-functioning façade” that Sarah talked about. Maybe you’re comfortable being more open, and discussing your performance and mindset without any masks or varnish. If so, that’s wonderful! Carry on.
But it seems like I’ve heard from a lot of people who are with Sarah on this. So, in case it can help, I want to use this space to tell a few little pieces of my own less polished truth. I mean, I’m pretty sure that most of you reading this have also felt like you’re the only one out there who doesn’t have it together all the time. That’s not right.
1. I’m far too familiar with youtube/assorted webcomics/lolcats etc./everyone’s facebook updates THE LIST GOES ON.
Of course, I tend to be most familiar with them when I have something that’s urgent and important to do, like submitting a paper due at 10 a.m. … three days ago. Or during a few of my lecture courses. (I won’t name names … hint: they’re in the morning.) Or when I’m exhausted and sad. HWSAC, not to mention common sense, tells me that then I should do something healthful like take a nap or go for a refreshing jog. But I don’t. I’m on Facebook.
2. My sleep schedule needs serious work.
I’m one of those people you’ve seen rushing frantically into lecture 10, or 20, or 50 minutes late. For whatever reason, it just seems more natural for me to burn the midnight oil, and then sleep through the morning. I’ve always liked to work at night. Of course, in the future I’m hoping I’ll have to get up super super early and get right to the office, so that’s not going to fly. I’ve reliably managed to drag myself out of bed and do quality work when it really counts. But morning class? Surely you jest.
3. Some days/weeks are better than others.
Sometimes I’m a veritable machine of productivity: get up, do my makeup just right, make thoughtful and appropriate clothing choices, bank, lunch meeting, volunteer shift, paper outline, class, readings, readings, and more readings! The Ideal Law Student.
Sometimes I keep hitting my snooze alarm for about three hours straight, doubtless to the annoyance of my poor neighbours. (Though so far they’ve refrained from banging on my door or trying to have me thrown out, which is very kind.) Then I stumble around slowly, trying to think of what work I should be doing … and end up watching approximately 7192846 hours of Netflix instead. Now repeat a few times.
4. I could probably paper my walls with old notes.
And more recent notes, and class handouts, and printouts of cases and clinic handbooks and various pieces of legislation. Happily, the chaos is mostly contained in a distant corner of my room, which I think of as The Binder Corner. But the force of entropy grows strong….
5. I’m nervous about posting this.
Okay, I’m writing an anonymous post about really common and mostly-okay things. And yet I’ve constantly been fighting the part of me that doesn’t want to submit this. (What if my potential future employer magically divines who I am? And is really surprised and upset because of course they’re never been a student and have no clue what it’s like?? And then I don’t get the interview???)
I know that thinking this way is silly. Bet I’m still a little bit tempted to pull the plug. And I guess that’s why I can’t.
Meeting of the Minds 