One of the hardest pills for me to swallow in law school is the simple fact that my grades sometimes suffered simply because I did not have enough time to prepare.  This is not to say that my grades are bad (honor roll, deans list), just that I believe I could do better if I had more time.  But then I think, what is really important in my life?

Sure, it would be great to go through law school making the deans list every single term and pulling all As.  But the reality is that I just simply do not have the time to devote to getting all As in law school if I want to maintain some semblance of a happy family life.

When we decide as non traditional law students that we want that law degree, we must consider the demands on our time that we are willing to keep and to give up.  For me, my family time is something that I treasure and value.  Getting all As is just not worth my family or sanity.  Although it was a hard pill to swallow, and perhaps a somewhat humbling experience, I am still a very blessed and happy man.  Law school is for 3 years, family is forever.

God bless and have a great day.

For the most part, a traditional law student will devote most of her time to school (study, law review, moot court, etc.).  For the non traditional law student however, law school is in addition to work, family, and probably many other responsibilities.  Of course we must also balance the fact that many non traditional law students do not attend full time either.  That notwithstanding, most stresses for traditional law students come from school, while for the non traditional law student they come from many more sources.

That being said, for a law student who has basically all of her time to devote to school, she will probably obtain a very nice GPA if she wants to.  For the rest of us, it may be almost impossible to pull the same GPA simply because we do not have enough time to devote to our studies.  Does that mean that we are not as intelligent or as hard working as our traditional counter parts?  No.

I do not have a 4.0 GPA.  But I work full time.  I have a wife and six children.  I cut the grass and pay the bills.  I take the kids to activities.  The list goes on and on.  If you are like me, and I know some of you are, you know exactly what I am talking about.

I am very competitive and put a lot of pressure on myself.  During my first few terms I did very well grade wise, but my family and personal life suffered somewhat as a result.  In my later terms I have decided that being a 4.0 student is not worth three years of alienating my family, church, and friends.  This is not to say that I do not strive to do the best that I can do.  This is only to say that I realize that I must prioritize my life and create a proper balance.  Grades are certainly important, but they are not the most important.

I carry a class load that I feel comfortable with; that I can maintain a good GPA and still have time for the other important things in my life.  I have just had to except the fact that if I want to graduate from law school before I am, ahem, too old, I will probably not attain the GPA that I wish I could.

But consider this.  If you can average a 3.0 (or even a 2.5) with a moderate amount of study time, just think of what you can do if you really apply yourself during your study for the bar exam.  If you are serious about learning you will learn the material.  When you go for your bar review course it will all come back to you.  Then you can take 2-3 months and really cement the material into your mind.  Moreover, once you are a lawyer you will not have a full time job other than that of lawyer.  For me this means 40+ hours a week that I will have to familiarize myself with areas of the law that I did not have each week I was in law school.  After all, ethics do not require you to know the law in an area before you take a case.  They do require you to be able to learn the law through proper research and preparation.

So if your GPA is not as high as you would like it to be, take a moment to reflect why.  Is it because you are lazy?  Is it because you really just don’t care?  Or is it because you have made the commitment to prioritize your life and accept the fact that law school is not the most important thing in the world to a non traditional law student?

Don’t read this and think for one minute that I am promoting any slackers out there.  I study hard.  I just don’t study as much as I would like to because there are only 24 hours in a day (and I like it when my kids remember who I am.)  If you are doing the best you can, and you are not on academic probation, buck up and be happy.  When the bar review rolls around you will kick some booty!  God bless and have a great day.

Well, I dragged myself out of bed, grabbed my two 20oz cups of coffee, and stopped by the local filling station for a honey bun.  This did not help my stomach situation.  I spent the day mostly at my desk trying not to lose my so-called breakfast.  My mind could barely function, and my concentration was worse than my 8 year old.  But, what can you do?

I finally made it through the day only to come home and remember that I have a paper due this weekend.  Ugh.  So, I have been doing my best to write something coherent.  I will hopefully feel better tomorrow, and start the whole routine all over again.

As law students, and particularly non traditional law students, we have all been there.  However, the show must go on as it were, and the mind must keep working.  I love law school, but today I felt like chucking my books and computer out in the street.  Frustration.  But this too shall pass, and I will once again get back into my “zone”.

If you can relate – and I know you can – hang in there and keep the faith.  Take some deep breaths and maybe a short (or looong) nap   Better health and brighter minds are just around the corner.  God bless and have a great day.

Of course, the word “difficult” is a relative term.  Generally what they mean is that the class will require much more study to master the legal concepts.  For non traditional law students this means more time devoted to study and less time devoted to everything else.  When you have “easy” classes the temptation is there to get a little lax with your studying.  It is sometimes difficult when we fall into this trap to get back in full swing and excersize our legal minds.  On the good side though, by the time you take secured transactions you should have your legal mind pretty well trained.

Remember that more time studying will take its toll on the others in your life that may have become used to your “regular” study routine.  Just be sure to keep your head on straight and inform the others that may be affected by some extra study time that this term may be a little more intense.  I am sure they will understand.  Keep focused and don’t slack off.  By now the end is very near and the light at the end of the tunel is getting brighter.  God bless and have a great day.

This is not a bad thing, just a fact of life.  I love to spend time with my kids, but law school is very demanding and I need time to study and prepare.  Balancing family, work, and law school can be a very, very big challenge.  But it is doable if you are willing to put in the time and effort.  No matter what the family must come first.  I just explain to them that I need to study and it will not be for much longer.

They are very understanding and generally leave me to my studies.  But I take the time to play with them and listen to what they have to say.  A conversation with your kids will go a long way.  If you ignore them they will only increase their efforts to vie for your attention.  This causes frustration for both you and them.  Take time out of your day to spend with your kids and they will be much more likely to respect the time you must take with your law school studies.  God bless and have a great day.

I now have two children behind the wheel at the same time!  As if I don’t have enough to worry about with work and law school.  But on the other hand I was also very proud.  It is very rewarding to see your children grow up and really begin to mature.  This is just another milestone in their lives and I was glad to share it with them.  Law school is great, but family is better.  Enjoy every minute with your children.  They really do grow up fast.  God bless and have a great day.

These types of situations are not uncommon to the non-traditional law student.  Perhaps it is a loved one, a work commitment,  unexpected financial troubles, etc… .  Whatever it is it tends to throw our routine out of whack and can often frustrate us.  When your every waking moment is planned out the least amount of upset can drive you crazy.  Don’t let it.  If you must map out every waking moment and fill it with some task that needs accomplished then perhaps you should not be in law school at this time.  You are too busy all ready.

Everyone will have unexpected “bumps” in the road eventually – and probably often – but that is life.  You must give yourself some “cushion” to deal with these unexpected events.  This will not only allow you to get your tasks accomplished, it will save you your sanity as well.  God Bless and have a great day.