2014 New Year’s Resolutions
2014 will be a big year for me: I will graduate from law school, take the bar exam, and then become a grown up lawyer. So, for obvious reasons, my first three resolutions relate to my professional development:
- Graduate law school. I hope that at this point, half-way through my final year of law school, this one is guaranteed. But I would still like to finish strong. During my recent final exam period, all my friends and I could talk about was how we only have to take one more set of finals (and then the bar exam) before we’re officially done with school forever. Last semester, I took several classes that I really enjoyed, and while that meant I had a very busy schedule, it also made the semester seem easier. This spring, I will only be taking a couple of interesting classes while interning at two firms. I am hoping to gain even more real-world experience before graduating from law school and entering the real world.
- Pass the bar exam. This is a logical next step after graduation – and again, I would like to think that I’ve been working towards this for the past few years. I am planning on taking the New York and New Jersey bar examinations, so that I can stay in the area. I am dreading the two months of studying, but I am trying to remind myself that it’s temporary and it’s the last step before beginning my career!
- Find a job. I’ve heard everything about the terrible job market for lawyers, and I’m fully aware of what I’m getting myself into. But at this point, I’m invested, and this is what I want to do. I understand that it will take a lot of work, and that I need to spend time on things that I don’t particularly enjoy – like networking. But I am excited to return to the real world and work a steady schedule (at least, one more predictable than that of a law student), and move forward in my career. So, I will do whatever it takes to find a job that keeps me interested, allows me to contribute, and teaches me even more about litigation.
In addition to the professional resolutions, I have some personal ones as well that are equally as important:
- Read. My dad used to poke fun of me for how much I would read as a child. We would go to the library every week and pick out several books, but I always got through them so quickly that I would have to ask my parents to take me back to get more books. Even during college I loved to read – right now, I have almost filled one of the largest bookshelves I could fit into our little apartment. Since winter break started, I’ve bought three books to occupy my time, and I’m hoping that once I have fewer casebooks to read for school, I’ll have more time and energy to spend reading enjoyable books.
- Become involved. By this I really mean find things other than law school/law that will make me feel more complete and allow me to de-stress. For example, I’ve spent the past three years participating in the Lupus Foundation of America’s Walk to End Lupus Now (last year my team raised over $1,100!). The organization means a lot to me, because it is working to find a cure for lupus, which has affected my mother for several years. I would love to become even more involved with the organization than participating in this annual walk, but I haven’t been able to since I started school. And there are so many other deserving volunteer organizations and causes, as well as activities throughout NYC that I would love to look into, but cannot commit to until I have a more regular schedule than my current one filled with classes, internships, moot court competitions, and journal responsibilities.
- Practice yoga. I know, working out is probably the #1 New Year’s resolution for most people. And I’ve generally been good at this – this past summer, I was able to go to classes at Yoga to the People almost four or five times every week. But when classes started it became harder to find the time to go. I feel that yoga is the perfect counterpart to law, and it helps me to de-stress instantly. I’ve already started going to classes more regularly, but I hope to keep it up into the New Year!
I’m sure as the year goes on, I’ll modify these resolutions in some way. But I hope that I can at least achieve some parts of these goals in a way that I will be proud to reflect on a year from now. I can’t wait to see what 2014 has in store for me!