Wednesday, November 22, 2006
Advice
The most important advice I can offer about law school is this. Give away your television set (and everything else that accompanies it, including the new PlayStation 3). I always offer this suggestion and law students usually believe I am joking. They say they’ll limit themselves to just their favorite shows or they won’t watch during the exam period. They are unwilling to even move the large-screen to the closet and cancel the premium cable subscription.
A television set, if it is plugged in, is too tempting for most people – with few exceptions, we all grew up with multiple hours of television viewing every day and with it on in the background. It is easy to multi-task; it is extraordinarily difficult to multi-task well.
As important as it is to concentrate, my advice – offered in earnest – is also about self-discipline. If you cannot forego reruns of “Friends” for 9 months, you lack the seriousness of purpose required for your legal education.
