“Law school attracts all kinds of crazy. Yourself included.” – One of my Best Friends
Honestly, she’s not wrong. Law Students are a special breed of student. We get kicked in the teeth every single day, and keep coming back. There is a level of mental anguish that we simply become comfortable operating at, existing moment by moment on the brilliant notion of adding two letters to the end of our name. We are engulfed by a three-year long tunnel, with high hopes of emerging as attorneys.
The sad fact is that we won’t all get to the finish line.
But there’s a sliver of success for you yet – if you’re willing to work.
Most law students appreciate the time off from class, away from the deadlines and ever-flowing series of emails with assignments and required readings. Many of your classmates will take the time off to feel normal again. Taking time to decompress is necessary, but do your best not to throw the entirety of your break away on Blue Bloods episodes or trying to eat your weight in holiday foods. Plant those feet back on solid ground and get to work after some hard-earned rest for surviving finals week.
You need to get out there and make the most of the time you have away from class because nothing feels worse than sitting across from a potential employer and not having any experience to speak of; crickets in an interview are no bueno.
You should apply to a judicial internship. If you have the time [and can afford not to be paid for six to ten weeks] then you should go for it! My Abuelita always says “A veces, hay que frijoliarlo.” Which basically translates to – “when times are tough, get by on what little you can – but don’t worry because it won’t be forever.” I’m telling you this because most legal internships are unpaid. Count yourself among the lucky few if you land a great paid position for the summer. There are scholarships available – so make sure to look into those options as well!
Here are three stellar options for Summer Internships:
1. DAYL
2. JIOP
3. Equal Justice Works
You should also apply to SCHOLARSHIPS! Law school is, as you already know, a weight on both your shoulders and your wallet. Take the time to apply for different types of grants and scholarships in order to ease the cost of attendance. Worst case? You don’t reap the fruit of your labor. But, if you decided to forego the applications altogether – you’d still be left with a full tuition balance to cover. You’ve really got nothing to lose. So get started on those applications!
Keep up the hard work. I promise – it will pay off!
