Sometimes I feel like an energizer bunny – it’s a race to the end! With exams and clerkships coming up, the pressure is getting real. I get it. We’re competing against each other. That’s what law school is all about right? Wrong.
As soon as first semester ended, I learned so many things about working with others. The good and the bad. I had more of a bad experience so I took it as a learning experience and tried to focus on working alone during second semester – I can do it all by myself. I’m a big girl! Argh, I’m about as big as an ant in this world and have so much yet to learn…
I’m not saying that being competitive is not OK. BUT there’s this fine line between being competitive and having no heart. More often than not, you’ll need to ask other people for their opinion or work with others to achieve something! If you’re competitive all the time, you’ll have a hard time making friends who can potentially benefit you when you really need them. I don’t just mean telling you the answer, I mean motivating you during exams, inviting you to an event you didn’t know about, having a moot partner – all the extra things that law school is all about.
We all know a student who acts like they haven’t started studying for an exam even a few days prior to the big day but rock up with 100 tabs in all the colours of the rainbow. I get it – that student wants to stand out. But there’s no harm in explaining a concept to someone else.
‘You cannot get through law school on your own’ was a common phrase told to me by a first year tutor. I totally get it now – you can try, you may succeed, but your battery will run flat one day and no one will be able to have you a boost if you keep up with a super competitive attitude! (Child rant over).
But you get it - Energizer bunnies need help too!
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