Are you applying for the Law School Admissions Test (LSAT), but it is the middle of the school year, and you feel likeyou don’t have time to study for it?

As a Criminal Justice Pre-Law student, the LSAT was one of my many concerns. Handling the balance between studying for the LSAT and doing current school work may seem very frustrating and difficult. Take the time to sit down, make aschedule, and set specific days and times within the week to study for the LSAT. Doing this allowed me to hold myself accountable and keep me on track for what homework I focused on for a class, and when I would study for the LSAT. It also helps to ask professors who have taken the LSAT for advice on how to go about this balance between school work and LSAT studying. Establishing this balance between studying for the LSAT and doing school work takes importantskills that can be used in any job. It takes communication skills to be able to reach out to those who have taken the LSAT for advice. Being able to manage your time efficiently shows good career and self-development skills because you are addressing certain skills and strengths to get to your desired career goal. What helped me a lot was thinking of the LSAT as another 3-credit class I had to take and, to pass, I had to prepare and study like for my other classes. 

However, class work and LSAT prep were not my only responsibilities- I also had a work-study as a Career Ambassador that required 4-6 hours a week. As a Career Ambassador, I help plan and run events, help students with resumes or cover letters, conduct mock interviews, and host one of the podcasts called ‘Career Chat’. Working at the Career Development Center (CDC) did not interfere with studying for the LSAT as many people think. As I have said earlier, you must manage your time the most efficiently, but you must also be willing to put in as much effort as you can. For example, if your earliest classes are 11:00 AM, try waking up at 7:00 AM, get some school work done, and by evening you will be able tofocus and study on the LSAT. I typically work 1 or 2 hours a day at the CDC, so either right before my shift or after, I would take that time to look over LSAT stuff. 

Just know that you will always manage to find the time for stuff if you make the time for it. All of this may seem like a lot, but it is fulfilling in the long run, especially if you take some time for yourself. Whether it was playing video games,or reading a book right before bed, taking an hour or two to relax and be away from any schoolwork helped reduce my stress. 

All that being said, however, there are going to be days where even if you manage your time nearly perfectly, something spontaneous may come up that prevents you from studying for the LSAT. That is more than fine- life happens and nobody is perfect. Studying for the LSAT does not mean you must miss out on certain activities with your friends or something. But be careful with those “spontaneous activities” because the last thing you want to do is go an entire 2-3 weeks without studying. 

Time management is not something you only use for circumstances like studying. That is yet another skill that you can take beyond school, especially in the legal field. Depending on what type of law you get into, time management skills are very crucial to your career. If you typically take on more cases, then you would use those time management skills to efficiently focus on each case. Similarly, having self-control is also very important in the law field. Just like you must try to refrain yourself from relaxing so much you forget to work, you must also refrain from working too hard you burn yourself out!