#universitythoughts

[universityanxietyclub]

Test Anxiety

(Photography by me)

You fidget with anything you can get your hands on. Your pencil, your shirt hem, your fingers, whatever it takes to help you through not freak out before this test. You see the people around you, half fidgeting themselves, other half is calm. You heart is racing, you’re so not ready for this test. You’re gonna bomb it. It’ll be the end of your life. You’ll be disappointed in yourself, your mom will be disappointed in you. The disappointment is rising, your anxiety is becoming worse. Your nerves are eating at you. You know you wont know a thing! Or do you?

You know this material better than you think you do. If you calm down and take a few deep breaths your brain will work better. No one works very well in panic mode. Not even the smartest person in your class. You just have to trust yourself. This material is not hard (unless it’s calc or advanced stats--) and it’s all in your head. Be confident in yourself. You (probably) studied your butt off for this moment. You know this material.

The truth is, your test anxiety is different from mine. When I panic, songs blast in my head and I just forget the material, but my teacher said something that helped me. You got this. You know this. You can get through it. It’s not as hard as you think. You’re smarter than you think you are.

Don’t trust me? Then read a few sites about it. It will help you.

( https://student-tutor.com/blog/how-to-overcome-test-anxiety/ )

( https://www.princetonreview.com/college-advice/test-anxiety )

( http://theconversation.com/how-to-overcome-exam-anxiety-67445 )

( http://www.studygs.net/tstprp8.htm)

[universityanxietyclub]

Crowds

(Photography by me)

Welcoming Celebrations in University can be a big wave of anxiety for some people. The sheer number of your fellow peers and possible classmates, along with a sense of being alone is overwhelming. You see people already making friends and talking while you’re sitting there, trying your best to just take it all in. You’re scared, the people here don’t look intimidating, but there’s hundreds of you, maybe even over the thousands. That number is enough to send chills down your spine. Here you are, in a new place, meeting new people. It doesn’t seem that bad until you’re up and moving, getting trapped in the crowd. Everyone is talking around you, strangers touching you accidentally. It’s enough to make you want to burst into tears or just go home, somewhere you know is safe. I just want you to know. You are not alone in this world. You will never be alone. Your crowd anxiety is something a lot of people feel. It’s something I felt myself. Just being shoved into a crowd of people you don’t know, forced to take pictures. I was close to tears after realizing I lost my roommate in the crowd. I nearly cried right then and there. Was I ready to be alone? I thought so, but I wasn’t. It’s okay to have these feelings. I know it sounds bad or irrational to some people. Being scared of being in a crowd of people, how bad can it really be? However, I also know I’m not alone with this feeling. I know it’s okay to be scared. You hate the crowd anxiety, so do I. It’s something extremely difficult to even push to the side of your head. It’s constantly moving around, but you know what?

You are a strong person; you just have to believe it. You will get through this feeling.

[universitythoughts]

All I have left of my first year of law school are the exams. Can you believe it? I’ll be working for Community Legal Aid this summer, and I’m very excited to be helping those who can’t afford legal services. I’ll be working in housing and consumer litigation, which should keep me pretty busy. In other news, the weather is warm and I’m sitting on my back porch. Studying is better out here!

[universitythoughts]

A Semester of Law

Hello friends! It’s been awhile since I’ve updated you on the many wonderful things happening in my life. First, I’m completely procrastinating studying for my last final to write this post. Second, my first semester has been a whirlwind of memo-writing, contract drafting, torts quizzes, and singing in concert choir. I’ve also done a mock client intake interview and a mock counseling session.

There is an overwhelming amount of information you get in the first year of law school. My classes for first semester were Contracts, Torts, Criminal Law, and LLEAP I, a legal writing course. We’ve tried to answer some very important questions, including, “What is chicken?”

I made some amazing friends in law school, and I think that’s the thing that surprised me most about this semester. The atmosphere at my law school is very noncompetitive compared to the stereotype. We all want to succeed, but a running theory is that because many of us don’t want to go into traditional litigation, there is less of an argumentative spirit. Everyone is supportive, and there are even free cookies during exam week. And ping-pong tables. And puzzles.

Topping off this semester, I got to complete two projects for the international law center, including a briefing for the dean on the international criminal court, and a transcription of a panel discussion that should be published in our journal of international law.

Cherry on top: An alum paid for orchestra passes for students, so we can go see the Cleveland Orchestra for FREE! So many blessing! It has been an excellent first semester of law school, and no matter what happens when I get my grades, I’ll know this experience will keep driving me forward. Happy holidays to you all!