Your Summer Is More Important Than Your Transcript

Hi All,

Taking final exams and waiting for your final grades can be excruciating. If you are disappointed in a grade that you received, take a deep breath. We are here for you. While we are not saying that grades are not important, your grades do not define you. Your transcript does not measure your ability to learn practical skills, real legal skills, or networking. There are three things that you can do this summer that can have more impact that your transcript.

1. Practical Experience.

It’s one thing to read about property, outline, and study for a final exam.  It is quite another to represent a buyer in the purchase of their first home.  That is real world experience you can only gain on the job.  Law school teaches you how to think like a lawyer.  This summer if you can surround yourself with lawyers you can really see how they take that skill and apply it to real facts and law.  The summer fact patterns are real, and so are the stakes.  Taking time to not only do your best work but to observe those around is an experience that cannot be duplicated in school.

The more practical legal experience you can be exposed to, the more you can narrow down the areas of law that you may be interested in to figure out what area of law you would actually want to practice in. 

Another practical experience you are able to have during the summer that is not part of your legal education is the opportunity to work with paralegals and legal assistants. A solid support base as a practicing attorney is critical and these professionals know how to get the job done. Capitalize on every opportunity you may have to learn from this group.

2. Networking.

The attorneys, experts, financial professionals, support staff, and more all have their own professional networks. The summer is your opportunity to expand your network by networking with the people you work with. Set the right first impression by doing your best work, on time. Then you can nurture those professional connections into networking contacts.

3. Rest.

The importance and impact of taking some time to rest and recharge over the summer cannot be overlooked. The law school schedule is intense. The summer is a brief respite from that schedule. Capitalize on this and see those you may not have seen much during the semester. Allow yourself to rest in order to come back recharged and ready to tackle the new semester.

Have a great day!

Haley & Amy

P.S. - If you are looking for more on how to leverage your summer connections into networking contacts, the summer is the perfect time for The Law Student’s Guide to Networking course and book!

Photo by Tony Sebastian on Unsplash

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