Everyone who goes to law school knows it’s going to be hard. The first year in law school is famously nicknamed “hell” for good reason. It’s a lot of work, especially given that you’re simultaneously trying to get your bearings as a new graduate and learn the ins and outs of a brand-new field of study.

It doesn’t help that many people going into law school are coming directly from undergrad and might not have had much real-world experience at that point in their life.

Even so, that doesn’t mean it’s impossible to get through this rigorous program with flying colors. Here are some tips for getting through law school:

Organize Your Time And Space

There are a ton of distractions in law school — and you’re going to need to learn how to ignore them. For one thing, you’ll probably have a very noisy living situation.

Depending on where you go, a lot of law schools are in very urban areas, which means they’re surrounded by all sorts of noise pollution. If you can, try to find a quieter place to live — or at least, a quieter floor.

You’ll also have a lot of people asking you for help, and you’ll want to remember all the things you have to do, so you’ll want to keep your schedule as organized as possible.

You might want to try using an app or planner. You can also color-code it if that’s something that helps you keep better track of everything.

Take Full Advantage Of Your Resources

If you’re going to school full-time, then you’re going to want to get the most out of your professors. They can be one of your best resources for getting through law school, and you’ll want to take advantage of them whenever you can.

Now, that doesn’t mean you should always go to your professors when you have questions — you want to be able to trust yourself and your abilities.

But if you’re struggling with a particular subject, or there’s something you just don’t understand, go to your professor. It’s your professor’s job to help you, and you shouldn’t feel bad about asking them for help.

Make A Study Schedule And Stick To It

You might be tempted to just start studying for exams as soon as they’re announced, but that’s not necessarily a good strategy. If you try to study for multiple exams at a time, you’ll probably just end up confusing yourself and getting nothing out of the process.

Instead, try to make a study schedule — and then actually stick to it. If you have a certain amount of time you need to study per subject per week, try to follow it as closely as possible. This will help you get everything done on time, and you won’t stress yourself unnecessarily.

The only exception here is if you fall behind on your schedule. If you feel like you need more time to study something, don’t be afraid to take that time. You don’t want to feel rushed and have the whole process be more stressful than it needs to be.

Focus On The Big Picture

A lot of people get hung up on grades in law school — and while you do have to pass the classes you’re taking, you don’t need to get A’s in everything. In fact, you might want to try to get a B in one or two classes, so you have time to study for the ones that are more important.

In general, you’ll want to focus on passing every exam you take — while still learning the subject matter — and you’ll want to try to do well on the exams that matter most to your career path. For example, if you want to practice family law, you might want an A in family law and a B in contracts.

That way, you’re prepared for everything you might be tested on, but you’re still putting more effort into the subjects that matter most.

Network, Network, Network

This is a suggestion that applies to just about any field of work, but it’s especially important in law. You don’t know who you’re going to work with or who you’re going to be friends with once you graduate, so you should make an effort to meet as many people as you can.

If you take advantage of all the extracurricular activities available to law students — from clubs to volunteering — you’ll have a lot more opportunities to meet people and get to know them. You might even make some lifelong friends along the way.

And of course, once you graduate, you’ll want to keep in touch with these people. It can be easy to forget to keep in touch with people once you graduate, but you want to make an effort to stay in touch with the people you meet while in law school.

Bottom Line

While law school is going to be hard, it doesn’t have to be impossible. You’ll want to make sure you’re getting enough sleep, eating well, and taking care of your mental health so you can focus on your studies, and you’ll want to make sure you’re taking advantage of all the resources available to you.

And most importantly, you need to keep your eye on the prize. You’re working hard now so you can get a great job after graduation, and with the right mindset, you can do it.