Lightening the Load
As most of you know, I work full-time while taking 9-10 law school credits a semester. This semester has been pretty killer, with trial memos, classes, work, and general life stuff piling on.
Always wanting to be the super-hard law student, I signed up for the moot court qualifying competition. As part of the competition one must write a 12-page appellate brief after having done legal research on the problem presented. Keep in mind that, at this point in my law school experience, I’ve never written an appellate brief. Completely unfamiliar stuff.
This task, due by 5:00 pm on Thursday, combined with my trial memo, due on Monday, to bring crushing stress. I’ve slept an average of 3-4 hours per night for almost a week now.
Last night I made a choice. I can’t do everything. If I try, I will do everything badly. So I wrote the following email this morning:
Dear Tournament Co-Directors,
Due to other commitments this semester, I must regretfully withdraw from the Spring Qualifying Tournament.Yours truly,
Mr. X
As I pushed send, a great weight was lifted off of my shoulders, I got a new spring in my step, the heavens opened to surround me with a shaft of beautiful sunlight, and birds began to sing. And I’m happier too.
As a part-time student, I’m eligible to try out for the moot court team again next year or even the year after that. I should have this law school thing in a groove by then and be ready to knock it out of the park.
Yours truly,
Mr. X
…thought I’d share…
Good for you. Sometimes, especially in school, the sheer number of things on your mind can make it difficult to prioritize. Knowing when to quit is just as important as knowing when not to.
Knowing when to quit is just as important as knowing when not to.Yeah. Johnny Law put it in perspective when he asked what the consequences were of (a) writing a shitty moot court brief and (b) writing a shitty trial memo because I was busy with writing the shitty moot court brief. The first is not making the moot court team, the second is a bad grade in Legal Rhetoric. One’s extra-curricular, the other goes on a transcript.
That made the choice crystal clear.
Yours truly,
Mr. X
…needs a new motorcycle…
Nick,
Don’t feel bad. I did the same thing with the Alvina Whateverinthe Hellhernameis competition. You can’t do it all. The alleged “Moot Court Honor Society” must’ve been on crack when they scheduled their brief due four days after the trial memo. What they’ve just done is lowered the GPA of the moot court team, since those who write the best moot court briefs will be those who neglected their trial memos the worst…