source // giphy
Besides earning some cash monies to pay your way, here are some other constructive ways you can make use of your summer that will pay dividends (what up corporations and tax law?!) later.
VOLUNTEER
What could be a better time than the summer break to beef up your resume without the struggle of trying to work around your uni timetable?! Plenty of places such as community legal centres are happy to have a little extra help especially around this time of the year when everything needs to be finalised for the end of the year. Most only require commitment once a week or once a fortnight, so you’re still free to go and enjoy your summer break. If you haven’t already, make sure to sign up at various places as they often have waiting lists. Getting in now means you can get that experience and build those connections much sooner!
source // giphy
SUMMER SEMESTER
This may not be an option for everybody, but most universities will offer a select amount of units over the summer you can take to speed up your degree – who doesn’t want that?! Taking up even one unit means you can lighten your load for later semesters. You’ll thank yourself for doing this when it comes to the pointy end of semester. Summer school often means lower contact hours as opposed to the usual semesters – especially if your university allows you to complete it off-campus. You might find it’s much easier to juggle your other commitments like study, work and the other things on this list during this time!
source // giphy
CATCH UP ON LEGAL NEWS
With all the time constraints of readings, assignments and the stress of exams, it can be easy to forget what’s been happening in the industry and why you became interested in the law in the first place. A good, easy way to catch up on all the missed legal gossip is to make a Twitter account and ‘follow’ major firms, law publications and organisations and read up on what they’ve been doing and new developments in the law. Alternatively – and this is a total nerd thing to do – you can visit the Austlii website and browse through the latest cases that have been posted. This way, you can catch up on the industry and you’ll be aware of the sorts of things happening in the courts. You can also browse through the LIV Journal and other similar publications.
source // 9gag
And most importantly...RELAX
This is coming from someone who doesn’t know how to relax. Law is a tough degree, not just the academic side, but the whole experience. It’s really, really important to take time out for yourself from everything to recover, otherwise you’ll burnout and question whether you want to continue your law degree (and your efforts will decline as a result). Don’t let this tough degree tire you out more than it has to!
source // 9gag
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