By: Archiebald Faller Capila
Law students often dream about law school as if the same is a preordained narrative that will already produce a certain outcome.
For most students, law school is a journey only meant for four years of study. They believe that they will only spend eight semesters in their respective law schools and eventually surpass the burdens and problems accompanying such a venture. In addition, they believe that they will grace the halls of their schools, graduating with relief in their hands and reviewing for the bar thereafter. These students believe that after four to five months of preparing for the Bar, they will engage in the waiting game and hope for good results in a half year’s time. And after all, is said and done, they would imagine themselves savoring the sweet success of passing and eventually becoming the lawyer they have dreamed of becoming way back when.
This idea comes from the perspective of a law student who is so positive in life. He or she believes that the process will turn out the same way he or she has hoped for. However, this is not the case for most students. While a positive outlook on how you see things is necessary in order to succeed, most of the time plans change because of unforeseen circumstances along the way.
More often than not, the idea of finishing law school in time, without any setback, comes to a fault because of certain aspects. Whether the same be internal or external factors related to the study of law, these factors affect our daily lives in dealing with the pursuit of the legal profession.
For some students, they could not balance their respective works and studies. It is common in law school that some students are working as well in order to provide for their families and loved ones. In which, they are forced to divide their precious time into several portions allotted for their studies, their work, and their family as well. Because of this, they are forced to extend their stay in law school because they need to take lesser units and subjects to attend to their necessities in everyday life.
Accordingly, some students do not have the right amount of strength to carry a whole load of a semester. Some students choose to drop some subjects in order to focus more on less and be able to understand legal knowledge efficiently in the process. Some students believe that law school is a journey that is not meant to be rushed. Some students believe that law school is not a sprint. Some students believe that however slow you may go, what is most important is that you finish it nonetheless.
However, for some who push for the earliest possible time of finishing everything, there are still some factors to be considered. It is most likely that some students do not follow their plans accordingly because of certain circumstances. Some students fail a subject or two. Some students are forced to drop because of personal problems that they need to deal with. Some students see an opportunity to take a break in order to stay sane and be able to take care of their well-being.
Some people get delayed not because of their own and voluntary choice. Some people get delayed because they become victims of circumstances. Some people get delayed just because.
Experiencing setbacks seems to be inevitable in law school. One day, you’re feeling you’re on the right track, then all of a sudden—all things go south. It cannot be denied that external factors happen more often than not.
One day, you feel like you are on top of the world—ready to conquer every problem there is and eventually surpass them all with one hard blow. However, you see yourself defeated and you feel like you could have done more in order to change the course of your venture.
Don’t worry. It happens.
While you cannot change the things you have done in the past, you could still nonetheless prepare for what is about to happen in the future. While you can no longer control the outcomes of the things that already happened, you could still prepare for a better tomorrow by learning from the lapses and mistakes that you have committed yesterday.
It is a given that law students experience a handful of troubles from time to time. There is no perfect plan that goes accordingly in the pursuit of law. A lot of problems come in the way, slowing an aspirant down or even hampering his or her journey to becoming an officer of the court. Plans change along the way. No one could ever have a perfect outcome of the visions he or she dreams of during his or her stay in law school. There will always be a time when students are required to adjust so that they will eventually manage to claim victory in the long run.
Whatever happens, one must not stop pursuing the dream of becoming a lawyer. While you may have fallen down more than once, or that you have been delayed in law school for quite a time now, these are not reasons to stop. There are a lot of reasons to continue. There will never be a shortage of “why” you pursued law. All you have to do is go back to the reasons and eventually gather your inner peace. Being delayed in law school is not synonymous with being denied in the practice of law. All things happen for a reason. All things happen for a purpose.
While what you are feeling is valid, you must stay strong in order to finish strong. Forget the things that happened and learn from them. Don’t dwell in the past and stay focused on the present. In that way, you could build the future you want for yourself. If you continue to look back at what has happened, you cannot move forward and eventually accept your destiny of becoming a lawyer. It is necessary that you place your feet firm on the ground and fight for what is yours—fight for the dream of becoming a lawyer.
Overcome everything by taking one step at a time. If you have problems, find ways to solve them. If you are feeling exhausted, take a break. If you think you cannot do it, look where you are now and remember how far you have come. Always tell yourself that you did not come this far only to come this far. You are meant for greater things in life, and you could only achieve these by pushing forward and building a better future through the lessons you have learned in the past.
We may exist at the same time, but we all have different timelines. Never compare yourself to others. You may be delayed in finishing the study, but that’s okay. It is never a race. We live at our own pace. Do not be pressured by the fact that some people are gaining miles ahead of you. You have your own battles to fight and your own dreams to fulfill.
At the end of the day, what matters most is that you succeed in studying and completing the minimum requirements for practice. By studying hard, you will be able to equip yourself with the knowledge needed to pass the bar exams, regardless of when you will take it.
Remember that no matter when you take the Bar, you will become a lawyer. And if you hold on to your moral grounds, you will not only become a lawyer but a good one—one who values and understands the essence of justice.
Your dreams are merely delayed—they are not denied. One way or another, you will get there. In the near future, you will become a lawyer. Good luck, future members of the legal profession.