1st Sem of Law School, kumusta?

I passed my Persons. I got 2.8 (82). I'm proud of it. I thought I'm going to get a 75 or below. My only concern now is Consti Law and Crim Law. The grades are not yet in.

Now that the semester is over, and another semester is about to begin, maybe I should share, albeit very briefly, what I've been through for the past five months by answering the most frequently asked questions people asked me about studying law.

1. Is law like any other course?

No, it's not. The study of law is like a jealous mistress. It demands so much from you---time, energy, resources---that you wouldn't even notice that you're giving more than what you have. Of course, that's what our professors told us in the beginning. But I must say, it depends on how you take it. If you take it too seriously and impose unnecessary pressures, then you will most likely be unnecessarily pressured. The opposite is just as fatal. If you take it too lightly and do not discipline yourself, then you will most likely fail.

The most important thing is to strike a balance among your many-faceted life. Study hard. Party harder. Go out if you can. Watch a movie. Hangout with your friends. Talk to people. Read newspapers, not just some antiquated cases dating back to the time when our country is still called the Government of the Philippine Islands.

2. Do you memorize all those laws, articles and Republic Acts?

You can if you want. But so far no professor of mine has yet required us to memorize all the laws we discussed. Why? Because that's plainly impossible. And don't tell me about Mike Ross of Suits----he's a figment of someone else's imagination. But there are times when our professor would let us memorize VIP (Very Important Provisions) of the law.

3. Did you join a fraternity?

No, I didn't, and neither did most of my classmates. And we see no reason to change our decision. And the frat is no guarantee that you would pass all your subjects although they say that the frat's a big help. Your "Ka Brod" would provide the materials your subjects required, saving you a lot of time. Still, nothing beats studying, for what good are the materials your frat provides if you don't bother studying them.

4. Is it true that it's a plus if you have a good penmanship?

I think so. The professors are full-time practicing lawyers themselves. They don't have the luxury of time to decipher every student's handwriting, for it's a double burden----first, the prof needs to decipher your handwriting; and second, the prof needs to understand the meaning of what you've written. Yet make no mistake---it's still substance over form. Many of my classmates have some damn good answers but still scored low. And I submit it's because they have a penmanship that looks like a scribbling of a toddler. The good news is that it can still be remedied. How? There's no easy formula for this. My classmates does so by making notes using cursive.

5. How do you manage it?

Studying law while working full-time is really hard, especially during the first few months. I was so stressed out I thought of quitting. But I figured I was so hard on myself. As the months went by, though, I was able to find my learning style and establish my rhythm. Here's my daily routine.

7:30-4:30 - Work, but I sometimes study in-between my classes.

5:30-8:30 - Attend classes.

10:30 -11:30 - Study for the next day's class. I normally don't stay so late at night. If I go beyond 11 or 11:30, my brain absorbs nothing, and it's just a waste of time for time to be awake. So I sleep, and the next day my brain is again ready to work.

Thus far, that's 1st sem. And I'm pretty sure the 2nd sem will be twice difficult. Oblicon is every day. God bless us all.