Stephanie Baldwin, University of Arizona
HI! I’m Stephanie, a 1L at the University of Arizona and I am excited to share this next year with you! I have been an LSAT tutor for a few years, so I have a lot of friends in law school. I was lucky enough to have them share tips for success, and they all recommended setting a study schedule that worked for me and not allowing law school to take over my life. Here are the apps I am using to follow their advice!
#1 Google Calendar
I’ve always loved the idea of using a day planner, but it has never worked for me. I would always forget to add things, leave the planner at home or I wouldn’t notice a deadline. However, Google Calendar changed all of that. Once I had access to the syllabi for all of my classes, I got to work:
- First, I created a few new calendars. (If you’re not sure how to do this, check out this link: https://support.google.com/calendar/answer/37095?hl=en). I created one calendar called “class schedule,” and then a calendar for each of my classes.
- Next, I added each class time, every assignment due date and every reading assignment to my “class schedule” calendar. I also set up reminders anywhere from two days to a week ahead for important items.
- Then, I copied the entries from my class schedule to the respective class calendar. This allows me the freedom to see my entire schedule at once or to focus on an individual class. I can also share these individual calendars with my study group for each topic!
- Finally, on my main calendar, I scheduled “Me time” and extra events. Each week we get an email of the weeks upcoming events, so I can easily add these to my calendar with a simple click.
#2 Meditation Studio
Mindfulness helps to relieve stress, boost working memory, improve focus and more (https://www.apa.org/monitor/2012/07-08/ce-corner.aspx). I first discovered the Meditation Studio App (https://www.meditationstudioapp.com/) when I was studying for the LSAT, and it helped me a lot. Some of my favorite meditations are only 6-8 minutes long. They include “Taking Exams,” “Being Fearless” and “Releasing Self-Doubt.” Of course, if you have more time, the 30 min “Fierce Focus” is fantastic!
#3 Prime Student
Ok… sure, this is more than just an app, because you get Prime Video, Prime Reading, Prime Music (hello study music) and free 2-day shipping on textbook rentals and more from Amazon with your Free 6 month trial for Prime Student.
For me, this is an absolute necessity. I rented almost all of my books from Amazon and have had school items and apartment necessities sent to an on-campus Amazon Locker. Who has time to shop in law school? It’s so convenient, AND if you set up a Wishlist, people can send you things that you need too!
I hope these three things help you get off to a tremendous 1L start! Do you have other suggestions?