And so the time has come again …. I’m not getting too terribly down in this post (partially because I learned my lesson from last quarter that it does no good), but I have come to a terrible realization within the past week: my life is over. Well, it might not be over completely, but it certainly will be for the next few months, which is both a discouraging as well as enlightening (or liberating) thought.

This epiphany first came to me over the weekend while working on this quarter’s memo. It’s an open memo, which is significantly different from last quarter’s closed memo: closed meaning the materials were provided and no outside research was needed … open meaning all the research is on us. This is a particularly daunting task for me (or perhaps for everyone here since everyone is pretty F-ing smart) because I sometimes find myself enjoying research. I know, how lame, right? But I try to challenge myself to exhaust my research possibilities, which results in endless hours of reading, shepardizing (not sure if I need to put that little ® sign there or not, haha), and (not so) costly printing … thanks, law school for the free printing. Anyway, once the memo is done, then comes the time to begin outlining again (or maybe I should start before the memo is due). After exams for this quarter are done, I’ll probably begin outlining for our 2-quarter-long classes over spring break, and then finish off the 1L marathon with four exams (two 2-quarter exams, and two 1-quarter exams).

After that, work starts. Since there are only 10 weeks between the end of spring finals and the beginning of UChicago’s new “improved” Fall OCI, I can’t really ask for time off that I might spend working on our journals’ writing competition. So after the busiest and most stressful time of year (spring exams) I can look forward to absolutely no time for relaxation and, instead, working (probably full-time) while also struggling to finish this writing competition assignment as best I can.

Once work is over, then comes OCI and, from what I have heard, this month-long endeavor is by no means free of stress. Especially given the current market, I don’t think I can fully rely on OCI to get a job and will, thus, also result to mass mailing my resume and other materials out to dozens of firms. You see, in my world, I often assume the worst. This helps me cope when the worst (inevitably) comes true, but also allows me to get that much more excited when (less often) it does not come true.

Anyway, the point is, law school (indeed, the profession of law itself) seems to be a series of tests — all of them in essence being represented by the following maxim: “work hard, so that later you can work harder.” This only seems to let up slightly once becoming (at the earliest) a senior associate or perhaps a partner (or, at the latest, retired). But I don’t yet know enough about the practice of law to speak to that. For now, there is no end in sight …. be careful what you wish for.

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