Law School Essentials (New Normal Edition)

When you enter the hallways of any law school, you must come prepared. But with today’s new normal going on, the common highlighters and fancy planners won’t really cut it. This is the Law School Supplies List 2.0. This is the new normal edition y’all.

Law school will be the adventure of a lifetime. You will not only need the drive, strength, and determination but you will also need to prepare the best weapons when you go into battle. Scared yet?

Don’t worry, there’s no bloodshed in law school. Though, I will not guarantee there will be no tears and sweat, sleepless nights, caffeine-fueled study sessions, and mountains of law books and cases involved.

Just like all law students, I am excited and nervous about the upcoming semester. Now that we are in the new normal, everything is definitely changing. My university has come up with a learning continuity plan and created schedules for classes which will be solely online.

Here are the top necessities I will be needing to survive online law school from the obvious to the “just good to have”.

Good and stable internet connection. It’s the best time to invest in a really fast and reliable internet provider since everything being online is becoming pretty prevalent and common. Here in the Philippines, the internet reliability is a big problem factor with the integration of classes and work online and hopefully, the internet companies will help the Filipino people in making internet more accessible through affordable subscriptions and great service.

Laptop/Computer. Any device which can connect to the internet and has a good quality camera is a must with online classes.

Earphones. Buy a pair of good quality earphones so that during online classes, you can really focus and hear what your professor is discussing. It’s also best to wear them in order to avoid disturbance with what other people are doing in the same room or house as you. Your house mates do not need to know that you are discussing Chapter 3 of Banking Laws.

Planner (Digital and Physical). Oh, the good old planner. I think, when it comes to online classes, just have both. Majority of school work will now be online, so it is good to have all your to-do lists, reminders and notes on your computer or device.

As a precaution, also write down everything in your physical planner. Some stuff you must take note of:

• Email addresses and passwords
• Log-in details to online classrooms
• Zoom Meeting ID and Passcodes
• Deadlines for school stuff

Email address. It comes as a shock that some students do not have an email address dedicated to professional communication or school related emails. When you use your personal email address for school work, there is the tendency that your inbox will be filled up with spam mail, useless social media updates or notifications and subscriptions emails you never open.

Create an email address you will use solely for school work and communication with professors and classmates. If your university provides you with your own student email address, it’s also great to use that one.

Online Storage. Some of the best online storage services I can recommend are Google Drive and Drop Box. They are very easy to use and navigate to organize all your important files.

So, are you ready for your first online class?

I hope you enjoyed this post. Stay safe, always.

Photo Credits: Ylanite Koppens via Pexels.com