Have any advice for a first-year law student, young mom with kid?

Question

I'm starting at UCLA Law school, and I'm also a young mom of a 7mo baby. Any other lawyers/law students out there, with or without kids, that want to share some advice for me? General or specific advice appreciated!

Answer 1

Wow! I hope you live near family, or have a great friend who can assist with caring for your 7 mo old baby.

The first year of law school is known for working you to death,
second year, you learn; and third year you can slide by, practice
(moot court)

Since your child is 7 mo old, when you are home to study, you should be able to get a reasonable amount of time to do this, especially once your child goes to sleep. You may look at how your schedule can afford you time after the baby is sleeping and adjust your own hours for sleep.

If you're extremely lucky, maybe you'll have a later morning class, so you can work later in the evening and still get some sleep yourself.

Additionally, since this will be such a hectic time this first year, don't worry about the house too much. It will be there when you're done. Concern yourself with the must do things around the house, and let the want to do things await a time more easily accomplished.

Use the kindness of family and friends who offer help with your child, and/or household chores etc. Don't let your pride hurt your chances for competing. The first year load is to weed out the people who really don't want to work for it.

Assuming you are young, take care of your health and the health of your baby, do what you must, leave the rest. In three years, you'll be a graduate!

Best of Luck

Answer 2

You are squarely to blame for all of your own problems. You narc'ed on your mom to your wife when things were touchy after all the tension that surrounded the occasion. As if that weren't bad enough you try to pick sides when there is no right side...you are supposed to be the peace keeper. The middle man. You tried hard but your past is such that it doesn't sit well with your mother and never will. Let this be a huge lesson to you...never ever go saying anything to one party or the other that could damage an already fragile relationship. Don't blame anybody but yourself and learn to harness your thoughts and speak more eloquently. Good luck PS...your mom doesn't hate your wife necessarily. She hates the relationship that was formed when you started boinking a married employee. Her morals tell her your relationship was founded on another 2 peoples pain.

Answer 3

Congrats! UCLA is a great law school.

My advice is to study hard and build a support network. If you have friends, SO, or relatives to watch the baby so you can get 5 solid hours of studying a day, it would be great. If not, you can study when s/he goes to sleep. I s/he goes down at 7pm, plan on studying until midnight.

These are some of the best years of your child's life, so enjoy them. Make sure you take time to take him/her to the park and on other excursions. Don't get so wrapped up in school that you miss out on what is more important.

What worked the best for my friends in the same boat was scheduling all morning classes and putting the child in day care until 3. They would be in class until 12 and then would take 3 hours to study. Then they would focus solely on being a great parent until the child went down, then back to being a great student.

Good Luck!

Answer 4

I applaud you for your decission to go back to school. I do not know what advice you're sicking. I asume you need help with baby sitting your young baby? If you have parents, ask them to help you while you're in school, considering if you have a great relationship with them. Another way to get help, most big Universities have Young childcare provided for students like your self. I would not take a full-load. I know from experience I learned Social Work. It surely takes a little bit longer to graduate, but heck who wants to kill their health? So good luck . Hope this is what you were looking for......