• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Law School Toolbox®

All the tools you need for law school success

  • Tutoring
  • Courses
    • Start Law School Right
  • Job Help
  • Law School 101
  • Blog
  • Podcast
  • About

5 Ways to Make Your Winter Break Productive

December 18, 2015 By Ben Nelson 2 Comments

Winter Break

Winter breaks are crucial opportunities to get caught up on what you haven’t had time to do during the semester. But I don’t mean that you should keep going at full speed while you’re on break. The most important things to do during Winter Break are to let your mind recharge for the next semester and spend time with friends and family that you haven’t been paying enough attention to. If you find yourself needing a way to fill the rest of your time, I’d suggest the following:

1. Search for Summer Internships

If you’re a 1L, then you’re going to need to find a summer internship. You may have already started this before Winter Break. If so, congratulations! But if not, don’t worry. You’re not too late, but you’ll want to start over the break. After all, would you rather be looking for jobs once the semester starts back up, and you’re consumed by your courses?

2. Fine-Tune Your Resume(s), Cover Letter(s), and Writing Sample(s)

While you’re searching for jobs, you might as well work on your application materials. And if you’re a 2L who’s already found a summer internship by Winter Break, then you may want to perfect your materials to send to clerkships or future semester internships. So, what kind of application materials are we talking about?

Well, for starters, you should make sure you have a resume with your most recent employment information on it. Go to the career office and get a sample resume. Your school might have a particular resume format that they suggest you follow.

Particularly if you’re a 2L applying to clerkships, you’ll want to make sure that your writing sample is absolutely perfect. Remember, the reason that judges have law clerks is to help them write, research, and proofread opinions. If your writing sample isn’t well written, researched, or proofed, then you’re not presenting yourself in the best light to the judge. But even if you’re not applying to clerkships, you’ll need a good writing sample in the future. Why not spend the time during Winter Break? Trust me: a good writing sample takes more time than you think it will.

Finally, your cover letter is also an important part of a job application. Depending on what you want to do with your law degree, you may find yourself having to write multiple cover letters. There are two reasons that cover letters can take time. First, it can take time to learn the cover letter format, so that you can express yourself in it. Second, you may not know why you’re applying to a particular job or why you’re best suited for it. These problems can take time to tackle, and chances are you’ll probably need to struggle with at least one of them.

3. Focus on Yourself

Law school is great at churning out lawyers because it challenges students to forget their own beliefs and prejudices and become vehicles for others’ arguments. But  one thing it doesn’t do is foster individualism. If you find yourself unsure about what you want to do with your law degree, then you should take Winter Break to focus on yourself for a change. Most importantly, think about what types of jobs that you’ve liked in the past and been good at. You should also think about what law courses have been your favorite. The first step in any job interview is to know yourself. The good news is that you don’t even need an impending interview to start working on this first part.

4. Spend Time with Relatives and Family Friends

You’re probably going to be seeing your relatives and family friends over Winter Break, right? Most people are in a better mood over the holidays when they’re less stressed out about their jobs, so why not take this opportunity to chat with them? You never know who or what someone might know. Some people will be practicing lawyers, be in industries that you’re interested in, or have really well connected friends. Often the person you least expect will have a great insight or connection. These types of conversations can also help you narrow down what it is you want to do with your law degree if you haven’t figured that out yet.

5. Write a Note

If you’re a 2L or 3L, you could work on your note. When else are you going to have a few weeks of almost uninterrupted time to devote to writing a 40+ page paper that has little to do with the courses you’re taking? Call me crazy, but this is exactly how I spent a week or so of my Winter Break during my 2L year.

And if you need more help on legal careers, check out Alison’s posts on the subject.

— – —

Want more law school tips? Sign up for our free mailing list today.

And check out these helpful posts:

  • How to Practice For Exams in Law School 
  • 4 Steps to Managing Law School Material
  • Need Help Outlining for Law School Finals?
  • Tips for Surviving Law School Exam Stress

 

Looking for some help to do your best in law school? Find out about our law school tutoring options.


About Ben Nelson

Ben Nelson was a law school and California bar exam tutor for Law School Toolbox and Bar Exam Toolbox. As the oldest child of two professors, he realized from an early age that he wanted to strike out on his own. He eventually settled on law school and graduated from Columbia in 2014 as a Kent Scholar and a Stone Scholar. While in school, Ben served as the Notes Editor for the Columbia Journal of Race & Law, helping eight 2Ls conceptualize and write law review notes. In 2016, he will be clerking for a federal district court judge.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. V

    01.06.20

    what do you mean by “a note” that you suggested writing during the break? Do you mean that we can just work on our creative writing or something as for fun? Or, do you mean that we could try to work on creating some law-review style papers already? (which sounds pretty daunting and overwhelming)

    Reply
    • Elizabeth Greiner

      01.07.20

      Yes, we are referring to a law review note or something you would get published. This author talks about what worked for him during break, certainly not a requirement for everyone!

      Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar

  • Podcast
  • Facebook
  • RSS
  • Twitter

About Us

If you find law school tough, you are not alone! The Law School Toolbox team is here to help you through it. Check out our helpful free content, podcasts, courses and one-on-one tutoring. Thanks for stopping by and drop us a line if you have any questions. We also invite you to join our weekly mailing list, for advice right to your inbox.

Recent Posts

Why You Should Consider Joining a Reading Group in Law School

Why You Should Consider Joining a Reading Group in Law School

Given how busy law school can get, you may be hesitant to add yet another thing to your plate, especially if it involves yet more reading. But if you … Read More about Why You Should Consider Joining a Reading Group in Law School

Podcast Microphone

Podcast Episode 382: Listen and Learn — Negligence: Proximate Cause

Welcome back to the Law School Toolbox podcast! Today, we're discussing Proximate Cause – a subtopic of Negligence in Tort Law. In this episode we … Read More about Podcast Episode 382: Listen and Learn — Negligence: Proximate Cause

How to Take Advantage of Admitted Student Days

How to Take Advantage of Admitted Student Days

Spring is an exciting time for law school applicants. Admissions results have been trickling in over the winter and, by now you have probably heard … Read More about How to Take Advantage of Admitted Student Days

Podcast Microphone

Podcast Episode 381: Find Your Unicorn Space: Reclaim Your Creative Life in a Too-Busy World (w/Eve Rodsky)

Welcome back to the Law School Toolbox podcast! Today, we have attorney and author Eve Rodsky back with us to discuss, amongst other things, her … Read More about Podcast Episode 381: Find Your Unicorn Space: Reclaim Your Creative Life in a Too-Busy World (w/Eve Rodsky)

3 Steps to Prepare for the MPRE

3 Steps to Prepare for the MPRE

I started law school thinking that the bar exam was a post-law school problem, only to find that one exam can be taken as soon as post 1L year — the … Read More about 3 Steps to Prepare for the MPRE

Want Better Law School Grades?

Sign Up for Our Exam Tips!

Footer

  • Podcast
  • Facebook
  • RSS
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
  • Blog
  • Podcast
  • Tutoring
  • Courses
  • Job Help
  • About
  • Contact
  • Login
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms & Conditions
  • Refunds

Copyright 2023 Law School Toolbox®™