1. Write
2. Travel
3. Explore

Note: Having spent almost two years in the back of beyond, what I personally have termed ‘Shutter Island’ for reasons many, I think I have some authority to part with ideas regarding a daily what-to-do list. You might not find this useful at all and that brings us back to the philosophy of life.

I’ve spent a great deal of time reminiscing about my first day here – I felt a lot like the background character in a badly made decrepit film, journeying with a backpack and cartons full of futile attempts to recreate ‘home’ in my new hostel. Of course it gets tough as time passes and you feel like you’re stuck between a book and a hard place (remember Ralstone’s story in 127 Hours?)

Day after day, nothing seems to change, but when you look back, you’re going to probably realize, that like me, you’ve spent almost two years trying to make your days productive. Satisfaction doesn’t come easy to me, and that’s probably why I developed a system for myself over all this time.

Sure, there are committees and forums and conferences taking place all the time. Your university might be hosting interesting thingamgics on a frequent basis – however for some reason or the other, even if your initiatives are full of zeal, they might be nipped in the bud with a need to develop your own self. For such a situation, it becomes important to not lose oneself, and to instead immerse yourself into a surrounding where you don’t end up missing the soup your mum makes and the mindless sitcoms you spent hours watching on Star World in an awkward position on the couch all day.

Law school’s a lot like any other school where education is imparted – the difference being most of your classmates just might be more egoistic than you assumed them to be, equipped with a tinge of arrogance. This might make it a little annoying to have to moot in a group all the time, or be on the organizing committee of XYZ conference that gives you the false notion of helping out some poor country in a third world nation with regard to their rights.

• Without further ado, my first piece of tested advice for you is to write. You might think you don’t possess excellent English skills, well newsflash – no one does. A language is something that is acquired; even well read gentlemen sipping a cup of afternoon tea in English cities are bound to make horrifying grammatical errors accompanied with despicable facial expressions. Read, read, read! Your professors will drone on about Austin and Bentham as soon as you step into class, but there are many people that are not able to digest anything more than sports magazines. If you’re someone like that, instead of thinking twice about what you’re doing in law school and spending time contemplating what the future holds for you and all that jazz, just pick up a newspaper or a book. Reading is an excellent habit, and learning new words and their usage shouldn’t stop just because you’re done writing the CLAT. Coming back to picking up the pen or opening a word document on your laptop rather than logging on to a social networking website, there are so many opportunities to write – journals, research papers, conferences and the like are abundant so just pick something and make it a point to write something at least once a month. For all you know, it’ll be published and you’ll be transported to the top of a cloud.

• Over the last two years, I’ve visited at least 8-9 new places in our wonderfully diverse country. For my parents, safety’s an extremely important concern because girls are just trodden upon like dirt in this country, but when you’re young you’ve got to take a trip to the wild side. If you’re cooped up in your room and the library all day long, you’re not making the most every new day. Keeping up a CGPA doesn’t require hardcore studying; you need logical thinking and an excellent presence of mind as well. According to personal opinion, law school provides for an extensive course in travelling what with all the conferences and fests and courses taking place everywhere. There are moots and conferences in places like Dharamshala and Kashmir, why lose out on the chance to travel!

• Tip three: Explore. Discover yourself through your writing and through your travels. Trust me, if you ponder, you’ll understand you have no idea who you are. Never feel like you have nothing to do because from experience, in such case being in law school can get quite depressing. If there’s nothing on your agenda, explore a legal drama like Suits or Boston Legal, I’m sure you’ll learn something. If nothing, you’ll have made a few role models along the way. Instead of exploring new ways to make fun of teachers in class, check with yourself if you’d rather spend your time figuring out your next move on spontaneous bursts of law school survival.

This is a tiny bit from me; do share your ideas for me to munch on - I still have three years to go too.