Prescription: Law School

Well, it’s official. I’m sick for the first time this semester. Luckily, I’m only a little bit sick: hoarse, with a stuffy nose and itchy eyes. I was sick quite often last semester with much worse than this. I had a terrible cold, a trip to the emergency room, swine flu, and a case of what may have been pneumonia. I believe that I am well-qualified to offer advice about how to be sick during grad school. And so, the LIST OF SICK!!!

1. Don’t wait. If you think you’re really sick and need medical attention, go to the doctor’s office or the student health center or something. Do not wait until you have to call your Law School BFF to drive you to the emergency room early in the morning. (Also, if you need your law school BFF to drive you to the emergency room early in the morning, do not wake her up with a “Good morning, sunshine!” She will want to kill you.)

2. Take your medicine. Billy, don’t be a hero. Stuff yourself with meds. NyQuil before bed, the antibiotics that the doctor prescribed you, Tylenol for your headache and sore throat. Take it all. It’s important that you be able to cope with number three.

3. Go to class. Yes, you still have to go to class. Sure you’re sick now, but you’ll be sick again, and you can’t afford to start skipping class for no reason. Bring your Kleenex and a big cup of tea, and start taking notes. Also try not to sound like death, because of number four.

4. Don’t let anyone know you’re sick. Law students are particularly nervous people. If you get any of them sick, they will never forgive you. And do you remember that post about having friends? You should probably just avoid people while you’re sick. You won’t infect anyone else, and you’ll keep your secret.

5. Sleep. Medicine may be good for coping, but sleep is the magic ingredient of health. When I had the swine flu, I went home between classes and napped on top of getting ten hours a night. While it might get you a little behind on work now, you don’t want to lose time later because you’re even sicker.

There you go, the top five things to do when you’re sick in grad school. Have a great weekend everybody! I’ll be in the library driving myself a little crazy!

(For extra credit, see this post over on The Naked Redhead about why it's okay not to want kids. She's a funny chica!)