Hey hey hey! It’s another Sunday which means another Warding World of Law School post!  This week we finally enter into the realm of quidditch! There’s so much that can be said about quidditch and law school. I mean half of my time here I feel like a Seeker (the one player looking for the golden snitch to end the game). I can rarely see the snitch (damn little gold flying ball) but I know I need to find it first while dodging bludgers that are trying to kill me and cheering on my team! There’s so much anxiety, so much anticipation, so much competitiveness… and all I want is to find the snitch and end the game! 

With all that said… that’s not what this week’s post is about. We will start with our brief recap and then jump right in with the theme of: Self-control. 

Recap: Harry is gearing up for his first and debut quidditch match! He is full of nerves, but with Ron and Hermione (who has been breaking the rules more and more lately) by his side he is ready to go. The trio continue to pursue information about Snape and the Three-headed dog they encountered during the midnight duel chapter. Game day comes and Harry is thrown into his first match! Things are going well, until all of a sudden Harry loses control of his broomstick! Hermione spots Snape muttering an incantation and rushes to set fire to his cloak to distract him. Harry gets control of his broom again and sets off after the snitch. The crowd watches in anticipation as harry almost swallows the snitch, winning the game for Gryffindors. The trio celebrates with Hagrid after the game and Hagrid lets out major clues in their hunt for answers regarding the dog and item that is hidden in the castle.

We see a lot of  control issues in this chapter. First is with Hermione. At the beginning of the book we meet a different Hermione, the know-it-all who follows every rule and works to show off how smart and good she is to her teachers and fellow students, than we now see. Ever since the troll incident Hermione is noted as taking a lot more risks  and chances when it comes to breaking the rules. It’s like she is taking control of her life and actually living rather than being terrified of what will happen if she breaks a rule. She’s taking her life by the reigns and learning to be herself, and not what the authorities in her life tell her to be.

Next and the biggest character dealing with control issues is Harry. He is nervous from the start when it comes to his first quidditch match. His one way of relaxing before the match is reading Quidditch Through the Ages which is taken form him by Snape, and when he seeks to get it back, as to control his nerves, he stumbles into trouble. Then in the match he loses control of his broom and his life is in danger. Luckily when he is able to regain the control he wins the game for his house.

Both of these character’s struggle with control are struggles the first year student also struggles with through the first semester of the year. Many times this semester alone I have felt a need to loosen up and be a little more relaxed when it comes to following rules, social structures and societal expectations as to regain control of my life (much like Hermione). While at the same time feeling out of control when it comes to taking midterms, writing papers for class or even participating in study groups to prepare for finals. Law school is the broom trying to buck me off and I am Harry trying to hang on for dear life.

It’s all about knowing when to let go of control, when to hang on and when to regain. Self-control over your time, your decisions and your social engagements are key to survival in law school. You can’t do everything, you can’t follow every rule and you can’t hang out with every person. You have to make time for your studies, your self-care and your sanity. You can’t spend every hour you have for two weeks stressing over a paper while neglecting friends and other classes, but you also can’t put off working on your paper. It’s all about time management, self-control and drive to make things work.

Self-control is pivotal from the beginning, but it’s something many of us are learning as we go this semester and hoping that we’ve created enough good habits to get us into through semester. And hopefully just like Harry we will catch the snitch and win the game, surviving and crushing our first year at law school.

 

Until Next Time,

Mischief Managed