Julia D’Rozario ‘24
Staff Editor
As everyone around me is beyond tired of hearing, I took up crochet this winter break. I spent the last month obsessively making sweaters, bucket hats, tops, and (inexplicably) baby clothes. I love the act of creating something from scratch, the sense of accomplishment that comes with finishing a project, and the intense satisfaction of wearing something you made yourself.
As I started writing this article, it was supposed to be all about crocheting. It quickly became about hobbies in general, and more specifically, why you should hold on like grim death to your hobbies—especially as a law student.
Pictured: Hundreds of hours of blood, sweat, and tears. Picture courtesy of Julia D'Rozario '22.
Law school is time-intensive, work-heavy, and a little stressful. For many people, it’s a quick and easy way to lose your hobbies, lose yourself, and become a library-dwelling zombie. After a day of reading cases, outlining, or even just going to class, it can feel exhausting to dedicate time to the things you love… in fact, it can feel impossibly difficult to “switch your brain off” at all. It feels much, much easier to continue to overstimulate yourself—to scroll mindlessly through Instagram, listen to music, and watch TV at the same time[1]—to keep yourself from having a mindful thought. Believe me, I empathize. I have gone weeks on end without picking up my guitar or my camera. The only thing I watched all of fall semester was Seinfeld and Hunter x Hunter[2] reruns, because I felt too lazy to watch a movie or show I didn’t already have memorized.
But hear me out: Don’t become a library-dweller. Don’t get sucked into the black hole of 18-hour days and a hobby-less life. What do you love to do? I love making music, taking photos, crocheting… you might love yoga, playing chess, doing the crossword, reading.[3] Whatever it is you do, please continue to do it. Cling onto your hobbies for dear life, because the things you love are ultimately the things that make you who you are. Your unique interests are valuable, and, at the end of the day, matter more than 1/3 of a letter grade. You never know — the stress-relief might actually improve your grades! Either way, you deserve to cherish and to nurture the activities and skills that bring you happiness.
Law school is demanding, but it’s also a lot of fun! Don’t let yourself be convinced that it should be painful or draining. Allowing it to consume you and the things you enjoy will needlessly strip law school, and your life, of joy.
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jkd2dd@virginia.edu
[1] This is a real thing: It’s called media multitasking and it annihilates your attention span and memory.
[2] My favorite shows — I’ve watched them so many times I could recite them line for line. If you haven’t watched Seinfeld or Hunter x Hunter, definitely put them on your spring semester watch-list.
[3] Reading for PLEASURE, not for class!