Life at Allens
Maintaining wellbeing during clerkship applications
Navigating clerkship applications can feel overwhelming, so it's important to take care of yourself throughout the process. We caught up with three Allens grads and asked them to share their top tips for maintaining wellbeing during clerkship applications.
Jason Wang 
Keep your friends and family in the loop
Clerkship season can be an incredibly stressful time - especially when university or personal engagements don't slow down to accommodate. Keeping your close ones in the loop helps to give a fresh perspective when you hit application roadblocks (friends and family are great at identifying your selling points) or need some encouragement. Sometimes, a debrief is all you need to get back on track.
Be kind to yourself
It's inevitable that you might encounter some setbacks along the way. Whilst setbacks are essential to learn from, it's equally important to reflect on all your achievements and remind yourself of the reasons why you are applying, and that you're doing the very best you can. As 'kindness' is very personal and will vary from person to person, it's important to check in with yourself. 'Milestone Messina' worked for me – at the end of major milestones (eg, end of written applications or interviews), I would treat myself to a cone of gelato and reflect on the little wins!
Sarah Bux
At times, the clerkship process can feel overwhelming – by balancing work, studies and applications, you may think at times that there is too much to do and too little time. But take it from someone who went through the process – you can do it! Here are three things which I did when I applied for clerkships which you may like to try, too.
Never underestimate the power of planning
Start early, make checklists and tick things off as you go. This is a great way to stay on top of what is required by each application, and remind yourself to celebrate each milestone along the way.
Talk to people
There are many people who are (or have been) in the same boat. So why not reach out to some friends who are going through the same experience? You may even like to exchange tips and tricks.
Make time for you
Clerkship season can be busy, but it's important to give yourself some time off. Whether it's playing an instrument, going to the gym, playing a sport or even streaming your current favourite show – don’t forget to give yourself a break from the application process and do things you enjoy.
Brayden Poon
Reframe your focus
When you are in the clerkship process, it is natural to become overwhelmed by the competitive nature of the experience. I found it beneficial to shift my perspective and to view the process as a chance to form genuine connections and get to know the people that I encountered from each firm.
While this sounds simple, it can help you to gain perspective and to alleviate some of the stress and anxiety that inevitably accompanies applications, interviews and the long wait until offer day.
Spend time with friends outside of law school
Make sure to also regularly catch up with friends outside of law school and talk about things other than clerkships.
It is so easy to get consumed by the pressures and various commitments of the application process. When I was going through the process, it was all some friends from university wanted to talk about! Staying connected to friends and support networks outside of law school and engaging in non-clerkship-related conversations can offer much-needed balance.
Remembering to take care of your wellbeing and maintaining a balanced lifestyle are important to your ability to make the most of clerkships and the application process.