My Advice to an Incoming First-Year Law Student

     As graduation is rapidly approaching I have been feeling particularly nostalgic. Law school has been different then anything I have ever experienced and through the highs and lows I have learned a few things. Overall law school with all its challenges is an experience that leads to incredible growth academically as well as personally. This is the advice I would give to an incoming first-year law student. 

1. You are smart enough to be here. It is normal to doubt yourself especially the first few weeks of 1L. Although it seems like a daunting task, don't let self-doubt get the best of you. If you study and put in the effort you will succeed.  You have the skills to learn to digest this kind of information and before you know it, you will get through the reading faster and have a much higher comprehension of cases. 

2. Nobody knows what's going on in the beginning. You will adapt.   It's okay if everything does not click for you in the beginning. All of your classmates are likely just as overwhelmed as you are. Some may be hiding it better than others but law school is a huge adjustment for everyone. Give yourself some grace and remember everyone is in the same boat. 

3. When a Professor repeats something more than once in a lecture, WRITE IT DOWN. Professors generally want you to succeed and often put great emphasis on what they deem is important. Although reading and taking good notes are extremely important, listening to what is emphasized in lectures is imperative. Although it's tempting to answer emails, play games, or online shop during class, try to resist the temptation you will thank yourself later.

4. Try to consistently condense information. Although everyone talks about "outlines" that can mean different things to different people. For me, the word outline at the beginning at 1L year was all I heard but I was never really sure exactly how to do it. My advice would be to condense information in any way you think will benefit you the most. Whether that is in a flow chart, word document, or piles of flashcards. Reviewing throughout the semester not only helps you retain the information but also makes reading week and finals a bit less stressful. A good goal is to condense information every 2-4 weeks of the semester. 

5. Get involved in things you like and can get excited about. Law school is full of things that are stressful and frankly not always super fun to do. Although it is important to get involved and add things to your resume try to get involved in things you actually enjoy. There are a large variety of clubs, journals, advocacy boards, and pro bono opportunities to choose from. Instead of picking only what you think looks best on a resume try to choose things you will also enjoy and can get passionate about. This will make getting involved easier and lead to a more enjoyable experience. 

6. Try to Get Comfortable being Uncomfortable.   Law school is full of uncomfortable things such as getting cold-called, legal writing, networking, interviewing, and completing oral arguments. These things can be very stressful and uncomfortable at first. My best advice is to lean into being uncomfortable. Do you hate interviewing? Set up mock interviews with the career office to practice and get the jitters out. After a few mock interviews, you likely will be much more comfortable interviewing. In addition to leaning into things that make you uncomfortable also try to remember not to take things too seriously. By that I mean everyone makes mistakes there is no value in beating yourself up because you feel like you bombed an interview or didn't know the answer when cold-called. Nobody will remember those things but you and you will learn from these mistakes and crush the next one!