Tuesday, June 1, 2021

What my First Year of Law School was Really Like

First year of law school, blazer, suit, pink top, business formal, business casual, office outfit,

Law school is definitely what I expected and but also a bit more.

I read a lot. I knew I was going to read a lot, but not as much as I actually did. If you don’t like to read, law school is not the place for you. I have to say, Wake Forest prepared me really well for law school. I think the workload is very comparable from my undergrad to law school, even though the workload is different. In undergrad, I had a lot of assignments and homework to be turned in. And in law school the only assignment you have is the final test. This was a hard adjustment for me. All of the reading is important for the end of the semester test. I don’t think any school could have prepared me for law school exams.

 

I cried a lot. I normally am a “cry alone” kind of person, up until this year. Maybe the pandemic did that to me, or maybe law school did. But I have cried in my friends arms too many times this year.

 

My dark circles have never looked darker especially during finals. Thank goodness for undereye patches.

 

I learned so much, more than I can fathom. I am so proud of my brain for retaining all this legal information. I feel smart, and being smart is sexy!

 

I also laughed a lot. My friends are some of the funniest and smartest people I know.

I met an amazing group of lifelong friends in the fall. Alex and Trish were people I met on the first day of class. Law school is definitely a bit “cliquey.” The social scene is a bit like high school with everyone having a set group of friends, but there is no reason you can’t be nice to everyone! 

 

law student

I was happy when I was laughing and succeeding but I also struggled. I was so stressed most of the time. I had so many knots in my neck and shoulders by the end of the semester. Ask my family and friends, but I was a completely different person during finals. I was definitely not the nicest or happiest person around. 1L is a lot of work, for not a whole lot of time to do it.


I had bad test anxiety and it was only the test to blame! I had been preparing for months for my finals, but when the final counts for all of your grade and the grade is on a bell curve, I don’t know one person that didn’t have test anxiety.

 

Law school is competitive, but I never let the competition get to me. My friends and I don’t discuss grades or gpa’s or rankings, we are a very collaborative group, and I am so thankful for them. But I know others who are very competitive, and I bet the competition adds a lot to the stress. So, if you can avoid sharing grades, I would.

navy suit, pink ruffle neck colored shirt, banana republic, law school

I am really proud of myself that I was able to complete the hardest year of my academic career during a pandemic. First semester I was in person every day, wearing a mask, and adjusting to law school. But then in the spring, I took some of my classes in person and some online. 

I have loved learning for the past 17 years, and especially this past year in law school, but I am looking forward to the day law school is over. I wouldn’t suggest being a 1L to anyone. Honestly, that’s how hard it was. 

But I have heard that after your first year, it gets better, so here’s to hoping.


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