I didn’t think I’d need to prepare for law school. I already did the hardest thing of all: I got in! Yet the more I learn about 1L — a year seemingly marked by uncertainty and acute pressure — the more I realize that that couldn’t be further from the truth. I need to prepare, and more than that, I need a strategy.
I recently read One L by Scott Turow, a book about Turow’s first year at Harvard Law School. It is incredibly well-written and gripping; I couldn’t put it down. Although Turow’s first year of law school was in 1975, and I imagine that many things have changed since then, I also recognize that things in the law school and legal orbit take eons to change. I would be an idiot to think I am immune from the struggles he encountered; I don’t think any 1L, at any law school, is.
From his book, and from other resources I’ve consulted (which I’ll share in depth), I’ve gathered that people who attend law school are very similar. Generally, we are type-A, go-getters, people who have always been good at and enjoyed school. Some of us feel as though we have an edge because of these qualities. I do! Yet when you enter the first year of law school, these qualities are no longer unique. Everyone is ambitious and everyone wants to succeed. What has long distinguished you from your peers is no longer relevant.
This loss of identity taken with the daunting unfamiliarity of law school often leads to a culture of intensity and achievement. Law school is notorious for having a unique grading structure, typically with one exam worth 100% of your final grade, taken at the end of each course. Add professors who give minimal (if any) feedback on top of that, and first year students feel heavy bouts of inadequacy. Turow writes that “the first year, when we do not know the language or how well we are doing, when professors seem only to be posing riddles every day, is bound to throw us for a loop.” He continues, “the driven quest for prominence which brings us [to law school], leads us, once we arrive, to an almost inescapable temptation to scramble, despite obstacles and ugliness and bruises, for what sometimes looks to all of us to be the very top of the tallest heap.”
Turow describes moments of self-doubt, of losing himself, and of going after things he wasn’t even sure he wanted — moments I presume are universal to the 1L experience. He also describes moments of pride, of forming beautiful friendships, and of learning to love the law. That I will have difficult experiences and even more amazing ones is something I am sure of.
All of this to say that while I am so, SO excited for law school (words seriously can’t do justice!), I am also a little bit scared. I feel like I’m about to enter a vortex, where law school is synonymous with my life. I want to prepare on multiple fronts to excel in this environment: academically, personally, and physically.
Someone told me recently that law school is like gas — it takes up as much space (and time) as possible. To handle the work load and mitigate burnout as best as I can, I want to develop a study strategy. Diving into law school with the intention of figuring out what works best for me by trial and error seems hugely ineffective. Instead, I plan on course-correcting my already sound strategy once I’m there. I also want to familiarize myself with a very baseline legal knowledge (I feel like I should know what “holding” means before I start reading cases?). Further, and following Turow’s and others’ descriptions of 1L, I want to create a wellness routine to maintain my mental health and stay true to myself. Finally, I want to continue prioritizing my physical health. Apparently, getting sick in law school is a bitch, and I will be taking every precaution to avoid that.
So, how am I doing this? A concoction of books, movies, online resources and communities, podcasts, exercises, and conversations. I will tell you everything I’ve consulted, what I’ve found helpful, and the specific strategies and routines I’ve started to create; I will also tell you about the law school experience I want, the extracurriculars I see for myself, and the ways in which I plan to handle it all. This is quite possibly my longest post ever, so buckle in!
I have always imagined that law school will be some of the best years of my life. In order for this dream to materialize, I know I have to show up as my best self — or at least not an insecure and vulnerable version of myself. While I may be going overboard in preparing, I am confident that doing this preparatory work will maximize my 1L experience.