Reflecting on 1L

To be honest, I'm not sure what I expected from my first year of last school. I read plenty of blogs and law school prep books, I worried more than I thought possible (which is saying something due to the fact that I can overthink getting takeout or not), and I researched constantly--maybe that was foreshadowing?

All in all, I finished my 1L year last week. Cue the confetti and balloons! Although it may have felt a bit anticlimactic considering online classes, pass/fail grades, and COVID-19 hanging over the second half of the spring semester, I still celebrated with my friends in a Zoom call and maybe cried some happy tears after I turned in my last exam. It's a huge step to get through a year of law school, and I thought an important part of celebrating would be looking back at the past two semesters on here.

Orientation feels like a world away. I found some of my worksheets from orientation while cleaning my room, and I remember sitting in my classroom, surrounded by a ton of strangers who made up the rest of my section, thinking to myself that this was too much to remember and that I would never understand what was going on. And now, I know that me from a year ago would look at me now and see someone they want to be--confident and full of knowledge with an eagerness to learn more (how cheesy is that?).

The memories I have from orientation week don't revolve around what I learned in lecture--IRAC and book briefing were something I would figure out in class--but focus on making friends. It was hard to think about then, but all the incoming students were just as confused and hopeful as I was. There were optional breakout sessions at the end of the first day, and I chose to attend one for out-of-state students. A bunch of us decided to go to a local bar to hang out some more, and I still talk to people from that day now. Being surrounded by like-minded people who share the same dream as you--to become a lawyer--is incredibly validating and comforting.

One of the most important aspect of law school is the friends you make. I don't think anybody could get through law school without a great support group. My friends and I have sat through tough finals, unfair midterms, long nights at the library, and more. Friends are essential for all of that--having someone who will make you laugh during a study break or join you for a Starbucks run makes a huge difference in your mental health and makes the challenge of law school even easier. I'm so grateful for the people I've met this year, and I can't wait to one day graduate with them.

Speaking of gratitude, something I'm grateful for in addition to my friends is the academic challenge of law school. Obviously, it's tough. That's definitely a given. But as I've told people before, as stressful as it can be, I genuinely do enjoy every moment of it. I've always been someone who gets bored if I find school too easy, so law school was a natural fit for me. In addition, the rigor of it has taught me to be even more hard-working and determined--I've always been someone who did well in school and didn't really have to study for tests in high school, but law school has shown me how much hard work pays off.

1L has been a great year, and I can't wait to see what 2L and 3L have in store for me.

xoxo,

Rachel