1L: don’t believe everything you read (or hear)
As future 1Ls, we’re all exposed to certain horrifying rumors from our friends and families, and from the news, online blogs or pre-law websites. My personal experience included a combination influence from just about every imaginable source, but even though we’re only less than a month into school, my 1L experience thus far has virtually expelled the vast majority of these nightmarish law school tales. In speaking with some of my section-mates, I’ve compiled the top three greatest fears of incoming first year law students:
1. Your section-mates aren’t your friends, they’re your competition:
The first day of class was a complete surprise. Instead of meeting the notebook-stealing, textbook-tearing gunners I had heard so much about, I was greeted by a section of other people just like me. Everyone was here to learn, everyone bright and encouraging. In fact, I’ve made some amazing friends already that I study with, hang out with and even go to bar review (weekly bar tab through the law school) with! The typical “gunner” we all hear about when we decide to go to law school is so far from the GW Law reality that the GW Law Review made a hilarious music video on the subject, check it out at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hQsPC2n4T6Q. (Warning: this video contains profanity)
2. Professors are scary and unapproachable:
All of my professors have encouraged us to speak with them after class and to visit them in their office hours. One of my professors actually invited our entire Civil Procedure class over to his house to have dinner with his family. While professors do have high expectations of us, they truly want to help us achieve.
3. The life of a law student consists only of studying:
This was so impactful on me that I actually developed and accepted the mindset that I would never leave the library. One could say my undergraduate years allowed me to develop a healthy social life, so this was a huge fear of mine. To an extent that mindset is still engrained in me, as I wonder constantly if I’m doing something wrong because I always have time for hobbies, extracurricular activities and friends. What I’ve found is that with some practice in time-management, there is always time to set aside for myself. Whatever your interests, you’ll be able to maintain them. With the multitude of extracurricular activities offered through the law school (law-related and not), we all find something we enjoy. As if the manageable workload isn’t evidence enough of the healthy lifestyles prevalent among GW 1Ls, the fact that the school encourages us to maintain balance in life, to get involved in activities we enjoy and to cultivate friendships and take time for ourselves is definitely telling.
I can’t speak for 1Ls outside of GW, but I can attest to the fact that law school is not what I expected it to be, it’s better! I’m learning material that I’m passionate about in an encouraging environment among some of the most brilliant likeminded people in the country. I have not met a single unhappy 1L, nor do I expect to considering how dynamic GW Law is. GW Law is an incredible place to be, even in light of the earthquake and hurricane that plagued our first week of our 1L careers. Put simply, all those rumors about how terrible law school is are exactly that at GW Law… rumors!
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This post is irrelevant lol. You’ve only been there for a month. Wait until finals are around. Wait until your first grades come out. Wait until you have to go through a recruitment process that depends 99% on those grades. Then you’ll delete this post in rage lol!
This was also my experience last year during 1L. I really enjoyed the people I met, and many of them will be good friends for a long time. 1L will be exhausting by the end of each semester, LRW will consume your time, and 1L grades are very, very important (since they determine your 2L job search, which can in turn often help determine your post-graduation job search). However, all of that doesn’t mean one has to dislike law school! Finally, the people here are great – and that makes all the difference.
As I mentioned in my post, and as you mention as well, we’ve only completed a month of law school thus far. But I really believe that the law school experience here is unique, and that if you really are passionate about the law, you’ll find enjoyment in the work we do here and that passion will help you succeed as a law student. I, like most law students, did not come to law school with delusions about finals and grades and job recruitment. But it’s a process and I’m taking it day by day, and I have enjoyed every single day so far. This blog is a timeline where I will be able to share my experiences throughout the year, so the blog is relevant as to the day to day life of a new 1L. I also understand that as my experiences evolve, so will my opinions, and that will be reflected here. But I truly believe that one can be happy and be a law student. I have not met a single GW Law student thus far, granted that does not mean they don’t exist, that has anything negative to say about their law school experience, or even anything neutral for that matter. So while this post may seem irrelevant in relation to what the law school experience may be for law students in general, it is completely relevant as to the quality of life here at GW and is a widely-shared view among my classmates and among GW Law students alike.