Accept the fear of the unknown
The worst part going in to law school is that all you hear are the horror stories and the "get out while you still can" jokes, and nothing can really help you be prepared. It's stressful at first because you never know if what you're doing is correct or even good enough. TBH, this gets a little better after the first few weeks once you get into the flow of class, but really doesn't go away until after your first finals when you've gone over your test. Then you'll know exactly where you stand in comparison to your classmates, what professors expect, and what you need to do to improve.I wish there was something more than just "take it day by day" that I could say that would make you feel better, but there's not. BUT, you can take solace in knowing that everyone else in your
Remember that you're new to this
So if someone around you uses a legal phrase or mentions a judge and you're just sitting there like Ha ha ha yeah mhmm I know exactly what you mean ha ha ha... that's ok! You're not any behind these people, they're just overachieving. When I got to law school I didn't even really know the difference between a trial court and appellate court, or even what case law is.This is law school, a place where you're presumed to come in knowing nothing and to learn about the law. Think back to Kindergarten -- if you showed up not fully knowing your ABC's or the names of all the colors then that was totally ok because that's what you were there to learn.
Stop comparing yourself
Without sounding harsh, there's always going to be someone better than you. That's a fact of life. The great thing about law school is when you see someone who you think OMG they are so good at this mess up on something that feels so common sense to you. Sounds bitchy, but really it's just a little validation that you're not the stupidest person in the room (it's a common feeling).The biggest thing I want to stress (and don't know how to do this without seeming bitchy, so sorry), is that just because someone acts like they have everything together in class does not mean that they are any better than you. This sounds very guidance counselor cheesy, but not everyone learns the same. You could be just as smart as the eager beavers in class, but when you start comparing how they dress/behave/participate, you'll start to think that they're ahead of you and it can wreck your confidence.
Give up on perfectionism
I feel like law school tends to be packed full with Type A perfectionists who have always been the best. I mean you didn't get in to law school by barely scraping by in undergrad. The problem is that law school is basically rigged to where your best is never good enough thanks to the curve. At the beginning this sounds really scary like oooh you're probably going to be a C student and can make you freak out.First, have solace in the fact that it is statistically as hard to fail as it is to get an A, so at least you shouldn't flunk out. Second, just accept the fact that a B or even a C in law school is nothing to be embarrassed about. Your goal should just be to survive the first semester, and then the second semester to improve your grades a little in each class (so like a C+ to a B-). If you're too focused on being the top of your class then you're going to miss this important step on improving yourself!
Stay focused on your goals
Don't stress yourself out by pressuring yourself, but do set goals and work to achieve them. Don't think of law school as one big competition of you against everyone else, but think of it as you trying to better yourself—similar to when you decide to eat better in order to be healthier, but not because you are trying to be the healthiest person at your school.
I just wanted to thank you for your blog! I'm starting law school in a month and these posts are super helpful!!
ReplyDeleteOf course Maura!! I never want anyone to feel like how I did when I was starting law school, which was like a chicken with my head cut off lol. Good luck with your 1L year!
DeleteI wanted to thank you also for your blog! I stumbled upon it on pinterest and just spent about 3 hours reading every post you've written! I will be attending law school in the fall and have the same worries as you did- what to wear, where to live, how do i cope with it all! Your posts made me feel better and gave me some great advice so thank you so much!!
ReplyDeleteOMG Rachel you're so kind!! I'm glad that you happened upon here and I hope that I answered at least a few of your questions. If I didn't, feel free to email me!
DeleteI love and really appreciate this post. I am currently in the final leg of my first semester of law school, and my fear of failing and not being perfect are getting the best of me. I worked my butt off during reading period and prior to make sure I know the material and know how to tackle hypotheticals, but there's always that lingering feeling of the sky falling, that I am going to fail out even though I've never failed a class in my life. This first semester is filled with so much uncertainty and anxiety - it is truly unbelievable. Thank you for putting it into perspective :)
ReplyDeleteAlivia that's exactly how I felt this time last year! It seems like no matter how much you prepare for class, you never quite feel fully prepared, and it's even worse when you get called on and realize that you didn't understand something as well as you thought you did :/ I think this is because in undergrad not everything that you learned was brand new information so you kind of had a grasp on the concept before you started learning about it, but here usually when you learn something it's the first time that you've even heard of the concept so it can eat away at your confidence. Just stick it out for these next few weeks and I promise next semester will be way less intimidating!
DeleteOk so I’ve been reading your blog since summer and this post came up on my Pinterest board. I know this is an old post, but I’m commenting anyway because I can relate to EVERYTHING you wrote. It’s the end of the 5th week and my first midterm is Monday. My confidence is super low and I’m emotionally drained from the first few weeks. This post helped me so much. I just wanted to thank you for your posts and your blog in general. It’s one of the biggest support systems I have right now so thanks!
ReplyDeleteBeatriz I'm not going to lie I'm a little bit teary eyed because I'm so glad that I could be there for you and be a little support system reminding you that you got this! That's literally my main goal of this blog is to help y'all out in any way that I can think might be helpful :) I hope that this semester has gotten a little easier since your midterm!
DeleteBeatriz- I am SOOOO with you. No one can really understand how emotionally draining law school can be. I cry a couple times a week. I just try to focus on each task... one at a time... break things down to tasks I can manage... and then cry some more... and then do it again tomorrow. We can do this, girl.
DeleteThank you.... just... thank you. I'm a couple weeks out from my first semester finals and you touched on EVERYTHING I've been feeling. The hits to my confidence just keep on coming and I TRY to tell myself to stop comparing myself to everybody else. Thank you for truly making me feel like I'm not alone.
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