July 13, 2016

Preparing for Orientation

What to wear, what to do, who to meet, and what to pack for law school orientation. What To Expect At Law School Orientation. prepare for law school orientation. what to wear to law school orientation. what to bring to law school orientation. what to expect at law school orientation. new law students. law school blog. law student blog. law school blogger. law student blogger. | brazenandbrunette.com

My college orientation was where we learned the fight song and where the main buildings on campus were. It was tailored to 18 year olds who are bright eyed and bushy tailed. But law school orientation is for grown ass adults who don't care enough to play ice breakers or sit around in color groups talking about peer pressure and drinking. Expect your orientation to be straightforward and business-like (but not as boring as a board meeting).


What to wear

For some reason, when people think of law school they think ~lawyer~. I saw people show up to orientation in business casual (some even in business professional) with a legal pad and briefcase in tow. But they forget that this is law school so you're not a lawyer yet, you're just a student. Even Elle Woods wore hot pink jeans and an off-the-shoulder top to orientation! If your school wants you to dress up, they'll let you know. Other than that don't sweat it and just wear something that is comfortable (you'll be sitting a lot) but also that doesn't look like you're about to workout or nap. You might also make sure your hair and makeup is on point if this is when your school takes photos for your ID. 

Related: What to wear to orientation


What to do

The stigma of law school will have you in this initial frenzy where you always think you should be trying harder. But now is not the time! I saw way too many people frantically trying to write down every word that the Dean said. This is a total waste of time! Spend most of your time just listening to what they're saying and I promise most of it will stick with you. And what doesn't stick with you is probably stuff that you'd figure out anyways.

If you're assigned any readings for like a mock class, definitely make sure that you do the reading! We had two cases and one person got called on who clearly had only skimmed it a little bit and it was awk.  


What to pack

Even though I already said don't spend the whole time taking notes, you probably should bring a laptop or at least a notebook to jot down any important dates or information that is mentioned. Bringing your planner would also be a useful idea. And make sure you bring a pen! There's always some form to fill out and my orientation actually had us sign in during the morning and again after lunch.

Probably the most important, but easily forgotten thing is snacks! I brought crackers, trail mix, and a water bottle after that first day where I almost starved to death until I bribed a girl I was sitting by to share her extra granola bar. 

Who to meet

Make sure that you meet at least one go-to person at orientation. The girl I met saved my ass on the first day of class, was my moot court partner, and always gave me notes when I missed class. Using the buddy system is also a great way to successfully tackle a networking event.  

You also might consider having a game plan when you go in (this isn't as tactical as it sounds). Right after school starts, there's essentially class elections. If you want to run for one of these positions, you'll need to get your name known because people will just vote for whatever name sounds familiar. Or if you want to be an officer in a student organization, it will also help if people know your name. So go be a social butterfly!

Final Thoughts

Ok so this is kinda unrelated but I just found a website that I think might help some of you 0L's prepare for law school before your orientation. First off, no this isn't sponsored. Second off, I checked and it's free. It's this website called LearnLeo and it's just this really simple, easy thing that takes like 15 minutes of you time and just explains to you what things are and what to expect at orientation. You just make an account with your school email and then it has little tutorials on Law School Prep. 



preparing for orientation | brazenandbrunette.com

For a more in-depth look at how my orientation went, check out my posts about Day 1, Day 2, Day 3, Day 4, and Day 5!

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