It’s hard to believe that my first year of law school has come to a close, and I’m officially ⅓ of the way through the JD program. At times I wondered if I’d make it, but here we are! The first year of law school is notoriously hard on its own, and doing it all via Zoom was an additional challenge. Reflecting on my time so far, I wanted to share a few of the major lessons I learned in my first year of law school… and don’t worry, it has nothing to do with the subject matter jurisdiction of the courts or contract remedies.
Perseverance is key
Law school is HARD. The subject matter of each course is difficult, and unless you’ve previously worked in a legal role, it feels like you’re learning a completely new language. But the aspect of law school that was the most challenging for me is how constant it is. There is always more reading, more studying, and more networking to be done. There were more times than I can count where I wondered how I could possibly manage everything on my plate. But as daunting as it can be, you’ll always find a way to make it through with dedication and perseverance. I realized that you don’t have to be perfect, you just have to do your best and keep going. When I took my first set of final exams, I was convinced I was going to fail. I locked the door to our office room and cried as quietly as I could so Aaron wouldn’t know. But I pushed through, and when I got my grades back… I was so shocked (and proud!) to see that my hard work had paid off and that I did better than I thought I would.
You know more than you think you do
When fall semester finals were approaching, I had so much anxiety wondering if I had even learned anything. Being in law school truly feels like trying to drink out of a fire hose, and I wasn’t sure if any of the information actually stuck. To be quite honest, I wasn’t sure if I actually had a good understanding of what was going on in ANY of my classes. But then exams rolled around, and to my surprise, I found myself using the full three hours allotted to write my Contracts final exam, which was a single essay. The law is complex and nuanced, and 1Ls aren’t meant to have a perfect understanding. As long as you keep moving forward, you’ll be just fine.
Everyone experiences imposter syndrome
I’ve heard so much about imposter syndrome in law school. And of course, I was convinced that I wasn’t just experiencing the “syndrome” but I was actually the one that didn’t belong. Despite everything I’d heard about imposter syndrome, I just couldn’t seem to convince myself that it wasn’t just me. I talked to my mentor about it, and she agreed that she had experienced the exact same thing I was feeling. I was shocked because she is so smart and so qualified—she was exactly the person I wanted to be! There was nothing for me to do but get over myself and my insecurity and focus on doing the best I could. The truth is that no one here in law school has it all figured out. We’re all just learning as we go and getting by the best we can! So yes, imposter syndrome is real, and I think everyone experiences it at one point or another, whether it’s grad school, a new job, or any new endeavor. But no matter what the circumstances are in which you’re experiencing it, you’re there for a reason. That self-doubt we feel is self-inflicted and unwarranted. You’ll be surprised at how far confidence will get you.
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