So much time has passed since my first blog post I made back in the early fall. While it is difficult to see it in the busyness of my school day, when I take a step back, I realize that those roughly 6 months have completely transformed me as a student and person. Downtime isn’t easy to find during 1L, but I decided to take the time here to discuss some of the things I found to be different between my fall and spring semesters. Disclaimer: this is my experience only; however, I am hoping it’s more relatable than not.
- Classwork
Maybe it’s because Constitutional Law and Criminal Law speak more to me than Torts and Contracts, but the classwork this semester is just easier to understand and engage with. Having experienced a semester of sitting in class not knowing how to take notes, being afraid to start an outline then completing three, and taking my first law school exams, I now have an understanding of what is expected of me and how to actually do it (awesome!). The fall experience made me more confident in reading my assignments and going into class knowing what I should be taking away from the readings, but also not stressing if I don’t know because guess what: that’s the point of class! My comfort level in taking and organizing notes have also improved, especially with my late-fall discovery that I cannot focus on typing my notes using OneNote’s default Calibri font. Typing my notes in Times New Roman has been a huge game changer (whether this is scientifically backed or not is none of my business). To summarize, having 1L Fall under my belt has informed me on how I should properly and efficiently be gearing my focus this spring semester.
- Classmates
The last time I had classes with the same group of students every day was 2016. What happened in 2016? I had my last eighth grade class. Here we have 3 sections of approximately 70 students, and each section sees and talks to and sits next to each other everyday. I absolutely love the BC Law community, and love knowing all of my classmates and seeing the same faces everyday. However, every law school environment will become high-stress at one point or another, and eventually at one point in the semester (exams, or in the case of 1L spring, all semester) you will feel the stress from yourself and other classmates start to feed off of each other.
There are a few things I learned from this. First, it’s important to be friendly with your classmates, but just as important to set healthy boundaries when you find yourself overwhelmed. I do this by not studying on campus when I am overly stressed, or if I’m on campus, I choose a fourth-floor library study cube instead of going to my usual choice of a table.
Second, who you surround yourself with becomes extremely important. My roommate is in a different section from me, and it’s been great being able to talk with someone who understands exactly what I am going through, but is also a bit more removed from my day-to-day at school. Try to surround yourself with people who lift you up, help you destress, and keep you grounded.
Finally, it’s important not to take everything personally and to try not to feel like you’re doing something wrong. It can be easy to compare your study habits and pacing to other classmates, but at the end of the day you are always running your own race, and the means to your academic and professional ends likely don’t look like everyone else’s.
- Perspective
I actually haven’t totally gotten this one down pat, but I am including it because it’s important and I am sure it will ring true someday. For now, I will repeat what my professors and non-law school friends said to me: completing your first semester of law school is absolutely a huge deal! I do have moments of sheer gratitude, even when I’m stressed about work or anxious about the future, when I realize what a privilege it is to be studying law at an amazing school in an amazing city with amazing student outcomes. Taking a step back to give yourself some grace and a pat on the back is something I did not do enough of my first semester, but have been trying to do more this spring. I have written about this in past blogs, but it really is so important to stay connected to friends and family who have no idea what you’re doing in law school, because they’ll make you feel like a super cool genius (which you are) learning really great stuff (which is true).
All of the lessons learned last semester (as crazy as it felt) have made me a better student this semester. It’s important–not just for 1Ls, but for all law students–to take a break from the readings and memo writings and whatever else to recognize just how far you have come in your legal education, whether it be measured in years, months, days–or the hour and 20 minutes of a class period.
Alexandra Staller is a 1L student at BC Law. Contact her at stallera@bc.edu.
BC Law: Impact 