As a third-year law student in their last semester of school, I find myself reflecting on the last 2.5 years at BC Law. As my fellow 3Ls can probably relate to, law school flies by so quickly—its imminent end feels jarring, and it’s hard to comprehend you have the skill set to both take the bar and to don the title of attorney. 

Remarkably, since I started law school, so much of what I learned about the legal world and myself came from experiences outside of the classroom. I didn’t expect this to be my reality when I was sitting in my law school orientation back in August 2023. Now that I can see the “light at the end of tunnel,” I find it fitting to share with you future law students a few of the myriad of my lessons learned and beliefs instilled in me throughout law school.

1. What everyone else is doing is irrelevant. Yes, you should care about your peers’ (who will be your future colleagues) successes and well-being. You should care about the people around you as fellow humans who are navigating the challenges of law school. However, what your peers choose to raise their hand about in class, what jobs they apply for, what their grades are, who their inside connection at XYZ place is, and how few hours of sleep they got during finals has nothing to do with you. There are many ways I can put this: stay in your lane, block out the noise, keep your blinders up, etc. The gist is, you did not come to law school to play the comparison Olympics with your peers, and ultimately, that exercise will not serve you. You came to law school for YOU—remember that!
2. Your first full-time job after graduation will not be your last. From the moment law school starts, a dominating part of your law student experience will be scouting out your summer positions and securing a post-graduate job. As comforting as it is to feel a sense of security about your most immediate next step, at the ripe age of “twenty or thirty-something,” realistically, wherever you land right after graduation will be just one stop along the path that is your career. Do not tie your worth to the speed at which you find your first job or the title of your first job. You will get where you need to go, and you can’t anticipate at this juvenile stage of your career where that will be.
3. Much of becoming an attorney happens outside the classroom. As I foreshadowed earlier, the practical “lawyering” skills I learned in the last 2.5 years predominantly came from my out-of-classroom experiences. The law school lecture halls provide you with informational foundations and critical analysis skills that shape your legal mind. But like any skill, it requires practice to become perfect. That practice, the application of your newly acquired foundations and reasoning skills, happens away from the lecture hall. For example: how to deliver an opening statement, how to take feedback from a supervisor well and incorporate it, when to yell “objection” in a courtroom, how to complete a legal research project, how to communicate with a client, etc., is learned in practice.
4. Seek out extracurriculars. As the sister comment to the immediately preceding one, get involved while you are in law school. Whether that is a legal practice interest group, a legal journal, a clinic, an externship, leadership positions on campus, moot court, mock trial, do as much of it as you can! Not only do extracurriculars provide you with the aforementioned “practice” you need to exercise your lawyering skills, participating in extracurriculars opens your world up to opportunities. Opportunities such as developing personal connections in the legal field, elucidation about what areas of the law you enjoy, and sharpening your research and writing skills – to name a few. Once again, you came to law school for YOU. Remember what your goals are heading into law school and what you want out of your time here to guide what you get involved in.
5. Self-care is important. Maybe an overstated sentiment, but nevertheless, crucial. Don’t stop doing the things that make you happy and healthy when you start law school. This degree is not for the faint of heart, but it shouldn’t prevent you from being your complete self. Call your family, see your friends, play your intermural sport, go to the movies, close the textbook on a Friday or Saturday night. You don’t get a reward for burning yourself out. Whatever you were doing prior to law school made you a successful candidate for a JD program. Don’t stop using your own secret sauce and switch up the recipe. 
6. Do not count yourself out. Whatever your perception is on your value in any given space, go for the opportunities you want or that come your way. Apply for leadership roles and scholarships, apply for a clerkship, write on to the Law Review or UCC Reporter-Digest. You have nothing to lose from making yourself visible, but nothing to gain if you talk yourself out of an opportunity. 

If you’re an incoming law student, your law school experience will be unique to you, and no one can predict everything you will do and learn. But that’s part of the process of being in law school. Your time here is your own, and you should embrace the unfamiliar parts of your journey. I wish you all the best, and I can’t wait to see what you accomplish!

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Haley Cole is a third-year student at BC Law. Contact her at colehc@bc.edu.