The first semester of law school is a bit of a whirlwind. Everything, and everyone, is new. Discussing legal concepts is different and exciting. Being put on the hotseat during a Socratic discussion for the first time, although quite intimidating, can feel exhilarating.
Then you return for the second semester. Little is new. In fact, you’re often in part two of several two-semester courses. The romance starts to wane, and you must put real effort into maintaining that spark!
What should you do?
- Remember why you are in law school. What was your intention? Think about that end goal and let it be what you need to push forward.
- Start to plan your future schedule and include different kinds of classes. Consider taking simulation classes where you take part in roleplay. If appropriate, consider enrolling in a clinic. Classes that differ from the traditional Socratic discussion model might be just what you need to make law school exciting again.
- Start to build your professional network. Join a new student organization or local bar association. Get excited about the new relationships you’re building. You may very well find a new dimension to law and legal studies that you did not know existed.
- Acknowledge how you’re feeling. It’s perfectly natural to have ebbs and flows throughout your legal education. Accept your feelings and remember that they are likely temporary. Legal education, like the legal profession, changes and grows.
- If you are doing well in school, consider becoming an upper-level peer tutor after the first year. Giving back to students helps in many ways. You will gain a real sense of accomplishment when you realize you know enough to help others understand their first-year courses. Additionally, each time you tutor, you reinforce the legal doctrine for yourself. You will likely see all the first-year topics again on the bar exam. Repeatedly reviewing and explaining these concepts will cement them into your long-term memory. Consider pairing with a student mentor now to learn how they go about helping other students.
- Accept that not all of law school is fun and exciting, but it is all necessary. Put the work in now, so that you are prepared to take and PASS the bar exam after you graduate.
You may need to push yourself to stay motivated. That’s alright; you’re in law school which means you have not shied away from hard things. Before you know it, law school will be finished. You’ll wonder how it went by so quickly.
Lauren Hespos has a J.D., an M.S. in Education, and a certificate in Positive Psychology. Hespos is an adjunct professor of skills and the Assistant Director of Academic Excellence and Bar Success at Touro Law Center where she teaches academic success courses to first-year students. Hespos has vast experience in higher ed administration including law school student affairs, law school central administration and enrollment management.
