Hi Everyone,

I hope that despite all that is going on right now you are finding moments to enjoy this summer and that you are looking

forward to starting law school in September. I’m Lauren and I just finished first year (1L)!

My background is in business and I took several years off before starting at Allard. I came into Orientation last summer excited to jump in to all that Allard had to offer and nervous that I wouldn’t have what it takes to be a law student. However, despite my misapprehensions, and the various stressors that come with being a 1L, I ended up having a great year! Yes, it was challenging and stretching, but it was also deeply rewarding and exciting.

When I was thinking about what piece of advice I would want to pass on to the incoming class, the phrase that kept coming to mind was this:

 

Take all of the advice you receive this year with a grain of salt and make it your own.

At various moments last year, I felt swamped by anxiety, comparison, and the sheer weight of trying to follow every piece of advice I had ever received about law school. I hope this doesn’t happen to you, but if it does, remember that it isn’t possible to do it all, and that’s okay.

How you succeed, and even what your definition of success is, will look different from the other people in your class. That’s completely normal. People will have different habits, schedules, family commitments, capacity to grasp concepts, and abilities. What works for some, might work for you (that’s great!) or might not work for you (that’s also great, now you know!). It might take some time, but I’m confident that over the course of this year you will figure it out.

Take me and readings for example. It took me months to admit that forcing myself to get all the readings done before every class was not working for my schedule or learning style. So, I took a step back and re-evaluated.  Some classes I continued to do readings before class, others I did after class when I had a better grip on the material, and still others served as secondary resources that I only looked at when working on an assignment. While it was hard to “go against the grain” and not be someone who did all of the readings before class, I noticed a huge difference in my productivity, emotional and mental health, and GPA.

 

Give yourself permission to do what you need to do to do well this year.

Trust that you have done the hard work of learning how you learn and study best. Trust yourself to know when to turn off your phone and get down to business and when to stop studying and rest.

You have got this, and if you are ever doubting that, or your place at Allard, please find me on FB – I’d love to connect.

 

Lauren

 

“No matter the amount of times

you have felt lost

in a sea of a thousand things to do,

a range of roles and responsibilities

and the variety of ways that others see you,

all along, you have still been you.

You have been growing every day,

and no amount of feeling unnoticed

will pull you away

from this truth.”

MHN