When law school started back last fall, I felt like my social skills were not as strong as they used to be. After quarantining, social distancing, and staying at home for about a year and a half, it felt kind of weird to be surrounded by classmates and people again. I did feel a little shy at first when meeting new people, but generally everyone is excited to get to know each other and to start this new chapter of their lives.
It’s important to develop social skills in law school, because that’s how we build connections and network. Forming study groups and having friends to rely on are especially important. Part of the process is just introducing yourself to your peers and requesting to exchange information. It may seem awkward at first, or you don’t want to bother other people, but we’re all in the same boat. Everyone is generally nice and wants to help one another in order to succeed in class.
I’m glad that I have friends that I can reach out to if I need any help with school. If I ever have any questions on the material or didn’t catch something in class, I know that I can always shoot a text to my friends at any time of day. Even if it’s really late at night, usually someone will always be awake. It is also really helpful to compare outlines with one another to see if we are missing any crucial information or certain topics can have more detail. I think it’s really important to study with someone else because when we are reviewing concepts or doing practice problems I tend to reinforce the learned material better by being able to orally discuss it.
Besides having friends and peers as resources towards succeeding academically it’s also important to have friends who share the same experience as you to provide moral support. Law school can be overwhelming. It’s comforting to have people around you who understand your struggles and journey as you navigate law school together.