About three months have passed since the fall semester of 2L begun and I still feel like a 1L. LOL

This year is different in a lot of ways but the biggest difference is everyone independently has a lot going on. For myself, I’m typically on campus Monday and Wednesday, with three classes each day: Con Law, Ethical Lawyering, and Business Associations. On Thursday, I have a clinic meeting from 9 AM to 12 PM. The clinic itself requires about 10 hours of work, aside from the 3 hour Thursday meeting. This particular schedule keeps me very busy throughout the week, including weekends. However, after 1L year I learned that neglecting self-care and time away from work is not the way to be a successful law student. Neglecting yourself will lead to burn out which will then take away from your law school experience. So, during a typical day of this semester, I leave to school at 12 PM, Monday and Wednesday and stay on campus until 10:10 PM. I have a three-hour gap somewhere in between, so I try to use that time to read, study, and have lunch. The remainder of the week, I run personal errands, prepare for my classes, work on my clinic’s clients’ cases, and REST. Thankfully, my current schedule has allowed me to continue painting, which is my hobby. A painting can take me anywhere from 2-6 hours or more, so I have to block out specific periods of time to create a balance between my schoolwork and my hobbies.

Planning ahead has definitely helped keep this balance but I am human and not every week goes as planned… and that’s okay! Finding balance looks different for everyone, but if you’re like me and you need specific guidelines to do anything…definitely create a list of priorities for the semester and model your to-do lists after these priorities. In creating a list of priorities, do not forget that you and your wellbeing are also priorities. It’s all trial and error, really, but the most important thing is to keep going!

The end of the semester is the perfect opportunity to not only reflect upon your performance on the immediate semester, but also the ones of years past. As a first-year student, when you are in the thick of things, and learning with a whole new set of style and demands, it can be hard to reflect. But looking back on my first-year experience, I am overall proud of the obstacles I overcame, but I do believe I could have done things differently. So, I would like to take this opportunity to pass on some advice to the incoming students and the 1L class. One of the greatest pieces of advice I would take as a 1L student is not to be afraid of practice too early. Many students are used to mastering the material first, but there’s a lot of benefit to early practice. Don’t be afraid to start working on practice problems and essays even before you are comfortable! Continued practice can solidify what you already know, and identify the weak spots early. It’s not about getting it perfect, but seeing the improvement over time. But the single best piece of advice I would give is to adopt a growth mindset. To put in concisely, the growth mindset takes our thinking from “I can’t do it” to “I can’t do it… yet”. Seeing struggles as an opportunity for improvement is pivotal to enduring the marathon of law school. It acknowledges that these struggles can be hard, but that they are not impossible. I encourage all students to look into the growth mindset in general, as it really can apply to any aspect of life. I wish all students going into finals the best of luck and happy holidays!

Being back on campus brings a lot of emotions to the surface. I am both excited and already tired. Excited because the campus feels like a second home and I get to see my peers. Tired because the grind never stops, as we all know by know. I had about a month off between finals and the first day of Spring semester. This was the best reward after the stress that comes with finals. During break, I got to spend time with my newborn nephew, family, friends, and others. I tried to also focus on my self-care, which I began prioritizing last year. I have friends in medical school and they were discussing how they were preparing early for the new semester. I decided not to do this for my own sake. It is great to be prepared, but it is also great to know yourself and have boundaries.

I had three finals at the end of Fall semester: Constitutional Law, Business Association, and Ethical Lawyering. I took what I learned from my test-taking abilities and mistakes from 1L and made a few adjustments. I am happy to report that it paid off. In this way, I think law school has changed me. I am more of a problem-solver in all aspects of my life now. At the beginning of 1L, a professor told me that law school changes you; you come in one person and leave another. It is very true.

My focus is always on maintaining my core values and only giving my time to activities that align with those values. Yet, it is inevitable that I will change. Law school is tough and comprised of constant hurdles. It is only natural that such a journey rewards you with change. 

For many law students, the excitement of the 2L and 3L years includes the freedom to take different electives. This is the prime opportunity to explore what areas of the law may interest you. Or, this is a great opportunity to take specialized classes or pursue a concentration. Although a concentration is not mandatory, it’s a great option for students to take a pre-set course schedule that focuses on one area of the law or more generally, litigation or transactional law. When I started my 2L year, I already had an interest in family law, and wanted to pursue a concentration that would give me the skills to succeed. That is how I eventually chose the civil litigation and advocacy concentration, because litigation is an important part of family law. Through this concentration, I spent my 2L and 3L year taking elective courses that would help me in the future. For example, I was required to take a trial advocacy class, which culminated into a final mock trial. I got to learn how to make objections and argue motions in limine from my professor, a seasoned federal public defender. I was also required to take a year long civil litigation practicum course, where we took a simulated civil matter and litigated it from the complaint stage to a pre-trial mediation. These types of classes are extremely important to learning more practical skills as well as the law. When choosing electives, try to look for a manageable balance of course schedule, but also courses you are interested in. This is one of the best ways to maximize your law school experience!

Picking electives can be fun, but it can also feel like a sort of logic game. You have to look at the course offerings, select a few classes you’re interested in registering for (most likely required or suggested courses first), create a plan B in the event the courses are at capacity and you can’t register, etc. Of course, you must also consider the number of units of each class and what day(s) and time the class will be held, and if you will be working or participating in a clinic. THEN, you really narrow your elective choices down. I chose to register for Social Change Lawyering, because it is something I’m very passionate about and it aligns with my values. It also fits perfectly in my schedule, because my Evidence class ends at 5:20 PM and Social Change Lawyering begins at 8 PM. I may or may not have become a full-time evening student. Haha. I guess I just got really lucky with an elective I love which is compatible with my time on campus.

Although I am aware of my values and topics I’m passionate about, I also want to explore different areas of the law and learn as much as I can while I’m awarded the flexibility to do so. For this reason, I did not pick a concentration. There are just so many interesting fields of study that it is difficult to commit to one. I feel I can just dive into many of them in my remaining year and a half here. I fully respect students who have committed to a concentration or field of study as it reflects a certain level of dedication and certainty. However, I feel uncertainty and curiosity are equally respectable and admirable. The world is our oyster as law students!