Do you see a counselor currently or normally in dealing with new life experiences? Whatever your situation, be upfront with yourself about what you need in order to maintain peak academic performance. After a self-inventory, seek these resources in your new campus and community by doing online research, and calling your law school and main campus. Scope out running, biking or walking trails, or find a new gym. Your goal is to get situated early and not wait until the semester starts.
Research whether your campus services
provide free memberships to the university gym and recreational centers.
Many campuses offer counseling services, discounted group fitness classes, and medical centers that can help you transfer your medical prescriptions prior to your arrival. The more in place before you arrive, the more you will feel in control of your schedule.
Academic opportunities
for first-generation
law students
Once admitted, you can apply to scholarships to help defray the costs of your law
school. Contact your law
school and ask if there are merit-based or financially based scholarships or grants. Further, seek out first-generation based scholarships. Ask your office of student affairs to match you with an older law student who would be willing to answer questions about law student life at your campus. Speaking to a student a year or two ahead of you will help ease the fear of launching into a completely new experience. The earlier you seek help, the easier the transition will be.
Networking your way for guidance
One of the most important lessons you will learn in law school is the value of networking. You may wonder, how do you network and where do you go? The typical networking event consists of an evening in a packed room with refreshments and plenty of people who already know each other. This networking atmosphere can be daunting. But, you may feel more at ease by attending events
with a mentor or a few law school classmates.
Ask your mentor to introduce you to people. Spend the evening meeting people you do not know. Networking event attendees are aware that they are at a networking event and are open to speak
with you. Practice an elevator speech; think, what can I say about myself if I was
riding on an elevator for four floors up.4
Be comfortable stating your name, your year, and the law school that you attend,
and one interesting fact about you. Do not be intimidated if this takes a few attempts, everyone starts from somewhere.
Networking events can be like extended interviews, therefore dress the part, and work the entire room. After a few minutes of speaking with someone or even a group, exchange business cards to follow-up a conversations at a later time. Try not to stay in the same spot or with the same group for the entire event. Print, and carry with you a set of business cards that include your name, year and law school, phone number and a professional sounding email address. Business cards may be ordered through your school, or using inexpensive services like Vistaprint, or Staples.
There are other, more intimate settings, in which you can effectively network as well. Start by asking your law school for a list of planned networking events throughout the year. Join local bar associations. Bar associations are divided into practice group committees, or divisions that hold regular meetings. Although it may be intimidating to attend meetings with experienced practitioners, it can be an invaluable learning opportunity to keep abreast of current trends in a practice area. Use online resources like LinkedIn, to join law related groups to meetyour fellow law student cohorts, or practitioners, and most
importantly, your law school alumni.
Always introduce yourself as an interested
law student. Passionate law students who show a strong interest in the law, or take the initiative in meeting legal professionals usually make strong, lasting impressions on practitioners.
Staying the course even through difficult times
Law school can be an exciting, yet difficult, time in anyone’s life!
Law school is a unique experience and often times you may feel overwhelmed or lost. You may receive a grade from your first midterm or your first semester GPA that is not what wanted. For some law students, this will be the first time you receive something lower than a B in a class. Or, the stress may be very difficult. Stay the course, you worked too hard to get to this point.
Perhaps, you may feel burned out and exhausted. Do not let other’s emotional rollercoasters get to you. Seek your old friends prior to law school and let them help you boost up your self-esteem, or just to talk and think about something other than law school.
This is not a time to give up. Instead, choose to persevere by reevaluating your study style and make some positive
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