You’re going to be OKAY.  That’s probably the first thing you need to understand.

School

Next, I would start by getting a good summary from Legal & Lit or from upper years you meet. They generally need to be from the same professor teaching the same class, but if you have a visiting or new professor you can often base your summary off of another professor’s. At least for the first semester, read the assigned cases and annotate the summary you’re working off.  Having the summary saves you time because you won’t need to format the text and it will enhance your understanding of the cases because it should contain useful commentary from the student(s) (often more than one) that have used and improved the summary.  Go to all your classes and make notes in the summary. I used a different colour of text for the in-class notes, so that when it came to editing and combining the summaries, I knew what my professor said in-class and what was previously in the summary (which could be incorrect).  You’ll know by midterms (and even more so by finals in December) whether you need to read the cases completely, whether you can read just the facts or whether you can get by with just a good summary.  But in the beginning you don’t know, so don’t chance it. 

Life

You need other things in your life outside of law. If you’re from Toronto, this is a bit easier. If you’re not, you’ll need to make an effort to find things that you can do to meet people in a non-law capacity. Join a club or an interest group at Osgoode or the greater York U community. Find a non-profit organization that you can volunteer with for a few hours a month.  If working out or cardio is your thing, get a gym membership and stick to a regular schedule.  Join one of Osgoode’s intramurals teams during clubs day – even if you’re not great at the sport. If you don’t know how to cook, this is a great time to learn how to make quick, simple and healthy meals.  Don’t make fast food your daily staple!

You’re going to get a lot of this over the next few months, but it’s true – you’ll need to find a balance between school and life. It will make this year easier for yourself and the people around you!