From the Mouths of Babes: How to Survive 1L

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!

1. Remember that you are just as brilliant, well-rounded, and accomplished as anyone else at law school. 

When I started 1L last year, I immediately felt intimidated by all the impressive people I met. I thought to myself, “How could I possibly measure up to a class full of such amazing people?” But, what I learned throughout the course of the year is that everyone has particular talents and accomplishments and no one is really better, or smarter, than anyone else. Having the mentality that you need to ‘measure up’ to your classmates is what makes you high-strung first semester and ultimately will lead you to morph into a scared, less confident version of yourself. Just remember that you got into law school, and be confident about who you are and what you can do.

2. Keep on top of your readings

I actually was given this advice before I started law school by a friend who already was in law school in Western Canada. He told me that once you got behind in readings, it was like a snowball effect. If you get behind in a little bit, you will do it again, and again, until the point where it is physically impossible to ever catch up again. I tried to keep on top of my readings for most of first semester and for the most part I was successful. However, I also must note that I learn through reading rather than lectures so for me, doing the readings was the core part of the learning that I did in law school. Also, take notes while you read. Yes, it will take longer (particularly in the beginning), but trust me, once you read something you don’t want to have to go back and do it again. Also, if you do the readings before class (highly recommended) and take notes, you can follow along in class with the notes you made and instead of typing frantically for the majority of the class you can actually LISTEN and just fill in your notes with what you missed / got wrong. PLUS, if you keep up with your readings and make notes during the year, exam time will be a breeze (ok not a breeze, but at least not a gale-force wind!) 

3. Learn your study style

As alluded to above, everyone has a different study style. Some people absorb information best through reading, others through listening and taking notes, and some through more artistic ways – like drawing pictures. Hopefully you already know what way you prefer to learn from undergrad. However, I might note that I altered my study process slightly when I came to law school. In undergrad, I would read the textbook throughout the course and then once again (the entire thing) right before the exam. However, I knew that in law school this wouldn’t work. I needed the information summarized in front of me for class (I can’t remember details of so many cases!) AND I knew that there was no way I could possible read all of the cases / readings before each exam. So take your style from undergrad and amp it up a bit to fit the law school experience.

4. Have fun!

First year semester is tough, but believe me it is a lot tougher when you block out the outside world and do nothing but study all the time. Sure, you might be ahead of the game if you study and stress all the time – but what’s the fun in that? In my opinion, law school isn’t just about learning content and doing well in exams. It’s about the experience – making friends, colleagues, and a future network, and being able to look back on these years as some of the best in your life. You don’t have to party every weekend or attend every event, but make sure to give yourself a break (often) and do something fun! Also – if you had a hobby from undergrad, keep it up! Sing, dance, play a sport, whatever! It’s important not to forget who you are when you come to law school.

5. For those of you that live in Passy: There is a grocery store a 10 minute walk away! 

Ok, so this is just for those who live in Passy (as I did). The whole year I was frustrated at having to get groceries. It’s a necessity of life but sometimes when you are crazy busy, and without a car it can really be a source of anxiety. Anyways, after bumming rides, renting Zipcars, taxiing, and even taking the BUS to some of the bigger grocery stores like Walmart or Superstore to get food, I discovered (in the last couple weeks of school) that there was a lovely community grocery store on Sentinel / Four Winds Drive. It’s an easy walk and SERIOUSLY takes less time, money, and effort than any of the other options, especially if you don’t have a car!

Focus on learning the fundamentals for the course and staying caught up with the main work, vs. trying to learn it all and knowing the 'smaller details'. The keys to sanity are time management and discipline... not so that you can over work yourself, but so you can get work done during the day, and relax in the evening... Enjoy your classes... it can be very interesting Don't be hard on yourself! Most people won't get A's and that means probability wise, you won't either. It's great to strive for, but if you have the attitude that you won't be happy without great grades, you are setting yourself up for disappointment, and that can be very tough. Give a fair effort, and be good to yourself, and above all remember that who you are is always worth more than what any grading scheme says your 'worth' Start being the person you want to be today... in all respects, not just in terms of academics, because life doesn't 'start' when you graduate - there will always be enough 'work' out there to drown even the most ambitious person; so reflect on where you want to go and why, and know that no matter what your grades, you can get there... honestly... grades are not as big of a deal as they seem, and there are many paths to our goals, most of which are hidden and never discussed.

Best of luck to all of you in your first year!!

Get involved in an activity at Osgoode that appeals to you – it’s a great way to meet people outside your section, and it allows you to: a) get a well needed break from school or b) allow you to use what you’ve learnt in a practical setting.

Don’t give up activities you love that aren’t law or law school related – sometimes it’s good to take a break and do the things you love – it also makes you less resentful of the busy periods during the school year.

Make time for the things that are important (sleep, exercise etc) – maintaining a balanced lifestyle helps to keep you grounded and less stressed.

Get to know your classmates! They are a huge resource and it’s great when you can support your peers and they can support you. 

Efficiency is important, work hard but don’t spend time doing work that won’t help you in an exam setting. In the same respect, your first semester especially is trial and error – so it’s better to do too much work (and then do less later), than not enough and have that reflect poorly in your first semester grades. 

If you have midterms with no down side (if you do better on the final then you’re midterm mark doesn’t count) – prepare for them like they really count anyways. It’ll give you an idea of where your weak points in the materials actually are so you can get help or put in more time before it’s too late. Preparing your summaries for finals will also be a lot easier.

Don’t listen to too much of the hype (especially around exam time) – do what works for you and realize that unnecessarily stressing is not going to help.

-Make sure to be social! There is an endless amount of work that you could do if you wanted to, but you need to find a healthy balance. Forming study groups is also beneficial for your school work, especially to go through practice exams and take up answers.

-Exercise and continue to do things you enjoyed before coming to law school. Sports in particular can be a good way to release your law school stress (e.g. mine was on the soccer field).

-Be very careful about budgeting time for your perspective option paper, as the deadline may be very close to exams.

-The Irwin Law books and recommended readings are great resources.

-Continue to use your study strategies that you used before law school – they worked for you then, and should work in law school too! 

-Get to know your profs by looking at past exams answers, practice questions etc.

1) Don't get caught up in study group madness. If you find people you work with well, great. But, don't feel like you should be a part of an "official" study group from the outset just because everyone else is joining one, especially if you are used to working independently. Once exams come around, you might be in a better position to judge what you need and who you work well with.

2) If you are like most law students and breezed through undergrad, you might do so once more in law school. However, for some (including myself), the 1L experience required teaching myself study habits that I have not had before. This included getting things started a lot earlier, giving myself more time in general, and scheduling my days a lot more than I was used to. Make sure to reflect on whether old habits are working and adjust accordingly.

3) Use your time strategically. You will reach a point where you simply can't do everything that you are asked to do. Learn to prioritize and plan. Make a schedule and when it's time to move on from one task to the next, move on.

1) Don't worry if it seems like the people constantly raising their hands in class are smarter than you. They tend not to get the highest grades.

2) Because of the curve, law school is essentially a competition, but the people who are willing to help each other tend to do far better than those who aren't.

3) Realize that you’re likely not going to have to brief all the cases, nor will you absolutely have to. Use a summary to build on briefs instead of starting from scratch!

4) You probably already have a decent idea of what sort of studying works best for you. Stick with it, but be willing to try new strategies just to see if they work better.

5) 1L can easily become all-consuming, but take some time to see your friends and family if you're near home, or else to do the sorts of fun things you liked doing before law school.

6) There are all sorts of amazing extracurricular opportunities at Osgoode. Be sure to take advantage of some of them, without spreading yourself too thin.

7) Treat your fellow students with respect, kindness, and general decency. Not just because that's how you should treat everyone in your life, but because it'll come back to haunt you later in your career if you don't. (I know a few people that I would never, ever recommend for a job based on their conduct in 1L).

8) Realize that law school isn't for everyone and that's okay. You're not a failure if you realize this isn't the career for you. No one that is accomplished enough to get into law school is a failure, and no one will think that you're a quitter if you decide after a year or two this just isn't for you. Sometimes it's better to leave before you amass further debt. Sometimes it's better to take a year off to clear your head and figure out what your goals are and how to best achieve them. It's okay to choose a different path! At the same time, remember that plenty of people who dislike law school find rewarding careers as lawyers and that law school itself is not very reflective of what it's like to work in the field. Please speak to upper years and the career counsellors to get an outsider's point of view! 

9) A bad mark on a midterm often has no bearing on the grade you'll end up with, so relax. Likewise, a high grade doesn't mean you'll end up with an A, so don't get a big head.

10) At reasonable intervals, reflect on why you're in law school and what you hope to get out of it. Then consider if you're doing what you need to do to achieve those ends.

11) Law school exams don't measure how smart you are. They measure how well you're able to apply information amassed over the course of a semester / year in a three-hour period, with an inordinate advantage given to those who can read and type quickly. Don't let grades affect your self-esteem too much, for better or for worse. Please don't feel stupid because you're NOT. Remember that you wouldn't have gotten in here if the administration didn't think you would be a brilliant addition to the legal profession. They believe in you. 

Don't get stressed out by the volume of work or getting an A. The sooner you accept the fact that you're likely going to get B's (less than 20% of 1Ls can get As due to the curve), the happier and less stressed out you will be. The workload can be overwhelming at times, but if you use the same study strategies you used in your undergrad you will get through it. However, be aware of your strengths and weaknesses and realize that you may have to change your study habits from your previous education if things aren't working. It definitely takes a bit of practice to be able to write decent summaries and exams! Definitely use old summaries as skeletons. I also really recommend planning your time very carefully- I use calendars and daily lists to make sure I've covered everything.  

Sleep, eat, work out if possible, do your best and do not be overly concerned about marks. I found I always did best when I stopped worrying about it. Stress actually makes you do less rather than more work. More importantly, just try to make the most out of the experience: sign up for a mentor through the Mentorship Program (or just ask an upper year for advice!), be involved in extra-curriculars (great way to meet upper years!), and appreciate law for what it is (if you can, because it is an amazing thing to study).

This summer, hang out with your friends / family as much as possible. Hit the gym. Enjoy your summer, there is no better preparation than relaxing then. During the school year, get a locker and pace yourself. Additionally, make a good group of friends, and ask for help from upper years when you feel like you’re drowning. Stay positive. The worst thing you can do is get overly bogged down and succumb to the pressure. Pressure is inevitable, but don't crumble. It gets better.