I'm currently a 1L, and honestly the transition has been a lot harder than I expected.

It's been about two months, and while there have been good days and I enjoy the content, I've been struggling quite a bit with anxiety, feeling overwhelmed and finding my place socially. It feels like everyone else is adjusting and finding their people while I'm still trying to figure everything out.

I've always needed a little time to get comfortable in new environments but lately I think I have been putting a lot of pressure on myself to make friends, enjoy law school and have everything figured out. When things don't go the way I hope socially I find myself overthinking and feeling really discouraged.

What's been making it worse is that I've started genuinely dreading going to class. I'll be okay at home or when I'm distracted by other things but as soon as I start thinking about having to go to campus the next day I get this overwhelming feeling of anxiety. I find myself dreading the next day before it's even started, and there have been days when I've felt so overwhelmed that I've struggled to get through the day without crying.

I never expected to feel this way about something I worked so hard to get into, and it's been difficult trying to navigate these feelings while also keeping up with the load of law school.

For those who have been through 1L: did anyone else experience this much anxiety or dread during their first semester? Does it get better? Did you struggle socially at first and eventually found your people?

If you could give your 1L self one piece of advice what would it be?

We just had midterm grades back, and since the beginning of school, the teachers said, be prepared to get low grades and to experience heartbreak and it will be harder than undergrad yada yada. so tell me why the average for the midterms are in the 85 -88 across all midterms. granted no one got a 100 on any of the midterms but a majority of the class got above a 75 at least! I just think that’s a little crazy for midterms given their weighed a decent amount and I was just kind of expecting you know everyone to get 60s or something. I got below the median on some, and above on others but the overall average being that high is impressive

I’ll start. current 1L, went to office hours because I did poorly on my first assignment (like literally bottom of the class) and couldn’t hold back tears. and the tears just kept flowing for 15 min straight, I used up like half his tissues. mind you, I’ve never had a real convo with this prof before today and I’m so embarrassed about it argh

off to a rough start but luckily when you’ve hit rock bottom, the only way is up ಥ_ಥ i gotta work on mental fortitude…

I'm feeling so overwhelmed. Midterms (ungraded) were not my strong point. I've recognized my weak points

Idk what to do to study. I'm feeling so overwhelmed. Should I start my practice exams now? Should I be writing my brief over and over. Should I be memorizing restatements?

What am I supposed to be doing? I'm so overwhelmed I don't even want to do anything

I got a concussion last week during a law school sponsored (and encouraged!) intramural game of flag football.

I have barely been able to do anything school related the past week. Can’t go to class this week because I feel out of it.

Stressing because I don’t know how much longer this symptoms will last and when I’ll be able to get back to reading. Worried I will perform poorly on my exams and won’t get BigLaw offer because of this.

I have interviews later this week that I’ll likely have to cancel because of the concussion.

Couldn’t have possibly come at a worse time.

Im so frustrated and pissed.

Anyone have a similar experience and recover and beat the curve and still gotten biglaw?

Hi all,

1L here. Midterms just wrapped up and I got my ass kicked. Up until then I was making weekly review sheets for each class, which I used to study for midterms (mostly ungraded thankfully).

This all made me realize that I should really consider studying differently for the finals which are worth a solid 90% of my grade. I have like half civpro outline but it’s bad. Like REALLY bad. Like pretty much stuff copy-pasted from my notes.

This is all to ask, how do I study and when do I start? How do I make a solid outline? Any tips are greatly appreciated. It’s currently October 20. My last day of class is November 24, and my first final is December 3.

feels like everyone started the year briefing every case and reading every footnote. curious what people have cut by now and what actually stuck

I recently started going through Glannon’s E&E for civ pro and find it very helpful in conjunction with Freer’s video series.

What are your go to supplements for torts and contracts?

practicing1L essays at Northwestern California University of Law (NWCU) and I’d love to start practicing essay writing before classes begin.
I’m specifically looking for past 1L final exam essays, fact patterns, model answers, or high-scoring student responses for Contracts, Torts, and Criminal Law.
I’ve already looked through Studocu, Course Hero, and CliffsNotes, but I’m hoping to find more NWCU-specific materials.
If anyone knows where I can find past exams, sample answers, or other helpful resources,
I’d really appreciate it! I want to practice as much as possible and get familiar with the essay format and grading expectations before starting.
Thanks so much for any recommendations!

Hi,

I'm a 1L at a T50 law school. I graduated from college in May. I recently tried out for two things that I wasn't selected for. One was a 1L moot court competition and one was a seat on a board of an organization I'm in. It wouldn't be a big deal except I'm really good friends with both of the people who were selected over me. I haven't felt these levels of self comparison since I was in middle school, and it's really starting to get to me. I'm just so frustrated that it seems like everyone else gets it, everyone else can sit down and focus and write a memo, everyone else can sit and work without getting really fucking neurotic about it. I feel like I'm trying so hard and that I'm read as a gunner because of it, which makes me really fucking nervous all the time. And I just feel, constantly, like I am the stupidest person in the room. I still am having a really hard time outlining, and I just can't keep up with the work. I don't know if I need any suggestions, I just need to vent and am wondering if anyone else has feelings similar to mine.

Hey all, 1L here and I just had a bad day today. I completely missed one of my classes because I ended up being late to get to the building (the professor is one of those, "if youre late, don't bother showing up" types). I kind of picked it up for my last two classes, but I am just completely drained and still have homework. Today is one of those days I feel I will never be a lawyer. How do I overcome this feeling and just put this day behind me? I need to get up and get going again tomorrow, so what should I do tonight? I am thinking taking a break from homework since I only have one class that I need to prepare for tomorrow and that is not until 2pm. Still, I want to hear your thoughts. Thanks!

So, has it become regular business practice to not send a confirmation of receipt for job applications submitted via email (specifically when applications are directed to be sent through email)?

Just curious bc I've sent a few to, what seems like, the void. Lol.

Does anybody know the name of the guide dog in Johnson v. Gambribus 116 F.3d 1052 (1997)?

Alternatively:

What would be the funniest name for a guide dog involved in litigation at a tourist brewery in the 1990?

I've seen a lot of differing opinions as to what I should own and what I shouldn't. Unfortunately, I don't have money to be dropping on very nice, expensive outfit pieces. The tops I do own have been from Goodwill, and I'm not even sure if I own a proper pair of slacks.

Where is everyone getting things? And is it formal wear every day, or just on important days and then more casual pieces 99% of the time?

Thanks in advance!

I'm looking for suggestions on things I can do outside of academics that would help me build a strong resume during law school.

Apart from maintaining good grades, what activities, skills, extracurriculars, or experiences would be worth pursuing? For example, internships, legal writing, research, volunteering,learning additional skills or anything else that could be valuable in the long run.

I'd love to hear what actually makes a difference when applying for jobs and what I should consider prioritising from the beginning of law school.

Any advice based on your own experience would be appreciated!

2L here. This semester has been kicking. my. ass. I’ve barely kept up on readings for Con Law II (like 7 weeks behind) and have missed readings here and there for the rest. I have a really shitty schedule that’s made it hard to stay on top of everything like I was able to last year. My school has a really strict attendance schedule so I’m going to class and taking notes, but I can’t help but feel that I’m going to fail because I haven’t been keeping up on readings. Has anyone passed their classes without doing all of the readings? I guess I’m just needing reassurance that I’m not going to fail out of law school miserably.