Want to Finish at the Top? Here Are 5 Recommendations for a Successful 1L Year.

Congratulations on your acceptance to law school!

If you're reading this, chances are you're doing your last bit of preparation before making the journey to campus.

You're a ball of emotions – there is excitement, fear, a bit of anxiety, and perhaps a combination thereof.

The first year of law school is a daunting prospect where students must adjust to an entirely new physical and academic environment while performing at a high level.

As such, the primary purpose of this article is to provide recommendations for adjusting to the new environment to perform at a high level to increase your chances of having a successful first year.

No. 1: Prepare for Midterms and Finals on Day 1

The primary goal of all 1L students is to rank at the top of the class. Grades determine rank. In most law schools, two tests determine grades: (1) midterms; and (2) finals. If that is the case, why not prepare for these critical tests before classes start?

Preparation can be as simple as setting these tests as your targets at the outset. Doing so will allow you to put all of the new information you are about to learn in context (which will help you structure how you study, outline, etc.). During my first year of law school, at times, I found myself memorizing black letter law without context. It wasn't until I began to study with an eye toward midterms and finals that my studying became more organized.

At the end of this article, I provide a link to several recommendations for preparing for midterms and finals, even before your first class starts.

No. 2: Have a Routine?

Law school is a new environment that will have unique challenges. These challenges can range from academic to more social-oriented challenges, such as being away from your friends and family. As such, structure will allow you to create a "known" element to overcome new challenges within the environment. The more you can overcome the new challenges, the greater the likelihood you will perform your best during your first year of law school.

A routine is an excellent pillar towards creating structure.

What do I mean by routine?

A roadmap that takes you from the start to the end of your day, including study sessions, classes, activities, etc. The routine will be a work in progress and may change throughout the semester, but having a general roadmap will be beneficial, especially during tumultuous times during the semester.

Contrary to what others suggest, I do not recommend a routine solely consisting of classes and studying. Indeed, I'd argue that such a routine will harm your performance, decreasing your likelihood of obtaining a high rank.

At the link below, I offer a few recommended activities you can build into your routine to increase your performance.

No. 3: Take Advantage of Orientation

Orientation is a golden opportunity to become familiar with your new law school environment. With many law schools, orientation gives you access to most facilities where you will be taking classes and studying. Orientation also gives you access to your first-year professors, administrators, and more senior law students (e.g., 2Ls and 3Ls).

Students tend to take orientation as a passive affair – to listen, get acquainted, and move on. I recommend treating orientation like an "active" fact-finding mission. The more facts you gather, the greater the likelihood you will finish at the top of your class. From my experience and the experiences of other law students and attorneys, I can tell you that not all law students will view orientation as an "active" fact-finding mission. Treating orientation this way will give you a competitive edge over your classmates.

At the link below, I offer a few suggestions on how to make orientation an "active" fact-finding mission.

No. 4: Your Professor is Your Judge

Your 1L professors are perhaps the most consequential unknowns that you will encounter. Each will have unique grading and teaching styles (including whether and to what extent they employ the infamous "Socratic Method"). Your ability to identify and adapt to your professors' grading and teaching styles will increase your chances of having a successful year.

Any competent attorney will tell you that familiarity with an assigned judge dramatically increases the likelihood of obtaining a favorable result for the client. Such familiarity allows attorneys to, inter alia, anticipate and present arguments suitable for the particular judge. For example, in my experience, I have dealt with judges who welcome verbose responses during oral argument and others who abhor such arguments. You can use the same methodology in dealing with your 1L professors.

I highly recommend gathering as much information as possible regarding your professors' teaching styles, grading tendencies, etc. Study their styles and adapt your preparation accordingly. Orientation is an excellent mechanism for obtaining this information. However, the link below will provide additional recommendations.

No. 5: Remember Your Goal

Here is the truth.

You will encounter adversity during your first year of law school. There will be times when you will question why you went to law school in the first place and why you are going through the process. During my first year of law school, I repeatedly asked the question of "why" during finals. Instead of waiting for adversity, I highly recommend a proactive and potentially preemptive approach. Your goal is the most powerful tool in your arsenal to navigate adversity and use it to enhance your performance.

What do I mean by goal?

Well, presumably, you entered law school to either be a practicing attorney or to utilize law in some manner. When you thought of being a practicing attorney, an image crossed the screen of your mind, and when it did, you felt particular emotions – joy, pride, a sense of accomplishment, etc. By goal, I mean the specific image that carried you to this point. That image (or at least a variation thereof) can significantly increase your chances of having a successful first year.

Do you want additional recommendations for implementing the foregoing steps for a successful first year of law school?

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