As a 1L, you enter law school with the best of intentions. You're full of excitement and drive, and you may even be bringing with you some study habits from undergrad. Some may help, others may not. Follow along over the next few days as we roll out a short and sweet, yet infintely helpful, series on identifying the top 5 mistakes 1Ls make, and, of course, how to fix or avoid them.
Mistake #1: Taking on too much too soon
You're finally in law school, which for some of you is the start of your lifelong dream of becoming an attorney. So your excitement and ambition is completely justified and understandable. But there's a reason most law schools rein-in your extracurricular and work schedules. Even though most first-semester 1Ls cannot work, intern, or join competition teams, they can still run for student government positions or even assume volunteer roles. Or they devote a lot of time to networking.
"You need to develop a sterling work product worthy of your network's referrals and praise first."
The fix: Your number one priority during your first semester of law school is to focus solely on getting a feel for this whole "law thing." Learn the language. Get a feel for the pace, schedule, and accountability system. There's plenty of other time to network and get involved later. So don't fret or feel as though you're falling behind the social game. We repeat, networking and fostering relationships are important, but they can take you only so far. You need to develop a sterling work product worthy of your network's referrals and praise first.
Stay tuned for Part 2, and in the meantime, just focus on your studies and learning to think like the best lawyer you can.
