Dear 1L, Will I make friends at law school?
Dear 1L,
Will I make friends at law school?
Will there be parties and bar scenes?
Or will I have zero time for social life at all?
These are all concerns that swirled inside my head, that July of 1993.
Eager with anticipation and excitement, I was, for sure. But also mired in anxiety. (I battle with that, as I’ve mentioned before.)
A lot of you incoming 1Ls have mentioned your own, kindred thoughts—mostly, like for me, about finding other, supportive people and making friends.
You can and will find your people. My humble advice is this:
1️⃣ Law school can be cut-throat, because there is a curve.
The curve pits you against each person in your section for grades.
Don’t let that reality change how you otherwise would act or treat others.
🔹 Be kind and helpful to EVERYONE in law school. You never know when someone might come through for you in your future career.
2️⃣ There will be people who’ll try to brag about how many hours they spent studying before every class. It will make you feel insecure about your own preparation.
🔹 Stay away from those people! BUT, don’t burn any bridges—sometimes those folks turn around. They are just insecure themselves.
3️⃣ Always remember that each student, professor, and staff member at your law school is a potential future client or referral source.
🔹 In 5-7 years, you may be desperate for a network. Maybe you need to change jobs, to get an introduction to someone they know, or have them write a letter of recommendation.
* * *
Start building your legal network early. Start today.
⭐️ LinkedIn is the first place you should be.
Please do not hesitate to reach out with any questions at all. Nothing’s a silly or dumb question. If you have it in your head, odds are that many others do too!!
Fondly,
💌 Amanda
July 15, 2022