As a first-year law student, you are excited about the new opportunities to learn the law so you can achieve your aspirations of becoming a lawyer. However, the journey may be a little bumpy. We expect law school to be a continuation of our legal education, and it is, but it does not always feel that way. This is particularly true when questions arise about how to prepare for class, even though you can read and believe you understand what you have read. What to do with your class notes and how to prepare for exams in a format you have not previously experienced? It can feel like starting over because the feedback you receive is limited or in your eyes, contrary to what you are accustomed to received for the work you put in. You do what you typically do but it does not seem to come together. You thought you knew and understood the material you had covered only to realize you did not when asked to apply it in a different context. You have to unlearn and relearn how to learn. This is one of the most uncomfortable parts of the experience and not what you expect to encounter. We do not always recall how we went about learning something and even when we do, we do not always fully remember the nature of the struggles we faced. When we do something we simply remember doing it but not always how we learned to do it. As with everything, it may take a little while but we get there.
As ASP professionals, we too must learn new systems and processes, perhaps a new rhythm to the semester or a new approach to familiar tasks when we relocate to a different institution. We are usually not taking on entirely new responsibilities but rather doing similar work that requires additional steps or different adjustments. From advising to monitoring, to delivering substantive content and managing staff and teaching assistants, we forget what it was like to develop a program, locate resources, make mistakes and readjust because this work has become second nature to us. We can recenter and recall processes because we support students daily and help them work through their own. We have the talent; we simply need to acclimate to the new environment.
The Novice to Navigator series is a compilation of reflective pieces on topics related to my own experience navigating a new law school, alongside consideration of how students similarly navigate a new learning environment. Of course, we will not explore everything but we will discuss a number of relevant topics. Enjoy.
(Goldie Pritchard)
