At the end of the first year of law school, many rising 2Ls leave for their respective destinations with an array of emotions but they are excited that the academic year has ended. The anxiety about academic performance is significant for most students. Some of these students had a rough fall and spring semester because they did not achieve their academic goals for any number of reasons. They are also uncertain about whether the adjustments and newly implemented strategies will yield the positive results they expect for the spring semester. There are other students who had a successful fall semester because they met or exceeded their academic goals but found spring semester rather challenging and/or competitive. These students are now fearful that they will not academically perform the way they did in the fall. Finally, there are students who are confident in their academic performance both semesters but they are simply exhausted by all the energy expounded all academic year. At the start of the summer, all of these students are happy to turn the page and embrace a new chapter away from the rigors of the first year.
For some students, the summer means getting sleep and reentering life as an average human being. The recharge of energy is necessary for these individuals to function effectively during the academic year. This might be the student who does not take on activities a typical law student might expect to the summer of their 1L year. For others, the end of classes marks the start of an externship, internship, or summer associate position. For these students, this is an opportunity to do what they came to law school to do and to be exposed to some of the intricacies of the legal profession. Over the years, I have noted that students who return from these experiences are more motivated, have gained perspective, and are more confident in their abilities. Certain other students instead opt to take summer classes, pair summer classes with summer practical experience or work, or simply work. These students feel a sense of accomplishment because they are a few credits ahead or have secured finances for the summer and the academic year. For all students, the 1L law school experience may have created some self-doubt that is now long gone.
All this to say that fall semester is a great semester for most returning students (2L, 3L). Students are more alive, reenergized, and reconnected with the confidence they had when they first walked into the law school. Students are optimistic and maybe even idealistic. So how do we capitalize on this bliss?
- Bottle it up. I encourage students to bottle the summer experiences and feelings so they can utilize them later, at a more challenging time. It is often the case that students who had very difficult academic experiences are the most excited about their summer experiences such as projects and cases they worked on, how they performed in summer classes, or the fun things they accomplished.
- Be purposeful. This is a time for students to jot down their aspirations and dreams and contemplate how they are going to achieve them. These can be as simple as adding one opportunity to obtain practical experience each and every semester to feel connected to members of your community.
- Recreate the experience. We discuss how students can have the summer experiences here in the law school environment. Would it entail collaborating with a professor to make something happen or do we already have things in place?
- Empower. I actively listen to students as they share their experiences and take mental notes with the goal of later empowering students. I remind students of their accomplishments over the summer when they are disappointed. I use their practical experiences when we meet one-on-one because I know what their interests are and can help them bring the material to life. I also highlight how their experiences and individuality can contribute to the legal profession. Finally, this is an opportunity to highlight skills that they developed and explore how they can use those to be a successful student. Also, simply reminding a student about a positive comment made by a supervisor or professor can be helpful at times.
Since we are in the business of helping students succeed academically and on the bar exam, we need to pay attention to other aspects of our student’s development. We need to help students recognize the skills and gifts they possess and have developed. (Goldie Pritchard)
