Senioritis — “A supposed affliction of students in their
final year of school, characterized by a decline in motivation.”
-Oxford’s
English Dictionary
And just like that, I’m over halfway
done with my second to last semester of law school. I honestly can’t believe that I’m almost done
with law school, it feels like just yesterday I was a baby 1L trying to get
used to the changes from college to law school.
Not only are there changes adjusting to law school, but each year of law
school seems to be slightly different than the one before. I thought I would share what I found to be
the biggest changes from 1L and even 2L years to 3L year.
Freedom
of Class Choice
During the first year of law school,
every law student across the country takes the same (roughly) classes: Legal Writing/Research, Civ Pro, Torts,
Criminal Law, Contracts, Property, and/or one semester of Con Law. At my school, the administration allows 1Ls
to pick one out of a few elective options for 1L spring semester, but besides
that tiny slice of freedom, everything is set by the school. In addition to the traditional 1L classes,
most schools require law students to take a course in Professional
Responsibility, a second semester of Con Law (First Amendment), Evidence, and
upper class writing requirements. I took
the first three last year and a few other courses that are prep for the bar,
such as Business Organizations and Federal Taxation. I also took some classes that are required
for the IP concentration at my school so this year was the first year I could
really pick any courses I wanted. I
definitely think it’s a good idea to take some courses that are on the bar, but
I would also suggest picking some classes that seem fun and interesting (but
also practical) during your 3L year.
Less
Class Time
I feel like I never have class
anymore. I’m taking 14 credits this
semester, but three of my five classes are only once a week so that really
eliminates a lot of time that I would have been spending at the law
school. In addition, my research
paper/seminar course doesn’t consistently meet for our whole scheduled course
time since a majority of the work for that class involves writing outlines,
drafts, and separate portions of my research paper. I noticed last semester than when I had less
class time, I would spend more of my time doing things that didn’t relate to
school. So when I had an opportunity to
continue working at the company I interned with last semester, I jumped at the
opportunity because I enjoyed working there, and working means I don’t have as
much free time.
More
Practical Work/Classes
As I just mentioned, I’m continuing to
work where I did this past summer so I get to have a combined experience of
classwork and real work at the same time.
A lot of law schools have an experiential learning requirement, which a
lot of people do during their last year and a half. I think this is a great way to give law
students a taste of what it’s really like to be a real lawyer before actually
taking the bar because a lot of what you learn in classes doesn’t translate
exactly how you discuss it in class.
Speaking of class, I definitely think taking practical writing courses
are extremely beneficial as well. These
types of classes can revolve around contract drafting, interviewing clients,
trial advocacy or pretrial practice, etc.
I find that more of these types of classes are taught by adjunct
professors who do this every day and know how to explain the transition from
classroom to actual practice.
Stress
in Different Ways
Regardless of what year of law school
you’re in, they’re all stressful (I mean it wouldn’t be law school without
stress, now would it). The first two
years of law school most of the stress comes from trying to find the time to
complete readings and study for classes with a bit of stress from finding the
right internship or summer associate position.
However, in 3L year, I think the general stress from prepping for class
and outlining goes away because most 3Ls have mastered these tasks in the past
two years. The stress now stems from the
decision of what job should I apply for, what job should I take, where should I
sit for the bar, is my character and fitness application correct and up to
date, and then prepping for the bar examination. There’s so much going on that it’s a little
crazy but it’ll all be worth it in the end.
Senioritis!
I could honestly say that I never had
senioritis in my life until it came to this year. I don’t know what it is, but even though I am
enjoying most of my classes, I just don’t feel as motivated as I did the past
two years. Don’t get me wrong, I’m still
reading for class and doing my required assignments but I’m not doing them with
the same gusto and urgency that I previously have. Maybe because subconsciously I keep thinking
that in the grand scheme of things, my assignments really don’t matter. But then I remind myself that they actually
do matter to my GPA and my graduation status.
I guess that old saying “1L, they scare
you to death; 2L, they work you to death; and 3L, they bore you to death” is
definitely true. This year is a strange
mix of emotions and mental anguish surrounding this year, but the light at the
end of this weird law school tunnel is coming soon. If you’re a 3L like me, what are your
thoughts about our final year of law school?
And if you’re a 1L or 2L, what are you looking forward to about 3L year
(trust me, you’ll get there!)?
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