Note that this post was originally published on Zheng’s personal blog on Medium. This is Part 2 on “The 1L Online Experience”. Check out her blog here: https://zhengyiong.medium.com/

In Part 1, we left off right after midterms in December. The waiting game for grades began…

New Year, New Beginnings

Midterm exams ended 2 days before Christmas (talk about dragging it out all the way to the end!). I was relieved, but immediately anxious thinking about my grades. I felt that I put in a solid “B” effort, but it was too hard to gauge until the scores came back.

Thankfully due to everything being online, there wasn’t the usual post exam chatter about how others felt about the questions and what they did or did not write down in their answers. My anxiety was always heightened by the collective stress and I tried to stay out of them.

We had a short 1.5 week break before jumping right back into the winter semester. Every year, the University of Calgary (UoC) has a 3 week foundations course at the beginning of each semester for 1Ls, and this semester, we were able to participate in our first moot! It was definitely a great experience learning how to research and draft factums in preparation for the moot. Of course, the moot was held online this year, and we had extra leeway in terms of being able to refer to our notes, but it was a great introduction to how mooting works, and I look forward to participating in more moots moving forward.

Soon after, our classes resumed and it was back to normal.

1L Recruit - PANIC ?!!?!

After the foundations course ended, , classes resumed and applications for the 1L recruit were due at the same time. A new wave of anxiety swept over me. Will I get a job? Will my grades be good enough? What are interviews like? Will the interviewers like me?

I tried to combat my nerves by networking and chatting with students and associates at firms I was interested in. The career office helped to ease some of the stress by holding recruit workshops, and I leaned heavily on my network to provide input on my resume and cover letters. Grades were also released a week before applications were due and they were not what I hoped.

I wasn’t expecting an interview at all. I was scared. Unsure. And I felt that if I didn’t get a job, I would be a failure.

The Aftermath

Interview week ended as quickly as it started (this seems to be a theme for the last year eh?). It was a great experience and although I did not secure a job, I met so many amazing people and had a lot of interesting conversations that I hope to continue down the line.

I met up with my mentors to debrief the entire process and the main takeaway was that not securing a 1L job isn’t the end of the world (I know, a little dramatic, but students tend to blow things out of proportion sometimes).

New Study Strategy

Right before applications were due, I got my grades back and were less than pleased. It was so difficult trying to learn everything remotely and I personally struggled a lot with the lack of face-to-face connection with my friends.

It was really hard to gauge whether or not I was on the right track in terms of studying. I read the readings. Made the notes. Created CANs and course outlines. Yet I felt like I needed the extra support.

I reached out to the academic success program at school and was able to get a tutor to help me in subjects I was struggling with. This is difficult for me to admit publicly but I feel like it’s important for potential law students to see that not everyone succeeds the first time they go about law school - it’s a work in progress!

My tutor was amazing - she explained concepts and made me think about the subjects in a different way. I could tell that she really enjoyed the material and in turn, that made studying subjects like contracts and criminal law a lot easier. It was also a lot of fun studying with someone and having that human connection throughout the semester.

We were able to develop a more efficient study strategy for the final exams and refine my outlines so that I was in the best shape possible come April.

I highly suggest to anyone who is struggling in law school to reach out to the university and seek out resources to help elevate their studying and overall experience. It is incredibly scary and daunting doing law school alone - every bit of support helps!

Finals, Grades, Aspirations

Fast forward to finals week, I felt a lot more prepared for my exams when it rolled around, but was still extremely nervous because I knew that these were the grades that potential employers will be judging me on as they screen applicants.

Newsflash: I will always be nervous starting an exam online - it doesn’t get better.

It’s a terrifying feeling that 1L grades essentially determine how your career starts. Subpar grades lead to fewer OCIs, which leads to fewer chances of getting that fancy job at a national firm. Those are my aspirations anyways.

Many mentors have shared their own stories of their career journey, and said that at the end of the day, you will end up where you are meant to end up. I’ve spoken to everyone from partners in national and international firms to lawyers who are extremely happy in general counsel roles in-house.

I know that big law isn’t the be all and end all, but I would love to start my career in a large corporation with the resources that will help me grow and find my place in the legal profession. I know that the path to big law is extremely competitive and only so many students can secure these positions…

I guess I’ll come back with an update after the 2L recruit so stay tuned!

Light at the end of the Covid Tunnel

If you’ve made it this far: thank you!

I know this is just one out of thousands of experiences this past year so it means a lot that you care about what this one law student thought of her online 1L experience!

It was definitely odd and not the way I envisioned my 1L to go, but I knew I made the best out of it. I had struggles in both my personal and academic life this past year that were compounded by the pandemic, but I’m really proud of myself for making it this far.

It’s so important to have a strong support network who you can lean on because law school is truly tough. I attribute so much of my success to my best friends and mentors.

Taking time for self care was something I tried to prioritize as well - whether it be going to the gym, cooking, having phone calls with friends, and journaling.

It was truly a period of personal growth for me and I have learnt so much from so many people.

As the days get longer and sunnier, I’m hopeful that Covid will soon be a distant memory for all of us and that we can return to normalcy soon.

Finally, I’m looking forward to meeting my classmates in person this fall.

❖ ❖ ❖

At Beyond the A, we understand that anxiety and mental health is a serious issue. While we do not purport to be experts, our mission is to open up the conversation and provide you with the tools and resources to excel in your career and beyond. If you are seeking immediate help, please contact a healthcare professional or access our resources page.

Given the sensitivity of the topic, we are always open to further conversation about it. Email us at info@beyondthea.co and someone from our team will get back to you.

The 1L Online Experience (Part 2)