Amelia Neo is one of BtA’s student ambassadors. She is a 1L at Thompson Rivers University Faculty of Law. Feel free to reach out to her about this article or TRU Law at neoa20@mytru.ca

I recently finished my first semester of law school, where many lessons have been learnt – one of them being that the holidays are something that a 1L student experiences quite differently from others. While the goal is to ultimately enjoy the holidays by relaxing, socializing and eating good food, a typical first year law student is not 100% mentally ready to simply relax. After talking to some of my fellow 1L classmates, it is safe to say we are burnt out and exhausted from the semester and are trying to recover during the break. However, it is hard not to continuously think about how well we did on exams, our future careers, how we can be better prepared for the next semester, and also how we can simultaneously make enough time for our loved ones and our own self-care – it’s a lot to mentally manage.

For me personally, law school has been an intellectually stimulating and very interesting ride so far – there are some expectations that were definitely met and others that were not.

I was told that law school would be tough and stressful, but I sure underestimated this statement.

Initially, I figured that my undergraduate program was pretty stressful and I had already worked really hard throughout those four years, so the workload and pressure would be nothing new. However, I soon realized that good grades in 1L were needed to increase job prospects during the 2L recruit. Thus, my classmates and I became increasingly stressed about doing well in law school as the weeks flew by. On top of that, in order to do well, I realized the importance of completing every single dense and lengthy reading.

It was definitely a struggle to keep up with them, especially when we were assigned older cases with archaic language. However, I found that my professors were all quite helpful in clearing up any confusion we had and encouraged us to actively engage with them in class and in office hours.

Pertaining to classes, it was quite strange to be back on campus with other students, considering the COVID-19 pandemic had us all locked up in our homes since March 2020.

I was worried about whether or not I still knew how to socialize with others in an in-person setting. However, shortly after starting law school, I realized that it was such an unnecessary stressor in my mind at the time – professors and fellow classmates were all quite friendly and approachable. I actually feel quite lucky that TRU students were able to start off law school in-person because it made meeting people a lot easier – we’re often told that networking with others in the legal community is key so having the ability to be physically present amongst others at school was nice.

Professors were also accommodating to those who had health concerns, and set up Zoom classes in addition to holding classes in-person. I will however say that it felt strange to be in a normal, in-person classroom setting, besides the mask requirement (which made it a little hard to breathe when you have to wear them all day). Our fall exams were all done remotely though, and while TRU Law is currently still allowing us to attend classes in-person for the winter 2022 semester, there is a lot of uncertainty about the in-person model since many have concerns about the new Omicron variant. Nevertheless, even if the COVID-19 pandemic continues to worsen and we switch entirely to online classes, I will remain grateful for that opportunity this past fall to have met my classmates and professors in-person.

The fall semester flew by quickly. Week after week, I was grappling with new content, trying to learn all the different latin terms and legalese so I could be prepared to discuss the material in class. I made my own CANs throughout the semester but it was a struggle trying to make my notes short. As exams approached, it was actually a rather frustrating time for me in terms of studying because my CANs were way too long and I needed to go through it all, sift out what was really important, and then form a table of contents – I wish I had cleaned up my notes earlier but now I know.

Something I am also trying to work on is not setting up super high expectations for myself - I like to say that I worked really hard this semester but I also felt burnt out throughout, and by the time exams came around, I was exhausted and it was a struggle to keep pushing through. Fortunately, my partner was there to support me and nourish me with food and love, but the stereotypical reminder to “take a break” is one that should not be neglected.

Also, despite the competitiveness of your classmates, it’s important to set your own boundaries and know that exams are not the end all be all. Something helpful that made me feel a bit less anxious about my first set of law exams was that they are “help-not-hurt”, meaning if we do better in April, the fall exam mark does not count at all. Also, almost all my professors emphasized that we should not beat ourselves up for getting anything lower than an A as Bs were the norm. While good grades may matter to big law firms in 2L recruitment, there are plenty of other job opportunities that hire students without placing the ultimate importance on good grades.

Additionally, chances are you did better on the exams than you think you did. Honestly, I was extremely anxious about receiving my grades and I did not feel very confident about them – I was literally ready to burst out in tears once I received them. However, I ended up doing better than I thought and was really glad all my hard work didn’t go to waste. Regardless of what grades you end up getting though, one thing I’ve learnt so far is that there’s no point stressing out over something you can’t control. Even if you don’t end up doing well on the exams, try your best to embrace it as a learning experience. As long as you maintain a positive attitude and a willingness to learn from your mistakes, it is very likely that your resilience will lead to improved grades and a stronger mind.

Overall, my law school experience has been really interesting and I’ve learnt a lot so far (both academically and personally). Some things I will be trying my best to do this winter semester is to stay organized, avoid comparing myself to others, avoid stressing over things that are out of my control, and to continuously work hard to do well in school while simultaneously taking care of my well-being. While such advice is obviously easier said than done, I still think it’s important to at least set goals and try to work towards them.

To whomever is reading this: thank you for taking the time to read about my experience during law school so far! I hope that you found it interesting and helpful. If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to me at neoa20@mytru.ca.

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A 1L's Fall In-Person Experience