Happy Summer! Long time no talk! (Law school will do that). I’ve been trying to come up with something worth writing about but nothing seemed worthy enough. I haven’t traveled in a while. I barely wear make-up. So what else? Law school, that’s what else. It kind of took over my life this year, for better or for worse. Let’s go with better.

I spent the year studying and studying and came out on the other side a whole new person. I thought I’d take a moment and reflect on everything I’ve learned. Here are some of the top things I’ve learned since starting school last August:

1. I am capable of whatever I put my mind to.

Law school is challenging, that is no surprise. But for the first time ever, there were times this past year where I thought I reached my limit. I thought that was it. I thought I would just settle for being mediocre. I thought about giving up…but I didn’t.

Law school is kind of like going to the gym (except you gain all the weight instead of losing it). You dread the work, but once it’s over, it feels good, rewarding even. This year I was pushed to do things I never thought I could. I was challenged to think differently, to push myself harder than ever before.

I’ve wanted to go to law school for as long as I can remember. When I graduated from college, it was time. But I was too scared. I wasn’t ready to push myself. I thought I would fail or not be good enough. So I took some time off, but I knew what I really wanted. And here I am today, DONE with my 1L year. I can’t believe it. You really can do anything you put your mind to.

2. How to listen and appreciate all opinions and see issues from all angles.

This was one of the hardest lessons I’ve learned this year. I still struggle with it, but I’m getting better every day. Law school attracts certain types of people, people who are passionate, driven advocates, people who want to make a change. What I didn’t seem to understand is how two people could have the complete opposite views on a matter and BOTH be right.

Law school taught me there is no right answer. It is rarely black and white. Sometimes as lawyers, and as people, we are put into positions where we must advocate for something we completely disagree with. I would spend hours trying to figure out how to make an argument for something that I believed the complete opposite of. While I hated doing it, I realize know how much it made me grow. I can see now, even in my daily life, how much of a difference it makes to be able to understand something from every possible angle.

3. You can have fun in law school (in moderation of course).

Heading into law school everyone told me my life would be over, and I believed them. They said I won’t have time friends. I won’t leave the library. Everything I do would be law school related. Honestly, they weren’t that far off.

Yes, I had 12+ hour days at school. I had weekends where I did nothing but homework. However, I also made sure to make time for me. I made time to see my friends and family even if it meant I had to bring homework to family dinner, or my friends had to visit me in the library. I made it work.

I truly believe I was successful in my first year because I gave myself time to have fun, even if it was just once a week (if that). No matter how many people said I was crazy for going to a concert or going out to grab a drink, I didn’t let it bother me. Don’t let people shame you for doing things that make you happy. If you’re worried about going back to school or taking up a new commitment, don’t be. You can always make time for what makes you happy!

4. Someone always has it worse, don’t pity yourself.

This was another hard lesson for me. I learned a lot this year through tough love. Every time I started to feel bad for myself I had to remember how fortunate I am. If I’m complaining about working two jobs, someone else is complaining about having 3 AND a family, while kicking butt in school. There are no excuses. The more time I spend feeling bad for myself, the less time I am working towards my goals. Simple as that.

5. Making allies/friends will bring way more success then shutting everyone out and competing with everyone ever will.

Ok, first of all, I think I go to the best law school ever. No, it’s not Ivy league, or whatever, but the people are indispensable. I always hear stories of students at other law schools sabotaging each other trying to crawl to the top. My school is awesome. My classmates are awesome. My friends became my best friends in like 2 minutes.

Law school is hard enough as it is. There is no need to go through it alone. My friends, even my classmates, push me to do better. They encourage me to work harder. I could not ask for a better environment.

6. I can consume a freakish amount of coffee.

Fun fact, I averaged a coffee per hour during finals. If I could only thank one thing for my success in law school it’d be coffee. That is all.

7. You must put the work in to do well, there are no shortcuts.

Man, do I wish there were short cuts. I wish there was an easier way, but there’s not. It’s just like any other goal. You can’t sit there and hope something will happen. You have to get up and get after it.

8. I would get nowhere without my support system.

Literally. No. Where. I cannot thank these people enough. More than anyone though, my mom held it down this semester. When I was stressed, she was stressed, when I was happy she was happy. Every single step of this journey she has been there not only supporting me but truly being there for me in ways I could never have imagined. She pushed me when I needed it, told me to breathe when I felt suffocated and reminded me it was ok to have some fun without feeling guilty.

I was so nervous going into law school because my life was changing. I was afraid I’d lose relationships, fall behind in “life” or whatever, but none of that happened. I got more support than I could ask for and I am so thankful for that.

9. I’m a pretty smart cookie… and it’s ok to admit it.

So, I’ve never really been “great” at anything. I was always average in school, sports, etc. However, in college, I had some real academic success. Things began making sense. I was studying things I was passionate about. I put the work in, and I did well. It took a while for me to accept that I’m actually kind of smart… It took me even longer to be proud of that. It sounds crazy when I read it back but for a while, I was almost ashamed of getting good grades. People would make me feel bad for doing well in school. I’m not sure if “nerd-shaming” is a thing but that’s what it felt like.  I let people convince me I could either “have fun” or “be smart”. Well, jokes on them.

Law school is so different. I had no idea what was coming. I’m in a place with a bunch of brilliant people who are all hardworking, smart individuals and they are not afraid to say it. Part of me felt like “hey these are my people!” but the other part of me still felt like I wasn’t good enough, and definitely not confident enough. Law school is hard, like really really hard. But I’m not gunna lie, I crushed it. I am so proud of myself and for the first time, I’m not ashamed! On top of that, my friends are proud. Nobody is “nerd-shaming” (a phrase which I have now coined). Moral of the story, you can get good grades and still have a social life and it’s totally ok to be proud of that.

10. Law school is so much more than learning the law. 

I could write a book on this alone. I knew I was going to gain a lot from going to law school but I did not expect to learn all that I did. I mean I learned the law, kind of, but I learned so much more about society, myself, history, the people around me, and so much more. Granted, some of these things I probably should’ve learned in 9th-grade history but better late than never.

Law school changed my perspective on a lot of things. Some things I thought were so clear, I now can’t make sense of. I decided I wanted to go to law school when I was about 8 years old, but I could never say exactly why. After completing my first year, I now know why. This is super cheesy and I recognize that but I just have a much better sense of the world and my surroundings. I learned more this past year than I have in my entire life.

And that’s that! I’m still in shock over the fact that my first year is over. I am THRILLED to have some time off to relax but I am excited for what the next two years will bring. For now, I’m going to enjoy summer and start mentally preparing for year two!

As always, thanks for reading!

xo Rickie