9.3.24 - The Anticlimax of Law School and an altered approach to 2L
As 2L year begins, it has dawned on me that the mental posture I adopted for 1L simply should not and cannot be replicated this year.
1L I went in very outcome driven, I NEEDED high grades and that first year was my only shot at some set of opportunities. While my life was still relatively balanced, mentally, I could laser in on a singular mission of maxing out my grades for a year and securing a 2L summer job.
Well that’s all done and accomplished, and now I’m back in school. Grades good. A manageable course load and set of extracurriculars picked out. Feeling confident that I know how to approach this semester. No novelty as far as people or living situation. Same apartment, friends, and setup. Less electricity in the air.
It has occurred to me that until January of next year, there will be no form of catharsis. There will be no validation. I’ve just got to read some stuff, take an exam near Christmas, then wait. And even if I do well again, there isn’t an immediate payoff in the form of job opportunities or anything. While good grades will preserve future opportunities (clerkship, public interest, lateraling, etc.), there will simply be no feedback in the immediate term. I will simply go and do what I was going to do anyway. Kind of weird. After a three year stretch where my life was dominated by LSAT prep, then law school apps, then exams, then job applications, the lack of a singular, outcome determinative focus point on the horizon is very strange, but also very welcome.
I wonder if any other 2Ls feel the same way?
So to avoid boring myself to death, I decided I need new sources of regular achievement and validation. There has to be things I’m doing in life which give me satisfaction on a more rolling basis. Singular focus on grades and doing other things for balance just won’t cut it (and really it never should).
So for 2L fall, I’m doing the following:
- Going to take my weightlifting regime even more seriously and be more metrics driven
- I’ll probably watch more movies
In short, I’m going to be a well adjusted normal person and find more satisfactions outside of a report card this year. It is also not lost on me that if I commit to Big Law for a few years after law school, that my life may have less time for fitness and frivolous pleasures pretty soon. So this is a good window of time to max out on those fronts.
Let us see if this fall goes as I hope it does. How do other 2Ls feel?