10 Observations of Law School after the first week

1. Being a 1L isn't like having a full-time job. It's like 1 and a half full-time jobs (this goes up to 2 in November). 

2. There are classes where I'll sound really smart, and others where I'll sound really stupid. As long as that doesn't influence my final grade, I'm okay with that. 

3. They purposely designed the building with the lockers in the basement and the library on the second floor so that we would get at least some exercise in your 1L year (even if you'll never see the sun). Seriously, you have to be in shape to carry that 15-20lb backpack all day. 

4. Speaking of the sun...I will need to take a vitamin E supplement this year because I will not see the sun much until Christmas, and then again until the wedding (I might have to tan so my dress doesn't wash me out). 

5. Being poor is probably going to be good for my waistline. Between the walking, the overall lack of free time, and the extreme lack of discretionary funds, I probably won't eat much. 

6. I'm grateful for my Orrick job - yes for the obvious reasons, but also because I had something to say when we had to introduce ourselves in every class. 

7. The attitude of USC law students is not unlike the attitude of Stanford undergrads. Everyone is trying to be nice and easygoing, but my feeling is they're secretly fretting over the amount of work we already have. 

8. It's probably a wise idea to dress up a little every day, or at least keep something in the car that dresses up your outfit. You never know when you'll be going to a formal event straight from class. This already happened yesterday when I went to an Obama speech viewing party in the Baldwin Hills at a prof.'s house. I was happy that I left my patent leather Franco Sarto flats in my car to wear instead of my Rainbows. 

9. You have to pray that the people in your section don't get on your nerves, because they are the people that you spend ALL of your time with. It's like the closeness you have with people from camp, except that this is 10 months long. 

10. Lastly -- law school isn't something you should do if you have "nothing else to do" after undergrad. This is a ton of work and any previous commitments really have to be set aside for at least the first year. I'm so grateful for the fact that I truly want to be a lawyer, because if I wasn't sure, I think I'd look into getting a refund ;-). But seriously, motivation is what's going to get my through the year.  

I'm sure I'll have more thoughts - maybe when I get through 4 weeks I'll add to this list, but to sum up, I've really enjoyed the first week and I'm looking forward to getting to know my professors and fellow 1Ls. 

Have a good weekend!