1L vs. 2L
From this…
to this!
In the past year, many people asked me - “how’s school going? Does it get easier? Is it better than your first year?” And the answer is…
It depends what you mean by “easier.”
(Side note, that’s SUCH a lawyer answer. I’m getting pretty good. Do I even need a third year?)
(Side side note, just kidding, I DEFINITELY do.)
Seriously though! Like anything else - a degree, a job, a new hobby - law school did get easier for me, just in time for new challenges to arise. But my second year was definitely different than the first and yes - I’d say “easier” on many levels. Here’s a list of notable differences:
2L WAS VIRTUAL
Okay, well, that WAS the biggest change - but obviously N/A for a normal experience. And honestly, class continued fairly normally on Zoom…
MANDATORY CLASSES VS. CHOICES FOR DAYS
Choosing my 2L courses was overwhelming, but in the best way possible. I’ve never, ever been able to choose my own academic schedule, and relied heavily on student recommendations, course and professor reviews, and luck.
It definitely worked out (if I could go back, I’d probably take just one class off my 2L roster). Compared to my 1L schedule, where I probably only liked two of my classes (even though the professors were across-the-board-incredible), it was a hugely positive change.
It’s common sense that learning about interesting material is far more fun than boring material. My 2L coursework was dense - far more so than my 1L stuff - but I didn’t mind because it was vastly more interesting! That made all the difference in my attitude toward studying, attending classes, and really engaging with the material.
CASE METHOD VS. HANDS-ON LEARNING
Everyone at HLS has to take a few “experiential learning” credits, so it’s impossible to get through here without some kind of “hands-on” work. (There’s also a pro bono requirement, generally fulfilled by a semester of free legal services). But during 2L, I intentionally took several “hands on” courses because I’m very much a kinesthetic learner. Traditional classroom is fine, but I don’t really learn things until I do them myself. 1L, in comparison, was alllllllll classroom; the closest we got to “doing” something was writing briefs. Meh.
Trial Advocacy was the most intensive 2L course in this arena, but I lump Mediation and Criminal Justice in the Media into the “hands-on” category as well. These classes worked a different part of my brain, and forced me to develop real skills instead of just engaging in theoretical exercises. And I LOVED it. Truly, it’s a good thing I’m headed for practice and not academia!
TRADE RE: WHERE YOUR TIME GOES
A common sentiment of 2L: now that you’ve figured out how law school works, you have more time for other things! During their second (and third) years, law students generally commit to more credits and activities than they can handle. It’s like Type A people just don’t know how to give themselves free time or something 🤷♀️ I definitely experienced this in the fall; taking up the AFA Presidency, taking on Ames Moot Court, and taking 14 credits of school was a l o t. I didn’t hesitate to cut back to 12 credits for the spring. But either way, 12 or 14, it was still miles better than the 18 credits of 1L!
CHANGES TO NOTE-TAKING
This was one of the biggest changes from 1L to 2L. Call it laziness, or working “smarter not harder,” but I embraced the use of other people’s notes for my classes this year. These notes are called “outlines,” and many people upload theirs to our student-run website in order to help out future classmates! I generally avoided these outlines during 1L because I thought taking my own notes was the key to success - turns out, that’s not necessarily the case (for me!) I like doing my reading and attending class with a pre-done “core” set of notes to with; adding my own thoughts/clarifications then cements the concept in my head. Overall, it’s far more productive than writing/typing out everything myself.
Again - got here by 1L trial and error!
FREE-ER WEEKENDS
Not totally free, mind you - that’s a pipe dream. But I definitely didn’t dedicate my entire Sat and Sun to class prep in 2L like I did in 1L. It’s not necessarily because I had “less” reading to do - upper level professors know we take fewer credits, and don’t hesitate to load us up on reading. In fact, I think my class material actually increased during 2L. But knowing how to read a case, anticipate what the professor will ask, and take proper notes on complex topics makes things go much quicker.
HUGE UPTICK IN CONFIDENCE & COMFORT LEVEL
I think this was the most significant change overall between 1L and 2L. I felt pretty clueless for a lot of my first year…very uncertain of case interpretations, nervous for cold calls, tense about exams. But after a year of that, you do get better!! It was much easier to think on my feet during 2L, and I stressed a lot less about cold calls. Granted, this could be due to the easy access of my notes - might be exposed when we get back on campus. But even exams seemed less stressful this year! I still devoted an insane amount of time to reading week prep, but felt much better about how I used that time in general.
IN CONCLUSION…
Okay, I’ll say it - 2L was easier than 1L, even with increased course material and the intense time crunch of fall. I’d rather be challenged to think deeper and read more, than feel a level of uncertainty at all times. Plus, I feel 110% more confident in my abilities now than I did after 1L. To me, that change is truly insane - especially when it happened in a completely virtual environment!
And you know what’s even crazier? In just a year and some change (barring any major catastrophes) I’ll be here ⬇️
