We often get asked what incoming students can do to prepare for law school once they are admitted. Here is a list of five basic things you can do now as an incoming student beginning school in September:
- Read your emails. A teenager in my life told me recently that her generation doesn’t really read email. And I understand. Email can be long and boring. It’s not terribly efficient generally. However, it’s an efficient way for the staff and faculty at UVic Law to reach all the incoming students and only the incoming students with important information. I’m not suggesting that, like the teenager in my life, you see email as burdensome. Rather, I’m suggesting that once you have been admitted to UVic Law (Woohoo!), there is a lot to do. For many, that means finding housing and coordinating a move. Some students have to set up childcare and schools for their dependents. Then there’s finances for law school, employment for partners, maybe a last-minute trip or other summer obligations. We know; you’re busy. But if you take a breather from those things and sit down once a day or even every other day for a few scheduled minutes (no more than 10), you will have a chance to read everything we sent you. Trust me; you want to read our emails. We don’t send newsletters or updates on our weekend activities. Our emails contain very important information, deadlines, and opportunities.
- Don’t miss deadlines. I know, this sounds like one of those conclusory commands that isn’t incredibly helpful. However, this is: when you sit down for the scheduled ten minutes per day with your emails, bring your calendar of choice to the party. Whether this is in your phone or an analog version, open it up and mark the dates from the emails we send you in them. Then check your calendar regularly or allow notifications. If there’s a deadline for a big-ticket item, make sure you set a reminder a few days or a week in advance to get started. Then, do not ignore your calendar. It’s such a simple habit, but it’s one that will help you immensely through law school.
- Know what you are responsible for and what you are not. While you are looking through those emails (and reading this blog), you will want to note things you read like, “I am not responsible for applying for most entrance scholarships.” This helps tremendously. As a further note, you are responsible for applying for funding external to UVic (like scholarships). You are not responsible for registering yourself in your first-year classes. You are responsible for ensuring your finances are in order. You are responsible for finding housing. You are responsible for applying for student loans and bursaries. Knowing what your responsibilities are can help alleviate a lot of stress and confusion.
- Build relationships and understand what your lines of defense are. You will hear throughout law school and your career that networking is one of the best ways to build your career and find the job you want and build your client base and have people in your life who can answer questions about things that are not in your wheelhouse and… It honestly starts now. When you have the opportunity, getting to know the front office and student support staff will help you a lot. Investing time in building professional relationships with those who teach you is what creates opportunities for things like reference letters. Networking within the school (as well as with the larger community) will give you a comfortable base of people to look to for advice when needed.
- Don’t panic. Here we are again with the unhelpful language. However, if you can help not panicking, it does help one work through things. Remember that the staff is here to help you, and the faculty members want you to succeed. When a problem arises, before you panic, before the dread sets in, reach out and ask questions. Relationship-building comes in handy in knowing exactly who to contact about what. We can’t always help you, though we definitely cannot help you if you keep all of your questions and problems to yourself.