29 March 2009
5 Things I Wish I Knew on my First Day
It’s true, we are a few weeks past the first day of semester. But I find that there is just so much going on in the first few weeks of semester that there isn’t much point in trying to steer yourself in the right direction. The momentum that comes with all these new experiences carries us and it’s not until a few weeks in that we really get any sense of control.
But now, a few weeks in, hopefully you’re starting to get a grasp of how things work. Hopefully now you will have some time to think about your uni experience and you can appreciate other people’s experiences and learn from their mistakes.
Before I begin, there is an excellent article written by someone much cleverer than me on pretty much the same stuff – Ten Rules for Law Students.
And now, here is a list of 5 things that I wish someone had told me on my first day of law school.
1. Network
The absolute, number one, most important thing that I would tell someone on their first day of uni is this: Being social and making friends is just as important as any time you spend studying.
I cannot stress this enough. Perhaps the biggest mistake I have made during my time at law school was falling for the myth that in order to do well, I had to focus entirely on studying. I am just lucky to have been able to realise this mistake in time to remedy it.
Friends, socialising, networking, relationship building – whatever you want to call it, it is all extremely important. When you graduate, provided you can find employment, your grades and your knowledge aren’t really that important. You will continue learning after you graduate and your GPA means pretty much squat. What is much more important will be having a network of professionals that you can fall back on wherever they are needed.
So whether you’re in your first year or your last, start building relationships. Get involved with student societies right now and enter competitions. Dont fall into the trap of thinking that these things are there for you to dominate and put onto your resume. They are there for you to develop friends. Dont skimp on this bit, because the longer you wait the harder it will be.
2. Plan
Like I mentioned in my article Quo Vaid? Quo Animo?- try to take some time at the beginning of each new project to plan things out. What are you there for? Where are you trying to go? How will you get there?
Take some time at the beginning of each semester to remember you goals and then work out how you will achieve them. You will generally be given an outline of each unit in your first week. At the end of that first week spend an hour with a calendar and plan out your approach.
When are things due? When will you work on them? How much time you do need before your exams? When are clerkship applications due? How much do you need to work this semester to meet your bills? When are the student societies hosting their events? How will that affect other deadlines?
When you know the answer to these questions (and any other questions that are relevant to you) come up with a plan and stick to it. If you have to break from your plan – that’s cool – but think about how you’re going to manage it.
3. Law School is a System
Something that I learned in my first degree is that universities are a business. They are in the business of providing a service (education) and a product (qualifications). As such, they are a system. You input your money and time and the universities output their education and qualifications.
Once you can grasp this concept, you can use it to your advantage. Universities are established (generally) through statutes. You can read these statutes. Universities are administered (generally) through regulations and policies. You can read these regulations.
Once you have read through these things, you will have a much greater grasp of what the university can do and what your rights as a student are. Thus, you are able to make your decisions with much greater confidence. You will quickly find that university academics may not always understand the university regulations (which is fair enough) and they will sometimes break them.
If you know these regulations then you are able to decide for yourself whether you will go with the flow and follow the academics directions, or whether you will follow the regulations. There is nothing wrong with this. Nothing nasty. To be honest, you’re pretty dumb if you dont do this (I should say, however, that I didn’t really do it. I was dumb and it has come back to bite me a number of times).
4. Appeal
Dont be afraid to appeal. In my first year of my first degree I was a meek little lamb. If the academic gave me a mark I didn’t agree with I would suck it up and deal with it. Now I know better. You always need to remember that you have spent a lot of time and money to be at university and if you’re being stinged then you need to speak up. Learn the appeal process. Learn what you need to establish and how it all works. Dont be afraid to appeal when it is necessary.
Of course, the other thing to remember is dont appeal when you dont really need to. Sure, test the waters, see what is what. But you will probably see these academics again. You have to hang around for a few years – so always be polite and if it isn’t really worth it (remember, what are you there for – will this appeal really help you achieve your goals?) then dont feel like you have to appeal every grade.Never burn bridges.
The point is to always know how to appeal, know when you can appeal and if it’s worth it then do so.
5. Enjoy
Finally, enjoy yourself. I wont say that this is going to be the best time of your life – because that’s kind of insulting. But I think it’s fair to say that university has the potential to be a really enjoyable few years. If you’re not enjoying yourself – then you should ask yourself why.
Uni isn’t just about learning and good grades. Join a club and get involved. Enter a competition and get your arse kicked – then enter another one and dominate it. Go on exchange to another country. Make friends. Pash on with some random – then regret it later, grin and wear the shit your mates hang on you. And uh, do all of this responsibly.
You’re going to make loooots of mistakes – but it’s much easier to make those mistakes when you’re enjoying yourself.
Related posts:
- 5 Things To Do Before Uni Starts
- Tech Tips: Taking Notes #1 – Word
- Tech Tips: Booko
- Ask Grad Girl: Networked Out
- Quo Vadis? Quo Animo?
