Before I came to NYU, I was excited and nervous. Would I like New York? Would I make friends? Would I like law school? Was I smart enough to be there at all?
The answer to the first three questions is YES, but I can't really answer that last question until after finals. I'm used to being intelligent and to doing well in school, but everyone else here is used to the same things too. I am surrounded by people who are more talented, experienced, hardworking, and brilliant than I will ever be. It's scary but thrilling at the same time. Some people came straight through from undergrad like me, where they were the top of their class. Many others took time off before law school and worked (paralegals, government employees, journalists, teachers, the list goes on), traveled, or earned advanced degrees. It just reminds me how young I am and how little I've really done (despite part-time jobs, internships, leadership positions, and travel of my own). Being a law student at NYU is certainly humbling, but it's such an honor to have these people as my friends and peers. Even the gunners!
So what exactly have I been doing, you might ask? The short answer is reading cases. So many cases. But more than that, I've been struggling to figure out what's going on in law school and what I'm supposed to be learning, getting way too involved in student activities (I'm already the Communications Director of the International Arbitration Association and a student advocate with the Iraqi Refugee Assistance Project), and prepping for finals. Lately it's been nothing but outlining, problem sets, practice exams, and E&Es. I've come to find that I really love Contracts and may never understand Civil Procedure. But beyond academics, I've been having a surprising amount of fun. I've been able to explore New York a lot (and meet up with friends who came to visit!) and I have to say that the city has really drawn me in, despite the promise of brutal winter weather. I've made friends and had fun with my 1L section. I've done way too much online shopping - everyone in my section seems to dress up for class and I needed a new wardrobe for the weather anyway! I've eaten some amazing food. I've listened to too much Taylor Swift. I've broken in many new pairs of heels and pretended to be 5'9" for probably two months straight (since New York has given me some kind of height complex). I've read books - seriously, 35 new books since starting law school, which is probably not a good thing. I've cooked, A LOT, and spent way too much time in line at Trader Joe's. I've been frustrated, dismayed, and outraged respectively by the Ebola pan(dem)ic, law school battles about the Israel-Palestine conflict, and outcome of Officer Wilson's trial. I've (thankfully) only spent a few nights homesick and missing my family and friends in California. All in all, I really can't imagine going to law school anywhere else.
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| Pic Credit: My amazing little, Shaida! |
