I suppose I am megolomaniacal enough to suppose that my advice to first years has spawned a continuing series of law student archetypes. Fortunately, they are much funnier than mine. There's too much perspective between here and there.

Although I'd imagine that not all 2Ls could say it, I have quite comfortably found my niche. I'm not certain where everything is headed, but I've managed to position myself so that I'm sure I'll be happy about the outcome. Last year I felt shifty and uncomfortable in most of my classes. It could have been that damned awful squeaky chair, but I'd wager the cause was that I just didn't like them. There were many moments last year that I was just plain miserable.

A lot of people figure that the difference between first and second years is the shift in workload, but I can't say I found that to be true. The amount of work wasn't that bad to begin with, so that definitely wasn't the cause in the first place. Work this year hasn't really abated -- if anything, it's increased. There's the job hunt and the note writing added on top of everything else. My investment in my classes has caused me to do even more work (klaxons are going off reminding me that Professor X is waiting on that memo!).

No, it's that investment that makes the difference. I couldn't be happier that I ignored the advice of the nebulous "they" and took whatever I felt like taking. No bar courses, no corporate finance. Now that I've found what makes me happy, it's that much easier to get excited about legal things that I thought I'd no interest in (I was never one of those students who got off on law because it was law). At the core of it all is critical thought. When your brain starts asking those niggling little questions instead of glossing over them and you figure out where you'd go on a preemption issue depends on your theory of federal government and statutory interpretation, you're right where you want to be. Unless you have that sort of boundless love for the law, you're never going to get to that spot until you find the subject that really gets your juices going. If you've got a thinky brain, it is too easy to look outside of law school for its fodder.

So where I stand now, the difficult part of law school is making a connection with the work. There's so much focus on learning the rules the first year that you often lose sight of the big picture (or the big picture as the professor understands it just doesn't serve to connect you with the material -- too often the "big picture" is more like a medium-sized portrait). There are too many times this year when I've wished to myself that I'd paid more attention last year and done the extra work rather than sliding by.

I know it's more than trite, but somewhere in this whole process I've rediscovered how to stay true to myself. Last year I'd all but given up on the prospect of anything but working in a big law firm. I couldn't even consider that option now -- it's just not me. I am just incapable of giving up control of my work and my life in that way.

One thing I am thankful for is that I've never given up any of my outside activities. Classmates have actually asked me if I realize I'm a law student, but doing outside things - whatever they might be (more classes, volunteering, social activities, writing) - is so important in keeping the right perspective (and your sanity).

I don't even know if a 1L could even attempt to follow this murky advice, or if it's something you must find for yourself - whether it's next year or twenty years down the line. Maybe the important thing is to try and the answers are a happy benefit.