The first day of orientation was really exciting and absolutely exhausting. It’s always exciting to go into something new. However, it takes a lot of energy away from your mind and body. If you don’t want to hear me blab, I’VE GOT ADVICE AT THE BOTTOM OF THIS POST.
We got right into it our first day. We started our academic orientation, that included how to take notes, IRAC, overview of the American judicial system, etc. I didn’t mind much because I was just excited to be there and see so many new faces.
We then moved to a ballroom for a more formal orientation event. We were welcomed by the dean, the President of the state bar association, and met some faculty to discuss the book we were assigned to read for orientation (Yes, we were assigned to read a book for orientation). Eventually we had a workshop on race and that is what made me realize something special about my law school. I was happy to learn that their claims of being a social justice focused school, held true. Overall, I could tell that the law school was very diverse, inclusive and forward thinking. I was very impressed.
My ABSOLUTE favorite part of orientation was all the free items I got! If you know me, you know I love freebies.
Something I was very worried about regarding orientation was how I was going to present myself. I am always very conscious of first impressions and I wanted to make sure I was dressed well, not wearing too much make up, but still looked nice. Everyone was definitely in the same mindset. I saw everything from suits to jeans and blouses. Overall, everyone made themselves presentable even if they wore jeans
By the end I was completely exhausted, but excited for the rest of orientation.
Look for my next post about the last part of my orientation!
Advice for Orientation:
- Plan what you are going to wear ahead of time.
- Make sure you are presentable.
- If you know you’ll be walking around, plan accordingly (wear flats, pants, etc).
- You can dress anywhere between business casual and business professional.
- Make an effort to speak to everyone.
- You will end up seeing some of the same faces in your section, which will come in handy when you need friends towards the beginning of the school year.
- Take this time to get familiar with the school.
- If you haven’t already taken a tour, take one or take a walk around.
- Note where the library is, faculty offices, admin offices, bathrooms, food, etc.
- Get a lot of sleep.
- As I mentioned, orientation was really tiring emotionally and physically. Make sure you get a lot of sleep the night before and the rest of the nights.
- Grab all the free stuff!
- If I were you, I would grab as much free stuff as I could. The sticky notes, highlighters, Lexis Nexis water bottle, etc. These will come in handy when you start school supply shopping and realize you have some essentials already.
Always,
Kat
futurejddiary.com 