Now that you’re in your second week of doctrinal classes, it has probably become clear that law school is vastly different from your undergraduate or previous graduate studies. Rather than wind up in a headspace that makes you want to click your heels and mutter “I wish I was home,” it’s best to embrace and acknowledge these differences as you start your legal education.

Some differences are apparent – we handed you a schedule instead of letting you choose courses, you have all your classes with the same classmates, free pizza, and more free pizza – but what are some of the other differences that lie under the surface? Let’s pull back the curtain…

First, you have to take more responsibility for your own learning than you did in college. What does this mean? Well, you will have to do more work outside of the classroom. In college, maybe you did the reading assigned before class, maybe you didn’t. Either way, you were likely able to follow the lecture and get something out of class. In law school, if you don’t prepare and do the assigned reading, you will be lost in class. If you’re lost in class, you won’t learn the law taught that day, or how to use that law when it comes time for exams. In short, do the reading and prepare, or you waste your time in class. And time, as I am sure you’ve already realized, is a precious commodity.

Also, during college, most professors lectured and put the pieces of that day’s topic together for you, tying it into the overall learning objectives of the course. Here in law school, most professors use the Socratic Method, calling on students to tease out law and facts, analyze legal issues, and force the class to synthesize the material. So don’t depend on your professor to simply lecture or tell you what you need to know. Be prepared to think and take charge of your own learning.

Second, the tools of the trade are very different. College text books are (not surprisingly) written for college students. They include clear headings, definitions, charts, graphs, and pictures. Law school casebooks are comprised of edited judicial opinions written for lawyers and other judges, not law students. Therefore, what you’re reading probably contains language you might not understand, involves a legal context that you haven’t learned yet, and takes some time to get through. You will have to extract the necessary information; it won’t be summarized in a sidebar or neatly packaged. At first, reading cases will take a long time. But you will get better at it as you move through the semester. Again, embrace the difference and work with it not against it.

Third, and probably the disparity that causes the most stress, is that grading is different in law school. During your undergraduate education, your final grade for a course was likely comprised of many different components; quizzes, papers, presentations, a midterm, and a final all factored into a final grade. Not so much in law school. Here, you will have one final in each course and that one final determines your grade. It’s natural that this construct causes students some anxiety. But again, knowledge is half the battle.

“In law school, if you don’t prepare and do the assigned reading, you will be lost in class. If you’re lost in class, you won’t learn the law taught that day, or how to use that law when it comes time for exams.”

Knowing that you have one exam at the end of 14 weeks of course work means a number of things. One, you can’t cram at the end of the semester for a comprehensive final exam, so make sure you learn as you move through the course material and set aside ample time for studying as finals approach. Two, you will get minimal feedback during the semester as to how you are doing. Again, more of the learning is on you. So test yourself, work through hypotheticals, join a study group if that suits your learning style, and most importantly, talk to your professors. Try to be honest with yourself about your level of understanding of both the material and how to use it on the exam. Three, if the thought of one final exam determining your grade makes you feel anxious, try to address that anxiety earlier rather than later. The faculty and administration are always here to help if things become overwhelming.

You have the brains, heart, and courage to get through law school and become a successful lawyer. The path to that goal may be paved differently than the one you took in college, but it is an exciting and rewarding road to travel.