August 2008 was the month and year the trajectory of my life changed, forever. I was very excited about the possibility of being a first-year law student and eventually becoming an attorney. As an admitted student at NCCU School of Law, I received a summer reading list and I believe I read every book on the list (lame, I know). That summer, I also must have watched every lawyer movie I could find: My Cousin Vinny, A Few Good Men, A Time to Kill, etc. I knew I was about to make a deep plunge into the legal profession; however, the plunge was much deeper than I could have anticipated.
I received so much advice that summer from many people including friends, associates and random strangers. My friends and family members were very supportive. Some friends told me that I was ready for the challenge and that it "would not be that bad." Others told me I was prepared and that "I was born to be a lawyer." My lawyer friends offered kind words by saying that if they could do it, then I was certainly capable of doing it. I respected and appreciated each piece of advice I received that summer. However, the most helpful piece of advice I received came from an unlikely source. I randomly ran into someone in the law library who could probably sense that I was a first-year student. He told me one thing: Law school is hard. That was all he said and then he walked away. That was the best advice I received that summer; and it proved to be true.
I vividly remember sitting in Contracts during my first week of classes and thinking that I would not be able to live the life I enjoyed before law school. It became clear to me that I would not have the free time I used to take for granted. The professors often told us students that for every hour we spend in class, we should spend three hours studying. When I started doing the calculations in my mind, I honestly did not think it was possible. Were there enough hours in the day? I thought: "If I am in class 20 hours per week, that would mean I would need to spend an additional 60 hours per week studying." Whoa! I wondered how I would adjust; I wondered how I would piece it all together. One word came to mind: Sacrifice.
Sacrifice became the word of the year. I hoped that my family and friends would understand what I was about to go through. I began feeling like the road ahead of me was one I would be traveling alone. During my first semester, I had the internal struggle between wanting to have my pre-law school life and wanting to attack law school with every bit of passion and fervor I could muster. After the first semester, I found my balance (somewhat) and was able to push forward.
Law school is a challenge that will force you to dig deep. It will make you realize who you really are and how bad you really want to become a lawyer.
I learned other lessons during my law school career that I will discuss at a later time.
Peace
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