Humble Brag + Motivation: You Can Do It!!!
In an environment like law school where students are discouraged from talking about grades, it’s sometimes hard for first-gen students or students without support systems to celebrate or even feel proud of their law school accomplishments. In the wake of all the post-grade-release chaos on this sub, I just want to offer some motivation and hopefully a place for people to brag and provide encouragement to others who are feeling good about their performance in law school so far! This is by no means meant to make anyone feel bad. There is no set definition of “good” that works for everyone. Feel free to share any kind of accomplishment that makes you proud of your performance in law school so far!! (good prof. feedback, journals, extracurriculars, jobs, etc.)
Personally, I was hospitalized at the beginning of spring semester for a pretty serious illness. I missed two weeks of class and thought I would never catch up, along with dealing with ongoing symptoms for the rest of the semester. I was just notified that I’m in the top ten percent of my class! Take this as a sign: you are always capable of more than you realize! I also acknowledge I was very privileged to have a support system that helped me through the illness and made the transition back to class much easier. Not everyone has this. On the other hand, my support system are the same people that asked my tour guide what “JD” meant on my admitted students tour. They have no context for law school grading or what “good” performance looks like, so I find it hard to celebrate my accomplishments. Nevertheless, I am proud of my performance (currently working on only needing internal rather than external validation).
Anyway, this is kind of a rant post, but I just want to be clear that missing some classes and even dealing with health issues is not always the end of the world in law school. Take time for yourself and don’t be afraid to ask for help. Talk to your administration and anyone that will listen. Advocate for yourself the way you will for a future client! You can do this. It might be the hardest thing you’ve ever done, and it’s a lot easier for some of your peers, but it’s also a lot harder for others. Just stay the course, do your best, and SERIOUSLY: DO WHAT WORKS FOR YOU. Do NOT let anyone tell you about the “right” way to do law school or what “good” grades are. You made it to law school for a reason, you are capable! Just keep pushing, care for yourself, take breaks, and then get back to it (sprint not marathon, blah blah blah…) Most importantly, be proud of your accomplishments! Feel free to share them here. Let’s lift each other up :)
Thanks for listening to my preachy rant. I am far from having it all figured out, but I do know that i’m proud of myself and each and every one of my peers! Law school is hard. Celebrate the wins.