Something’s in the air, and it’s not just the crisp beginning of autumn. It’s time for the collective October 1L Freakout. Yes, this is a thing.

I was reminded of it recently, when a couple of different 1Ls furtively told me that they’d unexpectedly burst into tears while talking to professors. The look of “This doesn’t happen to anyone else, does it?” was clear.

Well, put your mind at ease — it’s quite normal, and there’s a very good reason for it, I think. I’ll get into my theory about why this happens soon, but first a story.

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At some point in your law school experience, you’re likely to encounter a professor who — brilliant though he or she may be — just isn’t that interested in discussing “the law.” Sure, they’ll go on for hours about their pet theory of justice, or an esoteric research problem they’re working on, but good luck getting them to explain how Rule 4(k)(2) works.

This can be a frustrating scenario. (After all, you are paying for LAW school.)

Chances are good they’re not going to change their teaching style (hooray, tenure), but you can develop some coping mechanisms.

Handling Professors Who Don’t Teach “The Law”

With the right mindset, all is not lost.

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I’ve been getting a lot of questions lately about a common 1L concern: How much time should you spend getting ready for class?

It’s going to vary a bit, of course, depending on how much reading your professor assigns in each class, but we can come up with some reasonable guidelines, I think.

How Much Time is Too Much?

One school of thought says you can never spend too much time preparing for class. More is always better, right?

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Feeling a little overwhelmed by the first weeks of law school?

Join the next #1Ltools Twitter chat, and get all of your questions answered!

Wednesday, September 12th, at 8:00 pm (Eastern)/5:00 pm (Pacific), a panel of law school experts will hold office hours — answering all of your burning questions.

It’s a great group, including @LawSchoolTools (the host), @GreenhornLegal, @LawSchoolNobody, @LawStudentTips, @WomnsRightsWrtr, @StudentAppeal and @MsJDtweets.

We’d love to have you join us!
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Awesome, you’re starting law school. It’s gonna be so cool! Like, new BFFs all around, right? OMG, I can’t wait!

Yeah, probably not so much. If you’re one of the many 1Ls who shows up to find out things aren’t exactly what you expected, don’t panic. It might just be a temporary glitch in the system. (And, if not, that’s okay, too. You’ve got options.)

Here are some common 1L problems, which you might encounter:

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There’s a ton of (virtual) ink being spilled these days over what to do as a new law student. Everything from “buy all your books and read ahead” to “hire a tutor to explain the Rule Against Perpetuities.” (I only wish I was making that last one up. For the record, don’t do it.)

Since I don’t like to be boring, here are a few less obvious things you can do, to make your life easier and better later on. Trust me, I learned most of these the hard way!

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