With the upcoming revamp of the 1L program next year, it looks like I get the last word on ours. Here’s hoping I can give it a fair send-off.
This year’s 1L was a unique mixture of new and old—new space, old program. We’ll be the only 1Ls in UT Law history to study for practice exams in Birge Carnegie (hooray for natural light in the reading room!) or endure Admin in Old Vic. Maybe that gives us some kind of unique perspective on the whole ordeal. Or, much more likely, it’s a funny quirk to point out, and that’s about it.
Academically, 1L didn’t pack nearly as many surprises as I expected. Lots of readings? Check. Eventual abandonment of many of the aforementioned readings? Check. Just a ridiculous amount of stress? Definitely a check, but not unmanageably so for most of us. Then again, with 100% finals coming up, there’s still plenty of time for 1L to turn around and kick our asses.
It’s really the law school community that has impressed me most over the course of the year. I wrote an article in the October issue of UV lamenting the divide between Sections I and II, which was received with quite a bit of agreement. I couldn’t be happier to have been proven wrong. Despite the lack of a strong central location for us call our own, I think it’s fair to say we’ve really bridged the gap and become a year, rather than two individuals sections. Like Aron said: everybody is best friends with everybody.
And it doesn’t look like that strong, central location is coming any time soon. With construction on the new building now (predictably) behind schedule, we can look forward to potentially being the law school’s proverbial Moses—having put in our time in the desert, but never to step foot in the Promised Land. On the other hand, it’s hard to miss something you’ve never had, so the 1L class seems to have gotten used to Victoria College. At the very least, there seems to be a lot less grumbling, even after the reveal of the TreeGate fiasco. Plus, at least they’re renovating some of the Old Vic classrooms.
Occupational concerns aside, and to again risk rehashing what Aron so definitively proved in the Point/Counterpoint, it’s remarkable how involved the 1L class was this year. We were a dominating presence at Call to the Bar, Law Games, Law Ball, intramurals, you name it. There’s a 1L nominated to sit on the interim dean selection committee. Far more impressive is that a number of 1Ls even got speaking roles in Follies. With a much lighter academic burden and a greater leadership role within the school community next year, I’m hopeful that this involvement will only grow. And to the 1Ls who didn’t manage to get involved this year (if there even are any), I implore you to take part in something law school related next year that doesn’t involve a highlighter. It’s worth it—the reading room in Birge will still be there when you get back.
