Law Students

The Barely Legal Bunch
By:  Jennifer Birdsall, a law student at Texas A&M Law School

You know how the saying goes… 1L year they scare you to death, 2L year they work you to death, and 3L year they bore you to death. Well, it’s like I blinked and was suddenly thrust into the pearl of work-you-to-death year. As I have been pondering (and perhaps slightly procrastinating) how to deal with all of this newfound stress, I found myself thinking of “The Brady Bunch.” If you do not know “The Brady Bunch” or do not get these references, I highly advise stepping away from the “Keeping up with the Kardashians” trend and watching re-runs of this classic show.

2L year is quickly equating to Jan Brady. It’s almost like 2L year is the “Jan Brady” year of law school—although I hope myself nor my classmates are desperate enough to invite a George Glass to Barristers’ Ball.

1L year easily lends itself to be dubbed the “Cindy Brady” year. Everyone is so excited and intrigued by the new kids on the block and wants to see what these future lawyers are made of. By 3L year, otherwise known as the “Marsha Marsha Marsha” year, employers have their eyes on these gems to see whom they could add to their firm or practice.

So, how is 2L year the Jan Brady year? Students tend to be overlooked this year. It is taken for granted how involved students become in order to stand out from other applicants in the increasingly large job applicant pool. Every day 2Ls are saying yes to more events, opportunities, or projects. Yes to on campus interviews, yes to running a student organization, yes to more externships and more internships, yes to competition teams, yes to making the best grades on top of all that, and yes to breakdowns and mini-panic attacks weekly.

What 2L students don’t necessarily always say yes to is learning how to properly deal with all the extra pressures that come along with that year. All the extra pressure of trying to be just as good, if not better, than the predecessors, those pesky Marsha Brady students. In a constant race against the clock, inner-self analysis on how to be happy seems to fall down the priority list. Thankfully, for myself, I have a commute to think about this, and a study group that does the same.

I am not claiming to be a mental health advisor by any means. These are just helpful tips my study group and I found extremely helpful and relatively easy to implement.

First, know your self-worth. People would not be turning toward you to run events, join events, or intern if they did not think you were capable. It is so easy to become bogged down with thinking about the pressure. “The pressure is on for me to perform well or I’ll let my employer down, my classmate down, my school down…” This type of thinking is harmful. As our favorite Elle Woods once said, “…most importantly, you must always have faith in yourself.” (You know that was a secret favorite movie while you were in law school.)

Second, know that most, if not all, of your classmates are in the same boat. There is power in numbers and in this case misery loves company. Take condolence in the fact that you are all in this miserable, yet amazing journey together. The lows can be low when you are stressed, but the highs can be so high when you have pushed yourself to achieve more than you thought you ever could.

So, for all my fellow 2L students out there, we can get through this! We will become the Marsha Brady students before we know it and then out of law school entirely. Let’s enjoy this rollercoaster ride.

Please remember that the Texas Lawyers Assistance Program (TLAP) of the State Bar provides confidential help to law students struggling with stress, anxiety, depression or substance use problems. If you can’t afford treatment, TLAP can help you apply to the Sheeran-Crowley Trust for financial assistance. You can find out more about TLAP at texasbar.com/tlap or by calling 800-343-TLAP.