What is the first year of law school really like?

Amy Best

Assistant Dean of Admissions and Financial Aid

Amy Best is ASU Law’s Assistant Dean of Admissions and Financial Aid with a student-first approach. She has previously worked in admissions at Iowa Law and Northwestern Pritzker, and earned her JD at Iowa after working in book publishing in New York.

As Assistant Dean of Admissions and Financial Aid, I’ve had the privilege of watching thousands of students take their first steps into law school. Law school can be a bit mystifying - what is the Socratic method? Outlining? Torts? Because it is hard to know what to expect, the first year of law school is certainly challenging. 

The first year of law school is also transformative. You will build a community, learn to think differently and gain new knowledge and skills. At ASU Law, you will be fully supported as you embark on your law school journey. 

What does it really feel like to start law school?

The first semester is a blend of curiosity, nerves and the sense that you’re entering a new world. When you walk into the Beus Center for Law and Society, you feel the energy of a building designed for connection and purpose.

Most students discover quickly that:

• No one starts 1L already knowing how to “think like a lawyer”
• Everyone is adjusting to the same new academic language and structure
• Confidence grows quickly once you settle into the rhythm and start to “get it”

Law school presents a whole new language and thought system. It takes only a few weeks before the unfamiliar feels familiar — and your faculty, staff and peers will help you navigate your path.

What does a typical 1L day look like?

A first-year schedule combines foundational courses with the kind of deep thinking that law school is known for. At ASU Law, your core classes include, along with Property and Constitutional Law:

• Contracts: Learn how legally enforceable agreements are formed, interpreted and enforced, from everyday promises to complex business arrangements.
• Torts: Explore the rules that determine when someone is responsible for harming another person or their property – intentionally or by accident.
• Criminal law: Study the elements of crimes, the purposes of punishment and the legal principles that govern how society defines and responds to wrongdoing.
• Civil procedure: Understand the rules that guide how lawsuits move through the court system, including jurisdiction, pleadings and the steps leading to trial.
• Legal writing, research and advocacy: Build essential lawyering skills through research, analysis and clear written communication – a nationally recognized strength of ASU Law’s curriculum.

Your days will be filled with:

• Reading and briefing cases
• Participating in class
• Collaborating with classmates
• Creating outlines that help you prepare for exams
• Meeting with professors to clarify questions or talk through ideas

The Socratic method can feel intense at first, but with time, many students come to appreciate how it sharpens their communication and problem solving skills and boosts their confidence.

How challenging is the first year — and how do students find balance?

1L is challenging, but it shouldn’t feel isolating. One of the defining strengths of ASU Law is how quickly you build a support system.

Students often find balance through:

• Study groups that keep you grounded and accountable
• Academic success programs that offer guidance on exams and study strategy
• Wellness initiatives that help you to stay healthy and take breaks
• Mentoring from upper-level students who’ve been in your shoes
• Small moments of community, like snacks in the library, coffee breaks at the 6th floor cafe or impromptu walks outside

You’ll work hard, but you’ll always have people walking beside you.

What surprises students most about the 1L experience?

Many expect intense competition, but what they find instead is community. By the end of the year, students are often surprised by:

• How quickly classmates become close friends
• How collaborative the environment feels
• How approachable and invested faculty and staff are
• How much personal growth happens in just two semesters
• How proud you feel looking back at what you’ve accomplished

The shared experience — cold calls, study sessions, finals — creates bonds that last long after graduation.

What advice helps new 1Ls succeed?

The most helpful guidance I hear from current students is grounded in confidence and kindness toward yourself:

• Focus on progress – do the things you need to do to be successful. You may not get it right the first time, but keep trying.
• Ask questions – faculty appreciate you coming to office hours and you are required to meet with Career Services and Students Services. You can go more than once too.
• Engage with your community and student organizations – getting involved is a great way to acclimate to law school and enhance your legal education
• Take advantage of academic and wellness resources – finding balance is really important for success
• Give yourself grace when the workload feels heavy, but also stay on track – law school will keep you really busy and you need breaks. Procrastination also makes law school tougher. Your schedule should leave plenty of time for studying and include free time.
• Trust that you belong in law school – because you do. 

It is okay to have moments of doubt – pretty much everyone will have these at some point – but stay focused on your goal. You were admitted because we know you can do this.

By the end of the first year, not only have you survived the 1L year, you have also developed the foundational legal analysis, reading and writing skills to start to blend in experiential and simulated training in your next two years to grow into the legal professional you hoped to become.

A final thought, from someone who has watched many students walk this path (and also walked this path herself)

Your first year of law school will challenge you and stretch you in ways that are hard to imagine. You may be unsure at the outset, or you may have doubts later. That comes with the rigor of 1L year. It is not supposed to be easy.

At some point along the way it will “click” and become simpler. By the time you have concluded both semesters in May, you will have unlocked confidence, purpose and possibility that is hard to find anywhere else. You are here because you demonstrated you can do this in your application. And you absolutely can.

We at ASU Law are on this journey with you. You have an entire community behind you every step of the way. And we know you have great things ahead of you. Soon you will be ready for my favorite piece of advice for 2Ls and 3Ls – try something in law school outside of your comfort zone!