Disclaimer – I’m writing this post after the weekend of my five year law school reunion (wow, has it really been five years already?!) so I’m feeling a little sentimental and nostalgic right now….

When I was in law school, I met an amazing group of people, without whom I’m not sure I would have survived past my first year.  My study group was the perfect blend of personalities, strengths and learning styles; we found a way to help each other that worked for all of us, from our very first law school final, all the way to the Bar Exam.

Studying as a group was what benefited us, but study groups are not for everyone.  Some people’s learning styles just don’t work well in a group atmosphere, and that’s ok.  This post is not meant to imply that everyone should go out and find a group of people to study with for every class for the next three years.  However, this post is meant to encourage everyone to go out and find friends.  Friends in law school are, in my opinion, a necessity if you would like to do well and keep your sanity in the process. 

As a law student, I am sure you are already aware that anyone who is not in law school, or has not gone through law school, really does not understand what you are dealing with at this point in your life.  They won’t understand the things you need to vent about, and they can’t commiserate with you.  Therefore, it’s so important to find people who can and do understand, and cling to them in the good times and the bad (oh, and there will be bad!  Trust me, at some point in your law school career, there will be some bad times!).  Without these people, it’s easy to feel like you are going at this alone, and to become very overwhelmed in the all-consuming nature of studying in law school.

If these people turn out to be people you can also bounce some hypotheticals off of, discuss an essay question with, or try to decipher your class notes with – great!  Study with them to the extent that it works for all of you.  But even if you mutually decide that studying together is not advantageous to your friendship or your grades, no worries.  Study on your own, and then meet up with them for a movie or dinner afterwards.  You’ll be recharged and refreshed, and you will all benefit from knowing you have someone going through all of this with you, right there next to you and cheering you on.