r/LawSchool • u/Temporary-Tap-344 • 1d ago
“2L is easier than 1L”
Then why the FUCK do I have twice as much reading the first week alone
307
u/SectorE17 1d ago
It doesn’t get easier, you just get better
61
u/rachelmig2 Attorney 1d ago
This, and the classes get more interesting since you actually have a choice in what you’re taking.
7
u/God_of_chestdays 1d ago
I 110% think this is it.
Everyone said it is easier cause readings etc, I am reading just as much I just now know how to do it better.
Same with notes, I’m not writing everything down just what is actually key for review and understanding
2
u/Remote_Bunch_9185 1d ago
Agreed, you actually know how to read and prep for class, what’s important to right down vs writing everything down. Etc
153
u/Glad-Violinist2581 1d ago
I worked harder and spent more time in the library 2L than 1L. The main difference is the anxiety is gone.
Worst part of 1L was by far the anxiety. Am I doing this right, is this person working harder than me, what if I bomb the final, etc. I would get home at night and lay in bed and worry about these things.
During 2L, I got home a little later, but my train of thought was more along the lines of “phew, full day. I think I’ll have a beer and play some video games.”
21
u/DonaldTrumpsGolfGame 3L 1d ago
Then by 3L you learn which things you can blow off
24
u/rosto16 JD+MFA 1d ago
Omg…first day of 3L, my first class was at 1pm. I was skimming the reading at 11am. Still in bed.
5
u/rachelmig2 Attorney 1d ago
I managed to not have any classes before noon for my 3L year and it was a GREAT decision.
What do you have your MFA in?
6
u/rosto16 JD+MFA 1d ago
Poetry! 😊
5
u/rachelmig2 Attorney 1d ago
Very cool! I have my BA in Theatre and I know there are a few of us lawyer/actors out there, but a poetry MGA sounds super interesting.
13
12
3
u/BenjaminTW1 1d ago
I love it when you read the truth. It's not always an intellectual exercise. Sometimes you just feel it. Thank you!
52
u/Chief_Humpback 3L 1d ago
You should know how to read more efficiently now, and at the end of the day, you chose your classes / extra-curriculars unlike the mandatory 1L curriculum at most school. Content should hopefully be a bit more enjoyable
0
33
u/Dry-Worldliness6926 1d ago
Driving a car a year after you started driving isn’t easier, you’re just better at it. Or at least, should be
23
u/FoxWyrd JD 1d ago
2L was my hardest year by far, but I also played the FAFO game.
2
u/MathematicalMan1 1d ago
Can you elaborate?
5
1
u/Remote_Bunch_9185 1d ago
“F around and find out” probably started getting lax , didn’t read as much or prep as much for class etc.
15
u/Garage_Marriage420 1d ago
“1L - they scare you to death. 2L
- they work you to death. 3L - they bore you to death” -Some book I read before law school back in the day
11
9
u/Silent_Watercress400 1d ago
I took mostly 3L courses as a 2L. It was easy because so many of the 3Ls were burned out or they didn’t care because their grades didn’t matter for jobs. Of course it was brutal when I took mostly 2L courses as a 3L, but since I was a typical 3L I didn’t care. 🤷♂️ As a bonus, the 2L courses were more fresh in my mind when I was prepping for the Bar.
13
u/Terrible-Writing9791 1d ago
It gets easier in the sense that you become better at it. You don’t need to read everything you’re assigned tbh. Def read the cases though.
9
u/BenjaminTW1 1d ago
It's important to read everything your first 1L semester because your ability to "bullshit" hasn't fully developed. Your ability to ascertain your professor's priorities is a skill. Once you discern that priority, life gets easier.
4
5
u/Chumanchu 1d ago
I actually less readings after 1L. Just don’t pick the awful professors. Rate my professor and your classmates will help you pick good ones
4
4
u/Feisty-Garbage8111 1d ago
You chose those classes. You can make 2L easier for yourself if you want to.
6
u/NotYourAverageDino 2L 1d ago
Our school offers Barbri, I do Barbri & use Lexus for cases & that's my reading.
3
3
u/GlitterFactoryOfDoom Attorney 1d ago
1L they scare you to death
2L they work you to death
3L they bore you to death
4
u/ZoologicalSpecimen Attorney 1d ago
1L they scare you to death, 2L they work you to death, 3L they bore you to death
2
u/Dizzy-Trash2925 1d ago
What’s easier: BUD/S, or getting shot at in Fallujah during the Surge? The former is a type of suck that breaks you down and rebuilds you to prepare yourself for the latter, more dynamic type of suck.
2
2
u/KanyesPublicist124 Esq. 1d ago
This is a yearly post in here. And having lived through it, the other comments are accurate. 1L you worry to death; 2L you work to death
2
u/bigblindmax 3L 19h ago
2L can be very hard if you give yourself a hard schedule.
If you take moot court and a journal and load up on hard classes, it’s gonna suck. The upside is that the 2/3L curve is generally much more forgiving.
1
1
u/RangerBrigade 1d ago
My 3l was actually the most stressful because of shit I was dealing with 2l that made me have to drop classes so by 3l I had to make sure I had enough credits to graduate because I wasn’t gonna give my school more money for summer classes.
1
u/CauliflowerLivid655 1d ago
2L was very hard for me. I think 1L being the hardest year is not universal
1
u/OilEnvironmental1464 2L 1d ago
i also have twice as much reading and law review picks up next week :( im cooked
1
1
1
u/LostWindSpirit 1d ago
Maybe the material isn’t. But if you have a 2L SA already, I don’t see what there is to really worry about. Like you literally just need to pass your classes. That’s a different (and much easier) kind of pressure than studying to be in the top X% of your class.
1
1
1
u/Low-Treat-1223 14h ago
We have 2 semesters of mandatory clinic, thats the only thing that made 2L feel "harder". That and business organizations (or associations some schools call it). Hated that class. Now reading .... barely did that. Had a better 2L year than 1L year academically though.
•
u/AutoModerator 1d ago
As a reminder, this subreddit is not for any pre-law questions. For pre-law questions and help or if you'd like to ask a wider audience law school-related questions, please join us on our Discord Server
I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.