Student Voices: 3L Advice for 1L Success

I recently joined some of my Harvard Law School classmates in an Austin Hall classroom to talk with prospective students about our law school experiences. I always love HLS Admissions events, but this one was especially meaningful for me. As I spoke with applicants, I recalled my first day of law school. I remembered sitting in the third row of that same classroom at 8 a.m. on a Monday morning for Legislation and Regulation with Professor Jody Freeman. During my time at HLS, I’ve learned a lot about the law, but I’ve learned the most about law school. If I could go back to that first class, here are five things 3L me would tell 1L me.

1. Put away your laptop during class

Admittedly, this is an unpopular opinion. Some professors prohibit laptop use in class, but most give students a choice. I’ve tried both approaches and determined that I get so much more out of my classes when my laptop isn’t there to distract me.

On the first day of class, my Legal Research and Writing professor assigned an article explaining how our brains learn differently when we type and when we write. This stuck with me. Handwriting my notes during class and typing them up afterwards helps me review the material and keeps my focus during lectures. It’s all too tempting to check email, social media, or the syllabus for my next class. You only have six semesters to soak in as much as possible from the incredible minds at HLS, all of whom deserve your full attention. If you’re an online textbook person, the same goal can be accomplished by keeping your devices on airplane mode during class.

2. Speak (and change) your mind

I’ve changed my mind on so many things since starting law school. Some of the views I brought with me to Cambridge have become much stronger, some have changed completely, and many are still developing. If my views never evolved after three years of intense learning, I’d worry I wasn’t truly grappling with everything I’ve taken in.

Everyone arrives at law school conversations with strong values and preconceptions, and our polarized political climate doesn’t help. Assume your classmates’ best intent, and trust they’ll extend you the same courtesy. Law school has taught me that if I see an obviously correct answer, I probably don’t have all the facts (on both exams and policy matters). There’s nuance in everything, and I’m grateful for my professors and classmates who have facilitated this understanding. In my experience, respectfully pushing back on my classmates’ (or professors’) views facilitates helpful dialogue. Whether I initiate or observe these interactions, I come away with a better understanding of the many ways to see an issue (an important skill for legal practice!).

3. Schedule your stress

Is failure to plan planning to fail? Like most questions you’ll encounter in law school, the answer is “it depends.” Sometimes unforeseen circumstances will require flexibility. But I’ve benefited tremendously from planning out my days the night before, triaging the most pressing demands on my time. Knowing that I’m spending 7:00 – 8:00 a.m. writing my Food and Drug Law paper and 8:00 – 9:00 a.m. preparing for Criminal Procedure allows me to confine course-specific stress to those windows. When each time block is over, I turn my full attention to my next task, knowing I can pick up where I left off during my next scheduled session.

4. Go into Boston!

It’s easy to stay in the Harvard bubble (and Cambridge is beautiful!). But Boston has so much to offer. Make an effort to explore Boston’s neighborhoods, even if you have to wait until your schedule calms down during 2L and 3L. Eat a cannoli in the North End, tour the historic churches and gorgeous public library in Copley Square, ride the swan boats in Boston Garden, visit Paul Revere and Samuel Adams in Granary Burying Ground, sing Sweet Caroline at Fenway Park, spend a Saturday following the historic Freedom Trial, and so much more! A quick trip on the red line (or a walk past MIT and across the Harvard Bridge) and you’re there.

5. Be aware of power of the credential

A Harvard J.D. is a powerful tool that opens doors to influential opportunities. Like generations of HLS alumni before you, you’ll be trusted to make decisions that change policies, affect clients, and impact communities. Take this seriously.

Use these three years to challenge your views, build relationships, and develop your ability to focus. You’ll spend the rest of your career learning law, but the practices you adopt in law school will determine how you use that knowledge.

Now in my final year, I realize that Harvard Law School is to be taken seriously but enjoyed. Focus, time management, humility, self-awareness, and remembering you have a life outside of your career are all skills that are important for legal practice. In short, I’d assure my 1L self that HLS will prepare me well for everything that comes after graduation.

–Lindsey Powell, ’25