A Thanksgiving reflection of a 1L student
October is here. The days are getting colder and the nights somewhat lonelier. As quick as our t-shirts turned to sweaters, the brisk air painted the trees crimson and gold. It’s clear that the season for the “manly sport” of cricket is over. I hope my silly introduction emulating Lord Denning in Miller v Jackson doesn’t deter you from reading on.
Since my last article, I’ve turned twenty-six, become my section’s representative on the Student Caucus, learned a bunch more unwritten constitutional principles, and developed a fondness for Old-Fashioneds. The truth is I’m struggling with burnout, imposter syndrome, and just barely keeping up with 1L of law school. However, one thing keeping me afloat is the support system of the mentors, classmates, and friends I’ve found at Osgoode. Although I keep your names anonymous, I hope you know who you are. In the spirit of Thanksgiving (as it is at the time of writing), I’d like to use this platform to acknowledge some of these people. All this to demonstrate how I’ve benefited from a supportive Osgoode community, and how you can too.
First, the various mentorship programs at Osgoode have been extremely rewarding. Through the Asian Law Students Association, and Osgoode Mentor Program, I’ve had the pleasure of being assigned incredibly kind and insightful mentors. They’ve shared valuable knowledge and experiences on how to better navigate law school and the legal profession. Often, they’ll have documents and resources readily available, having gone through first year and the job-hunting process before. This makes them excellent people to direct questions to. Furthermore, through the Peer-to-Peer mentorship program, I’ve had the honour of being placed with another student in my section with whom I frequently exchange words of encouragement to get each other through long readings, and trade memes about the meme machine himself, Lord Denning. I highly recommend joining a mentorship program or seeking out mentors within the Osgoode community for the vast amounts of support they can provide during your law school journey.
Next, the culture of support and mutual respect within my section has been incredible to experience and be a part of. Personally speaking, when Associate Dean Drake told us to support each other at the start of the school year, I took this to heart—as I’m sure many of my classmates did too. Whenever I come to school, there is a real sense of community and camaraderie amongst my peers. We’re just as incredibly supportive in our Facebook group chat as we are in person, taking notes for one another and providing mutual support. Rather than feeling competitiveness, I have the impression that we all want to see each other succeed. Moreover, when we come together, we get things done. Our crowning achievement? Petitioning our professor to get a thirty-minute break in between our three-hour Contracts class removed so that we can all be dismissed earlier. Section A is full of energy. We meme about legal concepts (my favourite being the watermelon catapult demonstrating trespass), and still clap for our professors at the end of class despite it being October. Never change Section A, never change! As midterms come around, we should all aim to foster and maintain a community of support and mutual respect amongst our peers.
Last, but not least, the group of friends that I’ve made since the beginning of law school has been paramount to my current survival of it. I’m sure we’ve all heard the advice to not solely focus on studying, but to continue doing the things we love. Even better than doing the things we love is doing those things with great friends. Over the past few weeks, I’ve had the chance to grow closer to many of my classmates at the gym, over lunch chats, hotpot, karaoke, and drinks. If you had told me that I’d be surrounded by friends and having so much fun during law school just a few months prior, I wouldn’t have believed you. Yet, the support and sense of belonging I experience when I’m around them is palpable. Friends, if you’re reading this, I hope you know how much I appreciate all of you. Despite it being October, it’s not too late to make new friends. Looking around my class, there are still some people that I haven’t met yet. Honestly, all it takes is some bravery to initiate the first conversation, and some intention to get to know them better.
If you’re like me, you might be feeling overwhelmed by the amount of work required to complete the snowballing number of readings and prepare summaries for all your classes, all while maintaining other familial obligations and your personal mental health. However, I want to encourage you that you are not alone on this journey and that help is available if you ask for it. Beyond accommodations and counselling, the Osgoode community is full of supportive people who are happy to assist, or to meet and do something relaxing with. All you need to do is seek them out. This Thanksgiving, I am thankful that I am part of this community. Law school is hard, but having a bit of support makes it a whole lot easier.
