Orientation

"That's it?"

Well OK, maybe I didn't say that...but I did have a sentiment similar to that by the end of today. I just completed the first official day as a 1L and all things considered, it was not that bad. That is to say it could have been much much worse. On the whole the staff and students were friendly, the whole affair stayed on schedule, and it was fairly engaging.

For the most part it was what you would expect from any orientation. We got a welcome from the dean, met the major administrative staff members, and had the heads of various campus services stop by and speak for a bit of time. The overwhelming since I received from faculty and staff was that "This will be tough, tougher then anything you have ever done. We know this, we have been through this, rely on us to help you." That sentiment I must say is very reassuring for a person walking into a whole new world with no real expectations.

I have to say that I was impressed by the professionalism throughout the entire day. From having all the handouts already together in folders for us with name tags and ready to hand out from the beginning, all the way down to the lunch they served. They started on time, and kept everything moving briskly. I cant say how much more pleasant the experience was. I can imagine had it been behind schedule and under prepared it would have only added to the apprehension most students felt.

Speaking of students, lets give a quick break down of the make up of my class. So this is very unscientific, I didn't literally count everyone or check bio data. My guess after talking to other students and staff is that the class size is roughly 260 incoming students. We are broken down into 4 sections roughly of 60 plus students. I would guesstimate a male to female split of 40/60; I'd put racial minorities at 35% (with blacks making up rough 15% of that). On the whole everyone I spoke to seemed extremely kind and bright. As a few staff members noted, all our lives we have been the creme of the crop, out standing amongst the back drop of mediocrity. Now what was once "extra"-ordinary, is THE ORDINARY. This to me seems both a good and bad thing. The good is that you are surrounded by like minded individuals striving to do better so that atmosphere encourages you to be on point as well. Plus they all have some affinity for the law and are suffering like you (misery loves company! lol). The bad is that everyone here has (rightly so I'd say) larger egos then most because they are accustomed to excelling, how else would be here. There is only room at the top for a few people, if everyone is shooting for the top, scores of people are bound to miss. That can really bruise some ego's if they are not accustomed to it.

But all that is to say that I feel comfortable at the school, with my peers, and with the staff/faculty. I do realize that the actual difficulty will come. I feel a bit more prepared for this though, due to my time online for Sigma. After going through that roller coaster of physical, mental, and spiritual testing NOTHING can compare. While law school may tire, frustrate, and challenge me, it cant possibly be more of a burden then pledging was. So in that regard I already have a mental edge over my peers. Hopefully it last. More from the battlefields later though.

M.A.Cole