"Take risks, step outside your comfort zone, and be bold!"
Rutgers Law School students are positioned for success.

Having a successful law school experience can lead to amazing opportunities in your future legal career. In a short amount of time, you will take great steps toward outcomes that could not only impact you, but could also transform the world.  

We asked members of the Rutgers Law School community, including current students in an Instagram Q&A, for their best advice for finding success as law students. Take a look at their best advice for hitting the ground running your 1L year.

Make Career Connections

Join the Club (Or Clinic)

  • "Get involved in campus organizations!"
  • "There will be many fun events and deadlines. Get an agenda book to stay organized."
  • "Take advantage of all the clinic offerings!"

It’s hard to appreciate the mental push-ups your mind is performing when you’re navigating the murky areas of civil procedure or working to master the formula of first-year legal writing. Checking in with current 1Ls and looking back to my own first year helps me recognize just how far my classmates and I have come. This practice has helped me maintain focus, take advantage of my fleeting time, and enjoy the moments I have left with people who have become great friends of mine.

Shonti Tager RLAW'19

Our Professors Don't Bite

  • "Talk to the professors. They are the most important people to vibe with."
  • "Take advantage of office hours—professors are there to help!"

Prioritize Self Care

Boldly Go Where You Haven't Gone Before

  • "Take risks, step outside your comfort zone, and be bold!"
  • "Leave your comfort zone. Whodathunk real property and bankruptcy law were fun!"

At the beginning of my 3L year, I was not going to take Immigration Law. But then a class I signed up for got canceled and a friend was very persuasive in getting me to sign up. Professor Rose Cuison Villazor and the Center for Immigration Law, Policy and Justice (CILPJ) completely changed my mind on immigration law. And possibly my life.

Sierra Chandler RLAW’19

Get Your Head in the Game

  • "Keep your head in the game. Consistency is key. "
  • "Whatever you do, don't give up. You will get there.
  • "Focus on yourself and not others."
  • "Don't compare yourself to other students! Every journey is unique."

Use Resources Wisely

  • "Take advantage of practice exams online—they're really helpful for exam prep!"

And finally...

  • "Choose Rutgers."

Back to The Brief‣

Students
Camden
Newark
Advice
Block Rutgers Law R

The Rutgers Law Community

Our attentive, collegial, and inclusive culture—rare among law schools—is the best possible preparation for a profession driven by teamwork. At both locations, you’ll find collaborative cohorts, low student-faculty ratios, and an open-door policy that extends to our deans’ offices. On graduation, you’ll be joining a network of 20,000+ alumni for a lifetime of support throughout your career from peers in all areas of law.