By Michelle Kim Hall, US News

Once you decide where to enroll in law school, you may be wondering how best to prepare for your first year – or 1L. Socratic lectures, casebooks, issue spotting, legal research, blind grading and a curve make law school different than what you encountered as an undergraduate. Your 1L grades are particularly important for summer employment positions, clerkships, eligibility for law review and class rank.

The summer before I began my law school journey at Harvard University, I bought Scott Turow's book "One L: The Turbulent True Story of a First Year at Harvard Law School." I still remember Turow's description of reading his first case as equivalent to "stirring concrete with my eyelashes."

I found that description so memorable because it was true for me. As an English major, I didn't have any experience reading cases to identify rules, rationale and holdings. I didn't know what a tort was or how civil procedure governed the adjudication of lawsuits. I was excited to find out, but I was nervous, too. I wish I had done more to prepare.

Today there are more resources available to rising 1Ls than ever before. While 1L prep courses can help you navigate your first year, keep in mind these benefits and drawbacks.

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