Orientation

So I've been oriented. It is such a strange affair really. Orientation meant a day and a half of having information thrown at me. It is a lot and all at once. In a period of 10 hours (Friday night and all day Saturday) I managed to take my first writing class, eat h'our d'ourves (ok, pounce on the nearest cocktail waiter), get a locker, get my profile picture taken, file my request to transfer to full time, file out more promises/ waivers/ honor code forms than I can count, learn the basics of law and econ, talk to some peer mentors, learn about Career Services, get the tour of the library basics, and have some bar-b-que. I was exhausted at the end.



I did manage it though. It helped to keep a smile on my face. As silly as it sounds, smiling helps. People seemed more willing to talk to me, and honestly, by forcing myself to be happy, I ended up actually being happy, despite the scary amount of information being thrown at me.



Along the way, I did pick up on a few useful tips:

• Don't be scared (it is a scary thing, but Orientation is there to help)


• Read through all the papers they give you in the Orientation package. I haven't found out if they are useful yet, but I have a feeling they will be.


• Talk to the student volunteers. They are fountains of knowledge when it comes to professors, clubs, and general student life.


• Don't leave SBA (student bar association) events until the alcohol runs out.

With orientation out of the way, I am now officially a 1L (or at least in my mind). Tomorrow I hit the library and start plowing through my assignments.

The Pre-Orientation Meet and Greet

So one thing that I had never seen in the law school blog-o-sphere (and yes, there is one) is advice on how to meet fellow pre 1-Ls via Facebook. Is there advice? Is there a protocol? How do you know who to look for? How do you not look like a crazy stalker? Well, I am going to attempt to outline some protocol (what can I say, I love guidelines.)

1. Look for a Facebook group for your incoming class. Sometime after the acceptance letter goes out the group goes up.
2. Be active on the group. Establish some sort of identity and let people know who you are.
3. Start friending. Don't just send a friend request, send a personal message like "Hey we are going to the same law school." And then tell them about yourself. Not a novel, but something like what section you're in (if you know).

After that, the happy hours begin. On this Facebook group, you can post invites to a pre-Orientation meet and greets. It can be a happy hour, or maybe a group cup of coffee. Here are just a few general tips:

• Keep political talk neutral.
• Be mindful of the body language of those around you. Check to see if maybe a particular subject is making them uncomfortable.
• Don't get drunk or talk about how you are going to get "So drunk." You aren't a freshman anymore.

As for me. I've been to a few of these pre-Orientation meet ups. I don't feel like it is giving me any more of an advantage, and that is definitely not what I am looking for. I do feel like it is a less stressful way to meet my fellow classmates in a less stressful situation (I have a feeling the Orientation will be a little be stressful, but more on that tonight.)