As an undergrad, I loved being involved. Coming from a small undergraduate institution, I had the opportunity to be involved in nearly every aspect of campus life including student organizations, leadership roles, community outreach and academic clubs. I found a lot of fulfillment in working with student organizations, planning events for students who developed professional and academic skills, and getting to know and giving back to my community through service.
These things made up a large portion of my identity as a student and even played a role in why I wanted to go to law school. I was used to a fast-paced and highly involved lifestyle. My days were packed with meetings, volunteering and events, while managing to balance it all with my coursework. I thrived in that environment, where I felt deeply connected to my school and community.
Stepping into law school at a much larger university was not only a culture shock but also a sharp academic contrast to what I have been used to. The reading assignments are rigorous, concepts and content are dense and take much more time to grasp and understand, and suddenly, all the plans I had to connect with the community, campus and student organizations were no longer sustainable in the ways I had previously managed.
I struggled for a while to find a fit where I could keep the best of both worlds, but ultimately, I felt lost in this much larger university. I came to understand that this all-or-nothing mentality was unrealistic. After years of that kind of involvement, adjusting my expectations was challenging, and I felt a lot of shame for my lack of involvement. It took a great deal of reflection to begin transitioning to my new normal, where I could still be engaged but in a way that was both sustainable and fulfilling.
One of the hardest parts of this transition has been redefining what involvement means to me. In undergrad, I enjoyed the quantity aspect of involvement, I loved being a part of as many projects, groups and organizations as I could. In law school, I’ve learned that involvement can be more about refined quality—how deeply I can engage in a few meaningful activities while still maintaining academic success. It’s about finding balance, something that I am continuously working toward.
Law school requires an incredible amount of discipline and time management, but it is not impossible to work meaningful involvement into your schedule. For anyone transitioning from a highly involved undergraduate experience to law school, my advice is to give yourself grace. It is okay to step back and reevaluate how you engage with your community. It is important to find a system that works for you, one that allows you to prioritize your studies while still staying connected to activities that fulfill you. One of the things that you will hear in your first week of law school is that it is a marathon, not a sprint, and learning your new pace is part of the journey.
— Bella Price is a 1L KU Law Student Ambassador from Spring Hill, Kansas