1. Set aside funds for living expenses: If you are like most students, you will be broke for the entirety of law school. Whether from a summer job or prior working experience, try to set aside about $10,000 for the first year to pay for books, food and living expenses other than rent. I will provide the disclaimer that I went to law school in New York City so I did not need a car and everything was just generally more expensive. Books for your courses will probably be a considerable expense, at least for the first semester. There are essentially four options for purchasing casebooks. You can buy the books brand new from your school’s bookstore. This is the most expensive option. When I was in law school, new books went from $150-$400 each. Alternatively, you could buy books used from the bookstore. This could save you about $100 per book, but make sure to flip through to see if the highlights and notes from the prior user are tolerable. The virtual versions of casebooks also tend to be cheaper than the new or even used physical books but make sure your professor allows them. Finally, the cheapest method is second hand from other law students or elsewhere online. If you know upperclassmen, it is worth asking around for an online forum where students sell their old books. This could be tough for your first semester because you do not know anyone yet but keep an eye out for your second semester.
2. Find lodging: As I mentioned above, this guidance applies best to law students in New York City because that is the real estate market with which I am most familiar. Most students either live in the law school’s dorms or in an apartment near campus. If you want to live in the dorm, watch for emails from your school around the May/June before the first semester starts. If you have not heard by then, send an email or give your school a call to check in. If you want to live in an off-campus apartment, start looking two to three months prior to your desired move-in date. Three months is even a little early for New York so don’t panic if you can’t find anything good at first, just keep checking. For my off-campus apartments, I used Streeteasy or went by recommendations of friends. You will usually need the first month’s rent and a security deposit (which equals another month’s rent). There may be additional fees but those should not exceed $500. Thankfully, recent NYC laws cracked down on what landlords can charge tenants up front. Us law students will be eternally grateful.
3. Spend time getting to know your new neighborhood. You should plan to settle into your new place a week or so before class starts. You will have readings for the first day but without classes and studying, you have some free time. Spend it finding a gym within your price range, COVID permitting of course. I am a huge proponent of working out to curb anxiety. Removing yourself from the stress of law school for an hour a few times a week is incredibly helpful for your mental health alone. I also recommend finding a local coffee shop to study in when you want to avoid the law library. As a 1L, you attend each of your classes with the same group of about 100 people, referred to as your section. Going to the library with that same bunch everyday can start to feel like a pressure cooker. Make sure to treat yourself to a beverage and a pastry, you deserve it!
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