What Next Year Might Be Like

From The Menagerie's May 13th post.

* It was nice to pick my classes. More like college, less like high school, than 1L.
* It was more reading, but more interesting reading.
* It wasn't as difficult, material-wise, but some of the exams were killer.
* The professors are more relaxed.
* I seemed to have more free time, but I always felt busy.
* I enjoyed gardening more.
* I enjoyed school more.
* I enjoyed my fellow students more. It's been fun watching the younger ones transform themselves from college kids to professionals.
* 1Ls this year looked really young. (I thought it was a psychological thing, but a friend on the admissions committee said they were, on average, a few years younger than our class had been.)

My token advice for the 2L year (similar to my 1L advice): Work hard, but know when to stop. Read for every class. Keep the hobbies you enjoy. Cut back on your extra-curricular commitments, but make time for friends and family outside of school, even if you don't think you have the time to. Drink good wine on occasion. Pamper yourself in the run up to finals. Don't listen to rumors. Take practice exams. Befriend your fellow students and ignore the competitive ones. Go for long walks during study breaks, to clear your mind. Smile at everyone you see; say "hi" to a random new person every day. If you have a bad feeling about a class the first day, drop it and take something else.