Counsel’s Counsel: Sept. 10, 2025
Question:
Hello, 1L here.
I’m starting to worry that either I or somebody in admissions has made a terrible mistake. When I applied to UVA Law, I kept hearing that they like to accept social people, so I really tried to lay the charisma on thick during the interview. It’s not like I was lying the whole time or anything. I was genuinely excited to attend such a top-tier school that would give me an edge over the competition for the job I wanted. Lo and behold, I fooled admissions, they let me in, and here I am.
The issue is, my family keeps asking what I’ve been learning about in my first few weeks of law school, and I realized that the only information left in my brain is how many four-counts we had to transition between segments of our Dandelion routine and how many BuzzBallz my section social chairs were able to chug before puking them back up.
When I decided to go to law school, I was sold on the idea that I would hardly ever need to talk to people, and that I’d have a pretty decent excuse to be an a**hole when I did. Now, the dark academia vibes of my day-long weekend library sessions are being ruined by my sectionmates and acquaintances constantly interrupting me with questions like, “Hey, how are you doing with the readings for Monday? We just booked a room on the second floor if you want to go over that one weird case,” and “You were so fun to hang out with on Friday! Do you want to grab dinner with the rest of us before the pregame this week?” I’m not yet convinced that these aren’t some next-level gunner tactics to throw me off my game and put me at a disadvantage during exam season.
Honestly, all of this socialization is stressing me out. Are these people’s social batteries ever going to run out, or am I forever doomed to a life of pointless chit-chat and “healthy work-life balance?”
Sincerely,
The Great Collegial Pretender
Answer:
The fact that you've opted to ask another human person for advice is a fantastic start. From the sounds of it, asking for help at all is a big step for you.
First of all, admissions doesn’t make mistakes; it simply moves in mysterious ways. Dean Blazer’s word is as good as law, so if she deemed your vibes worthy of acceptance into these hallowed halls, then so they must be. It’s generally ill-advised to cast doubt on the sacred commandments of admissions. To do so would result in punishments unlike anything permitted under VA Code §18.2-10. Accept that being here is proof enough that there’s some kind of genuine social spark in you, dim as it may be.
Those social batteries aren’t running out anytime soon, so I believe that a shift in perspective might be warranted on your part. Instead of focusing on the negative (i.e., what you haven’t been learning), you might try a reframing exercise to identify the skills you have gained.
Sure, you had a raging hangover throughout your entire 8:30 a.m. Monday contracts class, but that will be nothing compared to the headache of having to deal with real clients who want to fight you on the fact that their illegal, no-consideration, no-mutual obligation, verbal agreements can’t actually be enforced.
When your firm needs to schmooze a room full of bright-eyed startup executives to bring in some fresh business, who will they want to send into the fray? Some hard-working, diligent library hound who can recite the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure off the top of their head? Or the guy who managed to wrangle half of their blacked-out section into their Lyfts home at 3:00 a.m. while simultaneously convincing them not to hook up with their classmates?
It can be hard to reframe the most annoying and mundane experiences of your life into reasons why you’re a top candidate for a fast-paced corporate environment. But Darden students do it every day, and so can you.
If this doesn’t help, I would encourage you to try to take that weirdly intense and distrustful energy you’ve got and channel it into your socialization, rather than against it. After all, you are surrounded by some of the country’s best and brightest.
Go to your group study sessions, if only to analyze the thought processes of your competition. Turn up to Bar Review and softball practices not out of any desire for human connection, FOMO, or simple zest for life, but because this is when those alcoholic slackers are at their weakest and most easily manipulated.
At its core, UVA Law is a community of doers. A coalition of changemakers. If you can’t seem to buy into the social aspect, then dang it, be the Machiavelli-worshiping sociopath that you want to see in the world.
I truly hope that you can use these strategies to find what you are looking for here at UVA Law. If all else fails, however, there are plenty of resources out there to help you find healthy coping mechanisms [1] and support networks of like-minded individuals [2].
Good luck and happy gunning!
Jane Doe, J.D.
Submit to Counsel’s Counsel at https://forms.gle/iNrF8439znnpbGVk6