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First Day of Classes … Again

Do you remember the last time you had a first day at school? You spent you first day touring your undergraduate university campus, buying books, and getting ready for orientation. Well what about the first day of your last year at school? The day you became a senior and you felt like you were on top of the whole world; like nothing could ever bring you down. Well, for those going to graduate school, we get to relive those moments all over again. We get one more chance at being the new kids on campus, and eventually one more chance at being the older kids on campus. And on Monday I joined my law school, business school and JD-MBA classmates as we embarked on our first day at Northwestern.

Incoming Kellogg students have long been awaiting this moment. Excited to finally have what some call a two year vacation. Thrilled not to have to go to work every single weekday morning. And pumped from heading all over the world on the Kellogg KWEST trips (CLICK HERE to see my post prior to my KWEST trip)

On the other side, Northwestern Law students have also been excited about starting law school. In large part because class, not orientation, actually started on Monday. This is finally the moment that many of them have been waiting for. Ready to prove they can excel in the classroom. Prove they have what it takes to be great lawyers and litigators. And convince the masses that they’re up to the challenge of not only getting great legal jobs, but also doing so in one of the worst economies ever.

No matter which group you belong to, classmates have been meeting up all over  Evanston and all throughout Chicago getting to know their classmates. This is especially true for those who first day comes in the final year being a student. For them, it’s the last year they won’t have to spend the great majority of their time in class but will also spend time working and meeting up with friends. So they’re excited to make the most of it.  To get to meet more of their classmates. And to help make the campus a better place.

Because this is such a big moment in one’s career as a student, the respective Deans will also be making appearances. At Kellogg, Dean Sally Blount will be making remarks next Wednesday at the OLC (Kellogg auditorium). I look forward to trying to attend that session. On the law school side, the new Dean Daniel Rodriguez will be making remarks today, in just a few hours (CLICK HERE for more information on him).

As part of their overall speeches we look forward to hearing about their plans for this year and their visions for the future. Likewise, I’m sure many of my classmates look forward to hearing about how Northwestern is doing in the current economic climate. Particularly on the law side, where things are still picking up from the recent recession.

But perhaps more interesting than all of that is that the talks will bring the student body together and hopefully inspire more collaboration than before. To come together during times of change and help new leaders be as successful as possible. Either way, the first few days should be fun for everyone.

And either way, all good things must eventually come to an end. And over the next few days/weeks we’ll all have to buckle down and get to work. For 1Ls classes will start picking up pretty quickly so they’ll be in the library for much of the day. For 3L/3Js, we’ll work harder to finish up our writing and other requirements we need to complete. For 1st years at Kellogg, orientation will come to an end and classes and networking sessions will soon pick up. And for 2nd years at Kellogg, recruiting happens in just a couple of weeks.

Best of luck no matter which camp you fit into. And best of luck if you’re applying this fall in hopes to be part of the group next year.