For most of last week, hundreds of full-time, part-time, and LLM students poured into the law school looking for lockers, nametags and even fajitas.  Especially the fajitas.

I'm willing to bet that all of them saw at least one of us: 60 blue-shirted 2L and 3L student volunteers doing everything from locker sales to tours to "sheparding" new student crowds from event to event.

This "army of almost lawyers" as one dean dubbed them, volunteered many hours to making orientation happen.  1Ls who choose to volunteer for orientation next year will appreciate how much work goes into making everything run smoothly.  The volunteers handled everything with a great amount of humor and enthusiasm.  Thanks so much to everyone who volunteered!!

So what was orientation week like?  Any volunteer can tell you that a major part of the week was about answering questions.  Hundreds of new students meant thousands of the same questions.  They wanted to know about Journals, about Skills Boards, which Professors were the most intimidating, and whether law school really is like high school.  It is by the way.

I have been told that students in the incoming class have, on average, the highest LSATs and GPAs this school has ever seen.  However, after spending a week with many of them I think they may also be some of the funniest law students here.  Before classrooms doors or westlaw accounts were even opened last week, many new students' seemed to have gotten a jumpstart on enthusiasm for all things law school-related.

In an email to new students who signed up for the orientation week Scavenger Hunt, I billed the event as the first great 1L skills competition of the year.  In a sense, I wasn't being dishonest.  It was the first competition, it involved some skills, and I hoped it was going to be great.  However, some students took a little too seriously my assurances that a scavenger hunt championship entailed lasting law school glory.

I received several emails earnestly asking for clarifications of minute details of certain scavenger hunt "policies and procedures."  When the scavenger hunt got rained out, a dedicated group of students decided to have their own scavenger hunt.  I didn't give out the actual list, so they simply made up their own and asked me for extra points should the great scavenger hunt be rescheduled.  I said sure, they certainly earned the points.

I was happy to see new students attending some of the events in great numbers.  The new student meet and greets at Third Edition and Local 16 were packed and the first annual Softball on the Mall game had a huge turnout.  I was even happier to see many students forego stress and anxiety for a little bit of fun before school starts.

As the SBA Vice President of First Year Students, one of my responsibilities will be planning more events for the 1Ls during the year.  I'm looking forward to seeing 1Ls take advantage of SBA events during the year and injecting a little bit of fun into their first year of law school.  Making time to escape from the law school library every once in a while is so important to staying sane.  If orientation week was any indication, I think the new class is on the right track.