Are your classes online during Pandemic?

Looking back on it now — the online transition was rough in ways that weren't fully apparent at the time. The loss of casual interaction with classmates and professors was easy to dismiss as just a preference thing, but I think it had real professional development consequences.

A lot of what you learn in law school happens in the hallway conversations, the study group arguments, the moments when a professor catches you after class and pushes on something. That was basically gone for two years. The students who came through that period and built strong networks anyway were the ones who were intentional about it — they set up Zoom study groups, they reached out to professors directly, they didn't wait for the environment to create connection opportunities.

If you're currently in a hybrid or online program: be more proactive than feels natural. The passive networking that happens in person doesn't translate automatically to an online environment.