My SMU Law Freshman Year: Ong Siew Choo

I started school with a lot of uncertainty. I worried about the new learning environment (the class participation), my new classmates and my ability to study law.

And this uncertainty manifested into great stress.

I remember staying up just to complete my readings. Within a week, I barely clocked 24 hours of sleep. And I definitely do not recommend you to stay up late if you are unable to function well without sufficient rest. That was me. I fell sick because of the lack of rest.

It was stressful because it was a completely new environment. I saw unfamiliar faces and the need to participate in class was terrifying. I was afraid of being judged by my peers and, of course, the professor.

However, I realised that judgments will always exist. And we cannot control how others view us when we speak up in class. All we can do is to prepare well and make sense when we participate in class. Worrying excessively would only cause unnecessary stress. And one of the greatest takeaways from law school would be to get used to being on your toes at all time. You never know when your professor would call you to answer a question and you will be swamped by an entire list of readings which seems impossible to complete.

That is the rigour of this discipline and the reality which we all have to embrace.

The reality

I think that it is common to feel inadequate as compared to your peers. That was what I felt throughout the entire semester. It was an unhealthy feeling. However, this uneasiness made me want to be at the top of my game.

My friends would agree with me that KGC is almost my second home.

I spent days in that particular booth at level five—making notes and completing my Legal Research and Writing assignments. Of course, I had also taken naps in that booth because I was just so tired from not having sufficient rest.

Studying would be almost a daily norm. However, studying was not the entire bulk of my school life.