Dear Batch of 2026,
It’s been a long year. Maybe not a year. But two seemingly long semesters at NALSAR. Well, maybe not at NALSAR. I, like any other teenager, had dreamt of college as a space of freedom. A place where I would spend my time learning new things and adulting with a bunch of friends around me. Little did I know that I would not have the start I had dreamt of for so many years. Back in school, I had a beautiful picture of college painted for myself. My close ones- parents, cousins, friends- told me how they loved college, and how they made memories in college which they still cherish. I was already upset when the pandemic ensued. First of all, CLAT- the gateway to law school- was postponed repeatedly. Second of all, with rising cases in the country and the world, the start I had dreamed of (Alexa, play jag soona soona) was somehow not possible to achieve. *Inserts drowning in tears sticker*, my personal favorite sticker.
Law school brought its own set of challenges, some tough to get past. Constantly remaining motivated was a big challenge for me. Wait a minute! Don’t be scared! It’s just challenging, but not a Herculean task that is impossible. If my batch and I could do it, you can, too. Trust me, the rough parts have ended. I can’t promise a smooth journey- there will be ups and downs- but you can do it! When I first entered here, it was a rough start for me because I had barely begun to understand the place and I was already under a ton load of work. But I had amazing seniors that I could count on for help. A few friends too, they helped me survive and get through the first few days of law school. As a person who believed in being highly organized with a scheduled timetable, getting admission at NALSAR two days before classes began was something that put me off track for some time. But, like I said before, I had a few nice friends help me get back on track by briefing me about the orientation, “How to get through NALSAR 101,” the night before classes began.
Oops! I almost forgot to set the context to the question mark(s) in the title. So, my batch started classes on October 19th. That’s not even a complete year in the calendar! All I know is that I reached the second year without even having a freshers’ party. Perhaps it hasn’t even been a year since I came to terms with the possibility (and now reality) of law school being online. Online law school, a place where I learnt how to use WebEx more than I learnt the subjects in my curriculum (or did I?- still questioning this). It hasn’t even been a year since I wrote CLAT and yet here I am, a second-year student who spent less than a year at law school, which was more like
WebEx school. I think I can introduce myself as a graduate of WebEx law school, which I hope will not be the case, god please no (to be read in Michael Scott’s voice). Anyway, since my batch and I had a late start to our first semester, the semester was only two months long. But don’t worry! We’re all here to guide and walk you through your first semester. I’m highkey (petition to make this a word) looking forward to this.
Looking back at last year, the time before I started attending law school or even wrote CLAT, I was extremely scared and nervous due to the number of times the test had been postponed. I was nervous about whether or not I would make it to my dream law school. If I were to advise my younger self, I would tell her that it is okay to be nervous and scared. That she should not be afraid of the future and work in the present. As Amy Santiago once rightly said, “Life is unpredictable. Not everything’s in our control. But as long as you’re with the right people, you can handle anything.” This might sound preachy and tough to follow, but trust me, this is not unachievable. Together we can make it through online classes (hopefully only for your first semester). Remember that you will not be the only person struggling with the virtual boundaries of Cisco WebEx.
NALSAR is a chill place, folks. You can approach your seniors and we’ll be most glad to help you. I’m looking forward to seeing all of you. Don’t worry, we can get through this semester together. *Inserts puppy eyes emoji*. To sum it up, just chill– reference (un)intended. We’ll make a grand entrance together whenever college reopens. *Inserts smiley with sunglasses sticker*. Please, The Office fans, let’s sing Goodbye Toby once the pandemic ends.
Best,
Samriddhi Shenoy, an overexcited senior from the Batch of 2025.