By Ava Halovatch, Pre-Law Peer Advisor
As pre-law students, we tend to put an enormous amount of pressure on ourselves to succeed and match up to our peers. It is easy to get caught up in the comparison game, and I learned just how heavy that burden could be early on.
During my freshman year, I vividly remember sitting on my dorm bed, scrolling through LinkedIn, and wondering how everyone else was already so involved. They were posting about clubs, internship experiences, networking events, research projects, and more. In conversations with my pre-law friends, they were talking about how they already had summer internships, after freshman year! It was intimidating to enter college and immediately feel behind. Even in the classroom, it felt like everyone else had all the answers. My classmates would raise their hands and provide eloquent answers, while I felt like I was still catching up. Even when I did know the answer, I lacked the confidence to raise my hand for fear of being incorrect.
If you feel a similar way, I think that it is very important to know that you are not alone.
Sonia Sotomayor, a Supreme Court Justice at the United States Supreme Court, says, “…a voice in my head would tell me ‘You do not belong here. Go home.’ Now, I know I worked hard to get to this point in my life. I deserve to be in those spaces and have my voice heard. Yet, these feelings still come to the surface.”
A Supreme Court Justice, who has done just about everything there is to do in law, still experiences imposter syndrome. This is a universal feeling. No matter how successful you are, there is always a voice in the back of your head telling you that you do not belong. Find comfort in knowing that you are not alone in this feeling.
Even as a junior in college, who is involved in multiple extracurriculars and internships, I still struggle with imposter syndrome. I often find myself scrolling through LinkedIn questioning if I am involved enough. When this happens, I try to take a step away from the noise. Remember that social media is intended to provide the best outlook of someone’s life. It is rarely representative of reality.
My biggest piece of advice for students feeling this way is to focus on quality over quantity. It may feel like you need to be more involved, or get a leadership position in more clubs, but that is not the case. Reflect on who you are and what you are truly passionate about. Let these drive your involvement, your major, and especially your career. People are commonly worried about packing their resume with experience, but I suggest that we focus on preparing for the interview. Find experiences that you could talk about for hours, even if they do not feel directly tied to law. Law schools will recognize this passion and intentional involvement. At the end of the day, you are going to be happier and more excited in your life, if you fill it with activities that you enjoy.
I will warn you that this feeling never tends to go away. You can be involved in everything, and still compare yourself to your peers, constantly questioning whether you are enough. I have even talked to students in law school and lawyers actively practicing who echoed these feelings.
As I said, the best way to address this feeling is to do what you love and, most importantly, remember that you are always enough.
If you feel this way and want to talk about it, come to my drop-in hours! I would be happy to chat 🙂
Ava’s Fall 2026 Drop-In Hours (effective 9/28-12/11)
- Tuesday, 9:00 am – 10:00 am (In Person in Rowe 426)
- Thursday, 9:00 am – 10:00 am (Virtual via Webex; join here)