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Incoming Law Students
May. 1st, 2006 01:24 pmSo it turns out that a bunch of people I know are talking about going to law school. Apparently I wasn't clear enough when I was writing as a 1L (those 12 months of endless complaining, self-pity, and general misery). *snicker*
I'm not going to tell people not to do it, though I'd be lying if I said I wasn't tempted to do exactly that. People should go into things like this with their eyes open, though, so I'll point out a couple things that you might not have considered and give a few bits of advice I wish I was given.
The Curve and Grades: Want to avoid the insanity that most 1L's are mired in? Want to skip the period where your eyes roll back, your head rotates, and you start puking pea soup? Ignore the curve and your grades. Focus, instead, on learning the material. GPA only matters for your first job and for large firms anyway. Everyone else just cares about whether or not you're good at your job and whether you win. Hell, most of my misery first year was due to my obsession with grades. I'll let you in on a little secret. I have no idea what my GPA is. I haven't looked at my grades since 1st year. I assume they're decent since I haven't been kicked out. Abigail commented in shock on this fact, pointing out that I could be top-ranked and not know it. Honestly, I don't care. That, my friends, is the key to maintaining a chill attitude about law school. Ultimately, it's a machine that grinds you into a corp-lawyer, and grade obsession is their primary weapon. Deny them that power over you and you stand a better chance at retaining your perspective, heart, and ideals.
1L: You're going to act more strangely in your first year than in any other year of your life. You might as well accept it, because it is just a fact of life. It hits some harder than others, but it gets everyone. When you're in the middle of it, try to laugh it off and focus on the fact that when you're a 2L and 3L and beyond you'll chuckle (in an embarrassed way) about your behavior back then.
Relationships: If you like your spouse/boyfriend/girlfriend... law school might not be the place for you. I can count on one hand the number of people who had relationships prior to law school that have survived through to the end. It doesn't matter how strong the relationship is, how much love is there, etc. Law school is absurdly hard on your loved ones. Especially that first year. It's probably harder on your loved ones ones than it is on you, because you're too crazy with stress to really realize what a bitch you've turned into. Most people wisely decide to cut bait and run. Also, some of you might be saying "Well, some relationships need to end." Very true. However, law school does not discriminate and I saw some relationships that seemed to be very good come crashing down thanks to the added pressure. It's equal opportunity, so don't expect a free pass. ;)
Changes: Life changes you, it always does. Law school will change you. It seems to weild a greater power to change people than most other situations. No one can say how it will change, but you'll change in some way. My experience has been that it takes whatever is buried and bringings it kicking and screaming to the surface. The deeper it's buried, the more kicking and screaming (I kicked and screamed quite a lot as my inner hippy came to the surface). ;)
Quitting: Don't be afraid to quit. This isn't a life for everyone, and unfortunately you don't know what it is like until you're in the middle of it. Dropping out after investing 25k is better than wasting 120k on a career you're going to hate. If you get the "Oh god, wtf was I thinking?" feeling, don't be afraid to look at other opportunities.
Material: Ok, this is key, and one I never considered. If you're interested in why illegal behavior happens, causes behind the need for legal codes, etc. Law School probably isn't the place for you. Look, instead, to grad school. Law School is a trade school. You won't learn why murder happens, but you'll learn the elements to what makes a murder. In that way, I found myself feeling I'd been thoroughly let down because I'm much more interested in why crimes happen than what the definition of the crime is. But that sort of "How can we fix this broken system?" question is much better suited to a graduate program.
Your Peers: All kinds of people go to law school, there is no true stereotype that you can lump people into. It does attract a higher percentage of people who have something to prove, though. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, mind you, it's just something to consider. Most likely in your lives you haven't been surrounded on all sides by people who are ridiculously intelligent, driven, and competitive. In law school you will be. My best peice of advice is to meet non-law students and hang out with them. Your life will be infinitely better when you start to build a social life that is distant from your law life.
I'm not going to tell people not to do it, though I'd be lying if I said I wasn't tempted to do exactly that. People should go into things like this with their eyes open, though, so I'll point out a couple things that you might not have considered and give a few bits of advice I wish I was given.
The Curve and Grades: Want to avoid the insanity that most 1L's are mired in? Want to skip the period where your eyes roll back, your head rotates, and you start puking pea soup? Ignore the curve and your grades. Focus, instead, on learning the material. GPA only matters for your first job and for large firms anyway. Everyone else just cares about whether or not you're good at your job and whether you win. Hell, most of my misery first year was due to my obsession with grades. I'll let you in on a little secret. I have no idea what my GPA is. I haven't looked at my grades since 1st year. I assume they're decent since I haven't been kicked out. Abigail commented in shock on this fact, pointing out that I could be top-ranked and not know it. Honestly, I don't care. That, my friends, is the key to maintaining a chill attitude about law school. Ultimately, it's a machine that grinds you into a corp-lawyer, and grade obsession is their primary weapon. Deny them that power over you and you stand a better chance at retaining your perspective, heart, and ideals.
1L: You're going to act more strangely in your first year than in any other year of your life. You might as well accept it, because it is just a fact of life. It hits some harder than others, but it gets everyone. When you're in the middle of it, try to laugh it off and focus on the fact that when you're a 2L and 3L and beyond you'll chuckle (in an embarrassed way) about your behavior back then.
Relationships: If you like your spouse/boyfriend/girlfriend... law school might not be the place for you. I can count on one hand the number of people who had relationships prior to law school that have survived through to the end. It doesn't matter how strong the relationship is, how much love is there, etc. Law school is absurdly hard on your loved ones. Especially that first year. It's probably harder on your loved ones ones than it is on you, because you're too crazy with stress to really realize what a bitch you've turned into. Most people wisely decide to cut bait and run. Also, some of you might be saying "Well, some relationships need to end." Very true. However, law school does not discriminate and I saw some relationships that seemed to be very good come crashing down thanks to the added pressure. It's equal opportunity, so don't expect a free pass. ;)
Changes: Life changes you, it always does. Law school will change you. It seems to weild a greater power to change people than most other situations. No one can say how it will change, but you'll change in some way. My experience has been that it takes whatever is buried and bringings it kicking and screaming to the surface. The deeper it's buried, the more kicking and screaming (I kicked and screamed quite a lot as my inner hippy came to the surface). ;)
Quitting: Don't be afraid to quit. This isn't a life for everyone, and unfortunately you don't know what it is like until you're in the middle of it. Dropping out after investing 25k is better than wasting 120k on a career you're going to hate. If you get the "Oh god, wtf was I thinking?" feeling, don't be afraid to look at other opportunities.
Material: Ok, this is key, and one I never considered. If you're interested in why illegal behavior happens, causes behind the need for legal codes, etc. Law School probably isn't the place for you. Look, instead, to grad school. Law School is a trade school. You won't learn why murder happens, but you'll learn the elements to what makes a murder. In that way, I found myself feeling I'd been thoroughly let down because I'm much more interested in why crimes happen than what the definition of the crime is. But that sort of "How can we fix this broken system?" question is much better suited to a graduate program.
Your Peers: All kinds of people go to law school, there is no true stereotype that you can lump people into. It does attract a higher percentage of people who have something to prove, though. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, mind you, it's just something to consider. Most likely in your lives you haven't been surrounded on all sides by people who are ridiculously intelligent, driven, and competitive. In law school you will be. My best peice of advice is to meet non-law students and hang out with them. Your life will be infinitely better when you start to build a social life that is distant from your law life.
