Law School

People often ask me questions about law school–whether they should go, whether I liked it, how to survive it. I don’t have all the answers (or even most of them, to be honest) but I’ll share some thoughts today.

1. Only go if you’re absolutely sure you want to be a lawyer. Law school is hard and stupid expensive. Don’t put yourself through that just because you don’t know what else to do or it seems cool or your parents want you to.
2. Choose your school wisely. For me, this meant choosing a school that was close to DC (and had a DC semester program) and that gave me a lot of financial aid. However, it meant that I was in central Pennsylvania, which… was not a good place for me to be in. If you can, try to pick a school in the state and area you want to live in long-term. This will make it easier to take the bar exam (law schools teach you the generally applicable laws for all states but will also talk specifically about the law of the state they’re in–this makes it easier to study for and pass the bar later). This will also make it easier to find a job since your law school will have a network in its own locale. Finally, don’t be like me and move yourself into an area where you’ll get some terrible culture shock–law school is hard enough academically without dealing with a toxic culture.
3. Figure out how to study. Everyone studies differently. Some people do best in study groups, while others study better on their own. The way you studied in undergrad might work, but it might not. I didn’t have to study very much in undergrad so I had to learn how to study when I got to law school. Take notes during class and while you do your readings for class. Share your outlines during finals. No one likes the person who won’t share their notes. Also odds are that you noticed things that others overlooked, and vice versa.
4. Look for your summer jobs EARLY. This is something no one told me my 1L year. You have to start looking for your first summer job at the end of the first semester. Try to figure out what type of law you’d like to try and try to get a summer position there–you don’t have to stay there for the next summer but it’s good to know that early.
5. Find some friends. Law school is hard. It can be brutal. People are competitive and classes are hard. Having friends makes this so much easier. You’ll have people to study with (or next to), people to share outlines with, people to ask questions, and most importantly, people to talk to about non-law school things. My law school friends and I had a rule when we were hanging out: we could talk about law school for 30 minutes and then no more. Honestly, this was one of the most helpful things I had in law school since it forced us all to remember that life outside of law school existed and that it wasn’t the end of the world if we didn’t do well in class.
6. Try to remember that grades aren’t everything. Yes, they’re important, but it’s also important to remember that unless you want to do BIG LAW, you don’t need to be the first in your class. The world will not end, you will still do well, and you will be more sane for it.