So I have been on this site for about 6 months now and of course have read all the various advice given to people based on their scores, acceptances, etc about what they should do regarding attending and applying to law school. While I realized that almost all people are just trying to be helpful, I keep coming back to one question for everyone on here that is applying/seeking advice.

If you aren't at least 90% convinced that you are going to pretty much kick butt at law school or a legal career, what is the point?

I am not saying that every single law student or lawyer has to be phenomenal, but I think we can all agree that going to law school is a huge investment of your time, money, and sanity, and it is essentially a bet you are making on yourself. Yes what school you go to and how much debt you take on are important factors, but at the end of the day isn't the biggest factor of all your ability to succeed? And if you don't believe that you at least have a reasonable chance of doing so it doesn't matter how great of a school you go to, especially in this job market. It just seems like everyone on here is trying to hedge their bets and already terrified of failure before even stepping foot in their first class.

I guess my point is, if you don't know yourself and your skills well enough to have confidence that you can make a legal career work you are just throwing away money and time in the hopes that just coming out the other end with a JD from a not awful school will some how magically be better than where you are now.

OP wrote: " It just seems like everyone on here is trying to hedge their bets and already terrified of failure before even stepping foot in their first [law school] class."

This is called dealing with reality. Besides, fear is a great motivator.

OP: Law school costs of attendance have skyrocted despite a dwindling market for lawyers. Many need biglaw to pay off big debts. Biglaw is largely open only to those in the top law schools who perform exceptionally well during the first year among classes filled with competitive, brilliant & hard working students.

So what you're telling me is that if 100% of students are convinced they will kick butt and law school classes have a forced curve, 100% of students will end up in the top 10% of the class? Sounds reasonable to me.

People realize that 50% of the people who attend law school will be in the bottom half of the class. Most people who go to law school believe that they will be in the top of the class. I think people on here realize that law school doesn't go as hoped for at least half of the class, and they just want to understand, or help others to understand, the risks involved with going to law school.

yeah op your forgetting that there has to be people below median, below 75th, below 90th, etc. do you think a person who is in the bottom 10% of their class and has no jobs lined up might regret going to law school? absolutely

don't any of you have any money?

Am I the only one that is convinced that they will end up in the bottom third? My only skill is being ok at a standardized test.

retake ed uva

Right there with you.

Beat me to it.

OP, please explain what reality this belief is supposed to be based out of. Unless you've been reincarnated and went to law school and worked in the legal profession in a past life, this pig-headed confidence can only be based on a healthy ego developed by your mother telling you how wonderful you are.

Everyone else accepts that they cant predict their performance against a class of their intellectual peers, and plans accordingly.

ETA: an important part of your planned success will be a firm command of grammar. Thread title should be "am I the only person who believes in herself?"

http://youtu.be/nAV0sxwx9rY
Impossible is the Opposite of Possible

Nah dude. It's "Am I the only people who believe in theirself?"

I am not arguing that just because some feels confident they will do well that it guarantees success. What I am saying is that if you start off already doubting yourself you are even more likely to fail. Your argument assumes that I am implying an exact correlation between a person's confidence and their ultimate success.

No rational person goes to law school thinking that they will fail. No rational person goes to law school assuming they will succeed.

My personal confidence is based on several factors. Two of my closest friends are current 2Ls who I spent a lot of time with and I have actually learned a pretty solid amount about what law school is really like from them. I read some of their exams, talk them through issues in their papers, and more recently end up being quizzed by them and their other LS friends about whether or not I have what they think it takes to succeed in law school. I also know a handful of very successful lawyers, spread out among several states, practice areas, and different law schools, who all know me very well and also think I will do well. Pretty much what I have been told and what I believe is that the biggest factor for my success is going to be how hard I am willing to work. I'm not an asshole or a narcissist, I don't automatically assume that I will be good at anything, I just happen to believe that I have a specific set of skills and interests that make it very likely that I will succeed in law school. I don't expect this to just happen magically, I know I will have to work very hard, but I believe that it is possible.

I just don't understand why someone would take on such a risk if they didn't have a reasonable expectation of success, and I don't see how someone could have that expectation if they are already viewing things like law review or top 10% as being nearly unattainable. I don't assume I will get them, but I at least believe I have a strong chance.

So which is it? Hard work or a specific set of skills?

Luckily for you, most people don't work hard in law school and don't have that set of skills or interests that makes it likely they will succeed. Law review EIC, here you come!

Stop.

I would be slightly more confident in my ability to succeed if all my future classmates weren't my carbon copies in terms of LSAT, GPA, and past achievements.

YUP! I was talking with some family members about law school, and they gave me some sage advice about trying to be number one in my class. Well, this ain't undergrad or high school...everyone in your class is trying to be number one, and they are all just as capable as you, if not more so.