It's only orientation...and I'm having a meltdown? Forum

[Cogburn87]

Note to the OP:

You should not feel like you are the only person who hates your classes as a 1L. I am a 2L (who is currently happy to have chosen law school BTW) who felt somewhat similar to you at this same point last year. I didn't enjoy most of my classes, didn't understand why I viewed being at law school differently than most of the people in my class, and thought this was a bad decision for me. I had worked before law school (for a STEM field firm) and started to regret leaving my old job. I had serious discussions with folks close to me about whether I should leave law school too...and hated the readings. None of my friends from back home would have gotten my problem with it since not many folks I knew went to law school and since the school I went to is well known (and none of us knew anyone who had attended before) they would've thought I was stupid to drop out and go back to my very average job.

I stuck it out to see what happened. Things grew on me a bit during the course of the year and (as is common with these things) started to like it more as time went on. Two things made it a lot better: (a) I had an internship with a firm last summer and really actually loved the work. More than what I did before (and not just summer fun activities, I mean the actual work). School is not the same as working in a legal field (granted I have a limited view from one summer) and since you have a more technical (probably also hardworking from your description) viewpoint, you may find it better. (b) You can find areas of the law (NOTE: AFTER 1L ONLY) that you can study which intersect with your area of interest in many cases. You'll start to see this next year and you'll feel better about your choice.

I know I have and I don't regret it anymore

FYI Conventional wisdom on this site is often to drop out. This should be more targeted advice and shouldn't be something you do just because of where you go to school. Take more time to think about how you can use your differences from other classmates to make yourself stand out.

OP needs to drop out. Any other advice is fucking reprehensible.

[chevelle64]

Note to the OP:

You should not feel like you are the only person who hates your classes as a 1L. I am a 2L (who is currently happy to have chosen law school BTW) who felt somewhat similar to you at this same point last year. I didn't enjoy most of my classes, didn't understand why I viewed being at law school differently than most of the people in my class, and thought this was a bad decision for me. I had worked before law school (for a STEM field firm) and started to regret leaving my old job. I had serious discussions with folks close to me about whether I should leave law school too...and hated the readings. None of my friends from back home would have gotten my problem with it since not many folks I knew went to law school and since the school I went to is well known (and none of us knew anyone who had attended before) they would've thought I was stupid to drop out and go back to my very average job.

I stuck it out to see what happened. Things grew on me a bit during the course of the year and (as is common with these things) started to like it more as time went on. Two things made it a lot better: (a) I had an internship with a firm last summer and really actually loved the work. More than what I did before (and not just summer fun activities, I mean the actual work). School is not the same as working in a legal field (granted I have a limited view from one summer) and since you have a more technical (probably also hardworking from your description) viewpoint, you may find it better. (b) You can find areas of the law (NOTE: AFTER 1L ONLY) that you can study which intersect with your area of interest in many cases. You'll start to see this next year and you'll feel better about your choice.

I know I have and I don't regret it anymore

FYI Conventional wisdom on this site is often to drop out. This should be more targeted advice and shouldn't be something you do just because of where you go to school. Take more time to think about how you can use your differences from other classmates to make yourself stand out.

OP needs to drop out. Any other advice is fucking reprehensible.

So I will add a caveat to what I shared before: I am assuming OP that you had a real interest in pursuing law school before you started. If you have a genuine interest in the profession on a personal level I'd suggest keeping your chin up and powering through this year. If you went because you thought it might be a respectable/good career path and only for that reason, I would consider all of your options, including dropping out. That said, don't drop out if you are committed to trying this out and really want to try. You sounded like someone with a good track record up to this point- if you've worked hard before why stop now

[McAvoy]

Note to the OP:

You should not feel like you are the only person who hates your classes as a 1L. I am a 2L (who is currently happy to have chosen law school BTW) who felt somewhat similar to you at this same point last year. I didn't enjoy most of my classes, didn't understand why I viewed being at law school differently than most of the people in my class, and thought this was a bad decision for me. I had worked before law school (for a STEM field firm) and started to regret leaving my old job. I had serious discussions with folks close to me about whether I should leave law school too...and hated the readings. None of my friends from back home would have gotten my problem with it since not many folks I knew went to law school and since the school I went to is well known (and none of us knew anyone who had attended before) they would've thought I was stupid to drop out and go back to my very average job.

I stuck it out to see what happened. Things grew on me a bit during the course of the year and (as is common with these things) started to like it more as time went on. Two things made it a lot better: (a) I had an internship with a firm last summer and really actually loved the work. More than what I did before (and not just summer fun activities, I mean the actual work). School is not the same as working in a legal field (granted I have a limited view from one summer) and since you have a more technical (probably also hardworking from your description) viewpoint, you may find it better. (b) You can find areas of the law (NOTE: AFTER 1L ONLY) that you can study which intersect with your area of interest in many cases. You'll start to see this next year and you'll feel better about your choice.

I know I have and I don't regret it anymore

FYI Conventional wisdom on this site is often to drop out. This should be more targeted advice and shouldn't be something you do just because of where you go to school. Take more time to think about how you can use your differences from other classmates to make yourself stand out.

Dude OP seems to hate her life and is possibly suffering from depression, doesn't know why she went to law school, doesn't think she wants to be a lawyer, and is attending what is likely a very bad school that will leave her unemployed regardless of her grades if she would stick it out. "Buck up" is patently bad advice here.

[McAvoy]

So I will add a caveat to what I shared before: I am assuming OP that you had a real interest in pursuing law school before you started. If you have a genuine interest in the profession on a personal level I'd suggest keeping your chin up and powering through this year. If you went because you thought it might be a respectable/good career path and only for that reason, I would consider all of your options, including dropping out. That said, don't drop out if you are committed to trying this out and really want to try. You sounded like someone with a good track record up to this point- if you've worked hard before why stop now

Yeah but even if OP has a genuine interest in becoming an attorney they would still be better served to drop out, retake the LSAT and go to a school that actually gives them a shot to be a lawyer.

[McAvoy]

I can personally relate to and appreciate your advice though. That seems like it's better advice for 1Ls (like myself) who have put themselves in decent positions but who hate their classes and are having trouble remembering why they came to law school. OP's is not that generic -- apparently typical -- situation, though.

[chevelle64]

Note to the OP:

You should not feel like you are the only person who hates your classes as a 1L. I am a 2L (who is currently happy to have chosen law school BTW) who felt somewhat similar to you at this same point last year. I didn't enjoy most of my classes, didn't understand why I viewed being at law school differently than most of the people in my class, and thought this was a bad decision for me. I had worked before law school (for a STEM field firm) and started to regret leaving my old job. I had serious discussions with folks close to me about whether I should leave law school too...and hated the readings. None of my friends from back home would have gotten my problem with it since not many folks I knew went to law school and since the school I went to is well known (and none of us knew anyone who had attended before) they would've thought I was stupid to drop out and go back to my very average job.

I stuck it out to see what happened. Things grew on me a bit during the course of the year and (as is common with these things) started to like it more as time went on. Two things made it a lot better: (a) I had an internship with a firm last summer and really actually loved the work. More than what I did before (and not just summer fun activities, I mean the actual work). School is not the same as working in a legal field (granted I have a limited view from one summer) and since you have a more technical (probably also hardworking from your description) viewpoint, you may find it better. (b) You can find areas of the law (NOTE: AFTER 1L ONLY) that you can study which intersect with your area of interest in many cases. You'll start to see this next year and you'll feel better about your choice.

I know I have and I don't regret it anymore

FYI Conventional wisdom on this site is often to drop out. This should be more targeted advice and shouldn't be something you do just because of where you go to school. Take more time to think about how you can use your differences from other classmates to make yourself stand out.

Dude OP seems to hate her life and is possibly suffering from depression, doesn't know why she went to law school, doesn't think she wants to be a lawyer, and is attending what is likely a very bad school that will leave her unemployed regardless of her grades if she would stick it out. "Buck up" is patently bad advice here.

OP: If you agree with the above that you don't know why you went to law school and don't want to be a lawyer then I don't want to mislead you: I would also then agree with the people who told you to drop out. My advice isn't "buck up" it's don't give up on something because of bullshit people might have told you about 1L. If the entire idea of school and work in the law is terrible to you that's not at all the same.

There is a BIG difference between hating 1L classes and hating any future you would have as a lawyer. I (and other people who are encouraging you not to give up if it's just dislike of 1L classes) couldn't possibly fault someone like you for leaving law school. As I said before you seem to have a history of hard work and I'm sure you'd find a good fit even if that's what you decided to do. Feel free to PM. Just know that regardless of what you chose to do you are not alone for having these thoughts.

[Pumpkin-Duke of Pie]

Note to the OP:

You should not feel like you are the only person who hates your classes as a 1L. I am a 2L (who is currently happy to have chosen law school BTW) who felt somewhat similar to you at this same point last year. I didn't enjoy most of my classes, didn't understand why I viewed being at law school differently than most of the people in my class, and thought this was a bad decision for me. I had worked before law school (for a STEM field firm) and started to regret leaving my old job. I had serious discussions with folks close to me about whether I should leave law school too...and hated the readings. None of my friends from back home would have gotten my problem with it since not many folks I knew went to law school and since the school I went to is well known (and none of us knew anyone who had attended before) they would've thought I was stupid to drop out and go back to my very average job.

I stuck it out to see what happened. Things grew on me a bit during the course of the year and (as is common with these things) started to like it more as time went on. Two things made it a lot better: (a) I had an internship with a firm last summer and really actually loved the work. More than what I did before (and not just summer fun activities, I mean the actual work). School is not the same as working in a legal field (granted I have a limited view from one summer) and since you have a more technical (probably also hardworking from your description) viewpoint, you may find it better. (b) You can find areas of the law (NOTE: AFTER 1L ONLY) that you can study which intersect with your area of interest in many cases. You'll start to see this next year and you'll feel better about your choice.

I know I have and I don't regret it anymore

FYI Conventional wisdom on this site is often to drop out. This should be more targeted advice and shouldn't be something you do just because of where you go to school. Take more time to think about how you can use your differences from other classmates to make yourself stand out.

Dude OP seems to hate her life and is possibly suffering from depression, doesn't know why she went to law school, doesn't think she wants to be a lawyer, and is attending what is likely a very bad school that will leave her unemployed regardless of her grades if she would stick it out. "Buck up" is patently bad advice here.

OP: If you agree with the above that you don't know why you went to law school and don't want to be a lawyer then I don't want to mislead you: I would also then agree with the people who told you to drop out. My advice isn't "buck up" it's don't give up on something because of bullshit people might have told you about 1L. If the entire idea of school and work in the law is terrible to you that's not at all the same.

There is a BIG difference between hating 1L classes and hating any future you would have as a lawyer. I (and other people who are encouraging you not to give up if it's just dislike of 1L classes) couldn't possibly fault someone like you for leaving law school.As I said before you seem to have a history of hard work and I'm sure you'd find a good fit even if that's what you decided to do. Feel free to PM. Just know that regardless of what you chose to do you are not alone for having these thoughts.

Right. Anyway, OP drop out, like, yesterday. Everyone here is telling you exactly what you need to do to have any kind of optimistic future. If you decide after dropping out that you actually want to be a lawyer, and that you were just freaking out for no reason, that's absolutely fine. Retake the LSAT and go to a T-14 or a T-1 school in your region with a good reputation and decent employment stats.

Heck, even if you start to enjoy this year you still need to drop out. People who really want to practice law in this day and age (i.e. - post-recession/increasing lawyer glut) know better than to go to a school outside of the T-1 and a few very exceptional T-2 regional schools. I'm not telling you to be T-14 or bust (though I would strongly advise it), but at least go to a school that's going to allow you a shot at some kind of lawyer job.

EDIT: @chevelle64 - FTFY

[sideroxylon]

OP, I too like to make disastrous decisions that make me profoundly unhappy because I'm afraid of talking to my family.

Seriously, drop out.

[bjsesq]

OP, I too like to make disastrous decisions that make me profoundly unhappy because I'm afraid of talking to my family.

Seriously, drop out.

You need to out whatever is fucking your world up, because these allusions you've been making recently are vaguebook-esque.

[sideroxylon]

OP, I too like to make disastrous decisions that make me profoundly unhappy because I'm afraid of talking to my family.

Seriously, drop out.

You need to out whatever is fucking your world up, because these allusions you've been making recently are vaguebook-esque.

that was intended to be total sarcasm dude (pretty much anything with "I too like to" is)

other than poasting "my life is a shambles" twice in the rant thread, I don't think I've been vaguebooking?

[bjsesq]

OP, I too like to make disastrous decisions that make me profoundly unhappy because I'm afraid of talking to my family.

Seriously, drop out.

You need to out whatever is fucking your world up, because these allusions you've been making recently are vaguebook-esque.

that was intended to be total sarcasm dude (pretty much anything with "I too like to" is)

other than poasting "my life is a shambles" twice in the rant thread, I don't think I've been vaguebooking?

oh. wellm that life is a shambles thing plus this was my reference. I still can't tell if you are being serious.

[Danger Zone]

OP, read this: http://thepeoplestherapist.com/2011/05/ ... a-quitter/