Do most people hate law school? Forum

[Bikeflip]

1L is awful: a forced courseload, forced curve, and forced classmates make it a miserable time. 2 & 3L aren't great, but the fact you can start to choose your legal destiny makes it suck much less.

[bowser]

I am liking 2L less than 1L, actually. Just doing a lot of stuff, like journal and research and a Note, that I'm not all that interested in, and which eats through like every second of your life because there's always something that needs to get done. The total workload may have been more 1L year but it was just one thing, basically.

Anyways, my recommendation for 2L/3L is to try to find things that actually interest you (or, frankly, if you don't find the law that interesting, to minimize your workload) if you get a job at OCI, and not chase after prestige-y things unless you know that's what you want.

[Lawst]

My hatred of law school in the last semester of 3L seems to grow by the hour, and looking at all the empty seats near me in my current class, I'm not alone. I see it like this:

You've (hopefully) had some legal experience in your chosen field/specialty. It is better, so much better, than law school. You want to get on with your life and get paid and do the work you enjoy instead of pretending to pay attention during lecture (if you bother to pretend at all).

And this is coming from someone who doesn't have an offer yet (not unusual in my field). So it's not like I have some big paying job lined up already.

Also, I hate school in general, something I failed to remember until I was way into 1L. I love to learn, but unfortunately often school ≠ learning. Thank god law school is nothing like practice.

[First Offense]

Remember law school is filled with a bunch of whiners. It's not nearly as stressful or horrible or difficult as it's made out to be. Just have some balance in your life and learn to compartmentalize, and you'll be fine.

[BlueLotus]

I enjoyed certain classes and aspects of law school, but overall it sucked. Real practice is way, way better.

THIS.

[Cicero76]

"Do most people hate law school?"

Yep.

[olive16]

Do most law students hate law school? Yes.
Is law school actually *that* bad? No, not at all.

[Jan 14]

For me the first year produced a positive excitement level. The second year was all about the summer firm experience. There is no reason (NONE) for dragging anyone the torment of 3L. A big waste of money and time.

[arklaw13]

Fellow 1L. I like law school most of the time, but I'll admit I'm a total gunner/nerd.

[Rahviveh]

1L. I like the lifestyle of law school - getting up, going to class, getting a free lunch, studying a couple hours after, then going home and relaxing. My actual interest level in the material is hit or miss, though (more miss lately).

[Carlo Von Sexron]

If you like learning about stuff, you like law school more than you hate it. If you're allergic to lots of work and a fair amount of tedious ancillary bullshit, you will hate it much more.

[doctoroflaw91]

1L. I like the lifestyle of law school - getting up, going to class, getting a free lunch, studying a couple hours after, then going home and relaxing. My actual interest level in the material is hit or miss, though (more miss lately).

I need to learn to do this. It's the second week of our semester and I'm already forcing myself to be at school from 7:30 am until 8 or 9 PM.

[arklaw13]

1L. I like the lifestyle of law school - getting up, going to class, getting a free lunch, studying a couple hours after, then going home and relaxing. My actual interest level in the material is hit or miss, though (more miss lately).

I need to learn to do this. It's the second week of our semester and I'm already forcing myself to be at school from 7:30 am until 8 or 9 PM.

That sounds terrible. I'm never at school when I'm not in class or in between two classes. I think I'd go crazy.

[brotherdarkness]

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[BlueLotus]

I enjoy 2LOL, tho not being on journal (which my targeted employers DGAF about) probably has a lot to do with it. Taking classes that interest me like Evidence, Family Law, Immigration, etc. Externing my ass off to get legit experience and make connections. Pretty much doing my own thing. I'm busy, but it's a pleasant, non-soulcrushing kind of busy. Curve is much gentler, too (got A/A- in classes I hardly read for), you mix things up with fluffy seminars, and profs take it easy with the Socratic method.

[brotherdarkness]

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[BlueLotus]

I enjoy 2LOL, tho not being on journal (which my targeted employers DGAF about) probably has a lot to do with it. Taking classes that interest me like Evidence, Family Law, Immigration, etc. Externing my ass off to get legit experience and make connections. Pretty much doing my own thing. I'm busy, but it's a pleasant, non-soulcrushing kind of busy. Curve is much gentler, too (got A/A- in classes I hardly read for), you mix things up with fluffy seminars, and profs take it easy with the Socratic method.

Everyone else seems much more busy than I am. Should I be externing or doing a clinic if I'm not a PI person?

More hands-on experience doesn't hurt and there's certainly no lack of people who need but can't afford legal assistance. I have read on here that if you have a super PI-focused resume, firms will worry that you will jump ship after a year or 2 and head to the DA/PD/Legal Aid office, but I don't think that advice would apply to you since you're already headed to a 2L SA.

Also, if you have not written your Moot Ct. brief/Note yet, life will get really busy really fast, from what I've seen.

[shifty_eyed]

Law school is so much better than the shitty jobs I had before law school that I can't truly hate it, even at the worst times.

[brotherdarkness]

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[BlueLotus]

^Lucky! You cop DAT PREFTIGE of being on journal w/o the pain in the ass of doing a Note.

Yeah, in that case I would totally get more involved--Boalt has a ton of student-led pro bono projects.

[finnandjake2]

Law school is so much better than the shitty jobs I had before law school that I can't truly hate it, even at the worst times.

This. Law school has its shitty moments but "hate" is such a strong word for something that is better than "the real world."

[FKASunny]

Law school is so much better than the shitty jobs I had before law school that I can't truly hate it, even at the worst times.

This. Law school has its shitty moments but "hate" is such a strong word for something that is better than "the real world."

When I'm shoveling the shit that is our stupid legal writing class, I remember a job where I literally had to clean shit out of a urinal on my first day. Law school is so much better than the real world.

[chem!]

I don't hate it, but it's stressful as hell trying to balance real life and law school. I don't regret going. Yet.

[jbagelboy]

I don't hate it, but it's stressful as hell trying to balance real life and law school. I don't regret going. Yet.

Yea, I feel you on this. I had some regrets during/right after finals - realized how arbitrary it all was, and that Id spent a semester killing myself, letting friendships and connections languish and losing tens of thousands in opportunity cost for a few 4.5 hr exams - but it kind of paid off and hopefully will more literally do so in the future, (almost) no one really forgot about me, my SO and I are intact (albeit a little shaken) and I still have a great circle back home and where I live for law school, so I got over it. Just glad I never have to repeat a fall 1L.

[sublime]

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