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Subject says it all...

What's bothering you about law school?

yes. its had a devastating effect on my confidence, writing, ability to connect with others, happiness and sense of purpose. i've acquired enormous debt, underwhelming grades, and feel like i have very little chance of getting a job better than the one i had before law school. I feel like I am from a totally different world than my peers, and it makes me think i have a painfully lonely career ahead of me.

every morning i wake up and wish i could go back in time and talk me out of it.

Drop out.

ghostoftraynor wrote:Drop out.

Ditto. Save the money and time. It's just one year and at least you'll never have any regrets about what if.

Bon voyage!

Yeah dude it has only been one of your life; if things are that shitty, far better to call it good now.

Its important that you step back and assess the situation with clear mind. Don't make any rash decisions. What in particular is making you unhappy? Is it just the bad grades? Had you done well, would you still be unhappy? What led you to law school in the first place? Did you feel pressured into going? Did you truly have a desire to be a lawyer from the onset? Do you have a firm grasp of what lawyers actually do and what the day-to-day would actually be post-graduation?

You need to sit and think about all of this for awhile. And if the answer really is that you don't want to be a lawyer and don't want to continue law school, then drop out. A lifetime of unhappiness isn't worth it. You can't possibly say that one year's tuition somehow justifies forcing yourself into decades of unhappiness. Again, think long and hard and see how you feel. And whatever your gut tells you at that point, go with it.

kaiser wrote:Its important that you step back and assess the situation with clear mind. Don't make any rash decisions. What in particular is making you unhappy? Is it just the bad grades? Had you done well, would you still be unhappy? What led you to law school in the first place? Did you feel pressured into going? Did you truly have a desire to be a lawyer from the onset? Do you have a firm grasp of what lawyers actually do and what the day-to-day would actually be post-graduation?

You need to sit and think about all of this for awhile. And if the answer really is that you don't want to be a lawyer and don't want to continue law school, then drop out. A lifetime of unhappiness isn't worth it. You can't possibly say that one year's tuition somehow justifies forcing yourself into decades of unhappiness. Again, think long and hard and see how you feel. And whatever your gut tells you at that point, go with it.

+1

Its important that you step back and assess the situation with clear mind. Don't make any rash decisions. What in particular is making you unhappy? Is it just the bad grades? Had you done well, would you still be unhappy? What led you to law school in the first place? Did you feel pressured into going? Did you truly have a desire to be a lawyer from the onset? Do you have a firm grasp of what lawyers actually do and what the day-to-day would actually be post-graduation?

You need to sit and think about all of this for awhile. And if the answer really is that you don't want to be a lawyer and don't want to continue law school, then drop out. A lifetime of unhappiness isn't worth it. You can't possibly say that one year's tuition somehow justifies forcing yourself into decades of unhappiness. Again, think long and hard and see how you feel. And whatever your gut tells you at that point, go with it.

+1
Could it also just be your particular LS, the location of it, campus life, etc?

anon369 wrote:yes. its had a devastating effect on my confidence, writing, ability to connect with others, happiness and sense of purpose. i've acquired enormous debt, underwhelming grades, and feel like i have very little chance of getting a job better than the one i had before law school. I feel like I am from a totally different world than my peers, and it makes me think i have a painfully lonely career ahead of me.

every morning i wake up and wish i could go back in time and talk me out of it.

From your other posts, it sounds like you're at Columbia, so you're presumably a smart person with good credentials who will land on your feet. I'd drop out if I were you. It's just one wasted year.

anon369 wrote:yes. its had a devastating effect on my confidence, writing, ability to connect with others, happiness and sense of purpose. i've acquired enormous debt, underwhelming grades, and feel like i have very little chance of getting a job better than the one i had before law school. I feel like I am from a totally different world than my peers, and it makes me think i have a painfully lonely career ahead of me.

every morning i wake up and wish i could go back in time and talk me out of it.

Have you reached out to any fellow classmates you feel comfortable with? Feel free to PM me, I'm a rising 2L at CLS.

papercut wrote:

anon369 wrote:yes. its had a devastating effect on my confidence, writing, ability to connect with others, happiness and sense of purpose. i've acquired enormous debt, underwhelming grades, and feel like i have very little chance of getting a job better than the one i had before law school. I feel like I am from a totally different world than my peers, and it makes me think i have a painfully lonely career ahead of me.

every morning i wake up and wish i could go back in time and talk me out of it.

Have you reached out to any fellow classmates you feel comfortable with? Feel free to PM me, I'm a rising 2L at CLS.

Feel free to PM me too -- rising 3L. Once the whole EIP process is over (if you're participating), life at CLS will get so much better. 1L sucks for everyone. The night before my Lynch crim final I questioned every decision I ever made in life.

I am prepping to take the bar. I've never felt anything other than law is a great choice for me. I worked in another field before where I made 1/4 of what I will make at my new (albeit likely only 1-4 year) job. Law is a good choice for some people.

But...if you don't like law school my guess is that you probably won't like practice. A significant number of my classmates don't want to practice law and I think law would be a particularly bad field if you don't like it (because it is procedural, often invokes very negative feelings in the parties, often requires that you as an advocate take positions that you believe are "wrong", etc).

Honestly, law school was a ton of fun, at least compared to working. It doesn't get any easier IMO.

Hutz_and_Goodman wrote:I am prepping to take the bar. I've never felt anything other than law is a great choice for me. I worked in another field before where I made 1/4 of what I will make at my new (albeit likely only 1-4 year) job. Law is a good choice for some people.

But...if you don't like law school my guess is that you probably won't like practice. A significant number of my classmates don't want to practice law and I think law would be a particularly bad field if you don't like it (because it is procedural, often invokes very negative feelings in the parties, often requires that you as an advocate take positions that you believe are "wrong", etc).

There are actually tons of people who hate law school and love practice (and vice versa). Totally depends on what exactly you hate and why.

anon369 wrote:yes. its had a devastating effect on my confidence, writing, ability to connect with others, happiness and sense of purpose. i've acquired enormous debt, underwhelming grades, and feel like i have very little chance of getting a job better than the one i had before law school. I feel like I am from a totally different world than my peers, and it makes me think i have a painfully lonely career ahead of me.

every morning i wake up and wish i could go back in time and talk me out of it.

Hope you feel better. Was your summer experience fulfilling?