Things you wish you knew before you went to law school Forum

[NYSprague]

It isn't worth it to be upset or exclude people because they have money. Just be confident in yourself and make friends. Low self-esteem isn't going to help you. You are going to be around people from wealthy families or with tons more money for the rest of your life. You should get used to just accepting it and moving on.

Or, if you really have no money, like not even the money to move to school or rent an apartment, maybe you need to work for a while and save up? Everyone needs at least a minimal safety net. Going to law school with only the money you can borrow is a mistake.

[BVest]

Cold calling rarely affects ur grade.

But volunteering can. I know for a fact it got me a bump in torts (which I needed because it was still my lowest LS grade).

I made a lot of awesome friends in law school and met a lot of really cool people, most of whom didn't want to talk about school. Don't hang out with gunners.

You can choose who you hang out with, but be friendly with everyone. While you have a good deal of control over whom you hang out with in school, you will have much less control over which of your classmates you work with/against in the future. It's to your advantage to be on friendly terms with as many future colleagues as possible.

[84651846190]

Socially, I find it pretty similar to high school.

...so you agree that a disproportionate number of law students are sociopaths?

Without question.

Disproportionate, yes probably. To a significant degree higher than the normal population -- I don't know about that. Sociopathy is an overused term. It's not a precise definition, but it involves a pretty high standard of emotional indifference, and the vast majority of law students and lawyers wouldn't qualify for it anyway. Tearing pages out of library books doesn't make you a sociopath, and neither does lying to your buddy about what time his final exam truly starts.

Well, however you want to define their mental illness, it only gets worse when they actually start practicing law. Interacting with practicing lawyers changes your perspective on what it means to be an obstinate, self-centered, arrogant jackass.

[Tanicius]

Disproportionate, yes probably. To a significant degree higher than the normal population -- I don't know about that. Sociopathy is an overused term. It's not a precise definition, but it involves a pretty high standard of emotional indifference, and the vast majority of law students and lawyers wouldn't qualify for it anyway. Tearing pages out of library books doesn't make you a sociopath, and neither does lying to your buddy about what time his final exam truly starts.

Well, however you want to define their mental illness, it only gets worse when they actually start practicing law. Interacting with practicing lawyers changes your perspective on what it means to be an obstinate, self-centered, arrogant jackass.

Yeah there's a ton of those -- most obstinate, self-centered arrogant jackasses aren't sociopaths though.

[ymmv]

Disproportionate, yes probably. To a significant degree higher than the normal population -- I don't know about that. Sociopathy is an overused term. It's not a precise definition, but it involves a pretty high standard of emotional indifference, and the vast majority of law students and lawyers wouldn't qualify for it anyway. Tearing pages out of library books doesn't make you a sociopath, and neither does lying to your buddy about what time his final exam truly starts.

Well, however you want to define their mental illness, it only gets worse when they actually start practicing law. Interacting with practicing lawyers changes your perspective on what it means to be an obstinate, self-centered, arrogant jackass.

Yeah there's a ton of those -- most obstinate, self-centered arrogant jackasses aren't sociopaths though.

The omnipresent blend of antisocial, borderline, and narcissistic personality disorders isn't a whole lot better, though.

[TrunksFan1]

Do people really tear pages out of library books? I thought this was just a myth. That is so messed up if it is true.

[Tanicius]

Do people really tear pages out of library books? I thought this was just a myth. That is so messed up if it is true.

No, but it's not like anyone uses library books anyway, so..

[ph14]

Do people really tear pages out of library books? I thought this was just a myth. That is so messed up if it is true.

Myth, but it wouldn't matter anyways in 2014 where everything you need is digital anyways.

[TrunksFan1]

Very true, but could you imagine finding the tome that could make your paper awesome, only to find that the section you need is missing? That would feel terrible.

[ph14]

Very true, but could you imagine finding the tome that could make your paper awesome, only to find that the section you need is missing? That would feel terrible.

Oh no, you would have to wait 2 days for the inter-library request to be fulfilled. The horror!

[Pokemon]

Do people really tear pages out of library books? I thought this was just a myth. That is so messed up if it is true.

Not a myth. Did this so other person would not get published on the journal. Instead, I got published. These sort of things happen in law school. #noregrets.

[A. Nony Mouse]

Do people really tear pages out of library books? I thought this was just a myth. That is so messed up if it is true.

Not a myth. Did this so other person would not get published on the journal. Instead, I got published. These sort of things happen in law school. #noregrets.

Dude, you really suck.

[ph14]

Do people really tear pages out of library books? I thought this was just a myth. That is so messed up if it is true.

Not a myth. Did this so other person would not get published on the journal. Instead, I got published. These sort of things happen in law school. #noregrets.

Dude, you really suck.

I think (hope) he was joking.

[brotherdarkness]

.

[Pokemon]

You got to do those things to succeed. Hate the game not the player. You are all jealous of me getting published.


Yes... dis is a joke...

[despina]

I'm going to go with "troll" on this one. I've never heard of anyone doing anything like this.

[A. Nony Mouse]

Oops. Yet again I take things too literally! Sorry, poke, my gullibility is showing.

[Pokemon]

Oops. Yet again I take things too literally! Sorry, poke, my gullibility is showing.

No hard feelings...

[FuturePanhandler]

Does anyone have any experience entering law school with a SO who IS in entering law school as well? If so, how'd it work out?

Will it be long distance or same school/area? Probably makes a huge difference. I met my SO here (another law student) and I've never had a better relationship.

Same school

[raekaya]

Does anyone have any experience entering law school with a SO who IS in entering law school as well? If so, how'd it work out?

Will it be long distance or same school/area? Probably makes a huge difference. I met my SO here (another law student) and I've never had a better relationship.

Same school

IMO, assuming you are with the right person to begin with, dating another law student at your school is the best case scenario. You'll relate to each other in a way you wouldn't with non-lawschoolers and making time for each other is relatively effortless since you're on the same schedule, live near each other, and have tons of friends in common.
Even if you're the type of person who needs a lot of space, that's doable too, especially if you're in different sections. In fact, if I were you, I would specifically request to be in different sections since you'll make more friends that way, you'll minimize grade jealously/competitiveness, and you will be less tempted to talk about school with your SO every waking moment (which you'll be doing plenty of anyway).

[objctnyrhnr]

Even if you don't like gladhanding douches, try and make connections. You never know when a simple smile and brief conversation might save your ass later on.

+1

[moneybagsphd]

here's something: if you don't like law school before your tuition insurance expires, leave. cut your losses. if you don't find the material interesting, if you find yourself tuning out in every class, if you find LWR tedious to the point of suicide, law school might just not be for you. go on your merry way and never look back.

[objctnyrhnr]

Even if you don't like gladhanding douches, try and make connections. You never know when a simple smile and brief conversation might save your ass later on.

+1

I actually want to elaborate on this a little bit. Don't just network with law students. Network with people at your internships, SA's, etc. I graduated in May and was actually in the vail for a month or whatever, though I had some things coming down the pipeline. I interviewed constantly throughout June. A few days ago, I got an offer I could not say no to. I withdrew from a few places, one of which told me that they were about to call me and offer me the job.

I sent a follow-up email to the same guy I had just spoken to, acknowledging that what I was doing was unconventional, but passing along two former fellow intern-colleagues' resumes and personally vouching for their relevant skillset because I had worked closely with them in the past, had developed a friendship, and knew they were in the veil. The next day, the employer calls both of them and invites them to interview. No way they would have gotten interviews had I not done that.

Never under estimate how much peer connections/relationships can help. It's not just all about people who are more advanced in the field than you are.

[KingsCup]

Spend time doing extracurriculars. Everyone takes classes in law school. Some of the things that have helped me in interviews, as well as peace of mind, have been through different clinics offered by the school. Helping people through different clinics was the first time that I actually felt like going to law school was worth it (weird because I'm going into corporate work). In addition, it will actually give you real world experience in different realms of the law (regardless of whether its what you want to go into or not), as well as something that all interviews may circle around. I can't tell you how few times my interviews haven't included talking about my grade in torts, but have included things I've done through clinics