what makes law school hard? Forum

[re-applicant]

This is a pretty straightforward question. Everyone on here always talks about how difficult 1L is and my friends in law school right now are constantly stressed out. What makes law school so difficult? Is the material intellectually difficult or is it just the pressure of being surrounded by smart people who are competing with you?

[funkyturds]

the curve

[kswiss]

Its hard for a number of reasons that wouldn't make it hard by itself, but taken together make it a pretty grueling experience.

The curve is definitely a part of it, but even if you were aiming for median you'll end up working really hard. 1L is especially difficult because you're basically thrown into the deep end and you're expected to learn to swim.

It takes a lot of time. Some weeks you can combine class+studying for a total of like 40 hours, but when memos are due or when studying for finals it can be 12 hour days with no days off. I just finished finals, and the only days I took off from studying are the days that I actually took finals on. If you are used to playing hard or taking a lot of time for yourself, there are times in the semester where you have to give a lot of it up. You feel guilty for not hanging out with family and friends, but then you throw it to the back of your mind because you don't have time to think about it.

Also, there is a lot of pressure. A lot rides on first year, and even first semester grades. Its not like UG where you can just show up and get As. You realize that the people around you are all intelligent, so you have to be on your game.

I just finished my first semester, but I imagine it gets even harder second semester depending on what your class rank is. If i'm below median, I'm gonna freak out because 1. I need a job, and 2. I'll only really have 1 semester to fix the situation.

[09042014]

The material is downright easy at least 1L. The exams are the hard party. They test analysis skills and knowledge. Everyone, or damn near will know the subject.

People who work 60 hours a week at law school during the semester are liars, exaggerators or retards.

[Renzo]

the curve

[kalvano]

Remember in undergrad when you had a big paper or project due, and then the professor gave you a bit of a break?

Treasure that memory, because they will pile on more and more work in law school. I think that's mostly what gets to people is the unrelenting amount of work with no real breaks. "Oh, your graded memo is due for legal writing? That's nice, have 100 pages read by next class period."

[dakatz]

Two things make it difficult for me: The evil evil curve is obviously number one. Number two is the fact that you get this perfect storm of things that creep up on you late in the semester. You have the endless slew of reading, where there is always more before you ever get a chance to really look back and review. On top of that, your legal writing projects are due toward the end of the semester. And on top of that, you pretty much have to apply at the end of the semester if you want any chance of some of the plum 1L summer jobs.

[3|ink]

Why do they call it 'memo' in law school? Is a 'memo' in law school just an outline of assigned reading material to demonstrate that you read the assignment?

[underachiever]

the curve

[D. H2Oman]

It's not hard, law school just self selects for people who bitch a lot. You'll notice that when you get in law school it will be not nearly as bad as you expected however you will bitch about it anyways cause you're a douchebag. I know you're a douchebag because 100% of law students are including myself, no especially myself.

[D. H2Oman]

Why do they call it 'memo' in law school? Is a 'memo' in law school just an outline of assigned reading material to demonstrate that you read the assignment?

No, and you don't have to read everything. That's for suckers.

[twert]

The material is downright easy at least 1L. The exams are the hard party. They test analysis skills and knowledge. Everyone, or damn near will know the subject.

People who work 60 hours a week at law school during the semester are liars, exaggerators or retards.

i worked about 60 hours a week all semester. now after finals, i feel like a retard. next semester i will probably get a job or something.

[Jackie O]

I know you're a douchebag because 100% of law students are including myself, no especially myself.

what the heck are you saying I'm a douchebag? Maybe I would seem less douchey if I didn't have to spend 8 hours working, almost 2 hours commuting, then go to class, then have to stay up all night reading trying to catch up while revising my briefs day after day

[Jackie O]

The material is downright easy at least 1L. The exams are the hard party. They test analysis skills and knowledge. Everyone, or damn near will know the subject.

People who work 60 hours a week at law school during the semester are liars, exaggerators or retards.

i worked about 60 hours a week all semester. now after finals, i feel like a retard. next semester i will probably get a job or something.

i worked about 60 hours a week all semester. now after finals, i can confess that i'm an exaggerator liar.

[D. H2Oman]

The material is downright easy at least 1L. The exams are the hard party. They test analysis skills and knowledge. Everyone, or damn near will know the subject.

People who work 60 hours a week at law school during the semester are liars, exaggerators or retards.

i worked about 60 hours a week all semester. now after finals, i feel like a retard. next semester i will probably get a job or something.

i worked about 60 hours a week all semester. now after finals, i can confess that i'm an exaggerator liar.

<3

[D. H2Oman]

I know you're a douchebag because 100% of law students are including myself, no especially myself.

what the heck are you saying I'm a douchebag? Maybe I would seem less douchey if I didn't have to spend 8 hours working, almost 2 hours commuting, then go to class, then have to stay up all night reading trying to catch up while revising my briefs day after day

and that's not even including the 20 hours a week you spent volunteering to set up that late night basketball league for troubled inner city youth.

[IAFG]

everyone is ~as smart as you, ~as hard working as you and has access to all the same resources. but you have to do better than them anyway. which is why most 1Ls spend the whole year praying everyone else blows it.

[Jackie O]

I know you're a douchebag because 100% of law students are including myself, no especially myself.

what the heck are you saying I'm a douchebag? Maybe I would seem less douchey if I didn't have to spend 8 hours working, almost 2 hours commuting, then go to class, then have to stay up all night reading trying to catch up while revising my briefs day after day

and that's not even including the 20 hours a week you spent volunteering to set up that late night basketball league for troubled inner city youth.

plus the tournament during finals upped that to 60 hours, so I had to quit my job to get my entire 100 hour study in for finals

[Connelly]

The curve, the desirenecessity to do well, and the fact that you're grouped with a couple hundred other kids who are about as smart and hard working as you.

If your only goal were to pass, it would be a total joke. It would take a concerted effort to fail at most law schools.

[OGR3]

The curve, the desirenecessity to do well, and the fact that you're grouped with a couple hundred other kids who are about as smart and hard working as you.

If your only goal were to pass, it would be a total joke. It would take a concerted effort to fail at most law schools.

It still takes a concerted effort to fail at most law schools. Why kick out the idiot willing to pay $40,000 a year to be in the bottom 10%?

[$$$$$$]

It is NOT hard, just a lot of reading, and finals begin at the same time as you can start applying to jobs, which can be stressful if you actually think you have to apply the beginning of dec to get a 1L job, which surprisingly a lot of people do. if you went to a competitive undergrad with a curve, then you have pretty seen how shit works.

[imbored25]

just party a lot and don't think about it being hard!

[gwuorbust]

[bergg007]

This is a pretty straightforward question. Everyone on here always talks about how difficult 1L is and my friends in law school right now are constantly stressed out. What makes law school so difficult? Is the material intellectually difficult or is it just the pressure of being surrounded by smart people who are competing with you?

don't worry nothing can be as hard as being a warriors fan, year after crappy year.

[3|ink]

This is a pretty straightforward question. Everyone on here always talks about how difficult 1L is and my friends in law school right now are constantly stressed out. What makes law school so difficult? Is the material intellectually difficult or is it just the pressure of being surrounded by smart people who are competing with you?

don't worry nothing can be as hard as being a warriors fan, year after crappy year.

Try being a Redskins fan.