Things I wish I knew before attending law school
1) Law school consumes you - It isn't like undergrad or grad school. It's similar to med school in that in order to keep up with everything, you need to be twelve steps ahead of the game.
2) Your grades are based on 1 chance - given I have test anxiety - this may have changed my mind. Your entire grade is based on 1 exam.
3) You will encounter a ridiculous amount of Republicans, conservatives, and douchebags - and they are all male.
4) Your first year is literally a hazing ritual
5) The teaching methods are antiquated - for a type of school that values itself on how smart and successful it's graduates are, it's surprising how illogical the Socratic/exam methods are.
6) Everything is a competition - classes, organizations, grades, studying...everyone is trying to one-up you
7) The amount of debt you incur is real and will force you to choose between your desire to use your law degree for good (not evil) and earning money.
8) It's a patriarchal system, it's oppressive, and the legal profession is comprised of an unknown (but very high) percentage of misogynist assholes
9) Sink or Swim atmosphere - both in school and once you graduate (and in the real world you enter even before you graduate)
10) It doesn't compromise, it's non-negotiable.
Hindsight is 20/20. I don't know if I would have entered the legal profession had I know these things...I might have, I may have made better choices along the way though...
2) Your grades are based on 1 chance - given I have test anxiety - this may have changed my mind. Your entire grade is based on 1 exam.
3) You will encounter a ridiculous amount of Republicans, conservatives, and douchebags - and they are all male.
4) Your first year is literally a hazing ritual
5) The teaching methods are antiquated - for a type of school that values itself on how smart and successful it's graduates are, it's surprising how illogical the Socratic/exam methods are.
6) Everything is a competition - classes, organizations, grades, studying...everyone is trying to one-up you
7) The amount of debt you incur is real and will force you to choose between your desire to use your law degree for good (not evil) and earning money.
8) It's a patriarchal system, it's oppressive, and the legal profession is comprised of an unknown (but very high) percentage of misogynist assholes
9) Sink or Swim atmosphere - both in school and once you graduate (and in the real world you enter even before you graduate)
10) It doesn't compromise, it's non-negotiable.
Hindsight is 20/20. I don't know if I would have entered the legal profession had I know these things...I might have, I may have made better choices along the way though...