Love/Hate Relationship with Law School

I have been out of school for over a year now and I have done some reflecting. 

I had a love/hate relationship with law school. I thought I would love it because I loved college. However, it was a long three years.

 

I know plenty of attorneys, including classmates, mentors and friends, who had wonderful law school experiences. I did not.

I don’t write this post to dissuade anyone from going to law school, but rather show another perspective of what it was like for me to be a law student.

 

I have always been a very positive and happy person but for the most part, law school made me incredibly unhappy. For me, law school was a negative place. The stress and overwhelming nature of being a law student really affected me. Law school was also very difficult for me because it was filled with mean people who thought they were better than everyone else and pretended like we were still in high school. (Of course, this does not apply to the lovely friends I gained in law school).

I always felt so burnt out, overwhelmed, and underappreciated.

 

My family and friends had to constantly remind me that law school was a step towards my dream career and was a means to an end. 

 

It was so hard, but I made it! 

 

There were so many things I wish I would’ve known about law school prior to going. Both about the actual work, the grading system, the ranking system but also about the types of people I was going to meet and interact with. That’s why I wrote this post: What I've Learned in Law School.

 

Now that I’m over a year out of law school, I see now that the stress and overwhelming feelings wasn't really worth it. All the small things, didn't really matter. Where I went to law school didn't really matter. What grades I got didn't really matter. Every attorney I interact with, seems to be on the same playing field. 

 

I am so happy to be out of law school. I miss my free time and the flexibility with my schedule of course, but I love my job and I much rather be working than having to do any more years of grad school.

 

So, thank you law school for all the life and legal lessons. But I am so glad you are in the past.