law school advice... with a bullet

i recently read a few blogs devoted to advice on law school. of course, they're pretty much all written by law students who actually like the experience. i'm not going to go over their individual tips and i will try not to reiterate them or otherwise be redundant.

that said, this is my advice:

• do not go to law school - if at all possible, and if there is anything else you'd like to do (e.g. write a novel, join the foreign service, get an m.b.a., be happy, etc.) with the next three (or more, as the case may be) years, i can not more emphatically advise you to not put yourself through the experience.


• avoid debt - if you are bound and determined to go make the foray into a legal education, go where you will have to borrow the least money. do your research. find out what schools have admission standards that are below your achievement, not comparable. unless you have the grades and lsat scores to go to a top 10 school, you are not going to be a law professor or supreme court justice, so don't try to go to the best-ranked school you can get into - go to the school that costs the least, whether it be through scholarships or basement-low tuition and local cost of living.


• find a home and be ready to stay there - if you are not going to a top 20 school, go to the best school (see above first criterion for which school is best) in the most enjoyable environment in which to live for you - (i.e. if you like to ski and can't stand humidity, go north or west; if you are miserable when the temperature drops below 50º or you don't like weeks on end of grey skies, go to a southern school; if you are a big city type, don't go to a rural or small town school) - because the state/locality in which the school is situated is the most likely place for you to find a job after law school. don't tell yourself "i can stand the weather/lack of stimulation/people here for three years. what's three years in the grand scheme?" unless you are likely to be in the top 10% of your class, you'll be unhappy for more than just your three years of law school because the reality is that most of the promising contacts and job opportunities are local. law school is painful enough by itself, don't place yourself in an environment that will exacerbate your misery.


• don't waste your time - the reality of law school, as with life in general, is that time is money. the sooner you complete your studies the better. and don't let anyone convince you that just because a subject is on the bar, you should study it. that's what bar prep courses are for. take the classes that interest you and are in the fields of law that interest you. the same applies to working on a law journal or review or moot court - unless it truly interests you, it will only make you miserable. it's your education. make the most of it.


• avoid "ghetto-izing" yourself - you need to find people to hang out with other than your fellow law students - you will be able to stay more human that way (as a rule, law students are miserable human beings).
  suggestions: if you are married or dating someone outside of law school (and this is strongly recommended), hang out with their co-workers; if you have friends from college or your pre-law-school life around, spend as much free time with them as possible; if the above are not possibilities, make connections with people through community service (non-law-related) and/or religious affiliation - these people are likely to share your values and keep you grounded.


• find a way to relax - law school is stressful. if you don't have coping mechanisms to deal with it, you will at least be unpleasant to be around for anyone who knows or cares about you - if you don't actually burn out or go crazy. if you don't unwind somehow, the winding mechanism will break and you'll be a jangled mess of nerves and depression.
  unwinding suggestions: crossword puzzles (your granparents or parents keep their minds sharp while relaxing with these - why can't you?); read non-law-related books - trash and genre novels or travelogues are great distractions; spend quality time with family and friends outside of law school circles - and avoid being drawn into discussions of current events or law (this is what you are trying to get away from) - it's okay (and probably best) to say "i have no idea/opinion".
  important - avoid "unwinding" with other law students in binge-drinking or other self-destructive excesses. there's plenty of time to become an alcoholic after law school and a d.u.i. is more leniently dealt with after you're a bar member than before.

there is my advice to you, take it or leave it. (of course, if you refuse to heed my first tip, you are not likely to feel you need to "worry" about the rest.)

• do not go to law school - if at all possible, and if there is anything else you'd like to do (e.g. write a novel, join the foreign service, get an m.b.a., be happy, etc.) with the next three (or more, as the case may be) years, i can not more emphatically advise you to not put yourself through the experience.


• avoid debt - if you are bound and determined to go make the foray into a legal education, go where you will have to borrow the least money. do your research. find out what schools have admission standards that are below your achievement, not comparable. unless you have the grades and lsat scores to go to a top 10 school, you are not going to be a law professor or supreme court justice, so don't try to go to the best-ranked school you can get into - go to the school that costs the least, whether it be through scholarships or basement-low tuition and local cost of living.


• find a home and be ready to stay there - if you are not going to a top 20 school, go to the best school (see above first criterion for which school is best) in the most enjoyable environment in which to live for you - (i.e. if you like to ski and can't stand humidity, go north or west; if you are miserable when the temperature drops below 50º or you don't like weeks on end of grey skies, go to a southern school; if you are a big city type, don't go to a rural or small town school) - because the state/locality in which the school is situated is the most likely place for you to find a job after law school. don't tell yourself "i can stand the weather/lack of stimulation/people here for three years. what's three years in the grand scheme?" unless you are likely to be in the top 10% of your class, you'll be unhappy for more than just your three years of law school because the reality is that most of the promising contacts and job opportunities are local. law school is painful enough by itself, don't place yourself in an environment that will exacerbate your misery.


• don't waste your time - the reality of law school, as with life in general, is that time is money. the sooner you complete your studies the better. and don't let anyone convince you that just because a subject is on the bar, you should study it. that's what bar prep courses are for. take the classes that interest you and are in the fields of law that interest you. the same applies to working on a law journal or review or moot court - unless it truly interests you, it will only make you miserable. it's your education. make the most of it.


• avoid "ghetto-izing" yourself - you need to find people to hang out with other than your fellow law students - you will be able to stay more human that way (as a rule, law students are miserable human beings).
  suggestions: if you are married or dating someone outside of law school (and this is strongly recommended), hang out with their co-workers; if you have friends from college or your pre-law-school life around, spend as much free time with them as possible; if the above are not possibilities, make connections with people through community service (non-law-related) and/or religious affiliation - these people are likely to share your values and keep you grounded.


• find a way to relax - law school is stressful. if you don't have coping mechanisms to deal with it, you will at least be unpleasant to be around for anyone who knows or cares about you - if you don't actually burn out or go crazy. if you don't unwind somehow, the winding mechanism will break and you'll be a jangled mess of nerves and depression.
  unwinding suggestions: crossword puzzles (your granparents or parents keep their minds sharp while relaxing with these - why can't you?); read non-law-related books - trash and genre novels or travelogues are great distractions; spend quality time with family and friends outside of law school circles - and avoid being drawn into discussions of current events or law (this is what you are trying to get away from) - it's okay (and probably best) to say "i have no idea/opinion".
  important - avoid "unwinding" with other law students in binge-drinking or other self-destructive excesses. there's plenty of time to become an alcoholic after law school and a d.u.i. is more leniently dealt with after you're a bar member than before.

there is my advice to you, take it or leave it. (of course, if you refuse to heed my first tip, you are not likely to feel you need to "worry" about the rest.)