Thinking about going to Law School, but not sure if its your cup of tea? Read on to learn if law school would be a good fit for you!
As a current law student, I always get asked if class really are like they're depicted in the movies. My answer is yes, and no. There are more similarities than I thought, but its not exactly the nightmare it seems like on TV. While there are no clear cut characteristics you need in order to be successful in law school, here are some tell-tale signs that law school might be for you.
You enjoy reading
This one is fairly obvious, since most of your three years will be spent with your nose in a book. But this doesn't necessarily mean you need to enjoy reading subjects like Civil Procedure or Intellectual Property (I certainly don't). However, it's pretty much essential that you enjoy the act of reading itself. Whether it's a fiction novel or the morning newspaper, as long as you look forward to immersing yourself into your reading, that can be translated into other - not as exciting - subjects.
You are'nt afraid of a little public speaking
Yes, the movies got it right. Cold calling is a real thing in law school, and there really are professors who try to blindside you with questions you don't know. This can all be a little nerve-wracking, which will be further amplified if you have a fear of public speaking.
However, this does not mean law school is only for the extroverted, social butterflies of the world. I never spoke up in a single one of my undergrad classes, and I do just fine with the cold calls. As long as you come to class everyday prepared with the day's material, you will be just fine.
You like to stay organized
Staying organized and proactive is the key to being successful in law school. On average, you'll have around 5 classes, which all assign 10-30 pages of reading a night. Without a good system in place, it will be absolutely impossible to keep track of what needs to get done for which class each night. I use this planner from Amazon, and it was my saving grace through my first year of law school.
You are at a place in your life where you can commit to school
Law school is a different beast than undergrad. Kids who are used to getting straight A's are suddenly grouped together to compete in classes that give out maybe 5 or 6 A's a year. With this competitive nature, you are going to need to fully commit to putting school before everything else. This doesn't mean you need to be a complete loner with nothing else going on in your life. I have plenty of law school friends that have dogs, spouses, and even kids. But they are all willing to still focus the majority of their time on succeeding in the classroom.
You enjoy making new connections
This is probably where I struggle the most, personally. I usually like to stick to my small circle and avoid branching out.
But, one thing you realize in law school is that your classmates are going to be your peers in during your legal career. The kid sitting next to you in your Contracts class might end up being the judge on your case one day. So making constantly meeting new people and building those connections is a great characteristic to have during law school.
You are competitive in nature
Like I said earlier, law school classes are graded on a strict curve, which means you are graded against your classmates rather than the material. Most of my classes gave out around 5-10 A's for a class of 80 people. Which sadly means, at the end of the day, your classmates are your competition.
You have great time management
With 60-80 pages of reading a night, trying to keep up with 5 different areas of the law, time management is essential in law school. The workload isn't so great that you have to stop doing the things you love. It just means you might have to be proactive about fitting everything in. I am still able to workout, get 8+ hours of sleep, and even binge TV shows. I just prioritize the things that are important to me and make me happy. If you love cooking nice meals or taking your dog for long walks, you can 100% do it, as long as it doesn't come at the cost of preparing for tomorrow's classes.
Conclusion
Not one single thing on this list should keep you from pursuing a law degree. They are just guidelines for determining if law school would be a good fit for you. There isn't a one-size-fits-all guide for who should and shouldn't go to law school. So, keep doing your research, self assess, and figure out if it's something that would make you happy.