LAW SCHOOL CAN BITE ME.

[ASTalumna06]

Near the end of my sophomore year of college, I also decided that I wanted to go to law school (after dreading the fact that I spent 2 years thinking I wanted to be an engineer). I changed my major to political science, and I took a few upper-level classes that were law-based… American Judicial Behavior, Constitutional Law, International Law and Organizations, etc. Near the end of my undergraduate studies I took the LSAT. Was it long and painful? Yes. But I got through it and I did well.

I knew that I had to get a job following graduation, and I attempted to find a position as a paralegal. It didn’t work out so well. I then decided to go back to school for a paralegal certificate at Northeastern University. The course was a lot of hours (ranging from 6 to 14 hours per week, not including time for homework), but it was only over a period of a few summer months. I received the certificate with a 4.0 for the course. I knew that law is what I wanted to be involved with, and I figured this was a good start for me. I planned that sometime over the next year or two I would start law school and take night classes.

I then started working as a paralegal. I love it. But sometimes I look at some of the lawyers and they seem extremely stressed. I understand that comes with the job, but I don’t know if that’s what I want to deal with on a daily basis. I enjoy where I am, and I have a lot of room for growth in this career. Quite honestly, in the firm I work for, I sometimes feel that I have a better understanding for some of the cases because I work so extensively on them, while the attorneys have to constantly be reminded of the details because they work on so many cases each day.

Some people know that it’s what they want to do, and that may be you. But don’t jump into it so quickly without first knowing what you’re getting yourself into. Many law students find halfway in that it’s not where they want to be. Some actually graduate law school and find that the real world experience is completely different from what and how they were taught in school. And some make incorrect assumptions that the profession is as glamorous as it’s portrayed in movies and on tv.

My suggestion to you is to step back and analyze your current situation. Find out what kind of person you are and what you’re truly interested in. You just started this endeavor toward entering law school. Why are you stressed? You took a practice LSAT and didn’t do well. I didn’t either my first time. Many people don’t. Some people study and practice for a year before they make their first attempt at taking the test. As I’ve said, law can be a high stress practice. Will you be able to handle that if you’re already overwhelmed with tests and applications?

Another suggestion is to write to law schools and ask if there are current students or alumni you can contact to inquire about their situations and experiences. Also consider writing to attorneys in the surrounding community asking them about their positions and the advantages and disadvantages in the profession. This would also be a good measure if you were looking to decide what type of law you think you would like to eventually like to practice.