Deciding to go to law school is a HUGE decision that should not be taken lightly. There are several things I wish I knew before I decided to go to law school, so I wanted to share a few of the main ones with you all today!

At first it will seem horrible, but it gets more and more manageable

The first few weeks of law school were really rough. I was overwhelmed, I felt like I was constantly trying to get my head above water, and I couldn’t figure out what I was doing wrong. I wish I would go back and tell myself that I wasn’t doing anything wrong, and this was perfectly normal! Starting law school is an adjustment, and you get used to it. So don’t be discouraged if the first few weeks are a struggle.

You will deal with imposter syndome

Almost everyone deals with imposter syndrome at some point in law school, and it does NOT mean that you don’t belong in law school. There has been countless times where I’ve doubted myself, my intelligence, and my abilities to succeed in law school. But once again, this is all just part of law school, and it doesn’t make you any less capable of accomplishing your goals. You just have to remember that nobody else knows what they are doing either, even if they make it seem like they do!

Some of your classmates might suck

I tried to think of a nicer way of phrasing this, but to be honest, some people in law school suck. During my 1L year, I was completely SHOCKED by the behavior of some of my classmates. I’m talking, grown adults making fun of people during cold calls in a group chat, and gossiping like they are still in middle school. You just have to remember that these people do not matter and will likely self sabotage. My general rule was to work hard, mind my business, and be nice to people. And if someone is rude to you, it is a reflection of them, not you. Being unpleasant to be around will not get you very far, and if someone wants to make fun of me during a cold call if I mess up, then more power to them. That is a huge waste of energy, that should probably be spent studying instead.

Without balance, your mental health will be affected

There have been periods of time in law school where I have worked worked worked, and avoided taking any time for myself. But this is not sustainable and will lead to burnout. You have to find ways to make time for things that keep you sane in order to find balance. Does this mean you will have the same social life as you did in undergrad? No, but you do have to make time to relax and have fun or else your mental health will suffer eventually.

Your grades will be lower than undergrad, but your study habits can still help you

Going into law school, I didn’t want to listen to anyone about grades. I was convinced that my grades would be great just like they were in undergrad. This was not the case. Everyone in law school is smart, and everyone in law school had good grades in undergrad. But with the forced curve, it is nearly impossible to get straight A’s in law school. However, the study habits that helped me get good grades in undergrad, helped me astronomically in law school. I worked hard in undergrad, and the study habits I developed have been a life saver in law school, even if my grades aren’t as high.

Keep perspective, nothing is as big of a deal as it seems

As a very Type A person, I am very guilty of blowing things out of proportion and panicking when something goes wrong. But I think it is crucial to remember that law school is just school. Law school is not life or death, and at the end of the day, getting a bad grade, or not getting an internship, or any other adversity that law school can cause, is not the end of the world, and life will go on. You have to keep in mind, “will this matter in 5 years?” I got a B- in a class my 1L year, and quite literally thought my life was over and that I would never get an internship. I’m happy to report that my life was NOT over, and I’ve gotten multiple internships since, and the grade that I thought was awful was not the end of the world.

I hope you all enjoyed this post!