12 Problems Only Law Students Understand
1. You need to save up hundreds of dollars just to apply. You're probably going to apply to seven to 12 schools, which can cost $50 to 100 per application. Taking the LSAT will cost you $180. Additionally, you have to sign up for CAS (Credential Assembly Service), which sends your application materials to the different schools you're applying to, which has its own fees. If you applied to 10 schools, you're looking at paying at $1,200 in fees. And if you decide to take an LSAT prep course, add at least $1,000 to that total.
2. Building a business-casual wardrobe is way harder than you think. It's so easy for guys because all they have to do is put on black pants and a button-down shirt. But for women, there's no definition for it. You don't want to look frumpy, but you also don't want to look like you stepped out of the juniors' section, and you're probably on a budget. I looked at what my classmates were wearing to figure out what styles I liked and what I definitely wouldn't want to emulate.
3. Most of your friends are living their lives while you're studying for your next exam. People understand that law school is a big commitment, but they don't always realize just how busy you are. My college isn't too far from home, and my friends that still live there always ask me to come home for the weekend. They don't understand that I can't take a weekend off of studying. I wish more than anything that I could be functioning as an adult in the real world instead of paying to go to school, but I know it will eventually be worth it.
4. You can't work a full-time job, so splurging on unnecessary things is pretty much out of the question. The American Bar Association regulates how many hours law students can be employed. The limit for full-time students is 20 hours a week, and some law schools don't allow first-year students to work at all unless they have received special permission. It's generally enforced on an honesty policy, so there aren't people hovering over your work hours. But law school, especially your first year, is like a full-time job you have to take home with you. Your grades are so important if you're looking to get into a big firm. While some people do still work, I've personally found it better in the long run to rely on loans, your savings, or have a family member financially support you if at all possible. That said...
5. You're really taking a risk putting yourself into debt. A lot of people have this misconception that you're going to graduate law school and instantly be driving a Range Rover. It's more likely that you're graduating with $80,000 in debt, so that's not going to happen. You just have to work hard and hope that it leads to a high-paying career eventually, or a public service job that will waive your debt later on.
6. You definitely can't get away with skimming your reading assignments like you could in undergrad. Reading a casebook is such a different experience from reading a textbook. It's estimated that when you first start law school, it can take an hour to read anywhere from three to10 pages. And you're getting 50 pages of reading a night, plus two other classes you have to prepare for. Luckily, the more experience you have reading casebooks, the faster you can get through them.
7. Getting called on and not knowing the answer feels like the worst thing that can happen. There have been a few instances in my classes where someone just admits they didn't read. You can see the professor's demeanor change, and the whole class is looking at each other like, oh shit. You definitely feel for the person put on the spot, especially if you didn't read that week and it could have been you. But it's even worse when someone tries to B.S. an answer; some professors will run with it and totally embarrass the person in front of the class.
8. Everyone is always in each other's business when it comes to job applications. If you walk into school wearing a suit, the first question someone asks when they see you is, "Where are you interviewing?" A lot of the time they're only asking because they want to know who their competition is and see if they're applying for the same position. It's a lot like high school in that aspect. Word travels very fast and people are quick to draw conclusions.
9. The gender ratio of your class might be evenly split, but that's not the case for a lot of the firms you're applying to. The number of women enrolled in law school is pretty equal to men, but I didn't realize until I started how big the gender gap is outside of it. I was doing research on a firm I applied to for an interview, and I found out that they didn't have a single female lawyer. Every female in their office was in an administrative role or a paralegal assistant. In general, women make up 36 percent of the legal profession, and that number is even lower for women that are partners in a law firm, according to the American Bar Association.
10. Your non-law friends will ask you for legal advice nonstop about their landlord drama and car accidents. People think that you learn all of the answers when you go to law school, and they get frustrated or don't understand why you're paying so much money to go to school if you can't answer their questions. But for the most part, there's no set answer because the law can be interpreted in so many ways.
11. Trying to explain the nuances of the law to people who don't have experience with it can be frustrating. My favorite line is, "Oh, we can just file a lawsuit." Is that really what you want to do? If you tried to file a lawsuit for $100 of damage, it would probably never even make it to court. I've been in a few arguments with people who think an accused murderer should just be thrown in jail instead of standing in front of a judge. Even if that person is definitely guilty, they still deserve due process as a U.S. citizen. Now I sometimes bite my tongue when it comes to things like that. I've learned so much in depth about the law that I couldn't begin to explain it in a small conversation, especially if they're not willing to budge on their opinion or viewpoints.
12. When someone tells you they want to go to law school, you instantly want to tell them not to do it, but you also don't want to discourage them. You know they want you to say how great law school is, but that first year is such a grind that you want to tell them to do anything but. But despite how hard it is, it can be so rewarding. You have the opportunity to represent a city or a community or advocate for people who can't advocate for themselves. Giving a voice to people who don't have a voice is the main reason I decided to go to law school.
Krista is a law student in Ohio.
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