Should You Go To Law School?

I definitely had an “oh shit, I am old moment” when one of my closest friends, Sally Bage, recently started law school. When we were in high school, we did debate together (don’t be a hater; it was awesome), and we would talk about law school as a hypothetical goal that seemed too distant to actually be a reality.

Now, that she is actually in law school, it freaks me out how fast time goes by. As a side note, I lost sight of my goal to go to law school a very long time ago. More power to Sally for actually doing it!

Anyways, now that she has been in law school for a few months, I thought it would be interesting to ask her a few questions. Any kind of graduate school is a big decision, especially law school because you hear the horror stories about unemployed lawyers. Check out what she has to say:

1) Since law school is a huge time/financial commitment, how do you know if it is the right decision?

I think the best way to decide is by looking at your motivation for going. If you think you want to go to law school because of the big bucks or perception of a “stable” career, this might not be the best reason to go. Another reason to DEFINITELY NOT go to law school is if you are done with your undergrad degree, and don’t know what else to do, so you figure, “why not law school?” This usually does not work out for the best. With this reasoning, there is a lack of actual desire to have a law career, and you have no motivation to deal with the good and bad that come with it.

With that being said, if you are interested in law, you have to realistically understand that more than likely you will be paying off your debt for 10+ years (imagine…$1600 a month goes to your debt…that should be thought about very seriously). However, it can be a fun and exciting career field with many options and opportunities — the challenging part is dedication and passion must be there as well!

2) Now that you are half way through your first semester of law school, what has surprised you the most?

There is very little guidance in class. Professors do seem very open to helping students, and are typically extremely accessible. However, you generally have no idea how you’re doing in a class. Your grade in most law school classes is based on classroom participation and one final. This is a huge change from undergrad, and can be a bit scary/nerve wracking.

3) Any words of wisdom about taking the LSATs?

Spend time studying in a way that helps you the most. The LSAT can be challenging because there are many different teaching methods. With so many options, it can be easy to just pick a book or even just pick a class. It makes a huge difference if you figure out your weaknesses, and try to determine what techniques match your way of thinking. Having to re-learn the way you are used to studying can hurt your score more than help it.