9 Tricky Issues That Only Law Students Will Understand

Congratulations! You are pursuing your dream of attaining a law degree. But it’s not exactly what you expected. You knew that a law school was going to be hard, but you didn’t quite expect to encounter these common problems that only law students understand.

1. Fun. What’s that? Remember when you thought that university would be the place for partying and making friends? Well, it is…for everyone except law students. Over and over again, you find that you are hitting the books while everyone else is having fun.
2. You better love to read. Law students average about 50 pages of required reading every night. And it’s not light reading either! It’s crammed with legal terminology and Latin phrases. And we have to admit that reading about case studies, laws, and the exceptions to these laws is not exactly riveting. And sometimes, you just might not be able to finish it all…which brings us to our next point.
3. If you haven’t read, you’d better get really good at pretending you know what you’re talking about. Court verdicts are nothing compared with the judgment awaiting law students who did not complete the required reading. You will acquire a special skill set for sounding incredibly knowledgeable when you don’t really know anything. This skill set will also be helpful in the next situation.
4. You have to give your friends legal advice…even if you don’t know what you’re talking about. Whether it’s retrieving their possessions after a breakup or avoiding litigation after a fender bender, you will become the go-to source of legal information on every topic imaginable. So, if you don’t know the answer, just pretend that you do.
5. You feel conflicted about advising friends who want to go to law school.  Every nerve within you will want to scream: “Don’t do it!” But as a good friend, you also need to encourage them in their dreams. Just share this list with them so they know exactly what they’re in for!
6. You begin to rely on alcohol entirely too much. It seems that almost every meeting or social function is centered around drinking. Add to that the extreme stress and pressure of a law school, and your substance abuse counselor may become your best friend.
7. You are motivated by an intense fear of failure. Remember when your sole motivation was your dream of becoming a successful lawyer? Your primary motivator now is your fear of getting humiliated by your professor and classmates.
8.  You have to build an appropriate wardrobe on a tight budget. To make a good impression, you need just the right wardrobe, but as you are a student, your budget is limited. It doesn’t help that the dress code for aspiring lawyers is maddeningly vague.
9. You’re just not cool anymore. Law students are notoriously weird so prepare to no longer be one of the cool kids. Even if you weren’t a nerd before, you definitely are one now.

But don’t let these problems discourage you. After all, at the end of the day, pursuing your dreams is all worth it.