You'd Have to Be Insane

No clearer sign of a "mental aberration" than the decision to go to law school!

It's that time of year again. Shiny new backpacks, freshly sharpened #2 pencils, the acrid stench of fear... you must be heading off to law school! My condolences.

If it's your second or third year, well, you know what you're getting yourself into. If you're a brand-spanking-new 1L...then I probably shouldn't waste my words. You're beyond all help.

I have advice, maybe, or maybe not, because if there is one cliche that epitomizes my law school experience, it would have to be "snatching victory from the jaws of defeat." Unless it's "even a broken clock is right twice a day," which is probably closer to the reality.

Meanwhile, I've been getting hits from people looking for law school advice, especially "don't go to law school" and "should I drop out of law school?" I don't know if you should or not. Try brushing up on the notion of sunk costs, if it helps.

As for the 1Ls out there, I'm about to tell you what just might be the most unhelpful thing you'll ever hear about law school: it will suck. Probably not always, and never again as much as the first semester will suck, but it will suck. The amount of suckage in that first semester varies from person to person, but it's there for everyone. Expect it to suck so that when it does, you're not surprised.

If you're feeling particularly miserable, if you feel terrible on day one or on day forty-five or on any other day or every single day, if you feel lost in every class, if you don't understand anything and are certain you're going to fail or get a D which is even worse: you might think you're doing something wrong, or that you're not cut out for law school. But really what you are is normal.

Welcome to law school.