Starting law school: what to expect

Starting law school can be daunting. It’s a whole new ballgame compared to undergrad, and takes some time to adjust to. I personally had no idea what to expect, and my only impressions of law school were from Legally Blonde, How to Get Away with Murder, and my one time sitting in on a class at UC Davis Law. Although every law school is different, here’s some insight into what you should expect:

Expect to read more than you ever have. Law school courses revolve around reading cases, and learning how the legal issues were analyzed. You will be doing a lot more reading than you ever did in undergrad– and this isn’t the type of assigned reading you can get away with skipping. Reading will take up the bulk of your studying time, along with briefing cases.

Expect a new way of taking notes. Speaking of that, case briefs will be your new note-taking method. Everyone has their own method of briefing cases, but the general idea is to know the gist of the cases you are assigned to read. For example, my case briefs typically include: issue, facts/procedural history, rule, analysis, conclusion. You want to brief cases in order to understand the legal rules presented in the decisions, and to be ready answer questions from your professor during a cold call. Speaking of cold calls…

Expect to get called on. Law schools work on a ‘socratic method’. This means the professors ask the students questions. Every professor does it differently. Some will just pick students at random, others will tell you the week or day you will be called upon, and some just take volunteers. Generally, a cold call will either be a question about a case you were assigned or a hypothetical situation applying what you’ve learned. Don’t stress out about cold calls. Any answer (even the wrong one) is completely fine, as long as you don’t say “i don’t know”. Everyone gets called on, and everyone stumbles a bit when answering. Just make sure to do your readings, and you will do great.

Expect to dress nicer for lecture than you did in undergrad. Law students typically don’t show up to school in sweatpants or pajamas. I definitely shifted up on the stylish-ness level when I went from undergrad to law school. You might also see a bunch of students walking around in full suits, which is most likely from an extracurricular competition or on-campus interview.

Expect stress. Stress during law school is completely normal. Everyone experiences stress, and a new schedule/place/learning style will definitely take some time to adjust to. Make sure to take time to take care of yourself, whatever that means for you. Something as simple as time outdoors, working out, or a nap could be a great way to destress. One way I like to destress is by scheduling hangouts and FaceTime calls with my friends who are not in law school, because its nice to discuss things other than law school.