As a third-year Law student, choosing a Law degree I wish I would have known more about this degree. People who really think what law is actually not, it’s way more complex, way more challenging and at times tough. When I choose law as my career, I was naive, young, and full of enthusiasm and false expectations.
Law students go through a lot more than I think any other course student of Undergraduate course. I hope these 10 things which every law student must know before choosing law as their career or every student will relate to it:
10 things you should know before choosing a Law degree:
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Career Prospects:
A Law degree is a professional course and a respected degree but its graduate prospects as not as good as what universities really show. A law degree does not always guarantee riches or money. People always usually think that lawyers are paid very well because they can ask for whatever money from their clients but it’s not like that.
That position comes after very hard work in the life of a law student.
2. There’s so much reading:
The amount of reading I’d have to do was somewhat preconceived, but I had no idea that the libraries would be filled with law students all day. I had no idea there would be so much reading. My time in the library once became so exhausting that I actually felt homesick. If you decide to study law, prepare yourself for long and hard hours.
3. Work hard, Work Smart, Be organized
Time management is very important in a law school. There will be tons of assignments, and tons of books to read, and still, you’ll not be able to complete everything because the syllabus is vast. So, to be on top you’ve to work smart, sometimes smart work helps more than hard work. One should focus on learning the law so that they can correctly apply it in an examination when reading.
Reading a case report quickly and focusing on the key points becomes much easier if you have a sense of the case’s facts and legal principles. My personal experience is that this is not something that is taught in law school, but something that I learned on my own.
4. Everyone will try to take free legal advice from you:
I just think if I started charging money whenever my friends ask me any legal question! I don’t know for some reason people think that law students are overflowing fountains of legal knowledge, that they can test anywhere anytime. And if you refuse to give then you don’t know anything about the law.
5. Law school is intense:
Being in a law school means you’re always competing with your fellow classmates or everyone. Competition is insane. The competition for the best grade in law school is always fierce. As a result of the bell curve, some law schools mark using grades that are directly influenced by your performance throughout the year.
There are some students who become extremely defensive and do everything they can to gain their own personal benefit. A law school environment can be similar to a game of ‘The Apprentice,’ in that there is backstabbing and drama in between competing against others!
6. Law books cost a fortune:
Expense of law books are really cost. I remember once I went to purchase Indian constitution book and that literally cost me above two thousand. Expense of law books still hurts. If your university provides good library, don’t but books I suggest.
7. Did I really choose the right degree?
Having second thoughts about law degree in law school is completely normal. One person cannot be always motivated, there are points where you feel like you’re done. And trust me law is meant to feel like that. The mountain of cases to read and low motivation levels can cause law students to question their involvement in the profession.
A law degree will test your dedication and limits. The intensity of law school has led many students to drop out. You should not take this decision lightly. Law school is expensive. It may even be more beneficial for some to choose a degree at university they enjoy so they can gain better honors.
8. The jump from A-level to Law school:
This is completely normal, if you were a scholar student in your +2 and your grades fell down in law school. Because the amount of reading and hard work you have to do in law school is not comparable to the studies of 12th standard. The process of learning and growing is totally different in law school. I remember in my first year, I was so new to the subjects that whatever I used to read, I wasn’t able to understand anything and how much I have struggled to just get 70% in my Law school.
9. Social stereotypes of Law students:
Here are some phrases you will need to get used to hearing. Prepare your response.
“It’s great you’re studying law. Maybe one day you can assist me when I struggle.”
“How can you defend someone you know to be guilty? Lawyers have no heart.”
10. Social life and Personal life:
In law school, your personal life will be erased if you’ll not manage your time and work properly. There are a lot of things to do in a law school, Research papers, internships, seminars, debates, studies, moot-court competitions. You’ll get very less time for yourself and you have to dedicate your whole day to these things and sometimes you’ll get frustrated also. And that is normal but you’ve to be very consistent and patient.
Above is a few insight that very law students before choosing a law degree should enlighten.