Tuesday, June 07, 2005

The Rising 3L's Dilemma

The other day, I ran into a new neighbor who just moved into my apartment complex. She is going to be a 1L at my school. When I told her I was going to be a 3L, she began peppering me with questions about law school, from classes, professors, the workload and more. She ended her questioning with this: "Be honest with me: What is law school really like?"

I am the absolute wrong person to answer questions about law school, especially that last one, and I told her as much. But she insisted, and a dilemma rose before me. Should I lay it all out there, from the asshole professors to the ridiculous classmates, from the pressure of your first year grades to the difficulty in finding a paying job, from the overwhelming feelings of hopelessness to the overwhelming feelings of regret? Should I sugarcoat it, tell her it's not that bad, she'll be fine, no worries? Or should I just refer her to this blog?

She seemed so enthusiastic about it, I didn't want to crush her gentle spirit. (There will be plenty of time for that once she actually starts school). So I told her this: "Law school sucks. That's all I can say. You'll see why in a few months. No matter what I tell you now, you won't fully believe me until you are actually neck deep in it. I wouldn't want to ruin the surprise."

As she left back for her apartment, she told me she was actually looking forward to it. My mind immediately flashed to the scene in Billy Madison when the fat kid tells Billy he "can't wait for hikes school", and Billy grabs him by his cheeks and tells him never to say that. But I didn't grab her cheeks. I wouldn't want to ruin her surprise.