The shackles around common myths regarding law schools broken down: What to Expect and What not to Expect from a law School (Why Law and Law School?)

We all remember the day we knew we were going to be lawyers. For many, it was an inner calling, an intuition that this was not just another childhood dream like becoming a super cop or a detective. No, THIS was something far better, far realistic but also at the same time, so dreamy. For some, it was just a profession or simply following the family job line. Those who have other options, think, before you take up law just for the fun of it because you heard law school parties’ rock or that a lawyer gets paid a lot. Don’t base your life on rumors. Because a law school is not all about fun. It has its fair share of fun, but it’s also about working out (NO, I don’t mean physical) and stepping up.

In this article, I hope to break the age-old shackles surrounding Law Schools and their life. Hope this made you think twice before blindly following a line of job.

WHAT TO EXPECT:

1. You will be pitted against fellowmen. Constantly. Thoroughly. And the best man WILL win. Think of a battle like in Spartacus, but in the real world and not involving blood and gore, but wit and wisdom.
2. You will learn to think on your feet. Being constantly tested makes you on the edge, makes your senses keen. You come to know what to take in and what is to be thrown out from a passage you are reading.
3. You will learn to lie, lie and yeah, more lies. When you forget the deadline to submit an abstract, you lie. When your Internships are being asked about, you lie. When your classmates ask about your performance in the End Sem Exams, you lie.
4. A vaguely mistaken idea of lack of respect for the law thinking you can bend it or go around it. The most common example is seen in the relative attitude towards Policemen. I’ve seen Law Students without a helmet, or overridden with passengers go easily past a policeman just by saying; “We are law students”. So be ready to use the power, but be careful not to abuse it.
5. Your perception of the world will change. You will learn to see people as ‘useful connections’ and whatnot. You will think of ways to make important people remember you.

WHAT NOT TO EXPECT:

1. Don’t expect a fat pay load the moment you graduate unless you are in a top Law College. Even then, you got to work for it. Like a Bourneville, You have to earn it.
2. Don’t expect your friends to remain the same. Many of them will change. Your enemies might help you while your best friend might stab you (Not literally).
3. Don’t expect it to be easy. Don’t mistake Law as a naïve, plain girl from the countryside because she will prove to be a many headed hydra.
4. Most Importantly, DON’T expect that you can change the world and help all the under privileged people because frankly, that is not possible. It takes time and patience. Don’t leave a good job to serve society unless you really are into it.
5. Don’t expect any help whatsoever during your freshman years. If you have a research paper to write, YOU have to do it. If it’s a seminar paper, you have to do it. Because that is how you learn at a law school. Aside from the monotonous ‘theory’ they teach at law schools, we learn a lot from the classrooms and outside.

So, all pessimism and optimism aside, a Law School can be a great place to learn, hang out, do something worthwhile and go home with a satisfied mind at the end of the day.