De Facto

It is again that time of the year where fresh batch of bright young minds are just starting their law school life. Getting into law school would have given many of you the illusion that you made it in life. Of course with your parents bragging about your law school entrance test rank to all the relatives, aunts, uncles, all the lunches and dinners that you had to attend after you heard the entrance test results, younger people in the family making you feel like a role model, you trying to use legal jargons with your friends, do naturally give you a feeling that you have accomplished what many could just dream of, and guess what, it is partly true. But the road ahead is long and unknown, and some of you just started feeling that with few weeks of law school in your blood.

My only goal in the first week was to distance myself as far as possible from the seniors and try and make a few friends. Boy, was I foolish in thinking that I was smart enough to achieve these short term goals! Seniors were like vultures, they could find you in all obscure places which you thought were safe havens. My first day in class was probably the only time in my life where people made me feel like I was the unchosen one (the opposite of Neo in the movie Matrix). I had never ever seen so many eager super duper beavers together in one class trying to respond to questions from professors. And to say the least, it was truly overwhelming. The clarity of thought some of them had was amazing – they could easily join the faculty instead of being a student. Ability to grasp information and churn some bulls*** was an art that many were masters of. I had heard of Aristotle and Plato for some odd reason in my life before, but there were people who had read many books by and on such scholars and could interpret their theories centuries after they wrote them with immense clarity. It was a free for all to showcase their talent, and with people trying to join every damn society in law school, it was not only overwhelming but frightening at times.  Again for the first time in my life I felt like I had no talent, and law school will make you feel that way from time to time – that is just how it is. With all that said, I enjoyed my law school years, made great friends and have such fond memories, I now wish I could go back to some parts of it.

Here is a list of things that I wish I had known in my law school years and sharing with you so that you can consider some of these in how you plan your law school years.

1. Law school is a marathon, not a 100 meter dash

 Don’t let the loud and opinionated ones bother you too much. They are usually the eager beavers who are trying to run a 100 meter dash. The real fighters are usually the silent ones – who have the stamina to run a marathon. They are quiet in the beginning trying to figure out the minefield, their road map, those who have a plan, trying to make long lasting friends and cautious of their competitors. So those who raise their hands all the time in class in the first few weeks will get their hands tired soon and the rest will get an opportunity to express your thoughts. Don’t let the feeling of dumbness and numbness in some class worry you too much. If you are not doing too well in economics, it is perfectly fine – we cannot be good in every possible thing in this world, can we? Learn to accept that you are not going to be a star in every course – just focus on what you like and what you want.

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