LAW SCHOOL NEWBIE: THINGs you ought to KNOW

1. Law school is not graduate school.

Ever felt like taking a walk down memory-lane? Well, you’re in luck because the law school experience has more in common with high school than it does with other masteral or doctorate programs. On the first day, you enter the building like you own the place. You naively think you already understand the true meaning of life. And then very quickly you discover that you’re actually just an awkward and lowly 6th grader all over again. Thank goodness you can drink this time!

2. The required number of units on subjects in your undergrad.

That’s the basic requirement here in the Philippines as per the CHED Memo # 46 s. 1996, that is aside from graduating from a 4 years undergrad course. You need to have English-18 units, Social Studies- 18 units, and Mathematics- 6 units. Well the thing about this requirement is that any units that you missed you can actually take it up during summer classes or along side your regular classes. Say hello to college freshies!

3. There is an Entrance Exam

But don’t worry about this, they take in everyone. The problem is surviving every semester so you have to give it all because this is a legal jungle baby and its survival of the fittest.

4. The 6 Units Law School Flunker Rule.

Most of law schools in the Philippines has this rule to sift students from those who has real lawyer potentials and from those lawyers wanna-bes. Come bar exams, every law schools publicize their passing rates, the higher the better even if in reality there was only 1 bar taker. Oh well, local newspapers print it in percentages anyway.  Hi all, have 100% passing rate, come enroll at our school!

5. Classmates come and go.

Bonds made during orientation will weaken, and you’ll eventually figure out where you fit in. Don’t feel bad when you realize you’re not going to be lifelong BFFs with the person you thought was your soul-twin. As it happens, in the long run the herd will thin out. The 5-6 classes on your first semester would gradually spiral down to one class in your 4^th year.

6. Be nice to everyone, and be careful with whom you trust.

Unfortunately, a large group of wannabe lawyers necessarily leads to some vicious drama (like I said, welcome back to your high school drama). And since gossip spreads like wildfire, everyone in your class will know whether you have a good or bad reputation by the end of the first semester.

7. Be cautious about who you sit next to during the first week of classes.

Most professors assign a seating chart based on the spot you choose. So think twice before grabbing the seat next to the total babe you thought you hit it off with at the first bar review. No one wants a daily meeting with an awkward situation.

8. On that note, if you hook up with a person in your section….well, don’t.

Convinced they are the love of your life? Congratulations, and all the best. You’ve officially been warned.

9. Force yourself to spend time outside of the law school environment.

When law students are together, the conversation rarely deviates from the underlying theme of how stressful school is. If you would like to avoid a mental breakdown, find friends who aren’t in law school and commit to not talking about school.

10. Lose the ego.

No one wants to know about your great scholarship or how high your entrance score was. In fact, it is totally uncool to talk about. Law school is graded on a curve and can be quite competitive. Don’t voluntarily add fuel to the fire. Ain’t nobody got time for that.

11. Failing is the General Rule.

Law school is tough. It’s not an easy breezy masteral program that you can just attend once a week or meet up with professor once a month for consultation. It’s not a college course that you can pass as long as you have perfect attendance. Its mentally exhausting and physically rigorous. You are expected to fail one way or another the challenge is to debunk this expectation.

12. It’s okay to be shy.

If you’re an introvert, don’t let all the extroverts scare you into thinking you made the wrong choice in attending law school. While, you’ll initially feel as if you want to crawl under a rock and die every day for the next three years of your life, success in both law school and the legal profession requires a tremendous amount of alone time. Also, how much someone talks during class does not predict how well they will do on the exam.

13. Prepare yourself for the impending heartbreak.

There is no such thing as sure pass in Law school. Everytime grades comes out, be that midterm or final grades, it’s always ride into sweet summersault of roller coaster emotions. Lemme break it down for you. First the relief of finishing the exams then the heated debate on the would be answers, each is defending their own propositions. Next is the actual the receipt of your exam papers , where you try to read answers and torture yourself what the hell you were thinking writing this gibberish things.  Then you pray so hard that you’ll pass while secretly hoping that 5 of your classmates are lower than you scores. Then you drink to ease the tension. After such time that you have calmed your nerves and accepted your fate, the heartbreak sneaks in. You saw your grades and failed beyond redemption. Or you saw you grades and aced it! But your best friend had failed or one or two classmates failed and would not be allowed to enroll again. You gotta love suspense though.

14. Try not to become an alcoholic.

Naturally, law students find fun and relaxation in social activities that mostly involve copious amounts of alcohol. Alcoholism is far more prevalent in the legal profession than it is in the general population. And while I think it’s totally cool that my school hosts parties with alcohol or the obligatory drinking during weekend, addiction to alcohol is not totally cool.