Things I Wish I Knew Before I Enrolled in Law School
Before I start my list, please do not judge me for being so naive and clueless because the story of how and why I started law school was unplanned, I was not prepared and it was an abrupt decision that is why I was so lost when I started.
To save you from the humiliation that I went through, I am going to share the things I wish I knew before I entered law school:
THE SOCRATICÂ METHOD
You may find this funny but I used to think that law school’s way of teaching is the same as how we are used to in college; lectures. If you are an aspirant and thinking the same way that I did, you better buckle up because law school is nowhere near that.
Do you remember how oral recitations make you nervous and religious at the same time, praying endlessly to all deities for your name not to be called? Make it an everyday habit and that is law school. Every day is a round of oral recitation; those oral recitations that sometimes last for hours and feel like a lifetime.
NOT FOR THE LIGHTÂ HEART
Before you enter law school be sure to shed off your onion skin. Law school will test the best and the worst out of you. Being embarrassed because you cannot answer a question, getting shouted at when you take so much time answering, feeling like the dumbest person in the whole universe — and you have to suck it all up! Take it in and breathe it out. You cannot afford to be taken aback because the requirements and the readings will never give you a break.
ADVANCE READING AND READING MATERIALS
READ AND COMPREHEND! As for someone whose pre-law degree is way far from the study of law, I have no idea how to study, what to study on, etc. So please research on it and do not hesitate to ask a question if you do not know what to do. The funny thing is that I do not even know what “codals” were, my law school BFF was the one who told me to get the holy trinity of codals; 1987 Constitution, Revised Penal Code, and Civil Code (aspirants, make sure that you get a copy of these).
Another thing that I wish I knew back then was to advance read and memorize, it will help you a lot and will ease your burden of backlogs.
STUDY HABITS
When someone tells you that law school is synonymous with paperwork, gazillion readings,mind-exhausting memorization, and finger-breaking handwritten notes, BELIEVE THAT! Your usual college study habits will be of minimal help here (unless you really had a solid one). Time management is one of the keys in law school, you cannot overindulge yourself over one subject because each one comes with it an unending task. You should learn how to manage your time without burning your brain cells. It is a plus if you are someone who can memorize and pick up lessons quickly or by just reading, a double effort for people like me who learns when they write things or make notes of.
What are case digests?As part of the study habit, you should learn what case digests are and how to do one. Case digest was an alien term for me before entering law school and had a hard time learning how to do a good one. Case digest is a summation of the full-text cases you are assigned to read depending on the topic to which it is placed. Full-text cases sometimes go over 100 pages, a case digest helps you to pinpoint what is important, and aids you during recitations and examinations. (Maybe I will write a separate article on how to make a case digest)
MONEY, MONEY, MONEY
Is law school expensive? HELL YES!
Aside from the school fees which ranging up to P60,000.00–100,000.00 plus per semester, you also need the kachings for law books which are quite expensive, and law school materials such as million pieces of pens, highlighters, notepad, etc.
Can I also add the unlimited coffee allowance that you will need for the all-nighters that you have to pull off during your stay in school and thereafter?
Law school is one of a hell ride. It will make you by breaking you and forcing you to push your limits to unattainable heights. No matter how hard it is, law school is also worthwhile and the best training grounds that will ready you to face the challenges of life and the profession awaiting you after the Bar.
The last thing I wish I knew before I entered law school is that dreaming or wanting to be a lawyer is not enough to keep you alive inside, you need to find your purpose, the very core of why you want to be part of this profession. The kind of lawyer you want to be, aspire to be and promise to be.
For law aspirants out there, as quoted from the Hunger Games, may the odds be ever in your favor.