Second Impressions

Law school is hard. This is a simple statement, but nothing more clearly characterizes the nature of law school. The amount of work expected of us is staggering, and in the process of doing this work, allegedly our brain will be transformed. Just about everyone in my section seems to be just as talented, if not more so, than me, which is an incredible blow to my ego yet inspiring at the same time. This is a situation I've wanted to be in all my life, where I was truly surrounded by my peers. I could be completely off base with this observation, but I typically get pretty good reads on people fast. This makes me think I really should give poker a real go, rather than law school, but I think my mother would have a stroke, so I'll stick to statutes and opinions instead of flops and raises.

To help manage the burden of this endeavor, I'm approaching this like a job. I get up at 7, and until 5 or 6, I'm either in class or studying. Unlike my experience initially at LSU, I can't blow this, as second chances in law school are incredibly rare. Of course, my experience at LSU makes it all the less likely that I won't. I may not keep my scholarship (the aforementioned smart people play a large role in that), but I will give it my best shot, and there's no reason I can't continue law school if I lose it.

Ultimately, my anticipation of law school has been confirmed. Prior to law school, I was scared and excited at the same time, and that feeling owns me throughout the day. Every time a professor asks a question, it frightens me to know that I probably don't have the right answer, but I am excited to know that I ultimately will, and that knowledge will enable me to help people in ways most people never approach. Speaking of my professors, they have bachelor's from Notre Dame, Stanford, Brown, and Ohio State and J.D.'s from the likes of Harvard and Yale; most of the faculty carries the same academic pedigree. Once again, this reinforces the dichotomy of intimidation and inspiration.

I feel I have the right mind set about this, so I rarely worry, but utter anxiety does creep up occasionally. I am able, however, to reassure myself and continue to plug away.