The Great Change: Turning Cathy into a Lawyer

In the years before I decided to go to law school I had a boyfriend who was a law student. He hated it. For him law school was a miserable, isolating, demoralizing experience (and the resulting toll it took a big reason why he is now an ex).

But nonetheless convinced that law school could still work for me, in the years after our break-up I decided on my own to go anyway. We didn't talk much after the split, but shortly before I got in the car to come out to Massachusetts we met for one last conversation, during which he gave me the following advice: "Don't try to do it alone." Looking back on his law school experience he greatly regretted that he hadn't gotten more connected to his peers. I don't know if that was a result of school climate or personal approach - it was likely some combination of both - but the result was that it didn't work for him at all, and I could see that. I could always see how it had made an already incredibly taxing experience all that much harder.

Anyway, he gave me the advice and I sort of shrugged it off. I was fully intending to do law school my way, and I fully believed, self-righteously, that it would work out better for me. (Actually, I think he did too.) But in retrospect I'm glad he gave it, because without it I think I might have tackled this whole project with a lot more obstinate pride than would have been good for me. As a person who's very good at keeping her own company, I think it was good to have had that reminder to be open to people. And I'm glad I was - I'm glad I haven't had to do this alone. I'm not sure I could have. Whether it's been having people to share notes with, or commiserate with, or celebrate birthdays with, etc., law school has been so much more enjoyable for having had people to share it with.

It is, of course, to my school's credit that it does not foster such a competitive environment that students feel the need to turn against each other. On the contrary, in my three years here I've encountered a tremendous openness and generosity on the part of students from all years. There is definitely a strong tradition of mentorship that the school helps foster, and I hope it continues. It's a great antidote to law school's inherent arduousness and makes it a pleasant place to be.

But as a result of all this camaraderie, there's going to be a lot of people I will miss when we're all out in the world. Be they friends for life, friendly acquaintances, or even the people who just smile with familiarity when we pass in the hall, I'm glad to have known them all.