Debunking A Law School Myth

HELP! GET ME OUT OF HERE! Everyone is out to get me! Everyone wants to see me crash and burn! Everyone wants to see me fail so they can get ahead!

I think we can all agree that when we initially thought of law school, we thought of an ultra competitive environment where everyone was out to get each other in order to get to the top. We’ve all cringed at depictions of law school life in film and television that portrayed students as overly ambitious, vicious, and willing to do anything and everything in their power to get to the top. And no, these depictions didn’t stop at just the students for we’ve also seen media representations of harsh, intimidating, and merciless law school professors who ask the most difficult and unanswerable questions, expose their students’ weaknesses, and pick on them endlessly.

Thankfully, I’d like to say that this is all a myth. I’ve been a student at Loyola for several weeks now, and I can honestly say that I have not encountered any of the meanness we’ve all seen in movies and television or witnessed the ultra-competitiveness that we may have heard other hardened law school students and attorneys say.

It’s true that law school students aspire to do well, but honestly, that’s not a surprise because law school, as I’m sure everyone has told you, is a big investment and time commitment. In my time here, I’ve been a witness to a community of students trying to do their personal best while also trying to help one another. I’ve seen this in the way that everyone in legal research class collaborates on in-class assignments to make sure everyone gets full credit. I’ve seen this in the way people sit outside before the start of lecture to go over ambiguities and material from the night before. I’ve seen this in the way that people share outlines and notes when someone has been sick for a couple of days. I’ve also met caring faculty and staff who genuinely want to see their students thrive. The professors I’ve encountered this semester have been understanding of the fact that we’re all still trying to adjust to this life and career path we’ve chosen. They’ve been willing to meet with us to get to know us, encourage us, and help us in whatever way they can.

So fret not! The myth that everyone is out to get each other is just that, a myth!