I am thinking about going to law school after I get my bachelor's. Any input? I plan on going towards entertainment law...
Law School
- Thread starter cloy26
- Start date
i'm a law student over here in germany. not exactly sure how different it is in the US.
speaking from my personal experience, it's definitely not for everyone, unlike run of the mill stuff like business administration etc. you need to be good at your language, i'm not talking grammar etc but eloquence and picking up fine details from a written text. also, abstraction is the key....the whole thing is about learning something abstract and applying it to many different situations.
also, the amount of dumbass idiots studying law is ridiculous, lol. many spoilt kids/i'm gonna be the next big thing in law guys/gals, who all take themselves way to seriously. i'd say out of 100 students 70 are like this. my best advice would be not to swim with the mainstream and be true to who you are, and just go your way.
for example, a common misconception among students is that memorizing the reasonings found in a textbook and writing that down in an exam will go a long way. WRONG. it's about *understanding* the problem that's behind it, and being able to reason just the way the situation requires rather than mindless learning without thinking about the background....simply because it's nearly impossible to memorize each and every problem the law poses. if you understand the system of the law and are able to reason based on that understanding it will go a long way, plus you're not cramping your brains with lots of unneeded information hehe.
i'd suggest you try and attend a few classes (if that's possible over there), just go in and listen, and decide whether you can deal with it.
it's not an easy one, but if you're good at (and like) developing reasonings and have a good grasp of language it's not any harder than other studies, just way different from business/physics etc stuff, and also way different from the way you learned to work at school.
speaking from my personal experience, it's definitely not for everyone, unlike run of the mill stuff like business administration etc. you need to be good at your language, i'm not talking grammar etc but eloquence and picking up fine details from a written text. also, abstraction is the key....the whole thing is about learning something abstract and applying it to many different situations.
also, the amount of dumbass idiots studying law is ridiculous, lol. many spoilt kids/i'm gonna be the next big thing in law guys/gals, who all take themselves way to seriously. i'd say out of 100 students 70 are like this. my best advice would be not to swim with the mainstream and be true to who you are, and just go your way.
for example, a common misconception among students is that memorizing the reasonings found in a textbook and writing that down in an exam will go a long way. WRONG. it's about *understanding* the problem that's behind it, and being able to reason just the way the situation requires rather than mindless learning without thinking about the background....simply because it's nearly impossible to memorize each and every problem the law poses. if you understand the system of the law and are able to reason based on that understanding it will go a long way, plus you're not cramping your brains with lots of unneeded information hehe.
i'd suggest you try and attend a few classes (if that's possible over there), just go in and listen, and decide whether you can deal with it.
it's not an easy one, but if you're good at (and like) developing reasonings and have a good grasp of language it's not any harder than other studies, just way different from business/physics etc stuff, and also way different from the way you learned to work at school.
D.Vial
Monster Lick
I'm a Law student myself too, and I agree, It's not for everyone. People tend to think that if you're a Law student you must be a super brilliant guy, but that is not totally accurate. And yes, the amount of idiots is ridiculous. I'm not really passionate about Law school, I like to see it as "my duty" really, otherwise I would go crazy.
Still I don't imagine myself doing anything else. I say go for it, but prepare yourself, It can be hard and specially frustrating.
My two cents. D.
Still I don't imagine myself doing anything else. I say go for it, but prepare yourself, It can be hard and specially frustrating.
My two cents. D.
Thanks so much guys. Awesome input. I am on the fence about it and am planning on either taking a pre law program for my bachelor's as opposed to a business degree. Business degrees are a dime a dozen these days and quite frankly, I don't feel I would be happy. My biggest problem is that I feel that all law students are incredibly smart individuals and I could never hang. However, a girl I just started dating is planning on going to law school and we were talking about what we were both panning on doing and she said by far that, because the way I think and act, etc, that I would be a perfect candidate for a profession in law. And fragle somewhat reinforced that... I have never been the brightest student in the class, but it wasn't because I am incapable of learning, I just don't study. I know if I really wanted to, I could buckle down and tackle the work. Thanks guys.
dude, you sound just like me (minus the girl part. do yourself the favour and don't base your decision on that!)
i also didn't think that a business degree suits me, and i was right. i thought about becoming a teacher, and sometimes i regret my decision against it. but the thing about law is, once you're past the studies and actually start working, you get good money without working your ass off. this is especially true if you work in civil service (judge etc), at least here in germany. thing is, you have to have really good grades to have a chance....but it'll be worth the effort, i'm sure. over here it's all about the final exam, everything prior to that doesn't count, it's just a matter of passing the exams so you are allowed to take the final one. i'll do mine in september next year if everything goes the way it should....
be assured, you don't need to be brilliant (though it does help hehe). as i said in my other post, there are a few things you need to be good at to get through it without much trouble. fwiw i'm a lazy bastard, and i'm fortunate enough to pass my exams with decent grades without working my ass off. it's really about understanding how everything works, and not trying to compensate this understanding (or the lack of it) by memorizing books etc...that's an uphill battle.
be confident, go your own way, don't get sucked into the "OMG i've never heard of this theory, i'm never gonna pass my exam" hype, and it's a decent study.
btw, not sure how it's in the US, but over here there's a ridiculous amount of guys who quit studying, and an even more ridiculous amount who just don't pass their exams. fortunately, most of these "i'm the next big thing" guys tend to be the first to take the fall ^^
i also didn't think that a business degree suits me, and i was right. i thought about becoming a teacher, and sometimes i regret my decision against it. but the thing about law is, once you're past the studies and actually start working, you get good money without working your ass off. this is especially true if you work in civil service (judge etc), at least here in germany. thing is, you have to have really good grades to have a chance....but it'll be worth the effort, i'm sure. over here it's all about the final exam, everything prior to that doesn't count, it's just a matter of passing the exams so you are allowed to take the final one. i'll do mine in september next year if everything goes the way it should....
be assured, you don't need to be brilliant (though it does help hehe). as i said in my other post, there are a few things you need to be good at to get through it without much trouble. fwiw i'm a lazy bastard, and i'm fortunate enough to pass my exams with decent grades without working my ass off. it's really about understanding how everything works, and not trying to compensate this understanding (or the lack of it) by memorizing books etc...that's an uphill battle.
be confident, go your own way, don't get sucked into the "OMG i've never heard of this theory, i'm never gonna pass my exam" hype, and it's a decent study.
btw, not sure how it's in the US, but over here there's a ridiculous amount of guys who quit studying, and an even more ridiculous amount who just don't pass their exams. fortunately, most of these "i'm the next big thing" guys tend to be the first to take the fall ^^
haha thanks again, man. I really appreciate your input. You def have a grasp on the subject. Any info on entertainment law? And don't worry, I'm not basing my decision on a girl, she just started to get my ass into gear about my education and future as opposed to "banking" on doing something in music...
JeffTD
Senhor Testiculo
I went down this road (for corporate law, not entertainment, but similar...) a bit back, as "because the way I think and act, etc, that I would be a perfect candidate for a profession in law" as well. I'm an analytical, detail-obsessed, english-nazi, hard-line douchebag asshole. That's part of the reason I'm in a polisci program right now - thought I'd be going pre-law.
It really, really, really is not for everyone (or almost anyone), though. I've heard far more horror stories than not, and you really have to be a very special kind of asshole to really enjoy being a lawyer in the end.
I highly recommend reading this book, it sheds some light on the less glorious aspects of the career:
[ame]http://www.amazon.com/Happy-Hour-Amateurs-Decade-Profession/dp/0061349496/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1275847542&sr=8-1[/ame]
It really, really, really is not for everyone (or almost anyone), though. I've heard far more horror stories than not, and you really have to be a very special kind of asshole to really enjoy being a lawyer in the end.
I highly recommend reading this book, it sheds some light on the less glorious aspects of the career:
[ame]http://www.amazon.com/Happy-Hour-Amateurs-Decade-Profession/dp/0061349496/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1275847542&sr=8-1[/ame]
