Law School is an exciting and new experience that will change you in ways
you can only guess. If you are considering law school, reduce your stress and faculty's expectations as well as some of the misconceptions about the study of law. 

Joel K. Goldstein, Associate Dean of Faculty and Professor

Prepare For the First Week

Accept that law school will challenge you. "Prepare to work hard," says Underwood. "It doesn't matter whether you were in the top of your class in undergraduate school. The law challenges each student to stretch his or her understanding, perception, and analytical skills. There will be a steep learning curve, and the classroom will be frustrating at times. But you wouldn't be here, if we didn't think you had the skills to succeed. You're going to have to resurrect those skills you developed for dealing with challenging situations, and you're going to have to develop new skills - such as how to study for a single final examination with no other intermediate feedback. The challenge should excite you. If you're not excited to study the law, you won't enjoy practicing it."

Accept Confusion

Everyone is confused at first, and the time it takes for students to "get it" varies from person to person. "I tell students not to get frustrated with the ambiguity, not to feel anxious because they are confused," says Goldstein. "Students will say they don't understand and I say, 'You should be worried if you DO understand at first.' These are difficult concepts to comprehend and it's sort of expected that students will be uncertain or confused. The time right before exams is exciting for a teacher because students are starting to put the whole course together. The light bulb is going on and people are starting to understand."

"What you're learning is different," Underwood explains. "You're not memorizing and regurgitating facts, you are learning a process. In the first year the training is not so much in the course material but in the analytical process."

Adopt New Study Techniques

The focus of the learning is different in law school than it is in many undergraduate programs. "While you need to recall legal principles and rules, and be familiar with key case law and statutory provisions, you must also develop an ability to recognize patterns in the cases that will help predict future decisions," Underwood said. "The training you receive is not so much in the current case law, but in the analytical process by which the cases are being decided. First years need to adjust their study habits to focus on the analytical as well as the factual. Those that became adept at cramming and memorizing for an examination, will have to spend time each day with the material, often reviewing a series of cases in order to identify patterns of legal thought. Students, who relied on themselves to learn, and digest information, will find that discussing the cases and their opinions with other students is great preparation for the classroom Socratic method."

Enjoy the Give and Take

The typical law class is a combination of lecture and question and answer, or Socratic dialogue. Professors ask questions about the material the students have prepared. "Some questions about what happened in the case (who filed the lawsuit, what was his grievance, what did the other party contend) have the effect of encouraging students to read carefully, paying attention to the details and the specifics in the case," says Underwood. "Other questions about what could have happened are designed to move the student beyond the facts of the case and into the discussion of legal principles. Such questions focus not on the text, but on the student: What did the plaintiff argue? What do you think about that argument? What argument would you have made? Let me change a fact and see if you make the same argument? Why not? In the Socratic class the questions often turn out to be much more important than the answers."

Common Problems in the First Year

Realize that many students encounter the same types of problems in the first year and they are not alone. Problems can usually be resolved with the help of faculty or academic Advising. Recognize the process as opposed to the substance. "Students come in really geared toward substance," says Underwood. "They want to learn the law. But, in the first year you're learning the process of how to learn the law. That frustrates a lot of students because they haven't quite made that shift to learning the process and not a particular subject."

"People with backgrounds in Science or Math can have trouble with law school exams because they are sort of surprised by the format," says Goldstein of problems he has witnessed over the years. "Those people are accustomed to giving an answer, but in law school exams what you're graded on isn't the bottom line, but what your analysis is that takes you to the bottom line. When I sit down with people at the end of first semester I explain that and they can correct it second semester."

Know how you learn. "We each have a learning style, a way we like to process information," says Underwood. "Students need to identify their strengths and weaknesses because the law requires both that you be a big picture person and a detail person. Students have to remember their natural learning style in order to address new challenges."

Read, Read, Read

Law school requires a tremendous amount of reading, so students should keep up on a daily basis, rather than trying to cram the reading in before exams. "It's really important to read the cases," says Goldstein. "I tell people there is really no short cut. Law school, especially in the first year, doesn't lend itself well to cramming. The way to learn legal analysis is by reading the cases and coming prepared to class everyday. So, not only does cramming not work, but I think it's a huge mistake to rely on commercial outlines. If you short circuit the process, you're really going to be in trouble later on."

Read, and reread, material as many times as is necessary for comprehension. "In the beginning, it's very slow going," Goldstein says. "Every time you read a sentence, you encounter a word or concept you don't understand. It's a new vocabulary, but once the language starts becoming familiar to you, then you read the cases much more quickly, and it's not really as difficult. But, in the beginning you may have to read a case three times."

Observe Your Classmates

Witnessing fellow students analyzing a problem can help give students confidence that they too can perform. "If I analyze a problem, they say, 'he's the professor, of course he can do it,' " says Goldstein. "But, if they see the person next to them analyzing a problem for the class, they'll think, 'that was pretty good, I should be able to do that.' It can be helpful when students see other students engaging in legal analysis."

Expect Faculty Involvement

Law school presents many challenges, but students have support and help from faculty members. "We're giving students a lot of tools to help them form their own approach to the law, so although the academics are very demanding, we have committed faculty members to help students determine exactly what the Socratic method is, what it is exactly they are supposed to be doing and when, how it differs from their previous education and how they need to adjust their approach to studying," says Underwood. "We don't just put you in the classroom to sink or swim. The faculty, your professors, are there to guide you through."

Understand the Effects of Law School

Law school is a dramatic three years and it can have a profound effect on the student. "Some people come in thinking that law school will not have an impact on whatever else they are doing," says Underwood. "You never go to law school by yourself. Your relationships with others are affected, whether it's family members, your parents, your siblings, your children, your spouse or significant other, you don't do it by yourself. There is an impact of the study of law, not only because of the time commitment, but also because the student begins to become a lawyer."