law school depression

[rayhigh]

I'm in my late 30s, so I am a lot older than most of the people at my school.  However, I have to say that I have noticed *very* few of the types that you describe.  The vast majority of my fellow students are very bright young women and men with quite diverse interests along any number of parameters.  I would have a hard time pigeonholing them in any way other than the exceedingly obvious 'they are all law school students.'  Perhaps it is very different than where you go to school...but is it possible you are being too judgmental and defensive, and assuming the worst of people?  To clarify - I don't love everyone I'm in school with, and there are a few that I dislike, 'on the face of it,' as it were.  I am also not a super 'mainstream' person in some respects...but I feel neither are a pretty sizable chunk of the other students at my school.  That said, I don't think it is really fair to judge people by the brands of clothes they wear.  I mean...I don't think I would have any awareness of this, it never even crosses my mind.  I go to school in jeans, tshirt, hiking boots, leather jacket, and I don't feel like that stands out. 

Well, that's my nickel.

[DonaldR]

We have all seen grown men and women who either tried to have sex with kids or did, get pulled into the spotlight and sent to jail.

Apparently, the rule of law does not apply to members of Congress.

They lie incessantly, they steal with impunity and now it appears they can have sex with children and that's OK too.

There clearly are two stes of rules in this country. One set for Congress and the President and one set for the rest of us.

This needs to change because, as of right now, we do not live in a democracy, we live in an oligarchy where the rich and powerfull can steal the bread from our mouths and our kids from our homes. How long are we going to put up with this?

[hoovers]

YOU TOO RESIGN!

[uber]

SAVAGE: Now, the kid himself, we don't know who it is. "The kid, the kid. All of a sudden, he's a boy, 16 years old." I read the emails back and forth. As I said to you, there's no excuse for Foley. You know, don't put me in a position of defending him because it's indefensible. He did it to my kid, I guarantee you, when the kid was that age, I would've, I would've been unhappy, let's put it to you that way. OK. But the kid was leading him on. I mean, this kid was leading him on. You know what I'm saying? You read these things. Who is the kid? Maybe he's a Democrat. Maybe it's a -- I don't know who it is. Is there a real kid? I could argue that the age of consent is 16 in Washington, he really didn't have sex, that it's not illegal to actually have sex with a 16 year-old, but it's illegal to write an email suggesting sex, to show you how crazy America is. I mean, there are other observations to be drawn here, like, the boy was playing along with Foley, the deviant. And it's all part of the American obsession with sex, which it is.

[dpor]

OK. But the kid was leading him on. I mean, this kid was leading him on. You know what I'm saying? You read these things. Who is the kid? Maybe he's a Democrat. Maybe it's a -- I don't know who it is. Is there a real kid?

Indeed uber, it's SICK SICK SICK SICK SICK SICK!!!

[cuntcap]

This needs to change because, as of right now, we do not live in a democracy, we live in an oligarchy where the rich and powerfull can steal the bread from our mouths and our kids from our homes. How long are we going to put up with this?

Only YOU decide how long you're going to put up with it!

[santropez]

I typed in "law school depression" and google pulled up this page.  It has been nice to read that others feel the same frustration that I feel.  I thought that law school would draw a lot of creative kind of eccentric people (unlike what you would find in an engineering program or med school).  So far I feel like I'm the only one that wasn't in a frat and watches channels other than ESPN in my free time.  What the f*ck?  I write music and really enjoy going to concerts when I have time.  I can't find anybody in my section that even knows what "indie" music is.  The last straw for me was when Rilo Kiley came to town, and everyone I asked about going said they had never heard of them (or Jenny Lewis).  I know this sounds snobby, but I love and live for indie music and films.  To be in an environment where I feel like the bearded lady in the freak show circus because I don't find Justin Timberlake to be talented at all (If you want a good laugh read his lyrics and then read the lyrics of an Elliott Smith song afterwards), I'd probably watch FoodTV or The Travel Channel over ESPN, and I'd rather go to a concert than a football or basketball game REALLY SUCKS and is EXTREMELY DEPRESSING.  I keep going back on whether or not I even made the right decision to come to law school.  If this is what my classmates are like, wouldn't that be a pretty good reflection of what my co-workers would be like as well after graduation?  I really want to work with independent music and production companies after I graduate, but at this point it seems like I'm more likely to get stuck working some traditional law firm job (if I can even get one).  This place blows!!--www.myspace.com/bartholomewjns.

Ok, I feel your pain here.  I am a musician and have been in bands since I was 12 years old, so music is extremely important to me.  Naturally, when I meet people one of the first things I want to connect with them on is music, going to see shows, etc.  I quickly realized that most of the people at my LS listen to top 40 garbage and really weird genres (I'm from the south and moved north, didn't expect people to be listening to country here).  This was discouraging to me at first, especially because I had a lot of like minded friends in the city that I had just moved from. 

The upshot?  After a week or two I got over my hang up.  I branched out and stopped pidgeon-holding people based on their outward appearances and music tastes. I really started conversing with them with an open mind.  When you don't know people you try to look for things in common to make some sort of connection so you can engage each other meaningfully.  Sometimes those commonalities aren't obvious and you have to delve a little bit.

Finally, your decision to stay in law school is ultimately yours, but don't base your decision on your classmates being "fratty".  I've met plenty of law students and lawyers that are interesting and diverse people.  I had trouble making friends at LS at first too, but I got over it (I also live with my fiance, which helps because I'm never lonely).    Try to focus on classes and doing well in law school and in your spare time go out, drink, and try to get to know your classmates.  You'll make friends.       

[njlaw]

I typed in "law school depression" and google pulled up this page.  It has been nice to read that others feel the same frustration that I feel.  I thought that law school would draw a lot of creative kind of eccentric people (unlike what you would find in an engineering program or med school).  So far I feel like I'm the only one that wasn't in a frat and watches channels other than ESPN in my free time.  What the f*ck?  I write music and really enjoy going to concerts when I have time.  I can't find anybody in my section that even knows what "indie" music is.  The last straw for me was when Rilo Kiley came to town, and everyone I asked about going said they had never heard of them (or Jenny Lewis).  I know this sounds snobby, but I love and live for indie music and films.  To be in an environment where I feel like the bearded lady in the freak show circus because I don't find Justin Timberlake to be talented at all (If you want a good laugh read his lyrics and then read the lyrics of an Elliott Smith song afterwards), I'd probably watch FoodTV or The Travel Channel over ESPN, and I'd rather go to a concert than a football or basketball game REALLY SUCKS and is EXTREMELY DEPRESSING.  I keep going back on whether or not I even made the right decision to come to law school.  If this is what my classmates are like, wouldn't that be a pretty good reflection of what my co-workers would be like as well after graduation?  I really want to work with independent music and production companies after I graduate, but at this point it seems like I'm more likely to get stuck working some traditional law firm job (if I can even get one).  This place blows!!--www.myspace.com/bartholomewjns.

Well, the thing I keep thinking about while I'm reading this thread and posts like this is how closed-minded the people are who are complaining about closed-mindedness. This poster lives for indie music and films, yet complains that his classmates live for sports. Everyone has their own interests. Some interests are more widely shared than others. Your interests are, by definition, shared by fewer people. Why act so surprised that a relatively small number of law students "live for indie music and films"? If you want to work with an exclusive group of people who share your interests, be a music writer. But to judge your classmates on whether they know obscure bands is asinine. It would be know more fair for your ESPN-interested classmates to judge you on whether you know who the Mets's catcher was in 1972.

I think santropez is right in his post. It may be difficult to find people who share your very specific and exclusive interests. But if you scratch the surface, you may find that some of your classmates who share interests with the majority of society are varied and interesting in their own right. Judge not...

[Basic_Black]

If it's any reassurance, I caught myself last night (about 9:30pm on a Saturday night) about to sit down and read Torts.  I have been working as hard as I reasonably can (no really- not just a reasonableness joke ), and had done so to the point where I was getting depressed.

One of the 22-year-old youngun's in my class called me to say hello, and she could tell I had cabin fever.

"You need to get out," she said.  "TONIGHT."  For once, she was absolutely right.

Fortunately, there was a Halloween party I could go to.  Nice coincidence, I know.  I didn't have a costume ready, but my previous roommate had left a huge roll of packing paper in my closet.  Twenty minutes later- and with some help from my roommates- I was covered from head to ankle in packing tape, laughing hysterically, and on my way to a party.  Honestly, I didn't recognize more than 6 of the 50 or so people at the party, but that's not the point.

The point, to me, is that I had been working so hard that I had lost my sense of spontaneity.  One of my younger classmates- who is arguably on the other extreme (parties too much) had held a mirror before me (metaphorically speaking) and helped me see what was going on.

For what it's worth, my father called me about five minutes after I finished speaking with my classmate.  "I'm working really hard," I told him.  "Are you taking care of yourself?"  he asked.  "Hmmmm.  I am getting to be a little down."

He thought for a moment about what he was going to say.  (FYI, he practiced law for nearly 30 years, but had to stop doing so after he had a stroke six years ago.)    And then he continued.  (FYI, this is a paraphrase, as best I can remember our conversation":   "I knew how to work hard.  I worked so hard practicing law that I didn't take care of my health." 

"I take care of my health," I replied.  I do.  Seeing him after a stroke made me even more conscientious about my health than I was before then.  I'm careful and moderate, but not abstemious.  His stroke did teach me that.

"OK," he said.  "What about your social life, or your soul for that matter?"

"Lost it, and am losing it," I replied.

"OK.  It sounds to me like you know what you need to do.  Stop working so much tonight, and GO FIND THOSE TWO THINGS."

In the end, I think he was reminding me that a strong work ethic can actually become a WEAKNESS when I stopped taking care of myself.  At only nine weeks into law school, his conversation is one that I know I will definitely remember when I find myself too greedy about what I want to get down, and what I am willing to sacrifice to do so.

 As for trade-offs, I am quickly discovering that I am much more productive (and clearer thinking) when I take time out to do something other than school a couple of times a week.  For many of you, this may sound like a statement of the obvious.  Others of us, however, sometimes need a friend or a family member to remind us that, whatever the values of our future profession (and our current schools), all work and no play is clearly not a recipe for happiness.

[renegade, esq]

1) If your class mates are going out and getting drunk every night, you should encourage them to continue that practice.  It will only help you get a better class rank.

2) You shouldn't worry about having a social life.  Find one or two clubs you enjoy, a couple of friends, and that should be more than enough of a social outlet.  You should be studying almost all the time to take advantage of the fact that everyone else in your school is getting wasted.

Callous, but true.