are 1L's all insane?

[amiurpoppa]

Is it just me, or are first year law students all insane?  I am aware that any number of studies suggest that law students and attorneys have a disproportionately high depression, anxiety, alcoholism, etc. rates.  But, is it just that law school (and the legal career) draws these people or does the intensive professonal study, especially in the first year, just force the manifestation of widespread personality and interpersonal defects?

Am I missing something, or am I just not drinking enough?  Please tell me it's the latter, because I would hate to think I'm committing a lifetime to a discipline that I like in theory, but whose peers drive me as bonkers as I think they all are.

by the way, I don't discount the possibility that I also require institutionalization. 

[lincolnsgrandson]

No. All 1Ls are annoying.

[LostMyMonkeys]

No. All 1Ls are annoying.

Yeah, pretty much. In some degree or another.  The loony-ness of my classmates never ceases to amaze me.

I think you need to drink more.

[bonkeryonker]

Hrrrrrrm... I'm a 1L and I drink aplenty.  This kind of self-medication is a good thing, no?  It drowns out the voices in my class.  I'm beginning to think I should start drinking while IN class. Did it once.  Best contracts class ever.  And it was like picking up a woman in a bar.  I felt more confident than ever that I had a valid point AND i didn't care about the responses I elicited. 

[LSD]

amiurpoppa, it's not just you, it's all of us here, some of which have the balls the say it as it is, and some others who do not. Law school is about crazies enough to think life is a hell to be lived. Alcohol might temporarily soothe your troubles away, but it's not a long-term solution. As to your question whether law students come that way to law school or become so after, it's kinda hard to say what the deal is, but I'd assume there are some traits in entering law students, that are reinforced during the course of their law school studies, that lead them to endure enermous levels of stress and bull. 

[riaroso]

Who's more annoying are the future students of law (incl. myself) that just think "THEY KNOW IT ALL"

[amiurpoppa]

Oh god, what's even worse than being annoying?  I visited a friend of mine NOT in law school a couple of months ago.  I went out with his friends and I came to a sad, depressing realization.  I can only talk or think about law school.  I used to chat it up about all kinds of things.  Now, all I can think is law school law school law school.

[pasha]

Go here

http://www.lawschooldiscussion.org/students/index.php/topic,3243.0.html

[IluvNY37]

That's a great link Pasha!

[Leaf2001br]

Oh god, what's even worse than being annoying?  I visited a friend of mine NOT in law school a couple of months ago.  I went out with his friends and I came to a sad, depressing realization.  I can only talk or think about law school.  I used to chat it up about all kinds of things.  Now, all I can think is law school law school law school.

So sad and so true.  I'm sure everyone can agree that story is no exaggeration.  And the thing is, all of this knowledge isn't even knowledge that makes you feel more learned than your peers.  Instead, it's just as if you have been memorizing a Swedish dictionary:

Everyone is mildly impressed by the accomplishment and maybe even briefly interested, but no one wants to hear it after the first minute or two, and yet you can't help it...everything you see, you are tempted to identify out loud in Swedish! 

"Loogen! Yugan siggn thaht! 90 dhays... Wehll inn somme stajtes... Juhst likken Numminen v. Olsenjonsonn.  Dovess him havson animuss?  Hello?"

At least people studying in other post-graduate fields are learning interesting things that are capable of being worked into a conversation!