Done.

Last night was the end of my first semester of law school.  For the next two and a half weeks, I don’t have class, which is absolutely fantastic.  I can really use a break right now.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m really enjoying law school.  My torts class in particular was undoubtably the most invigorating class I’ve ever taken.  I actually really looked forward to going to class every day, and lectures really put me on the edge of my seat (partially out of fear of being called on).

However, the challenge of law school is like something I have never experienced before.  It’s not necessarily because it is “impossible,” or “too much work.”  Certainly, it’s too much work.  However, the part that really made law school difficult was the fact that it’s so difficult to ever be sure of yourself.   First, you’re unsure of yourself because your grade is entirely determined by how well you do relative to the rest of the class.  Thus, when everyone talks about how much they’ve been studying, it can be disconcerting.

Secondly, in some classes, particularly my torts class, the socratic method seems like it is designed to make you think you don’t know what’s going on.  In undergrad, I used to go to class and think I had a decent grasp of the material, and then at the end of class, I felt like my understanding improved.  In law school, I feel like I go to class entirely prepared, and come out feeling like I have no idea what the class was about.

Of course, this all has a plus side.  By the end of the semester, after being forced to figure things out on your own, and then being forced to figure things out time and time again when you realize your arguments fail on a number of grounds, you really truly learn.  I don’t really know how to describe it, but I am certain that this semester has really “tuned up” my brain into thinking in a more efficient, critical manner; although the tune up came at the cost of feeling like crap for a couple months.

I don’t really know where I’m going with this post.  I’m certainly not trying to make a point.  I’m happy that I completed a semester of law school, eagerly anticipating getting my grades in about a month, and ready for some R&R over the next couple weeks so I can have a good spring semester.   Hope all of gimme-five’s readers are well.