by Carlie Boos, winner of the 2008 Ms. JD Summer Scholarship

Law school is difficult to conceptualize before you’re there. I suppose it’s like starting a new relationship. Just as love-at-first-sight jump starts your heart and sends it cowering into your throat, so too does your first day of law school. All you can envision is the bright and shiny future, a world of power suits and corner offices. You do all you can to remain nonchalant, and convince your new classmates that this is just another date. If you whip out your digital camera to immortalize the carpet stain that just may have been left by a supreme court justice’s errant appetizer, you’ll blow the whole cover.

But as the semester climbs along, the nervousness ebbs and the newness fades. It becomes more difficult to see the glamour in Carbolic Smoke Bombs and you can almost feel the instigating words of your first big fight looming in the air. This would be finals. First you lose sleep and spend your endless waking hours obsessing over every word uttered throughout the whole relationship, searching for clues to the answer. When that fails, you cuddle with a bag of potato chips and try to talk things out, one issue at a time. Then, finally, you call your mom crying.

But no amount of denial will avoid the ultimate showdown. You walk into the exam, ready to pack your bags and cut your losses. On the verge of tears, you scan the first question on mens rea. It reads apologetic; so simple and kind. You wonder if this was just a parting gift, and read on tentatively. But they are all so easy, the essays, the multi choice, everything. You realize all the fighting and hardships just made you stronger and more compatible, more in love then ever. Law school is rough. You have your ups and downs; you hate it and love it. But like any other relationship, it’s meant to be, and it’s worth it.

And, to continue what may now be a tired analogy, the future first-years who don’t buy into the relationship myths will be much more prepared for a legal commitment then their misguided counterparts. Just as a mother imparts her hard earned GuyQ to her daughter, here are my seven law school myths and nuggets of advice that new students should take note of:

1. No one cares how well you did in undergrad. Once you get into law school, professors won’t seat you according to GPA, and cliques aren’t organized based on LSAT scores. Your alma mater experience is really only used for funny anecdotes and background lessons. All law students weren’t Rhodes Scholars, so if your grades were less then stellar, it’s ok. No one cares.

2. Law school is hard, but if you don’t relax, you will blow up. Seriously. Your brain will explode all over the moot court room if you don’t take some personal time. While that prediction may be a little exaggerated, the suggestion is not. Some people enter law school believing that every minute must be dedicated to studies. This is only 95% true. There is going to be a lot of stress involved in any advanced degree, the frustration can be overwhelming at times. So you need to take a moment, breath, and carve out room for friends. Your books will wait at home, go grab a cup of coffee.

3. Mingle and Schmooze. “Networking” is one of those great lawyering tropes that reverberate against the classrooms for three years. But its importance is brushed aside far too colloquially amidst more immediate academic concerns. The easiest (and arguably most common) way to get a killer job, is to know someone on the inside. So start mingling now. Attorneys are a pack animal, find out where they feed in your town and be there. Be personable, make an impression, pass out a business card if you’ve got it. It really helps.

4. Advisors actually advise. Lots of undergraduate students have been burned by academic counselors. Credits have gone missing, deadlines have lapsed, ill advised advice has been advised. But law school is gorgeously, miraculously different. Law advisors are knowledgeable and helpful, which is a godsend with all the new problems you’ll be facing. They can answer any question, from financing to building your schedule. And it’s not just academic, most have great recommendations for graduate housing locations and can help talk you down from the edge during particularly rough times. They are one of the best resources you can find.

5. Get involved in organizations. Despite being a small knit community, law school has a group dedicated to every niche in society. If you’re into politics, look up the College Democrats. If you’re into drinking beer, join the Bar Association. These provide amazing opportunities to bulk up the resume; those leadership positions are what employers crave (and Vice President of the Intellectual Property Association is a pretty cushy position for you).

6. People are friendly. Rumors abound about the competitiveness and savagery of law students. But I assure you, we are an approachable creature. No one is out to sabotage your Memo, and no one will cut the break lines on your car before the big test. In fact, your colleagues are the first people you should reach out to when there’s a problem. They are going though the same problems you are, and hashing through res judicata together will help both of you learn. And it might help to suck up to your friends, remember: they will be your opposing counsel in the court house in a couple years.

7. You can always find your way home. Homesickness is rarely talked about because you’re so busy being an adult. But moving to Cleveland can be an adjustment for a west coast womyn. Country folk struggle to make the transition to big city life for their careers. But remember, those friendships back home will survive. And summer jobs are everywhere, even near your parent’s house and your best friend’s apartment.