Two Ways Law School Harms Students
One contributing factor seems to lie somewhere in our law school experience. Mental health is complex, and there are many contributing factors to the mental health crisis among law students. I’m sure you can come up with several factors yourself.
However, I believe the single final exam as the only form of assessment and grading students on a curve are major contributors to the poor mental health of law students. The lack of any substantive feedback throughout the semester leaves students in a state of uncertainty regarding how well they’re learning the material. By the time they receive any feedback, it’s too late to adjust their studying or address misunderstandings. The curve creates a competitive and isolating environment in law schools, making it difficult for students to create meaningful support systems with their peers.
Put together, the lack of assessment and the curve are a recipe for poor mental health. If law schools would do away with these two antiquated practices, I believe law students’ mental health would improve.
To add insult to injury, law schools’ reliance on one test to determine a student’s entire semester’s grade and grading students on a curve runs counter to virtually all educational and psychological research. Educational research clearly shows that regular and frequent assessment leads to increased motivation in students, less test anxiety, improved understanding of course material, and higher student efforts.
The structure of the single assessment in law school results in most law students not engaging throughout the semester. Instead, they cram a semester’s worth of information right before the final exam, only to be forgotten once it is over.
Law Schools Must Heal Themselves
In their 2019 article, “The Law School Matrix,” published in Vanderbilt Law Review, Susan Strum and Lani Guinier point out that legal education has remained relatively unchanged since the nineteenth century—which is exactly where the problem lies. Law schools are deeply traditional, and changing deeply traditional institutions is difficult.
The issues that result in law student depression are cultural and baked deep into the very identities of law schools. This culture is self-perpetuating and comes from, at its worst, an attitude of, “I went through it, so you have to, too.” At its best, it comes from an attitude of, “This is the way we’ve done it for hundreds of years. Why change now?”
I know I’m writing this article to fellow law students. You are problem solvers who want to know what you can do to address the mental health issues among law students. This problem, however, isn’t one for law students to solve. It’s an institutional problem that law schools themselves must address.
As students, we can—and I urge you to—talk to your faculty and administration in person and through class evaluations about the institutional issues you see and how they affect your and your peers’ mental health. Ask for more assessments throughout the semester and to get rid of the curve.
How You Can Protect Yourself
While we can’t solve the problems with law school that foster poor mental health among students, there are things we can and should do to protect ourselves. You probably already know you should eat healthy, exercise, and get good sleep. Instead of spending time on those important tips, I’ll share three strategies that worked for me during my 1L year.
1. Get to Know Yourself
Find a way to discover your values, how you define success, and how you react to stressful situations. If you don’t define who you are for yourself, your law school environment will do it for you.
The competition of the curve and constant comparison to peers will shape your values and goals into the values and goals you perceive everyone else to have. The reality is that we all come into law school with different values and goals—we shouldn’t be comparing ourselves to each other to define our own success.
You can do this self-exploration through therapy, guided journaling, or other means of reflection. Therapy is often a very effective way to engage in self-exploration, and most universities have counseling centers available to students free of charge. Whatever you choose, I encourage you to do it now and do it often.
2. Set Boundaries
When I started law school, I made a commitment to myself that law school wouldn’t consume my life for the next three years. To honor this commitment, I set boundaries.
During 1L, I worked on law school only from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday and for a few hours on Sundays. My nights and Saturdays were devoted to my interests, friends, and family. If you let it, law school will take every minute of your time. You must be intentional and diligent about setting boundaries and staying true to yourself to avoid being all-consumed by law school.
Boundaries will look different for everyone and might change over time. For example, during the fall of my 2L year, I took on additional responsibilities at the law school. I had to adjust my boundaries to ensure I met all my obligations. I started doing schoolwork earlier in the mornings and on Wednesday evenings, but I still reserved the other evenings and Saturdays for non-law school things.
Find out what works for you, make a clear plan, and stick to it.
3. Stop Comparing
As President Theodore Roosevelt said, “Comparison is the thief of joy.” Do all you can not to measure yourself against others. You don’t know how well anyone else is doing. One good cold call or one bad cold call means nothing for how well someone will ultimately do in the class—let alone as an actual lawyer. When you stop comparing yourself to your peers, building community with them will be easier.
Ultimately, what I hope you take away from this article is that if you’re struggling with your mental health, you’re not alone. Unfortunately, that’s a very natural reaction to the realities of law school.
Take care of you. Your well-being is far more important than any law school grade or accomplishment. In fact, your well-being is essential to being a good lawyer and having a sustainable career beyond law school.
