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A Handful of Reasons Not to Go to Law School

By William Peacock, Esq. on September 30, 2013 | Last updated on March 21, 2019

Dear Law School Applicants,

We've been a bit contradictory around here lately. We've talked about how the plummeting demand and low application rates make now a great time to "buy low" on law school. Then again, we've constantly lamented the never-improving job market.

If you are in the process of applying to law school, it may be wise to reconsider. Here are a few reasons that may make you not want to go to law school:

Job Market

Think there's a large demand for FM radio repairmen? How about chimney sweeps? The demand for recent law grads isn't quite that desolate, but it's close.

No Life for 3 Years

Absent the biding ties of marriage, your relationship will probably end (especially if it is long-distance). Your family will forget you exist. And you may have no friends after three years, especially if you go to one of those "cutthroat" schools where kids sabotage each other.

Your first year will be spent studying. Your second year will be spent studying and, if you're lucky, working on journals. Third year? You'll be too busy scouring job ads to have any real fun.

Reading Will No Longer Be Fun

You may enjoy reading now, but after law school, try reading anything, even long sports articles on ESPN.com, and your patience is tapped. If reading is something you particularly enjoy, sorry, you won't anymore. And if you hate reading -- why are you going to law school again?

Gunners

Congrats. You get to sit by the guy who asks you to join his study groups, brings 15 study supplements to class, attaches a second monitor to his laptop in class, answers every question (incorrectly), and follows the professor back to his office with question after question. He'll probably ask to borrow your notes at some point as well, just to make sure he didn't miss anything.

(And gunners are just one of the types of freaks and geeks you'll meet in law school.)

Tuition and Other Costs

Approximately $50,000 in tuition. $150 per book. Add living expenses, interest on your loans, transportation, booze, caffeine, booze, and food, and you'll top $150,000 in debt in no time!

Analytical, Argumentative Mind

Ever talk to someone who argues everything? "Nah brah, you don't like 'Breaking Bad'. You just think you do because its so popular." You'll become him. In three years, you'll find yourself arguing passionately over whether you should really eat wheat toast instead of whole grain. Seriously.

There Are More Lucrative Options Out There

Here's a list of a few: nurse, computer coder, Wall Street yuppie, panhandler in New York City, accountant, any type of engineer, meth manufacturer, and doctor.

And if all those reasons don't convince you, just watch this:

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