Law School v. High School

A few weeks ago, I posted about how law school is similar (and different) from college. This week, I wanted to share about how law school compares to high school. It is a common joke among law students to say that they go to “(Name of Law School) High.”

Similarities:

Lockers- Just like in high school, almost every law school has lockers. (In fact, I’ve never heard of one that doesn’t).  Some law schools will make you rent them, and others build them into your tuition or other student fees. I use my locker more than I did in high school. Law textbooks are just too big to carry around more than two at time. Plus, it is nice to have a place to store your coat and lunch.

Time Spent in School- At least for me, the amount of time I spend at school or in the library is about the same as it was in high school. I definitely spend more time at school than I ever did in undergrad. Monday through Wednesday I am in class from 8:15 until 3:45, which is much more similar to my high school schedule than my undergrad schedule.

Lunch- I rarely packed a lunch in undergrad, but I did everyday in high school. Now, I pack a lunch everyday (unless I am going to an event with lunch provided). Sometimes I will go to a local restaurant for lunch, but I prefer to make my own lunch.

Classes aren’t all over campus- Like high school, you will pretty much be in the same building everyday. You don’t get out much, and it is relief to walk out of the building at the end of the day.

Smaller class sizes- I went to a large high school and had over 500 people in my class. I went to an even larger college, and I have no idea the number of students I graduated with (even in my major alone). At law school, my class is around 160 people, which is more similar to my high school class size than undergrad class size.

There’s a Prom- Barrister’s Ball is a huge social event for law schools nationwide. There’s a nice dinner, dancing, and of course, gowns and tuxes. For this reason, it is affectionately known as “Law School Prom.”

Lunch period- Just like high school, there is a guaranteed lunch break everyday, when no classes are scheduled.

Differences:

Besides the obvious differences (people are older, and you are studying law), I couldn’t really think of many differences between law school and high school.

Teachers don’t have one classroom- At my high school, every teacher pretty much had their own classroom, and except for a few exceptions, they only taught in that classroom. Law school does not do this, as multiple teachers will use the same classroom.

Majority of people want to be there- While some people liked high school, others did not. It was fairly obvious who wanted to be there and who did not. For the most part, every law student wants to be at law school. If they didn’t, they wouldn’t be here. There is no mandate for you to go to law school.

Larger Classes- Especially during your 1L year, you will have "large" lecture classes. At my school, this ranges from 40 to 80 people. In high school, the maximum number of students I had in my class was under 40.

Did I miss any big similarities or differences between law school and high school? If so, leave your thoughts in the comments!