Biggest Challenges Faced By A Law Student At Stanford Law School
Isabel, a Stanford Law student with four years of prior work experience, identifies the "sheer amount of work" and the tendency to compare oneself to peers as major challenges. This highlights the need for strong self-boundary setting, a skill Isabel finds valuable despite the difficulty of balancing academic rigor with personal life, as "it takes a lot of kind of boundary setting with yourself".
Time Management, Stress Management, Self-Discipline, Work-Life Balance, Comparative Analysis
Advizer Information
Name
Job Title
Company
Undergrad
Grad Programs
Majors
Industries
Job Functions
Traits
Isabel Mendiola
Law Student
Stanford Law School
Claremont McKenna College 2018
Stanford Law School (JD Forthcoming)
Psychology
Law
Legal
Honors Student, Took Out Loans, Worked 20+ Hours in School
Video Highlights
1. Balancing schoolwork with personal life: Law school demands significant time commitment, requiring effective boundary setting and time management skills.
2. Comparison to peers: The competitive nature of law school can lead to self-comparison, highlighting the importance of focusing on personal growth and development.
3. Developing self-discipline: The immense workload necessitates strong self-discipline to manage time effectively and maintain a healthy work-life balance.
Transcript
What is your biggest challenge in your current role?
My biggest challenge is the sheer amount of work. I was in the workforce for four years, and there are always things to do, especially as a teacher. Things often carry over after school hours, work hours, or over the weekend.
However, it's not to the same level as in law school. You can always be reviewing, or doing practice problems. It takes a lot of boundary setting with yourself, deciding to be done at a certain point and accepting that.
This is something that might be difficult if you've struggled with it in the past. My classmates and I are all trying to grapple with that balance.
The second hardest thing for me is doing the same thing as most of my classmates. It's easy to compare yourself to others. Both of these challenges, however, are good skills to learn, like how to set those boundaries with yourself.