Am I smart enough to go to law school?

Are you intelligent enough to go to law school?

Some people ask me if they are smart enough to go to law school.  Of course, there are varying levels of intelligence amongst law school students.  When I started law school, I happened to wonder if I was smart enough to be in there with the rest of the students.  Some of these kids seemed to be quite intelligent. 

One reader, who enjoys my blog, asked me the question, "how do I know if I am smart enough to go to law school." 

There are many ways that you can use to gauge your intelligence.  None of these is absolute, but these factors can be helpful in helping you figure out if you are smart enough for law school.  They are:

These first two are the big ones that schools tend to look for when admitting law students.  However, 1 and 2 are not conclusive by themselves.  For example, many people with low LSAT scores do amazing in law school, and those who did poorly in undergrad sometimes do great in law school. 

1.  Did you do well in undergrad?
2.  Did you do well on the LSAT?

The next factors are quite helpful in gauging how intelligent you are and if you will do in law school.

3.  You enjoy reading and/or writing.
5.  You are good at logical puzzles.
6.  You enjoy thinking for thinking's sake.
7.  You are creative.
8.  You are good with arguments.
9.  You noticed that I skipped from 3 to 5 above.
10.  You are good at multitasking.
11.  You have a desire to do something with your life.
12.  You enjoy situations that are complex and often change.
13.  You handle stress well.
14.  You are emotionally mature.
15.  You have a "strong sense of justice." 
16.  You take time to reflect and ask questions.

These are just a few things to think about if you are thinking about going to law school.  Don't let people tell you that you are not smart enough to go to law school if you know that you want to do law.  There are so many sources out there that say "don't go to law school" but these people are often greatly unsure as to about why they went to law school in the first place.  If you are going to law school for money alone, you will probably be upset in the end for it.  I can tell you right now that many of the people who are lamenting their decision to go to law school did it largely for financial reasons.  They expected to be wealthy upon graduating and many did not put in the kind of hard work that law school requires.  Law school is hard work.  Getting a job after law school can be a challenge.  But don't let that stop you from doing what you want with your life.  As a law student myself, I will say that it's a great intellectual challenge that will prepare you for many things in life.  The things I learn daily that don't even have to do with law have helped me come so far in life.  Even though I was down on myself and law school for a while after reading some of the negative press on law school, I must say that as I am nearing graduation, I am proud