Healthy vs Unhealthy Competition at Law School
The age-old stereotype of law students is that they are bloodthirsty, unyielding and competitive to their core. While this may be considered a slightly outdated concept now, it isn’t too far from the truth in some instances.
As someone who has come from an art and writing background, I was not prepared for the subtle competition of law school. The snide comments from people who don’t even know you or your capabilities, the underhanded comments from friends who scored just a little bit better on a test than you did, it can all be, well… a bit toxic.
I’ve noticed in my first semester at Monash that there are two types of law students. There is the type that will push you to do well, you will become friends with these people, and you will have healthy competition between one another in order to lift each other up and strive for the best marks you can possibly get. Then there’s the other type, the pushy type that wants to know everyone’s grades so they can brag about how much better they did, but “don’t worry that’s still a great mark you got!” These are the type of law students you probably don’t want to be friends with, but their sense of unhealthy and passive aggressive competition is only going to have you comparing yourself to others and feeling worse about a mediocre or average mark on a really hard assignment.
I guess what I am trying to say is, you have to be proud of yourself. No matter what mark you get on an assignment or exam, as long as you tried your best then you should be proud of your marks. Don’t compare yourself to others, we all learn at a different pace and some people grasp concepts quicker than others. There will be a moment where everything just ‘clicks’ into place for you, even if it takes a bit longer than it does for your peers.
One of the worst feelings I ever experienced was when a very competitive student turned to me and asked, “so, what kind of law do you want to get into?” I very quietly said “criminal law” which was met with a scoff and “oh do you really think you have the stomach for that?” It hurt knowing that my peers underestimate me and this was something I struggled to comprehend, it’s hard to not fall into a toxic competitive mindset when people make comments such as that.
Surround yourself with the good kind of law students, the ones that want to help, that want to study together so that you all succeed. Look after one another and you will all make it through law school. Having unnecessary competition against one another won’t help anyone and will only make you feel terrible if you don’t achieve the high standard you have built up in your brain.
Something I have learned is that it is never worth the time and energy you might think it is. You are worth more than wasting your precious time on those matters. Focus on your studies and work towards being the very best you can be, it looks different for everyone so try not to be too harsh on yourself.
Always remember; you’ve got this.
Written by Chantelle Gourlay