Speaker 1 (00:00): We're used to understanding things. We're
used to getting it the first time. And so for a lot of us, this is the first time when we do not
fully understand what it is we're reading and we don't feel prepared heading into class. Hey guys,
welcome back to my channel. If you're new here, I'm Angela or Vorpahl of angelavorpahl.com and the
law school network on Facebook. And I help new and aspiring law students learn the strategies to take
control of their law school careers so that you can start your lawyering life on your own terms.
In today's video, we're going to be diving into a topic that affects so many law students, every
single cycle, and definitely was something that I struggled with as a new law student as well.
And that is this concept of imposter syndrome. So imposter syndrome is this feeling that you're
not good enough. Speaker 1 (00:44):
You're not smart enough. You don't deserve to be here. Everyone else is more qualified than you.
And sooner or later, they're going to figure out that they made a mistake in letting you in.
And they're going to expose you for the fraud that you are. So this is no small thing and affects
tons and tons of law students every single year. So in this video, we're going to dive into where
these feelings come from and what you need to know in order to combat them so that this feeling of
imposter syndrome loses its power over you. And you can continue on your path to becoming the
amazing attorney you were destined to be. And so in looking at why imposter syndrome seems to blow
up so big, when we start law school, there are a few sources that tend to repeat themselves. And so
the first one is our prior academic success before law school and the gap between that experience and
what we expect law school to be like. Speaker 1 (01:33):
And so for most students who carry on to law school, we've done really, really well in school,
right? You generally have been at the top of your class in high school and college and grad
school. And for a lot of students, they come and tell me that they didn't even really have
to try that hard, that they could really rely on their mental horsepower, their memorization
skills kind of cramming at the last minute and still doing really, really well. And so,
because that has worked for so many people for so long when they begin law school,
there's this assumption that those same strategies and tactics will get them the same results. And so
when they don't work and they don't see those same results, there's a huge gap in how they
saw themselves before law school and how they see themselves. Now, another source that really feeds
this feeling of imposter syndrome is the inherent competitiveness of law school.
Speaker 1 (02:23): And so law school is traditionally graded
on a curve, meaning that the majority of students are going to get something in the B range and only
a very small percentage are going to get A's or a minuses. And so what that means logistically and
practically is that you are in direct competition with your classmates for those very small number
of A's and minuses. And not only are you in competition, you're also competing against a
self-selected group of students, right? Students who have traditionally been really successful in
academics, that kind of type a personalities, hard workers, overachievers, highly motivated.
And so that really, really feeds this feeling of not being good enough or not being smart enough to
compete with these really, really capable people. The third source of imposter syndrome that I see
over and over is the workload itself. And so in law school, you are assigned a massive amount of
material to get through each day. Speaker 1 (03:15):
And not only that, but the things that you are reading these cases are incredibly dense and
convoluted. And so most of us are reading all of these things the day before class.
And some of these cases are from the 18 hundreds they're written in legal ease. They are not
designed for law students to teach you the law. And so, of course we don't understand what we're
reading the first time we read it, but that causes a really big rift in how we perceive ourselves,
because we're used to understanding things. We're used to getting it the first time. And so for a
lot of us, this is the first time when we do not fully understand what it is we're reading and we
don't feel prepared heading into class. So those are the main triggers for imposter syndrome that I
see in law students over and over. Speaker 1 (03:58):
And if you are a current law student, then you were probably very familiar with those from
personal experience. And so let's talk about what is important to understand so that you can combat
those feelings of imposter syndrome when they come up. And the first one to understand is that
everyone starts from zero on that first day of class. Every one is starting with a clean
slate and a brand new career, a brand new professional community, learning a brand new
area of information. And so don't feel like you were behind in any sort of way. When you begin,
you don't have to have lawyers in your family. You don't have to have had a pre-law degree.
You don't have to have a legal experience and you definitely don't need to know
what type of law you want to practice in order to be successful in law school.
Speaker 1 (04:42): And so don't let anyone talk you
into feeling like you are not enough, or you didn't have the background or experience
you need in order to do well in law school, because that's just not the case. And in fact,
what I have seen happen to some law students who do have experience or background in the law,
or do have a family member, who's a lawyer, is to walk into the law school with a false sense
of confidence. And the worst thing you can do is not have that healthy sense of fear and respect
for what law school demands before you begin. And so if you are coming from a place of needing to
prove something to yourself or to others, then that can actually work in your favor so that you
do put in the work and consistently make progress day in and day out so that you can end up where
you want to be by the end of the semester. Speaker 1 (05:29):
And if you guys are interested in what pieces go into a successful law school strategy, then
definitely check out my free one L masterclass. We break down the three most important pieces to
a successful law school strategy so that you can get the grades that your hard work truly deserves.
The second important thing to keep in mind is that the people who are the loudest are also the most
insecure. So stay with me on this one in the law school, it tends to attract a lot of really strong
egos. I do not know why that is the case, but it definitely is. And you'll start to hear people
bragging about how much they're studying and how many hours they're spending in the library and how
interesting and intellectually stimulating. They found the cases. And it's really, really easy to
let yourself be intimidated by those people. Speaker 1 (06:13):
And especially when somebody speaking up in class a lot, asking a lot of seemingly interesting
questions and seemingly knowing the cases backwards and forwards, it can really, really play
mind games on you. So do not let it. And here's why when people are talking up in class, that's
just their version of insecurity manifested in a very particular way, because they're also trying
to prove to themselves and the people around them that they're good enough, they're smarter enough
and they deserve to be there. And what you'll tend to see is that the people who talk the most in
class, generally speaking, are not going to be the people who wind up at the top of the class
rankings. And the people who do end up at the top of the class tend to be the quiet ones in
the back who just have their head down blinders on and doing the work day in and day out.
Speaker 1 (06:58): So if that's where you want to be, and that is
your goal, then don't let those big egos of those big personalities get to you. The third thing to
keep in mind is that you're here. You did it, you got into law school, you deserve to be here. That
is absolutely evidence of your intelligence, your hard work ethic and your capability. And
so when you realize and notice that your brain is sort of focusing on the things that you're
most worried about most concerned about, feel like your weakest parts of you, that you have to show
it evidence of success in the past to combat those negative feelings. Because if you don't,
it's going to tend to focus just on the pieces that you feel the most vulnerable about. And so
keep in mind that law school admissions officers are not in the business of, uh, letting people
into law school that are not going to succeed. Speaker 1 (07:46):
And so you absolutely can do this. You just tend to have to regularly remind yourself and remind
your brain of the evidence of the success that you've had in the past, which has brought you
where you are right now. The next thing I'll say, which is very closely related is to avoid
comparison culture. And I know that that is really tough to do in law school, where there is inherent
competition built in. But the truth of the matter is that everybody can have the ideal legal career
that they want. The truth is there are thousands of lawyers and millions of people who need legal
services, and you are uniquely positioned by your life experiences, professional experiences,
interests, strengths, and abilities to serve a very specific portion of the population and that
legal career and that life can look like however you want. And so there is room for everybody to
build the career that they want. Speaker 1 (08:38):
And there's no reason to feel like you're not good enough because you get to define
what a good life looks like and what a good legal career looks like. And so when you feel yourself,
fall into that trap, just remind yourself that whatever you want to build is possible and
does not conflict with what anyone else wants to do and their life or their legal career. And
the last thing I'll say about imposter syndrome is that I know how stressful and how difficult it can
be to feel that as you make your way through law school, but in another way is also a really good
thing, because it means that you are stretching yourself outside of your comfort zone and doing
something really challenging. And that's why it feels so uncomfortable. And so even though, yes,
those feelings will come up over time again, and again, just remind yourself that that's because
you are growing and changing and doing something really, really amazing with your life that not
everybody can actually do or chooses to do. Speaker 1 (09:35):
And so the cool thing about making your way through law school is that that's an experience
that you're going to carry with you for the rest of your life. And every time something is
difficult or comes up that you don't think you can do, you'll look back and remind yourself that you
made it through law school. And so you can pretty much do anything. And so that will change the way
that you view yourself and what you see yourself as being capable of. So as uncomfortable as it is,
where does a badge of honor that this is an amazing experience that you are making your
way through, and it's going to make you a stronger and more capable person going forward. That's it
for this week's video guys. I hope it helped break down imposter syndrome so that you can see right
through it for what it really is and stop it in its tracks before it gains too much momentum.
Speaker 1 (10:21): And if you are looking for a community of
law students and pre-loss students who are going through the same fears and emotions and struggles,
as you are, then be sure to join us inside the law school network, Facebook group,
there's over a thousand amazing humans in there sharing their experiences along the way. So I
hope to see you inside soon. And if you were interested in learning how to build a law school
and legal career that are really powerful and true to yourself, then be sure to check out these two
amazing videos over here and be sure to subscribe and hit the notification bell so that you are sure
not to miss any new videos going forward that come out every other Tuesday. So with that guys,
I hope that you have a wonderful week and I will see you in the next video.