A Good Problem to Have Forum

[Anonymous131]

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[jaekeem]

I mean don't bring it up unprompted, I guess?

I don't think it's a big deal. Quite a few of my friends are on scholarships. I don't really care. Good for them. I would never hold a friend's pre-law successes against them. There are more important things to worry and care about once 1L starts, and that just strikes me as absurdly petty, unless the person in question was flaunting their full, or almost-full, ride (never seen this before).

Also, just a warning to you. RE my friends on scholly. Some of them worked hard and did extremely well; some did not and got bad to average results. Others fell in the middle.

In my experience there is very little to no correlation between someone's scholarship and their law school success (albeit this is super anecdotal/limited by my knowledge). So go in planning to work hard. Don't take anything for granted merely because you have a full ride while others pay sticker.

[UVA2B]

It's pretty easy when you're talking to fellow law students about debt/loans/ungodly expensive tuition: just commiserate. Don't mention you're on a full ride, or that your family is paying for everything, or whatever your particular situation might be. Even my friends who have law school paid for due to widely known and accepted programs such as named scholarships that they're recognized for or have the federal government paying for it because they're a vet or something like that don't actively talk about it.

You won't be talking much about student loans when you make friends (or at least I sincerely hope you won't be mentioning it in normal conversation) at law school, so just be deferential that you're very lucky if someone asks you pointedly, and otherwise just don't bring it up.

Beyond that, I don't know anyone who is personally offended or awkward around people who are known to be getting a free ride to school. It's pretty superficial and silly to worry about that when you're talking about socializing and making friends with your peers.

[TheSpanishMain]

What's the "top program"? Maybe they were questioning your choice of school and were trying to think of a tactful way to broach the idea of not going.

But anyway, no one is going to care that you're on a scholarship. People don't really talk about loans and debt that much. It's kind of rude to ask someone how much they're in the hole.

[cavalier1138]

You should literally never be bringing up scholarship specifics in conversation. If you got a named scholarship of some kind that requires you to be at events, listed on the website, etc., then it's not like you can hide it. But actually discussing it is pointless.

As for the "target on your back": that's nonsense.

[Anonymous131]

. . . . .

[jaekeem]

Ok, well this is reassuring! Maybe I've just come across some particularly rude people/those who regret their decision to go to law school because of loan issues. I'm headed to a top ten school, so I don't think it's the program itself they're down on. Or maybe I get these kinds of questions a lot because I'm a non-traditional student - I'm not sure.

Definitely planning on working hard, and I certainly don't take for granted that the scholarship means I'll breeze through law school. I just want to make sure I don't start off on the wrong foot with people, especially since I imagine it might be tougher socially since I'm not a typical 22/23 year old.

As long as you aren't shouting or broadcasting it to people randomly. (which by any common sense notions of tact...you should know not to do), you'll be fine

If someone holds it against you merely because you have it and they don't, then they're probably not the kind of person you want to spend a lot of time with, at least during 1L. (if that drives them crazy...oh just wait til exams )

[AJordan]

Continuing to worry about this kind of thing is a good way to give yourself health problems. At least that's what a behavior health specialist consistently told... my friend.

[pancakes3]

if these social interactions are giving you sweats... good fucking luck.

[Anonymous131]

. . . . . .

[pancakes3]

if these social interactions are giving you sweats... good fucking luck.

Well, just looking for some etiquette advice here. But thanks anyway.

if you're looking for etiquette advice on how to carry on everyday social interactions... good fucking luck.

[it's allgood]

I'm heading to law school this fall, and was fortunate to receive a full scholarship to a top program. I feel incredibly lucky, since otherwise it would be unwise for me to attend such an expensive school given my family resources and desire to go into public interest law/academia.

Here is my problem: When I've talked to people (strangers/acquaintances) about heading to law school in the fall and my professional goals, invariably something like the following occurs (particularly when talking to current lawyers!):

New person I'm meeting, frequently a lawyer: "Are you sure you want to take out tons of loans to go to law school?"
My response: "Uh, well, fortunately I got a scholarship, so that won't be an issue!"
::Awkward silence::

People have sometimes been polite about it and simply congratulated me, but others have told me to be careful because I'll have a target on my back in law school!

These kinds of conversations have made me a bit wary of whether/how to mention the scholarship when I start meeting fellow students. I would never bring it up myself - I've only mentioned it when people have asked me directly about the loan issue/money.

For current law students reading this: Is there a way to make sure I'm not alienating people/coming off as obnoxious/bragging? Am I overthinking this and it probably won't be a huge issue?
Thanks for your advice!

I really don't think there is a way to not alienate other people because there are some people out there who are really dysfunctional and may react to someone as being alienating/obnoxious/bragging due to their own insecurities rather than anything the other person is actually doing. If someone asks about your funding, that seems a bit invasive to ask and for me that would indicate a person that I may want to avoid--I wouldn't ask another student about their funding, would you? At that point, it probably does not really matter what you say because if you tell the truth or say your funding is a personal matter that you are not willing to discuss--either response may be alienating. Perhaps just come up with some funny response to give if someone asks like you just forgot you have to go give your blind friend a driving lesson and are really late and must leave immediately. Or whatever else you can think of.

[Person1111]

I was extraordinarily fortunate and my folks paid for law school. On the very few occasions that people brought up debt, etc., I shrugged and said something noncommittal. (Caveat: I went to a school where folks are generally not worried about getting biglaw jobs; the amount of anxiety about debt might be different depending on where you are going.)