Stress of intimidation

OK, so I'm downtown in the computer lab waiting for the next (and last) phases of orientation to start, and I have some thoughts about school thus far.

Orientation has been very informative, and happily it has taken some of the mystery out of law school. I know all about the differences between state and federal court systems; I know how to brief a case; I know what "mens rea" means, thank you very much, Legally Blonde.

However, one thing I am hearing over and over again from nearly every speech I've heard is: 1) they know we have heard about law school horror stories, 2) they want to tell us that law school is scary, and 3) they want to tell us law school will be the hardest thing we have ever done.

I appreciate the idea that law school is "a marathon, not a sprint." But if you keep telling me how scary something is, you're only making it more scary. And I'm sorry, but with the varied degrees and professions that incoming students have attained, I doubt any program could confidently say that law school will be universally the hardest thing we have ever done.

I mean, some of these students have children! Small, screaming children at home! I consider that to be more intimidating than law school, yet law school is doing everything it can to intimidate me.

So, again, I'm trying not to be intimidated, and I'm reeeeally trying not to let my Type A personality competitive streak take over. We'll see how it goes!