Abigail Sia, a current second-year student at Fordham Law, was interviewed by her undergraduate alma mater, Johns Hopkins University, about what it’s like being a law student at Fordham Law.
What made you choose Fordham Law? What do you see as the primary pros and cons of law school?
I chose Fordham primarily for its strength in the New York market and also based on an intangible feeling. I knew I wanted to stay in New York for law school and ultimately practice in New York. Fordham has a great reputation in New York and an incredibly strong alumni network; Fordham also gave me a very generous merit scholarship. As for that intangible feeling, it first arose after attending Fordham’s Admitted Students Day. I visited a couple of other law schools before and after finding out I had been admitted to Fordham, and I felt pretty neutral about attending school at those places. After visiting Fordham, I had this gut feeling that I would be really happy at Fordham. This same feeling steered me towards Hopkins back in 2011, so I had to listen to it for law school. I chose Fordham and haven’t regretted it for a second!
I think the pros of law school include the legal education and training itself, the countless opportunities that a legal education can open up for you, and the network that you get to build while in law school. Law school teaches you to be a really analytical thinker and a sharp writer.
It’s also really fun to be around a lot of motivated, driven, law-minded people. My law school peers are some of the smartest people I’ve ever met, and it’s a privilege to be able to learn alongside them.
I think the cons of law school are the cost, the three years you spend out of the workforce (unless you attend as a part-time student), and the stress. Law school is expensive, and if you go to school in an urban area then your living costs will be pretty significant too. Law school is also stressful! You spend a lot of time reading and preparing for class, and you have to begin studying for finals at least a month out. Also, grades are incredibly important for the job hunt, and your grade in almost every class will hinge almost exclusively on one final exam – no midterms! All that being said, Fordham students are really supportive of each other, so you never feel like you’re doing it all alone.