Law Students and Stress 1
Law Students and Stress
For this research paper my main research question was; Are Law students more stressed
than they were as undergraduates? I wanted to try and find out this information because I was
planning on going to law school. I made an eleven question questionnaire and went to the Texas
Tech Law building and then conducted multiple dyad interviews with the Texas Tech Law
students. My questions were set up with a semi-structure to make sure I touched all the bases but
leave some room for a change up. I selected 12 diverse interviewees through a convenience
sample to. Anyone who was okay with being interviewed that is who I gathered data on. I
managed to interview 6 males and 6 females like I intended to. I wrote down all the responses of
the respondents in a notebook in order they were interviewed. Nonetheless I accomplished for
the most part what I wanted to regarding my research.
3342 word count
Introduction
Law Students and Stress 2
Do you know anyone that has been in law school currently, in the past, or planning on
going to law school in the future? I myself am thinking about going to law school after I finished
my undergraduate degree. The prospect got me thinking about how my life would be in law
school. So I asked myself, are law students more stressed than they were as undergraduates? This
topic may not seem all that grand, but it is important. As with anything too much can be a bad
thing, especially regarding stress. “High levels of stress can also lead to a multitude of mental
illness such as anxiety and depression” (Rodgers & Skead, 2014, p. 574). This research study is
to determine the wellbeing of law students and see how their lives are different than they were in
their undergrad years. The research that is conducted will shine a light on how law students are
faring in their new roles. To further support my research I found five peer reviewed journal
articles that talk about high levels of stress in law students. I hypothesize that Law students are
more stressed in Law school than they were as undergrads.
Literature Review
Law Students and Stress 3
In the research article Stress, Anxiety and Depression in Law Students: How Student
Behaviors Affect Student Wellbeing by Rogers and Skead, they look into the increase in
psychological effects of law school on the students. “First semester of their studies, law students
experience stress, anxiety and depression at rates significantly higher than their contemporaries”
(Rogers & Skead, 2014, p. 565). Here they note that law students have higher rates of
psychological illnesses, than other types of students such as engineers or doctoral students.
Rogers and Skead conducted a survey for law students to measure stress. The participants
volunteered and were promised anonymity. “The pressures subscale contains four items
measuring stress resulting from competition, deadlines, work overload, and work responsibilities
and expectations” (Rogers & Skead, 2014, p. 570). This is just an example of some of the range
of topics from part of the survey that the researchers provided. In the results of the survey they
found that “the law student participants in this study reported significantly higher levels of
anxiety and depression” (Rogers & Skead, 2014, p. 574). With clear results of increased stress in
the law students they recommended that exercise would help stress. They also said “law students
need to feel a belongingness to promote mental health so they should join a law school club to
increase that feeling of belongingness” (Rogers & Skead 2014, p. 585-586). These are just a few
ways to help a law student who is under a lot of pressure and stress.
The article Reducing the Stigma: The Deadly Effect of Untreated Mental Illness and New
Strategies for Changing Outcomes in Law Students by Bibelhausen, Bender, and Barrett, like the
previous article talk about unchecked mental illnesses in law students. The researchers agree that
“Stress is a constant reality in the everyday practice of a lawyer, regardless of his or her area of
focus or workplace” (Bibelhausen, Bender & Barret, 2015, p. 932). Law students enter a stressful
environment in the workplace, after an already highly stressful school experience. The experts
Law Students and Stress 2
say that isolation can be a cause of mental illness “In law, a student and lawyer’s isolation is
physical, mental, and professional” (Bibelhausen, Bender & Barret, 2015, p. 935). This is
because of studying alone, along with working in small rooms or cubicles for long hours at a
time. They did find something promising, “that 81.2% of respondents from the 2014 Law
Student Well-Being Study reported that they would be somewhat likely or very likely to use a
health professional if they were having issues” (Bibelhausen, Bender & Barret, 2015, p. 947).
The researchers also believe that all law schools should have counseling and programs in place
to help the student’s well-being. This article like the one before agrees law students are more
susceptible to psychological distress and under a lot of pressure as law students.
Jolly-Ryan wrote an article about promoting mental health in law schools and what law
schools can do to make that happen. She says “Law schools are in the best position to help solve
