Sweet Torture

NOTE: A write-up about the life of a law student was published in the Weekly Sillimanian last July 19. It was written by a classmate, Christy Marie Cong ("Tycong") and was entitled "Sweet Torture". While reading it, we had smiles on our faces since we all related so much with what she wrote. I've taken the liberty to use that article in this post. The original write-up is the italicized gray text. The rest is just my own additional commentary.

The first question that entered my mind upon learning my parents wanted me to go there was, “What’s it like to be there?”

In my experience, my decision to enter law school was just spontaneous. Sure, I had some vague plans of taking law in the future, but I never really thought about it that much. It was just over a week before classes would start last school year when I was talking with my friend. He mentioned that one of his student assistants topped the law entrance exam at Silliman University. I got intrigued and went to see the list of successful college of law applicants at the Villareal Hall, and saw the roster of Freshmen law students was filled not only with smart individuals, but also well-rounded and fun-loving. I always thought law school was boring and too serious, but seeing the list of familiar names made me think that this endeavor could be fun with a set of classmates like those.

I inquired from the secretary whether I could still enroll and she said that they could still accept me if I just submit and undergo all the requirements. The very next day, I took the entrance exam, and got all the requirements.

Then there was the interview. To my surprise, the dean approached me and mentioned that I got the highest score in the exams. Then he left the room, leaving me with only a single interviewer. The interview went fine. She was just asking whether I would still be able to cope up with the pressures of law school knowing that I was also working. But then she told me that she, herself, was also a working student back in her law school years.

So there I was - entering law school unprepared.

As I entered my second year as a law student this school year, law school is becoming like a chamber of sweet torture. It really goes beyond how I imagined a law school would be like.

In my case, although it was gonna be my second year in law school, I was technically still a freshman, since my subjects were first year subjects. This was due to the fact that I only took a few units last year, which was the maximum allowed for an instructor at SU. This year, however, I was now a full-time student, and a little bit more prepared than last year.

I remembered how I expected the usual getting-to-know-you sessions during my very first day. But I was surprised when the professor immediately discussed the law without even introducing himself. From that moment, my day began and ended with reading law books and cases. The fact that most, if not all, law books have no pictures or even illustrations made it more wearisome. Sometimes, my eyes get glued to a certain paragraph in the reading assignment because it seemed vague and complicated, requiring my rereading it over and over again just to grasp its essence.

Law is all about reading – lots and lots of reading. I remember back in undergrad. When a teacher assigns a ten-page text to be read for the following week, we would immediately start complaining. This time, in law school, with all the text and cases assigned to us, we spent most of our “free time” reading hundreds of pages daily. But then again, IT is very much different from Law. The SU College of Law is not the country's 8th best law school for nothing. It's now all about survival. I don't care if I don't get any honors. All I care this time is simply passing.

In fact, because of the demands of tons of text to read, some of us spend the rest of the night after class in Dunkin Donuts, which is open 24 hours, and is a haven for Law and Nursing students. We’d stay up all night until we finish what is required from us, even if it means watching the sun rise the next morning.

However, the study of law is not just isolated in reading and reading and reading. We also have other activities that are significant for our survival, or else, we would grow old, older than our peers and professors.

In the law library while doing some law-related stuff, I could not help but observe the different individuals that are bound together by the goal of becoming a lawyer.

There’s one in the corner with hands on the forehead, talking to his textbooks. There’s another in front of me making a case digest while unconsciously humming the “Pacquiao Song.” A couple of students in the computer area were playing Yahoo! games. Others could not help but talk about the latest crazes, soccer games, and any other topic that could even remotely be related to the study of law. A certain group shared their corny jokes of the day, followed by a burst of laughter.

The librarian rang the bell, a reminder that silence is an “imperial decree” in the library. Then, somebody from the group jokingly announce, “Ice Cream!”

The library at the Villareal Hall is where law students “hang out.” Perhaps, it is safe to say that it has become our second home, since we spend most of the day there. Not only is it a place where students study and read cases, but it is also a place where we try to relax. It is perhaps the most fun library I’ve ever been to. Silence is a rule, but then again it doesn’t get followed all the time. Considering that we’d be there for hours, students are allowed to eat inside. Once we even brought pizzas and cakes there.

A visit to the library would show you that although the students there are seriously reading and studying, we also take time to relax and talk. I’d like to call this time as a “lucid interval,” in which we’d take a break from all the insanities of too much studying.

People share some gossips and other stories – some may be true, some are just made-up. We never really know sometimes when a classmate is serious or not. There’s also a time for all the jokes, which in spite of being corny, would still bring out a range of giggles and sheer laughter. As some would say, in a sense, we have “mabaw og kalipay” (shallow happiness). That probably is a result of all the pressures we face in law school. We always make sure to have some fun once in a while.

It goes with the saying that learning is fun, and it should be.

With the college’s support, law students even dared dancing in their diapers during cheering competitions. And during the dance sport competitions, there was a time when a guy wore a woman’s dress with make-up and wig, and tangoed with another male in the spotlight.

In the university annual cheering competition, one of the most-awaited portions of the activity was the performance of the law cheering team. Hilarious performances have already become a tradition for the college of law, just for the sake of entertaining the audience, and showing everyone the fun side of law school. Last year, we took it to another level. Doing away with the usual “gay” cheerleaders, this time the cheerleaders went in another direction. They wore adult diapers in front of thousands of people. The performance started with a voice recording, in a spoof of the famous “Hello Garci” conversation, which was a hot topic then. In our version, the student government president was taking bribes from the two deans of the biggest college rivals on campus, who happened to be there and didn’t seem amused at all. This was followed by the squad entering while the “Starwars” theme song was played. It was really amusing and everyone enjoyed the performance. Male justices of the court, all wearing togas, then entered as they were transported by “karitons” rented from the pier. The squad, reading from papers distributed then and there, shouted some yells. Just when everyone thought we were serious, the squad yelled “L”, and simultaneously, the first “judge” took of his robe. He was just wearing diapers and had the letter “L” painted on his tummy. The crowd began to scream and they got louder as each letter was shouted, and each judge disrobed, to form the word L-A-W-Y-E-R-S-!. The audience was entertained as they were treated with some comical dance moves together with funny cheers and yells, mostly making fun of the other colleges.

Because of that unforgettable performance, those 8 cheerleaders were instant campus celebrities, and were recognized by many during the other Founders Day activities.

I want to stress that law students even allotted time to practice for that purpose, a few hours maybe or a day, just to show to the entire Silliman community that law school is fun or even funnier beyond the pressures and challenges we have in the four corners of the classroom.

Other activities include fun-filled acquaintance parties, balls, Bingo socials, billiard tournaments, and basketball games. Each activity is fun, even more fun than most of the activities of the other colleges. Take for example this year’s acquaintance party, which featured the sophomore students doing a spoof of “Pinoy Big Brother”, complete with costumes and props. The party was so fun that we went home at past 4 in the morning.

Then of course, there are the unplanned, spontaneous activities that we do sometimes after school – partying, drinking, watching movies, and loads of other stuff.

The best thing I learned as a law student is the way I valued every single bit of my life. I realized that even a single second can make a big difference; it’s a matter of how you use it and make other people a part of it.

On my part, one of the things I learned so far, aside from learning that “dermatograph”, which sounded more like a gadget for the skin, was the correct term for what I used to simply call “highlighter, was that there’s always time for everything. No matter how busy you’d get, you should always find some time to enjoy. Otherwise, you’d simply get burned-out and frustrated.

Law school is really tiresome, there is no doubt about that. The study of law may be scary. But the sweet torture we have in Silliman University College of Law makes the study of law a lot different. It’s tough. Yet, we still manage to have fun and smile. After all, we will still be having that sweet torture in the years to come.

Sweet torture – that’s the perfect description of law school. It’s so demanding and stressful, yet it is also fun and enjoyable.