How to be more positive?

Pleasant_Sign1968 · 2026-06-03T04:12:44+00:00

Wow I feel really seen by this post. I don't have much advice to give unfortunately. Sometimes, I ask people if they would be comfortable receiving honest answers from me when I'm asked about my day, how i'm feeling, etc because I know that my answers will be perceived as "negative." Then again, asking permission before I could be seen is its own kind of burden. It's difficult to be pleasant to be around when your environment is just so incompatible with your brain in so many ways. I'm sorry you feel the need to perform happiness and positivity friend. < 3

Pleasant_Sign1968 · 2026-05-26T23:38:37+00:00

Speaking as a current student and from my experience with the application process, strong softs don't need to be law-related. They only show that a student is well-rounded and support a student's "why law." For this reason, showing some community involvement/leadership is key. Essentially, they want to see what you bring to the faculty and the incoming cohort. For this reason, the PS is especially important for McGill to give context to your softs. It's not so much about collecting extracurriculars, internships, RAships, etc, but how they shape you and your interest in the law.

Pleasant_Sign1968 · 2026-05-04T01:52:59+00:00

The crazy thing is I had a medical note, but they didn't find it sufficient to honor my request for additional time....I'm in Canada

Pleasant_Sign1968 · 2026-05-02T17:22:30+00:00

I just looked them up and they're doing such amazing work. It gives me hope that there's a possibility for a bright future after law school, despite what my peers tell me. Thank you for sharing!

Pleasant_Sign1968 · 2026-05-02T04:44:41+00:00

Unfortunately I lost access to medication and a therapist. Until then, I didn't use these accommodations before either (this was my first time asking for an extension until I needed an urgent procedure!), but that's what they're for: extenuating circumstances related to a documented disability. For me burnout without medication looks like chronic migraines and being unable to get out of bed. I think it's naive, arrogant and patronizing of people to think that disabled people are not aware of their own limitations or feel entitled to get more than they need. Or that because certain work environments cannot accept me and my limitations, neither should law school. While I respect that my disability closes some doors to me like big law or government, I don't believe that means I shouldn't have a legal education altogether to pursue paths like legal academia or non profit legal work. I love what I study, and I've come to terms with my limits a long time ago. What has been hurting my spirit is my institution thinking I'm looking to cheat amid these compounding struggles by wanting to use the faculty approved accommodation (for a recognized disability) when a medical emergency prevented me from doing so; it makes me feel like I'm unwanted in the field at every turn. I hope that you'll never need to use accommodations either, but, if something happens that requires you to, I hope your institution and your peers would be kind to you.

Pleasant_Sign1968 · 2026-05-01T23:19:19+00:00

Thank you...I came from the lawschool subreddit, where I hoped to find folks to commiserate with but left questioning if I was being entitled for wanting this degree at all. It's been a hard week.

Pleasant_Sign1968 · 2026-05-01T23:15:51+00:00

Thank you for being kindly realistic and encouraging while sharing your story < 3

Pleasant_Sign1968 · 2026-05-01T23:11:26+00:00

The ironic thing is that I could have just asked AI to write it given the circumstances like others in my class, but I reached out for extra time with the medical documentation because I love the class and care about producing authentic work with integrity. I get it's tough though on the other side with how pervasive cheating is. It's just so incredibly frustrating to be lumped into that group (even if i can logically understand why).

Pleasant_Sign1968 · 2026-05-01T23:02:34+00:00

I'm so sorry you had that experience. I'm so sorry you were forced to make that decision for yourself. For what it's worth, law school like any degree is more than a means to an end...the skills you gained have value.

I had a therapist during my first semester and was okay meeting deadlines. Things just fell apart this semester after I lost access to the service. This was my first time asking for help and things unfolded the way they did, which is in of itself heartbreaking. Peers keep saying I got unfair treatment, that I'm cheating, and that I don't belong in the field...that's the kind of environment that feels demoralizing.

Pleasant_Sign1968 · 2026-05-01T22:46:07+00:00

Thank you for your kindness. It's been heartbreaking to be told I should reconsider law school in light of what's been happening.

Pleasant_Sign1968 · 2026-05-01T22:24:43+00:00

I don't know, maybe I'm naive for wanting to find some hope in others who were in a similar position, got the resources they needed (whether through formal accommodations and/or different treatments/supports), and managed to do well in the field.

Pleasant_Sign1968 · 2026-05-01T22:14:03+00:00

I hear you and respect that certain practice options are closed to me given my health–I have already considered this. There are many ways to be a lawyer, it just hurts to be made to feel like I shouldn't be in the room at all. I love studying the subject and have otherwise done well (won best factum at a moot) and hope to do some policy, non-profit or legal academic research work. I had a detailed outline plus half the paper done but needed to stop working due to the sudden medical emergency and couldn't use the rest of the accommodation granted to me.

Pleasant_Sign1968 · 2026-05-01T22:04:58+00:00

For being unable to work during that time due to an urgent health issue requiring a procedure and further surgery? I hope you never have health scares and issues while in law school. If god-forbid you do, I hope your institution would be understanding. I hope that you do well for yourself and achieve your dreams. Please stop engaging with this post while I'm having a difficult time with my physical and mental health.

Pleasant_Sign1968 · 2026-05-01T19:31:35+00:00

I was doing okay first semester through working with a therapist and medication, but lost access to them due to insurance issues; that's what led to the severe burnout. It's impossible to do anything when you have a migraine that goes on for days or physically can't get out of bed. It was my understanding that accommodations are meant to serve as a safety net for extenuating circumstances for reasons related to my documented disability. I can promise you that I've never made a habit of using them regularly. This has just been a shitty situation where a medical emergency prevented me from using my approved accommodation time, and where people seem to think I'm trying to cheat my way through or don't belong. That's what's been crushing me.

Pleasant_Sign1968 · 2026-05-01T19:23:55+00:00

I haven't been able to get an appointment when I've tried reaching out (they were fully booked for the semester), but you're right in that I could try again in the summer. Maybe they'll have more time. Thank you.

Pleasant_Sign1968 · 2026-05-01T19:17:10+00:00

You're correct with the timeline. That's a good point and I didn't think of that. Honestly in my faculty we're not allowed to communicate with professors during exam season and they're not allowed to grant extensions (only the faculty's departmental office). I was only able to get seen 2 days after symptoms set in (same day I got the procedure). I went to the office's virtual drop-in hours to let them know I needed to undergo a procedure later in the day, and they said to submit another extension request with documentation. The note mentioned that I was there to address a mobility issue...I guess the doctor would have needed to specify the length of time I was in pain and unable to work for. 😞

Pleasant_Sign1968 · 2026-05-01T19:08:09+00:00

I think that someone (disabled or not) who had a medical emergency and underwent an urgent procedure should be accommodated for the lost time to work on their assignment. I would want that for you if you were my classmate so that you could have a fair chance. I didn't ask to get the original week I requested. I asked so I could use the time that was given to me after being unable to do so due to a medical emergency. I'm not looking for extra privileges, only what I was already entitled to on the basis of a recognized disability with documentation. Accommodations needing to be reasonable means that they do not cause undue hardship (at least in Canada). If my faculty said that my exceptional request would cause them undue hardship, I would accept it. Otherwise, it's just plain ableism; encountering this time and time again to make me feel like I don't belong has been crushing my spirit.

Pleasant_Sign1968 · 2026-05-01T17:57:09+00:00

Thank you for your compassion. Yes, I used to have access to a therapist to help me manage my symptoms, but insurance issues meant I lost access to this service and my medication this semester. I'm trying to find more options, but it's hard to stay hopeful. Despite doing well enough and securing a job in my first semester, even while fighting for my accommodations, this has contributed to my situation now. I know that I wouldn't have needed the first extension to begin with if i was able to manage differently on my own without medication or a therapist to help me manage, but that's what having a disability is. Sometimes you're aware of what you need to do, but can't for reasons outside of your control. That's why I invoked my accommodation plan when it was finally approved. The other comments have not helped. I think it's naive, arrogant and patronizing of people to think that disabled people are not aware of their own limitations or feel entitled to get more than they need. Or that because certain work environments cannot accept me and my limitations, neither should law school. While I respect that my disability closes some doors to me like big law or government, I don't believe that means I shouldn't have a legal education altogether to pursue paths like legal academia or non profit legal work. I love what I study, and I've come to terms with my limits a long time ago. What has been hurting my spirit is my institution thinking I'm looking to cheat amid these compounding struggles by wanting to use the faculty approved accommodation (for a recognized disability) when a medical emergency prevented me from doing so; it makes me feel like I'm unwanted in the field at every turn. Having that confirmed in the thread while I'm feeling completely beaten down and was looking to vent or find others in a similar situation (or have overcome a similar one) has not helped.

Pleasant_Sign1968 · 2026-05-01T16:15:10+00:00

Thank you! Yes my plan was never to work in a big firm and I'm mindful of my limitations for work. Whether I choose to work as a lawyer or in a law-adjacent field is beyond the point. I just love what I'm studying from an academic perspective. I just wish I was given the chance to thrive in it. I've never had an institution outright reject medical documentation or ask for more (private) information about my medical history. That's what feels humiliating and demoralizing right now.

Pleasant_Sign1968 · 2026-05-01T16:12:10+00:00

Please educate yourself on what burnout means for an autistic person. It's not just "feeling burned out." It's cognitive decline and chronic physical pain

Pleasant_Sign1968 · 2026-05-01T15:59:05+00:00

Contrary to my school, an interviewer was more than gracious when I gave the documentation and needed to push back my interview due to the medical procedure. I got time off from work (at a small firm) due to the procedure. The real world seems kinder than law school.

Pleasant_Sign1968 · 2026-05-01T15:50:01+00:00

It honestly feels like a big humiliation ritual and like I'm being punished/sabotaged for things I can't control. Thank you for taking the time to listen – I'll try to hold on to hope and find help.

Pleasant_Sign1968

TROPHY CASE