So Close, But Not Done: The Stress of 3L and What Comes Next
“This is it. Last year of law school, and then it’s the bar exam. I should feel relieved, right? But why do I feel the complete opposite?”
That’s a reality some 3Ls face. From the outside, it looks like the hard part is over. You’ve survived the curve, filled your résumé with journals and clinics, maybe even already landed a clerkship or job offer. Friends and family congratulate you as if you’ve already finished. Professors lighten up, classmates joke about coasting, and you’re told this is the “easy year.”
But inside, relief is the last thing you’re feeling. Instead of freedom, 3L often feels like limbo. You’re not a student in the same way anymore, but you’re not a lawyer yet either. You’re standing on the edge of graduation, where the doubt keeps creeping in and the debt keeps piling up. Because for years your mindset has been “It will all work out once I am in the real world…”
Second Thoughts About Practicing Law
One of the hardest truths about 3L is that after three years of all-consuming work, some students realize they’re not sure they want to be lawyers at all. You’ve put in the effort, taken on the debt, and sacrificed years of your life for this path. Now you’re weeks away from graduating, and the thoughts creep in: What if I don’t want this career? What have I done? There’s no way I can change directions now…
It’s a terrifying thought to admit, even to yourself. What if people think you wasted your time and money? What if you don’t know what to do instead, but just feel like this isn’t it? Therapy can provide a place to say the quiet part out loud without judgment. It’s not about deciding on the spot to walk away from law — it’s about getting clear on whether practicing feels aligned with who you are and what you want. Having that clarity before you launch into your career can save you years of stress and self-doubt.
The Bar Exam Pressure
Ahh yes, the Bar Exam. The “big test” that has been looming over your head for the last 3 years is rapidly approaching. From the first week of law school, passing the bar was drilled into your head. Professors, administrators, and older students all repeat the same message: everything you do here only matters if you pass. The weight of that exam is suffocating.
Even before you start studying, the anxiety creeps in. You lie awake at night running through subjects you barely remember. You scroll through prep courses, convinced everyone else is already ahead. And the scariest thought of all — What if I fail?
Therapy can’t take the bar exam off your plate, but it can help you manage the fear so it doesn’t take over your life. Working with a therapist gives you tools to separate realistic preparation from spiraling anxiety. Because that’s all those thoughts are– your anxiety taking over the rational thinking part of your brain, causing you to go into panic mode. Which is not at all what you need to happen during this exam!
Therapy can help you build routines that protect your sleep, manage your stress, and remind you that your worth isn’t defined by one test (even the bar exam). The bar exam is just a hurdle on your path of life, not your superhero origin story.Therapy can help you keep that perspective when it feels impossible to hold onto.
The Job Search Stress
Graduation is supposed to feel like a door opening, but for many 3Ls it feels like staring into the unknown. And not in the cute way Elsa makes it seem in Frozen 2. Some classmates are already celebrating firm offers or clerkships. Others are still waiting for interviews, sending applications into the void, or wondering if their summer job will turn into something permanent.
If you’re weeks away from finishing school and don’t have a job lined up, the pressure can be unbearable. You’ve spent years working toward this career, and the idea of walking across the stage without a plan feels humiliating. Even if you do have a job, you might feel uneasy about whether it’s the right one — or whether you actually want it at all.
Therapy offers a space to process those fears honestly. Instead of putting on a brave face or pretending you’re fine, you can talk about the uncertainty, the comparison, and the panic that comes with job hunting. Therapy can also help you sort through what you want out of your career, not just what everyone else says you should want. That way, when you do take the next step, it feels intentional instead of forced.
The Weight of Student Loans
On top of exams, jobs, and identity questions, there’s the financial reality: student loan debt. After years of tuition and living expenses, you’re staring down a mountain of repayment. And the numbers don’t lie — it’s a lot. You might be wondering how you’ll ever keep up with loan payments while studying for the bar or living on an entry-level salary. Cue the flashbacks of dorm room food during undergrad.
That weight can make everything else feel even heavier. It’s hard to think clearly about your next steps when money anxiety is always buzzing in the background. Because even once you secure that job and find the balance financially, money will always be a hot topic.
Therapy can be a great place to learn to untangle how financial stress impacts your mental health. Instead of letting debt shape every decision out of fear, you can build strategies that let you breathe, plan, and take steps forward without panic. Sometimes just having a place to admit, “I’m terrified about money,” makes it feel less isolating.
Setting the Tone for Your Career
What often gets overlooked in law school is how much these years shape the way you enter the profession. If you carry forward habits of perfectionism, exhaustion, and self-criticism, you’re more likely to burn out quickly. If you learn to ask for help, create boundaries, and take care of your mental health now, you set a different tone for your entire career.
Therapy isn’t only about surviving the moment — it’s about shifting your mindset from constantly reacting to pressure to proactively deciding how you want to live and work. It gives you permission to challenge the story that being a lawyer means sacrificing your well-being. It helps you see that your career is one part of your life, not the whole of it. And it makes space for you to succeed in a way that actually feels like your own definition of success.
You Don’t Have to Do It Alone
3L is supposed to be the victory lap, but for many students it feels more like standing in the hallway, staring at the exit doors. You’re almost through, walking toward them with everything you’ve carried these past three years, but you’re not sure what’s waiting on the other side. That uncertainty can be terrifying. For so long, your life has been mapped out—college, LSAT, law school, internships. Now the plan runs out, and what comes next isn’t as clear.
If you’re struggling with second thoughts about practicing law, bar exam stress, job uncertainty, or the weight of student loans, you don’t have to carry it alone. Therapy can be a space to put those worries into words and maybe start to understand how to keep moving forward on this path without the overwhelming pressure and anxiety.
Interested in working with me? I would love to connect with you!
