The famous Gothic-style buildings on the Quad at Michigan Law School are part of the institution’s draw. During my admissions visit on a sunny March day last year, I thought the school’s design embodied everything I expected law school to be: interesting and serious, charming and traditional, exciting and important.

Now as a 1L heading into my first bout of exams, the Ann Arbor skies are always gray instead of blue, and the law school’s medieval architecture seems more ominous than inspirational.