Would I do it over again?

I try not to look back and regret things in my life or do the "would of" "could of" "should of" and "what if" analysis, but I recently had to.  A very good friend asked the question if I had to do it all over again would I go to law school full-time or part-time (and would I even go)?  Since she was asking for advice for a family member I had to really think about what advice I would give the me from 4 years ago.
I came the the conclusion that not only would I do it again, I would do it again with only changing a few things.  I would work full-time and go to law school part-time at night.  I know this means I have had almost a non-existent social life, I have had no serious relationships in the last four years, I have gained weight, lost weight, had anxiety attacks, and missed out on many family events.  Even knowing everything that I missed out on, and not knowing what my future hold, I would do it all over again.  The only thing I would change is knowing how to study for law school - I am better able to study for exams now than I was when I first started.  I know the difference now in a law school exam compared to a graduate level final, a law school paper compared to any other type of writing you may have done in your academic career.
I have really thought about this, and not only would I do it over the same way (just knowing how to study better) I would encourage other people to work full-time and go to law school in the evening.
Here are a few reasons why:

1. I am better at time management now than I was four years ago, and better than the majority of law school students who went full-time and did not work.  My classmates and I have had to juggle working full-time jobs and being almost full-time law school students.  Trust me we can prioritize and figure out time management better than most - it is how we have survived the last few years.
2. Prioritizing life has made me really see what is important.  When you have to prioritize you realize the "A" is not worth giving up family events.  I may not have been able to stay for the entire party, but I got there.  I may have been reading a casebook on the beach or in the stands of a NASCAR race, but I was able to spend time and make memories with family and friends.
3. Stress is now relative - the stress of getting everything done has become such a normal part of my day, that when I enter the practice of law full-time the panic attacks and feelings of being overwhelmed will not break me.  I made if four years with higher than average stress levels and managed somehow, I can find a way to make it work for me in the future.
4. The Type A personality has pushed me through, and while I may have been teased for it when I was younger, that personality has helped me stay in law school and not quit my job or law school.  However, I have also learned from my Type B personality friends that the balance we all need is especially important to help put things in perspective and prioritize.  Many of my classmates quit or stopped working so they could attend law school only.  The fact that I stayed with this for four years without breaking means nothing will ever deter me from achieving any goal I set for myself or anything I want to do in life.  If I ever think something is too hard, I just have to remember these last four years and I will see that nothing will stop me or get in my way.
5. I have grown and I have changed.  I may have been happy and content without ever having gone to law school, but the changes I have seen in me and in how I view the world I would not change.  I think, no I know, that the biggest change is how I view the world.  I was an optimistic person who would rather be in denial than face some of the world's cruelest parts of humanity.  Law school has helped me see the good and the bad and how it is in a constant state of flux and the people who step up are the ones who shift the tide.  I have had to come face to face with that reality and because of that I think about situations and analyze them differently now than I did four years ago.
6. I grew as a person, and made friends.  As odd as that is, it is not something that should be taken lightly.  

If you are thinking about going to law school, I highly recommend that you work full-time and go to law school part-time.  You will really see just how badly you want to be a lawyer, you will actually understand your clients better (because you have work experience out side of just being a lawyer), and you will realize that if you can do this you can do anything you set your mind to.