So I thought this was a somewhat interesting insight I made, after the time in law school that I have had, and after listening to teachers and other students. If any of those law school lurkers still read this, hope it helps. For the usual crowd, hope this provides insight as to what stresses law school places on a person.
"Yeah, so I watch people in school literally destroy their social lives by staying in the library. Everyone is always asking "how much time are you studying? How many hours per day?"
Now, it seems to me that they are not asking this to inquire after anyone's health. They are asking because they want to know if they need to study more. The competitiveness seeps in, and once it's got them, it doesnt let go. They're always asking themselves "How much am I studying?" And then they begin telling themselves "Just another hour per day. I can sacrfice that, for this degree. Other people are. I need to do that just so I can maintain the status quo."
And then they end up studying for 13 hours a day, going to classes (6 ish hours a day), and sleeping 5 hours. And they still feel guilty about not studying enough, because so-and-so is studying more than they are.
It doesn't end, because someone is always studying more than them. The competition for the highest grade has become more important than anything, including family, sleep, and even getting a JD.
So really, every potential lawyer has 2 choices: Try to be number one and deal with the consequences (a really high paying job, Dean's list)(oh, and a huge percentage of these lawyers are addicted to something-drugs, alcohol- and never kick it), OR Pick a goal you can live with, and be happy with your choice. In choice number 2, lawyers are not number one in school. Heck, they might not even make Dean's List. But they are healthy individuals and healthy lawyers.
These seem to be the choices we get in law school. Either stop caring about grades (getting the As and being number 1 and all that), or stop caring about anything else. Thus far I haven't found anyone who has done both successfully.
But there's a funny thing that happens. Once you graduate from law school, you become a lawyer. Even if you are the lowest GPA in the class, you still graduate with a JD. Lawyers outside of law school don't care as much about grades. It doesn't become what you got in law school, it becomes who you know and what you know.
Sure, there'll be jobs that require the top 10 percent of the class or whatever. But the majority of jobs for lawyers MUST be for lawyers who are not in the top 10%, otherwise 90% of the graduates would not be working. So it isn't even the case that graduating below the dean's list means you won't find a job.
Anyhow, long story short, be careful about what choice you make, and make sure you're making the choice, and not following a path by default. Enjoy the holiday."
Hope this "insightful" post has helped people understand why I do what I do in law school
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6 comments:
Andy I absolutely love this post! I feel the same exact way. Life is about being able to enjoy the things around you. And hey, if you get a kick out of stressing out and having to be #1 all the time then that's wonderful... however... most people who live that way are not happy, they are not enjoying the things around them. I myself recently lived that example, with my roommate Mel. A 4.0 in grad school, fretting about keeping her perfect average... actually highly stressed at times... and myself, we wont mention my gpa in this forum, but lets just say that I was on probation for a bit... in grad school!! And look at us now... we have the same exact job, same exact qualifications... they didn't even bother looking at the gpa thing... We compare the course of our lives sometimes... and I get the feeling that she feels like it's not fair that I bummed, that I partied (in undergrad)... that I had fun, because we are in the same place.
So call me a slacker if you like... but it's not about slacking, it's about creating a nice balance for yourself in life, that in no way affects your drive and your goals. :)
Yeah its all been said... I concur
Shortest Post Made By ME Ever!
so true.....
and I'm....
so guilty.
Especially the sleep thing. Actually, I really could care less about how many hours other poeple are studying, I'll study forever if I don't think I've grasped the material. Argh!!! But, good points were made. Last semester of this crap! :) ana
I had to share!
There is a goofy 1 year old golden retriever who's name is Buster at the pound. On a side note some one got his tail caught in the door in the morning and the poor guy was swinging blood every where. But he will recover just fine. I just saw the name and had to laugh.
you are stale and becoming moldy...
I don't study law, I study geology, but some things are very much the same...why do people kill themselves for a certain gpa when that's not what gets you the job?? I got a better job than others in my class with higher marks, just by showing the employer I was the type of person who got things done and done well. Once we all graduate, the playing field's pretty much levelled out, and your grades aren't going to matter much; it's professionalism that they look for.
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