Why does CALI give out awards for getting the highest grade in a course? My school doesn't give them out and I've never understood their significance. If you got the highest grade in a course, then you received an "A" - I just don't see how an award adds to that. Does the person who received the second-highest grade in your class get an award? Why not? The difference between first and second is usually negligible so why does only one student get an award?Similarly, who cares about Dean's List? Its an arbitrary benchmark. I've been on Dean's List the past three semesters but I could care less - My class rank and GPA are the only things that matter. While I'm at it, some of the awards law schools have are worthless as well. If you're #1 in your class and you get some award for being #1 in your class, does that make you a better candidate than the other schmos who were #1 in their class but didn't receive an award for the same achievement. Don't get me wrong, the awards that recognize other achievements that aren't factored into a GPA, such as "Best Oral Argument" or "Outstanding Contribution to Public Service" are completely valid. It's just the "double dipping" that has never made sense to me.I guess my point, which is where my rant will finally end, is that the CALI awards probably won't make a difference to your application. Of course, I would probably send an updated resume w/ a brief cover letter as well but I suffer from hypocrisy.
Of all the things to be pissed about in law school, this is a pretty stupid one to get worked up about. Depending on the curve and class size, there can be 5-10 As in a given class. To be at the top of the heap with an A is impressive, but to be the best of that select group is hella impressive. Graduating in the top 10% of your class is amazing, graduating as valedictorian is something truly special. Same deal here. Consider the Tom Cruise/Val Kilmer classic, Top Gun. They were the best of the best of naval aviators. Tom Selick, call-sign Viper, made them even better. Despite that, only one pilot/RIO pair could win the coveted Top Gun Trophy.Your reasoning also sucks. Of course the difference between #1 and #2 will be small and arbitrary. Tell me your accepted "Best Oral Advocate" award is not also pretty arbitrary in terms of judge scoring sheets. Law school grading is 100% arbitrary, why get worked up with some arbitrary formality added to the mix? You must be a pain in the ass to play sports/compete athletically. "Why give that guy a gold medal because he won the race? He knows he won the race, isn't that enough?"Dean's List is just a formal recognition for those in the top 11-33% of the class. Same as Order of the Coif is just a formal nod to those who made it in the Top 10%. You'll never see an attorney bio that actually lists class rank or GPA but you will see Latin Honors, Deans List/Coif, etc. It's a classier way to indicate success than being a number dropping bag of feminine hygiene product.
Discussion
Resources
