Law school for the rest of us: Advice/questions for/from T2/3/4 students:

[notmikejones]

As for the school expecting you to be top half, that isn't really their job.  They are in essence "buying" your numbers with a scholarship.  What they put in their brochures and report to USNWR is what they trade you for the scholarship.  Of course they hope you remain and become a successful/generous alum, but make no mistake, they made you an offer to improve their appearance and encourage other higher caliber students to apply.  My view is that you fulfill your obligation by enrolling and it ends there. 

This is exactly how I see it, in a sense you are selling yourself to a law school.  It is a much more attractive offer to have X amount of money basically guarenteed over three years than to have Y amount of money only guarenteed the first year (maybe even only the first semester!) with a bunch of strings attached for the remaining two years.  It seems much more professional to me for a school to choose students that they really like, and want at the school and then offer them money rather than throw money at everybody above a certain LSAT and then add a bunch of stipulations so only 30% will get to keep the money for 2L.  I for one do not want to be worried about my performance because of financial reasons.  I will be putting plenty of stress on myself without having to worry about financial issues tied to my grades.

[somniferum]

i 3.0 is easy, its a simple trade.  your life as you knew it for grades.  its that easy.  just spend 12 hrs/day 6 days a week in the library, buy and read the supplements, and visit with your profs often

FWIW (to any scared people) I didn't put in anywhere near that many hours...

I am one of the scared people, so that's nice to hear 

Glad to be of help   Don't get me wrong, you'll have to put in 12 hours days sometimes (generally when a big LRW assignment is due or around exam time), but its definitely not the norm.  For example, this afternoon I think I've read all of 5 pages and I'm getting ready to head out to the Square to sit on a balcony, have a cold beverage, and enjoy the delightful spring weather.

[RN to JD]

That still sounds very doable. I am usually working 12-16 hour days, comming home doing the family thing, helping with 4th grade homework and my own work to finish my UG studies. My days usually end around 2am and start at 6am. I think I will be able to handle it much better when I get to ditch the job. Actually, I should be writing a paper right now but I'm not in the groove. I think I may go sit on my patio and sip me a cool beverage. This weather is great today.

[skeeball]

I heart Denver. I would probably have applied there if I was single.

[RN to JD]

That still sounds very doable. I am usually working 12-16 hour days, comming home doing the family thing, helping with 4th grade homework and my own work to finish my UG studies. My days usually end around 2am and start at 6am. I think I will be able to handle it much better when I get to ditch the job. Actually, I should be writing a paper right now but I'm not in the groove. I think I may go sit on my patio and sip me a cool beverage. This weather is great today.

It was 70 yesterday, and 50 degrees wehn I went to bed. Now its snowing here, with about 14 inches thus far, Denver weather is crazy.

I would love to see some of that snow. It is very rare around here. Maybe I need to get a vacation home in Denver   That's about as long as I could tolerate the cold.

[Thistle]

no one ever plans to lose scholarships.  no one plans to be in the bottom of the class.  no one plans for that sinking feeling when you see a "C" for a class you busted your ass in.

its harder, because most of us were in the top of our college classes, or are coming from very successful other careers.  we've been told we were smart all of our lives, and we knew that if we just put everything we had into it, we be at the top of our classes here.

a rude awakening to find that everybody here is smart.  some are lucky.  others just test extremely well.

10% of us are ecstatic. we have the legal world by the balls, and we strut around in our suits because we got the interviews YOU didn't qualify for. another 20% are satisfied, yet eying the top 10%, wondering what we can do to displace them.  the next 40% have adopted an 'i don't give a sh*t attitude.'  we know that there is no way in hell we will be able to reach that magical top 10%, and are doing just enough to get by.  'a C is ok' is our mantra, along with 'sure i'll have another beer.'  but we don't fool anyone, least of all ourselves.  we're just as stressed and disgusted with ourselves as anyone else.  the bottom 30% waver between hope and despair.  we just want to pass.  we're not stupid, but we sure feel that way.  we listen to the morons in class offering their idiotic opinions over and over, and when we find that their gpa's are 1.5 higher than ours we just want to gouge our eyes out with our own highlighters.

and then theres a very, very small percentage of us, hidden in the greater masses, who have determined that the law probably isn't for us.  it's not that we can't do it -- we just don't know if we want to.  but we've already invested a LOT of money in discovering this -- because coming to law school was the only way to find out.  we're looking for an out.  don't be surprised when we disappear, regardless of our gpa or class standing.

remember, kiddies, that C average attorneys still find jobs, have successful careers, and pay their student loans.  if you determine not to get caught up in the gpa rat race; or use it as a measuring stick to determine your own self-worth, you'll be ok.  you'll do a little of it, guaranteed -- just don't let it pwn you.  keep your eyes on the prize, do the networking, make the contacts, get the practical experiences, and things will work out.

[rukiddin]

no one ever plans to lose scholarships.  no one plans to be in the bottom of the class.  no one plans for that sinking feeling when you see a "C" for a class you busted your ass in.

its harder, because most of us were in the top of our college classes, or are coming from very successful other careers.  we've been told we were smart all of our lives, and we knew that if we just put everything we had into it, we be at the top of our classes here.

a rude awakening to find that everybody here is smart.  some are lucky.  others just test extremely well.

10% of us are ecstatic. we have the legal world by the balls, and we strut around in our suits because we got the interviews YOU didn't qualify for. another 20% are satisfied, yet eying the top 10%, wondering what we can do to displace them.  the next 40% have adopted an 'i don't give a sh*t attitude.'  we know that there is no way in hell we will be able to reach that magical top 10%, and are doing just enough to get by.  'a C is ok' is our mantra, along with 'sure i'll have another beer.'  but we don't fool anyone, least of all ourselves.  we're just as stressed and disgusted with ourselves as anyone else.  the bottom 30% waver between hope and despair.  we just want to pass.  we're not stupid, but we sure feel that way.  we listen to the morons in class offering their idiotic opinions over and over, and when we find that their gpa's are 1.5 higher than ours we just want to gouge our eyes out with our own highlighters.

and then theres a very, very small percentage of us, hidden in the greater masses, who have determined that the law probably isn't for us.  it's not that we can't do it -- we just don't know if we want to.  but we've already invested a LOT of money in discovering this -- because coming to law school was the only way to find out.  we're looking for an out.  don't be surprised when we disappear, regardless of our gpa or class standing.

remember, kiddies, that C average attorneys still find jobs, have successful careers, and pay their student loans.  if you determine not to get caught up in the gpa rat race; or use it as a measuring stick to determine your own self-worth, you'll be ok.  you'll do a little of it, guaranteed -- just don't let it pwn you.  keep your eyes on the prize, do the networking, make the contacts, get the practical experiences, and things will work out.

The best post I've read in a while. Thanks, Rev.

[laxlaw]

no one ever plans to lose scholarships.  no one plans to be in the bottom of the class.  no one plans for that sinking feeling when you see a "C" for a class you busted your ass in.

its harder, because most of us were in the top of our college classes, or are coming from very successful other careers.  we've been told we were smart all of our lives, and we knew that if we just put everything we had into it, we be at the top of our classes here.

a rude awakening to find that everybody here is smart.  some are lucky.  others just test extremely well.

10% of us are ecstatic. we have the legal world by the balls, and we strut around in our suits because we got the interviews YOU didn't qualify for. another 20% are satisfied, yet eying the top 10%, wondering what we can do to displace them.  the next 40% have adopted an 'i don't give a sh*t attitude.'  we know that there is no way in hell we will be able to reach that magical top 10%, and are doing just enough to get by.  'a C is ok' is our mantra, along with 'sure i'll have another beer.'  but we don't fool anyone, least of all ourselves.  we're just as stressed and disgusted with ourselves as anyone else.  the bottom 30% waver between hope and despair.  we just want to pass.  we're not stupid, but we sure feel that way.  we listen to the morons in class offering their idiotic opinions over and over, and when we find that their gpa's are 1.5 higher than ours we just want to gouge our eyes out with our own highlighters.

and then theres a very, very small percentage of us, hidden in the greater masses, who have determined that the law probably isn't for us.  it's not that we can't do it -- we just don't know if we want to.  but we've already invested a LOT of money in discovering this -- because coming to law school was the only way to find out.  we're looking for an out.  don't be surprised when we disappear, regardless of our gpa or class standing.

remember, kiddies, that C average attorneys still find jobs, have successful careers, and pay their student loans.  if you determine not to get caught up in the gpa rat race; or use it as a measuring stick to determine your own self-worth, you'll be ok.  you'll do a little of it, guaranteed -- just don't let it pwn you.  keep your eyes on the prize, do the networking, make the contacts, get the practical experiences, and things will work out.

WOW! Thank you for that post.

[Paper Chaser]

That was a dead on post for describing the experience...but you forgot one smaller percentage...the people who flunk out not knowing all this stuff, but who come back and know it all before they come through the door again. Since the ABA requires them to take two years off after flunking out they work as paralegals, stock brokers, go to school for master degrees, or get paralegal certificates. When you come into class the first day intimidated by the professors glare behind his/her horned rim spectacles, the flunkie responds cooly by saying nothing the entire class while the gunners hack themselves to death with questions that somehow just miss the mark every class...and while the professor hides the ball, possibly oogles some young chick's unmentionables in the front, and openly befriends another student because of her daddy's ties to President Bush. you begin to realize that the very top 10 percent that you want to get into is only like top 5 because if you think that grading is anonymous you are a fool, because they find out who is getting what grades before they even turn them in when they match up your social with a name...and you stress with a study partner who goes through cartons a week as if they were blow pops, its all a sham, and if most knew, most wouldn't go. But hey they've got you for 50k on the line, you dont know what else you would do, and what would mommy and daddy say? Face it, this is a disgrace, "oh what a rat race?" Its lonely at the top, because if you are lucky enough to be that top 10, students will begin to love or hate you, people will want to know you, and girls will want to date you. Law school shows you the ugly side of the world that people don't want to address, where its all about money, forget the politics...lol. Good luck.

[irvineizle]

Law school shows you the ugly side of the world that people don't want to address, where its all about money

It's not that people don't want to address that, it's that they're too naive to know or think about it. Power and money make the world go round, round, round...