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LawSchoolAdvice 13 - 21 Feb 2010 - Main.DavidGoldin
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| | Before coming to law school, I received two pieces of advice from coworkers about how to "succeed" at Columbia Law School. I found both of these to be really troubling and upsetting. I also think that they demonstrate attitudes that are indicative of some of the problems with the current law school set up and the reasons that people feel the need/desire to pawn their degrees. I figured this would be a good place to discuss them, hear what other people think about them and hear advice that others received before coming to law school.
The first piece of advice that I got was to go into each of my first year classes on the first day with one thing in mind - the exam. All of my work should be geared to "acing" the exam. I should read prior exams/outlines before coming to class to get an idea of what the professor covered on exams (black letter law, policy, etc.) and focus only on learning these things. | | | Jiadai, I like what you wrote here. One thing I (and I'm sure many other students) was told to do before coming to law school was to watch the film The Paper Chase. The movie, although fun, has been completely unreflective of my law school experience. (In retrospect, I realize that the people who told me to watch the film had never been to law school themselves, which may be why they mistook Hollywood for reality.) Nevertheless, one moment I could relate to even before attending law school was the scene at the movie's conclusion (spoiler alert!) when the main character, who has nearly worked himself to death through his 1L year, receives his grades and throws the unopened envelope into the ocean. There is a deep sense of achievement that one feels simply from having truly worked hard and done one's best, and that satisfaction means more than the grade.
-- SamHershey - 19 Feb 2010 | |
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@Jidai
I enjoyed reading your comments and agree with much of what you have to say. With all the talk of grades, summer jobs, exams, and all that other stuff, I often find myself unable to take a step back and realize how lucky I am. One of the reasons that I started this discussion was that I strongly felt that the advice I had been given came from people who made it through law school without grasping this. They spent three years trapped in a bubble and as a result didn't take advantage of the incredible chance that they got, largely by luck. Being able to take a step back, accept the fact that we won't always be the very best at what we do, but to nonetheless strive to take as much as possible from what we've been given is admirable and important. Thank you for the response!
@Aerin
In an abstract sense, I definitely think that hard work is important and correlated with success. Telling someone to work hard is very good advice in the vast majority of circumstances. Working hard enables us to fully take advantage of the opportunities afforded us. That said, I take issue with your statement. I don't think that hard work necessarily leads to good grades - especially at the high school level, but also at the college level and the law school level. It may be necessary, but definitely isn’t sufficient.
Most people would argue that they are here because they worked hard. They took "honors" classes in high school to get into college. They spent extra time in the library during college while their friends were out having fun. Most people have worked hard. But hard work is only a part of what leads to success. One's background is probably a much more important indicator of success. Below is a survey - I'd love to know how many people in the class have a parent who is either a doctor (MD) or a lawyer:
I suspect that a large number of people in the class will answer Yes to at least one of these questions. This is just a rough measure, but a lot of people come from very privileged backgrounds and this must be taken into account. There are hundreds and hundreds of people in New York alone who have worked harder than we ever have, who aren't here, and who could work 100 times harder than we do and still wouldn't get our grades. Many are smarter than us. A large portion of our student body grew up in houses where they were exposed to superior learning experiences very young and had parents who went out of their way to educate them.
Someone who grew up in a non-English speaking house, who went to a failing elementary school and a junior high school that was even worse is at an inherent disadvantage. Even if they work incredibly hard, there is a good chance that they will get lower grades than the kid who grew up in an English speaking home in a nice neighborhood whose father is a doctor who cares about education very much. I am not arguing that our capacity to succeed, or to earn good grades (which is a completely different thing), is completely dependent on our backgrounds. That said, I don't think that "work hard" and "get good grades" are necessarily correlated for all people. It is important to take a step back and look at all the factors that got us to where we are and take them into account as they should be.
Overall, however, you do make a good point – working hard is a good factor. I appreciate your comments on the thread!
-- DavidGoldin - 21 Feb 2010 | | | |
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