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I'm one of those people who can't always separate mental calculations from a genuine feeling... I am curious how people identify the right school for them, and (when it applies) if they discovered they were right or wrong about it.

NightHooded wrote:I'm one of those people who can't always separate mental calculations from a genuine feeling.

I used to think I didn't have intuition, but then I realized that it was there and I was just ignoring it.

Intuition is actually a really simple thing. When you visit the school, sit in the quad or walk down a hallway. Ask yourself, "do I feel happy?" "Can I envision myself in this environment for the next three years?"

well it's easiest to start out with quantifiable data, because any idiot can make sense of that stuff, but as for the "feeling" aspect, that takes understanding what sort of person YOU are, what sort of person you want to be, that includes, strengths and weaknesses in a large context, and also what sort of environments lead to helping you out in that regard.

Are you the sort of person that feels comfortable being separated from larger society? Then maybe a rural area school in the country makes sense?

Grew up in a bubble but now you want to be more independent? maybe a school inside a major city makes sense

Do you want to know and be in everybody's business (small school) or would you rather find your niche (larger school).

Do you have any prejudices? Would you like to reduce them? Would you like to avoid some people?





That requires a lot of wisdom, and also a lot of knowledge about different human environments. Your brain does a lot of this subconsciously, but you need to really work at it if you want more accurate information/feelings.

I had no idea what it would be like either. Then I visited two schools and it was clear as day.

NightHooded wrote:I'm one of those people who can't always separate mental calculations from a genuine feeling... I am curious how people identify the right school for them, and (when it applies) if they discovered they were right or wrong about it.

Unfortunately that varies from person to person. Just ask yourself, will you be happy spending the better part of three years inside the law school talking to the people within said law school, and not doing much else?

Borhas wrote:well it's easiest to start out with quantifiable data, because any idiot can make sense of that stuff, but as for the "feeling" aspect, that takes understanding what sort of person YOU are, what sort of person you want to be, that includes, strengths and weaknesses in a large context, and also what sort of environments lead to helping you out in that regard.

Are you the sort of person that feels comfortable being separated from larger society? Then maybe a rural area school in the country makes sense?

Grew up in a bubble but now you want to be more independent? maybe a school inside a major city makes sense

Do you want to know and be in everybody's business (small school) or would you rather find your niche (larger school).

Do you have any prejudices? Would you like to reduce them? Would you like to avoid some people?





That requires a lot of wisdom, and also a lot of knowledge about different human environments. Your brain does a lot of this subconsciously, but you need to really work at it if you want more accurate information/feelings.

TITCR

Borhas wrote:well it's easiest to start out with quantifiable data, because any idiot can make sense of that stuff, but as for the "feeling" aspect, that takes understanding what sort of person YOU are, what sort of person you want to be, that includes, strengths and weaknesses in a large context, and also what sort of environments lead to helping you out in that regard.

Are you the sort of person that feels comfortable being separated from larger society? Then maybe a rural area school in the country makes sense?

Grew up in a bubble but now you want to be more independent? maybe a school inside a major city makes sense

Do you want to know and be in everybody's business (small school) or would you rather find your niche (larger school).

Do you have any prejudices? Would you like to reduce them? Would you like to avoid some people?





That requires a lot of wisdom, and also a lot of knowledge about different human environments. Your brain does a lot of this subconsciously, but you need to really work at it if you want more accurate information/feelings.

These are all important considerations, but this kind of analysis still falls on the left side of the brain.

I never had this feeling.


My choices boiled down to Chicago, NU, and Vandy. I never had an "a-ha" moment. I chose mostly on just objective considerations.

For me it was really just this feeling of unease when thinking about not going to a particular school. Also, I was almost hoping that a scholarship would not come across from another school that I simply could not refuse.

Chichaca wrote:
These are all important considerations, but this kind of analysis still falls on the left side of the brain.

yeah, but what I'm getting at is discovering WHY you feel attracted to some things and not others

you can figure it out why your "right side" does what it does, and then allow your "left side" to help out in the ways that it can...

you could also train your right side to be attracted to that which the left side deems good


I tend to think doing at least some of both is a good idea


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either way if you don't want to do all that, think about it another way

if you find it hard to decide, and have really conflicted feelings then you can be pretty sure that your brain is subconsciously having a hard time feeling confident because the net benefits of each school are not so different. In cases where it is hard to decide, sometime there can be the hidden benefit of just sacking up and making a decision and then train yourself to be confident in it afterwards... I mean what's the point of being conflicted between two extremely similar choices? Best to just pick and move on and leave the anxiety behind.

Visiting law schools should be a "I don't hate it" check, not a search for the one that suits you best. The one class you sit in on is a complete crapshoot - every school has good or bad teachers and the admissions department does not (at least at my school) always send visitors to the good ones. Law schools are generally interchangeable except for the fact that every employer hires from the highest ranked school they can. Unless I hated one, like I couldn't see myself in the city/neighborhood/building, I would just choose on location and price if they are schools of similar caliber.

Visit 2 similarly ranked schools in the same city, BC and BU for example and you'll get that whole "feel" thing.

Having my scholarship increased in a face-to-face meeting with the admissions dean put me over the top. I think that falls under the John Calipari theory of recruiting.