Law school alum stereotypes? Forum

[Res Ipsa Loquitter]

I went to Northwestern a while back and the majority of my classmates were absolutely insufferable. Some of the worst people I’ve ever met in my life, and I’ve worked in a lot of different jobs with a lot of different people. Cutthroat to the point of giving classmates false information in an effort to sabotage their exam performance, a sense of elitism that was nauseating, and just not good people (example from a conversation with a classmate: “why do you bag your groceries while checking out? That’s beneath us.”) . Maybe it’s a law school thing, or maybe my 1L section was as historically awful as the class years above he conveyed, idk.

There were obviously exceptions and I am very grateful for my friendships with those small few, but I often wonder what life would’ve been like at a different school. I know at least a dozen alumni who share my feelings.

I went to uChicago, and sounds exactly the same. The crazy thing is, despite the incredible elitism, most of the people were just middle-class kids who had recently graduated from state schools in the midwest.

[abogado2018]

Berkeley people tend to be social, chill and not that gunnery in my experience.

The Hastings people I've met have been huge gunners with chips on their shoulders (at least the ones that make it into Biglaw). Some just run too hot and then burn out.

The relatively few Stanford people I've met have been great people, obviously super smart/intellectual, really ambitious and with ferocious work ethics but also try to downplay it or are sort of embarrassed by it. "Swimming duck" syndrome if you will.

[Anonymous User]

When I was a wee 3L back in the day, I visited Ann Arbor for some random football game (I'm not really a sports person) to hang out with some Michigan Law friends I met as a 2L summer in NY. I had an absolute blast and everyone I met that weekend seemed really well-adjusted/friendly/bright. Same vibe for the Michigan alums at my current firm as well.

I also agree that UChigaco alums tend to be on the gunnery/elitist side, but through the years I've somehow become decent friends with a good number of them.

[Anonymous User]

I went to Northwestern a while back and the majority of my classmates were absolutely insufferable. Some of the worst people I’ve ever met in my life, and I’ve worked in a lot of different jobs with a lot of different people. Cutthroat to the point of giving classmates false information in an effort to sabotage their exam performance, a sense of elitism that was nauseating, and just not good people (example from a conversation with a classmate: “why do you bag your groceries while checking out? That’s beneath us.”) . Maybe it’s a law school thing, or maybe my 1L section was as historically awful as the class years above he conveyed, idk.

There were obviously exceptions and I am very grateful for my friendships with those small few, but I often wonder what life would’ve been like at a different school. I know at least a dozen alumni who share my feelings.

Also went to Northwestern. Sounds like you just ran into a psycho. Most the people I met were chill, though a good number of them came from UMC money and did not seem to grasp that some of their peers could not afford some things. The only insufferable people I really ran into were the gunner, and they were typical folks who cared deeply (perhaps too deeply) about the subject or showing off in front of classmates or just their grades. At the end of the day, though, most of these folks were nice enough too. The only real lying/douchebaggery I ever noticed was 1Ls with like "secret study groups," which were frowned on by pretty much everyone except those people, and people being obnoxious about OCI.

[Res Ipsa Loquitter]

I went to Northwestern a while back and the majority of my classmates were absolutely insufferable. Some of the worst people I’ve ever met in my life, and I’ve worked in a lot of different jobs with a lot of different people. Cutthroat to the point of giving classmates false information in an effort to sabotage their exam performance, a sense of elitism that was nauseating, and just not good people (example from a conversation with a classmate: “why do you bag your groceries while checking out? That’s beneath us.”) . Maybe it’s a law school thing, or maybe my 1L section was as historically awful as the class years above he conveyed, idk.

There were obviously exceptions and I am very grateful for my friendships with those small few, but I often wonder what life would’ve been like at a different school. I know at least a dozen alumni who share my feelings.

Also went to Northwestern. Sounds like you just ran into a psycho. Most the people I met were chill, though a good number of them came from UMC money and did not seem to grasp that some of their peers could not afford some things. The only insufferable people I really ran into were the gunner, and they were typical folks who cared deeply (perhaps too deeply) about the subject or showing off in front of classmates or just their grades. At the end of the day, though, most of these folks were nice enough too. The only real lying/douchebaggery I ever noticed was 1Ls with like "secret study groups," which were frowned on by pretty much everyone except those people, and people being obnoxious about OCI.

Nice use of anon feature, my dude, and congrats on getting to hang out with so many chill people. That other brave anon messed up by only talking to one person (total psycho, fuck that one person am I right) for their 3 years at Northwestern.

[Anonymous User]

Nice use of anon feature, my dude, and congrats on getting to hang out with so many chill people. That other brave anon messed up by only talking to one person (total psycho, fuck that one person am I right) for their 3 years at Northwestern.

I used anon because I obviously went to Northwestern, which is identifying info that I wouldn't want to share on my account, which is the intended purpose of anon... Obviously never intimated that OP only talked to one person and was just sharing my experience. No reason to be a dick about it.

[Anonymous User]

Nice use of anon feature, my dude, and congrats on getting to hang out with so many chill people. That other brave anon messed up by only talking to one person (total psycho, fuck that one person am I right) for their 3 years at Northwestern.

I used anon because I obviously went to Northwestern, which is identifying info that I wouldn't want to share on my account, which is the intended purpose of anon... Obviously never intimated that OP only talked to one person and was just sharing my experience. No reason to be a dick about it.

Res Ipsa is obviously really bitter about their law school experience. Fwiw I went to Chicago and know a lot of Northwestern grads and generally like both. I've never heard of anything remotely approaching Res Ipsa's stories. There's no shortage of elitism in all top law schools but the heavy Big Ten/Midwestern contingents provide some insulation. I've never met a snob who went to Indiana or UIUC.

[Anonymous User]

.

[Po$eidon]

Out of my T-14 friends, my Michigan buddies seem like the only ones who actually enjoyed law school + like each other

Penn alum, while there are less of them I think fit this too. I rly do believe MVP is as the previous poster mentioned the sweet spot of smart but chill.

I’m from P and I approve this message. The vibe I got from the law students was actually one of the main factors that made me decide to go for P over CCN and two schools from HYS (along with monetary awards compared to the latter, of course).

M student and I also approve. Obviously every school has a few terrible people (it's law school, after all), but I was really happy with my law school experience and the friends I made and continue to keep in touch with (also married one of my classmates so there's that).

Not MVP (which feels like more of a cultural construct than a prestige construct nowadays), but I do think in person NU is chill af too unless Section 1, class of 22.

[Anonymous User]

Also a Northwestern alum but not the previous 2 OPs. Also, using the anonymous feature because it's really easy to connect the dots with posts under my screenname that would reveal my firm, practice area and alma mater...so yeah obvs gonna go anon.

My experience was that everyone was too old to care. All the things you hear at other schools about crazy competitiveness or neurotic behavior just didn't occur because we were all too old to give a fuck. Most of us had previous careers and I think like 50% of the class was married/had kids. We viewed law school as a job. Get in, keep your head down, do your shit, get out. If you make a few friends along the way - great. If not - whatever. I guess that's how a lot of ppl view military or jail too.

So, I guess my stereotype for us would be that we're old and burnt out.

[Anonymous User]

It could be the Southern California vibe, but I found a lot of UCLA, USC, Loyola (LA), etc., alums to be very chill and more laid back (for lawyers anyway. . . ).

[Anonymous User]

CLS - Got the glory, got the fame, the money, the jewels, the cash, the Denali. Getting drunk on the reg, f*cking good times on the reg, yachts on the reg, sex on the reg... Basically all the sh*t that most guys fantasize about.

[Anonymous User]

CLS - Got the glory, got the fame, the money, the jewels, the cash, the Denali. Getting drunk on the reg, f*cking good times on the reg, yachts on the reg, sex on the reg... Basically all the sh*t that most guys fantasize about.

damn never knew cornell law was so lit

[Anonymous User]

CLS - Got the glory, got the fame, the money, the jewels, the cash, the Denali. Getting drunk on the reg, f*cking good times on the reg, yachts on the reg, sex on the reg... Basically all the sh*t that most guys fantasize about.

I must be part of the nerdy contingent of CLS because you just described an alternate reality.

[Anonymous User]

UChi conforms to all the worst stereotypes in my experience. Have a few JD/MBA friends from NU who say the law school kids like to think they're "fratty" and "chill" but shrivel in front of the MBA students.

[logical seasoning]

Gryffindor- Harvard, Michigan, Duke, Penn

Hufflepuff- Georgetown, Berkeley, Cornell

Ravenclaw- Chicago, Columbia, Yale, Stanford

Slytherin- Virginia, Northwestern, NYU



Hagrid- WUSTL

[Anonymous User]

Gryffindor- Harvard, Michigan, Duke, Penn

Hufflepuff- Georgetown, Berkeley, Cornell

Ravenclaw- Chicago, Columbia, Yale, Stanford

Slytherin- Virginia, Northwestern, NYU

Hagrid- WUSTL

dead

[Anonymous User]

Gryffindor- Harvard, Michigan, Duke, Penn

Hufflepuff- Georgetown, Berkeley, Cornell

Ravenclaw- Chicago, Columbia, Yale, Stanford

Slytherin- Virginia, Northwestern, NYU



Hagrid- WUSTL

LOL at PI famous NYU for being Slytherin while Duke and corporate Penn for being Gryffindor

Also berkeley is def gryffindor

Gryffindor- Harvard, NYU, Berkeley, Michigan

Hufflepuff- Georgetown, Berkeley, Cornell

Ravenclaw- Chicago, Columbia, Yale, Stanford

Slytherin- Virginia, Penn, Northwestern, Duke

[Anonymous User]

Gryffindor- Harvard, Michigan, Duke, Penn

Hufflepuff- Georgetown, Berkeley, Cornell

Ravenclaw- Chicago, Columbia, Yale, Stanford

Slytherin- Virginia, Northwestern, NYU



Hagrid- WUSTL

LOL at PI famous NYU for being Slytherin while Duke and corporate Penn for being Gryffindor

Also berkeley is def gryffindor

Gryffindor- Harvard, NYU, Berkeley, Michigan

Hufflepuff- Georgetown, Berkeley, Cornell

Ravenclaw- Chicago, Columbia, Yale, Stanford

Slytherin- Virginia, Penn, Northwestern, Duke

Cal is having an identity crisis -- but I fixed for you:


Gryffindor- Harvard, NYU, Berkeley, Michigan

Hufflepuff- Georgetown, UCLA, Cornell

Ravenclaw- Chicago, Columbia, Yale, Stanford

Slytherin- Virginia, Penn, Northwestern, Duke

[Anonymous User]

Do people really pay this much attention to where their colleagues went to law school? I only generally know who went to my school.

Also, tbh, I think undergrad would be more telling of someone’s personality.

[Sackboy]

Do people really pay this much attention to where their colleagues went to law school? I only generally know who went to my school.

Also, tbh, I think undergrad would be more telling of someone’s personality.

If I work with you a lot, I've probably looked up your profile to see if there is anything interesting to small talk about, but I'm not out there interrogating pedigrees. Half the attorneys I work with went to a T6 and the other half are like TTTT top 1% gunners, and they all seem competent enough for me to not care about where they went to law school.

Undergrad is pretty useless too beyond small talk. Not really going to make any judgments about someone for a choice that they made when they were 17-18. Though, I'm always impressed by summa honors on undergrad.

[Anonymous User]

I always found ASU Law alums to generally be laid back and pleasant

Can confirm. All the ASU law students who aren't laid back transfer.

[Anonymous User]

As a CLS student, I am shocked you guy are not putting CLS in Slytherin. I generally enjoy my classmates, but I have few doubts we are a bunch of Slytherins.

[Anonymous User]

As a CLS student, I am shocked you guy are not putting CLS in Slytherin. I generally enjoy my classmates, but I have few doubts we are a bunch of Slytherins.

Yes, also too many law schools fit Slytherin stereotype lol - both CLS and UChicago

[Anonymous User]

As a CLS student, I am shocked you guy are not putting CLS in Slytherin. I generally enjoy my classmates, but I have few doubts we are a bunch of Slytherins.

Yes, also too many law schools fit Slytherin stereotype lol - both CLS and UChicago

How is Chicago Slytherin?? Went there. Ravenclaw seems pretty on point.