T6, Top ~5%, and thoughts of drop slips dancing in my head. Forum

[TCScrutinizer]

Everyone has to work for a living. Like it or not, unless you are already fabulously wealthy, work is necessary to continue your existence. Whether the work is standing on a street corner in the hot sun panhandling or bending over some books in a law office, it is still work. You are going to spend at some 1/3 to 1/2 (or even more) of your living hours for the rest of your life doing work. You can either fight it or accept it. As a top law student at a top law school, you have opportunities that an extreme few have. You can seize them, or you can crack. Even at median at Chicago you will have excellent chances of landing a good job. If you can't deal with the pressure, slack up a little and try to relax. Stop being a perfectionist and focus on only the important things.

Also, I second the get laid option.

[ToTransferOrNot]

I understand that everyone has to work for a living--I'm no slacker, hard work doesn't bother me, as I reference through the thread.

It isn't that hard work bothers me. It isn't that long hours bother me. It's something very specific in the nature of the work that is getting to me, here, and I don't know what it is. When I was waiting tables/bartending well over 50 hours a week + going to school full time, teaching lessons, and playing gigs, it didn't phase me. I was exhausted, but I wasn't borderline psychotic over it.

I don't know if it's the "cubicle-ness" of it, or the academic nature of it (notwithstanding the fact that I'm taking "practical skills" classes, a lot of it is still academic BS--I'm not at all a life of the mind person. No interest in academia here), or the rat-race nature of the law school game, or what.

I acknowledge that from a purely objective viewpoint, I am luckier than hell. As I mentioned, I'm going to a law school that I have absolutely no business attending. I've gotten grades that I had absolutely no business obtaining, considering my time investment and such. I'm fortunate enough to have a SA lined up for the summer. I have no objective right to complain. (Aside from the fact that I can credit someone else's statement that I should get laid, anyway.) That doesn't change the fact that I'm--for admittedly no logical reason--completely losing it.

I'm sure the fact that I'm typically the "stalwart stoic one" among the group of people I actually hang out with (a relatively small group) isn't helping--TLS gets to hear me bitch because I don't really have a good sounding post elsewhere. When I was younger, I would run in to these kind of issues--I just thought I was beyond it at this point. Unfortnately, I always dealt with such situations by burying myself in work--obviously, that hasn't proven effective this round.

[A'nold]

I understand that everyone has to work for a living--I'm no slacker, hard work doesn't bother me, as I reference through the thread.

It isn't that hard work bothers me. It isn't that long hours bother me. It's something very specific in the nature of the work that is getting to me, here, and I don't know what it is. When I was waiting tables/bartending well over 50 hours a week + going to school full time, teaching lessons, and playing gigs, it didn't phase me. I was exhausted, but I wasn't borderline psychotic over it.

I don't know if it's the "cubicle-ness" of it, or the academic nature of it (notwithstanding the fact that I'm taking "practical skills" classes, a lot of it is still academic BS--I'm not at all a life of the mind person. No interest in academia here), or the rat-race nature of the law school game, or what.

I acknowledge that from a purely objective viewpoint, I am luckier than hell. As I mentioned, I'm going to a law school that I have absolutely no business attending. I've gotten grades that I had absolutely no business obtaining, considering my time investment and such. I'm fortunate enough to have a SA lined up for the summer. I have no objective right to complain. (Aside from the fact that I can credit someone else's statement that I should get laid, anyway.) That doesn't change the fact that I'm--for admittedly no logical reason--completely losing it.

I'm sure the fact that I'm typically the "stalwart stoic one" among the group of people I actually hang out with (a relatively small group) isn't helping--TLS gets to hear me bitch because I don't really have a good sounding post elsewhere. When I was younger, I would run in to these kind of issues--I just thought I was beyond it at this point. Unfortnately, I always dealt with such situations by burying myself in work--obviously, that hasn't proven effective this round.

I just want to say, I hope you don't think that I'm saying you shouldn't feel this way. Trust me, I've been through this same kind of thing (it's all relative, right?) and cracked quite a few times. I've been given and worked hard for some really great opportunities and left them b/c I couldn't handle it anymore. No real reason but it's that panicky feeling that lumps in your throat and you don't know what to do. You feel trapped. Suffocated. Like there's nothing else to do but just run, far far away and go bury your head in a hole. Who knows why we get these kinds of feelings.

I have made some decisions that I have regretted for years. Yet, if I hadn't made those decisions, I wouldn't be where I am right now: finally happy. I don't know what to tell you TTON, you are great at what you do. But if you don't want to do it anymore, don't. I know that sounds crazy but it's your life.

Does anyone remember that story about that UConn Women's basketball recruit that completely gave up basketball? She was the top recruit in the country and was set to basically become a star or the star on the best basketball team in the country. She gave it all up and is playing volleyball for the University of Deleware or something like that. She says she is happy. I do think it would behoove you (and I know you already said you are going to do this) to stick it out for the one more year you have left and freak, who knows, go become a music teacher for junior high or something and get the Fed. IBR to pay your loans off. Good luck man!

[TCScrutinizer]

I understand that everyone has to work for a living--I'm no slacker, hard work doesn't bother me, as I reference through the thread.

It isn't that hard work bothers me. It isn't that long hours bother me. It's something very specific in the nature of the work that is getting to me, here, and I don't know what it is. When I was waiting tables/bartending well over 50 hours a week + going to school full time, teaching lessons, and playing gigs, it didn't phase me. I was exhausted, but I wasn't borderline psychotic over it.

I don't know if it's the "cubicle-ness" of it, or the academic nature of it (notwithstanding the fact that I'm taking "practical skills" classes, a lot of it is still academic BS--I'm not at all a life of the mind person. No interest in academia here), or the rat-race nature of the law school game, or what.

I acknowledge that from a purely objective viewpoint, I am luckier than hell. As I mentioned, I'm going to a law school that I have absolutely no business attending. I've gotten grades that I had absolutely no business obtaining, considering my time investment and such. I'm fortunate enough to have a SA lined up for the summer. I have no objective right to complain. (Aside from the fact that I can credit someone else's statement that I should get laid, anyway.) That doesn't change the fact that I'm--for admittedly no logical reason--completely losing it.

I'm sure the fact that I'm typically the "stalwart stoic one" among the group of people I actually hang out with (a relatively small group) isn't helping--TLS gets to hear me bitch because I don't really have a good sounding post elsewhere. When I was younger, I would run in to these kind of issues--I just thought I was beyond it at this point. Unfortnately, I always dealt with such situations by burying myself in work--obviously, that hasn't proven effective this round.

Where did you leave your self-esteem? You have every business being at Chicago, because the same admissions board let you in as let everyone else in. You have every business making the grades that you have because you have busted ass to do so.

Generally my advice to people is to do what they want--sunk costs are not a logical reason to spend more. But in this instance my spidey-sense tells me there's more than just the work eating at you. I mean, you made it through 1L just fine, and that's considered to be the hardest year.

[legalized]

Get laid man.

Seriously.

Credited

The fact that this "credited" comes from the target of the suggestion makes my soul hurt.

This is why people should take some time between UG and LS. Taking some time to learn what you actually like doing is invaluable. There isn't any happiness to be found in the concept of a career, it lies in the activities of the career. You may love furniture, but do you love cutting and gluing wood? The same goes for being a lawyer. You may love the concept of being a lawyer, but do you love sitting on your ass reading and analyzing text? You must love the actual, physical actions that define your career.

I agree with you that it's probably beneficial to take time between college and law school, but I'm not sure it provides the specific benefit you suggest it does in terms of discovering whether or not you like the tasks of lawyering. I've been working in an administrative position in a biglaw firm for the last two years, and I'm pretty sure that has fuckall to do with the day-to-day occupations of biglaw attorneys. Paralegals in my firms are somewhat closer, but not an exact replica, and those jobs are extremely hard to come by. Taking time off between your undergrad and law school doesn't necessarily mean you'll be any more prepared for what law school entails. (Disclaimer: 0L speaking)

I would say +1 to post grad work. I would say this for a related but slightly different reason though. Work sucks. Every freaking job sucks. I hate middle managers and corporate america type jobs. They make me sick. I watch the clock for most of the day and can think of nothing else but the second I leave work. It is hell. This applies to basically any job you get with a UG degree and even 10-20 years after you start and "move up the latter" with other career options more suited to independence very hard to come by. With law, however, you have more independence and more respect in general. With a UG job, you are looking at a paralegal kind of job (anything equivalent like accounts payable, admin. assistant, etc) and being crapped on all the time by management. Yes, I get that in biglaw you have partners treating you badly and everything, but unless you've experienced being a peon AP clerk w/ managers yelling at you about your stapling style, you have no idea how different it really is. Plus, most of the time attorneys work at small firms where the attorneys are on more equal footing and you are working for partner, in a more realistic fashion. Plus, opening your own practice is a lot more realistic and a lot less work than opening a restaurant or something and has a lot better chance for success and setting your own hours. I mean, I met a bankruptcy attorney that lived in Seattle and did her stuff from her kitchen table and made something like 100k a year.

Whoever that lady is, she's my hero. How long did she work for others before she went into her own practice?

Can you post her website or something so I can get in touch with her and pick her brain?

And yes, law definitely gets you "your own ladder" a la Robert Kiyosaki faster and more sustainably than other avenues (esp. if you had business administration training and actually understand the basics of accounting, marketing, etc.