Law School Fair

Today was there was a Law School Fair on campus. Which is timed just perfectly for all people who are thinking about Law School – especially those of us who are taking the LSAT this Saturday. (Read heavy sarcasm).

The whole concept of a Law School Fair is some-what odd. The classes that one takes in the first year of law school are pretty much the same no matter where you go. However, the rest of the courses that you will take are not the same. Interestingly enough, those classes reflect, usually, what you are going to do with your law degree. This becomes a problem at the point that you do not know what you are going to do with your law degree.

So to a prospective law student, the distinction between law schools is pretty much limited to two questions: how prestigious is the school? And where is it located? The first question is essentially: will they let me in? And the second, will I like it when I get there? Both questions are discouraged by the Fair. Rather, we are supposed to be seeking schools that are a good fit. Whatever that means.

Maybe I have been a debate coach for far too long, but the idea of “a good fit” is far too vague for me to understand. It might be a good fit for me to stay in Madison: the tuition is lower, I already know the city, I have family in the state, I could retain my forensics and debate jobs, and I would not have to move. In other words; it’s the simplest thing to do. These are all things that seem “good” to me. On the other hand, I might be able to get into a better Law School, a more prestigious Law School, or some place other than Wisconsin. That also might be a good fit for me. When I was a junior in high school, I was enamored with the idea of leaving Wisconsin, my family, and my friends behind to pursue something better for myself. But now that I am older, I find that I am not entirely sure that I would make the same choice. Meaning: I have another opportunity to chose an educational institution, maybe I should choose differently than I did the first time.

In offering Brian all the advice he could possibly ask for on the college application process, I lamented the fact that I did not put more time and effort into my decision of where to go to school. Luckily for me, I really like UW in every conceivable way. I made my decision haphazardly and I was lucky enough not to feel the effects of that decision.

And so, I found myself in the Memorial Union, with more questions and less answers; With more options, not less, and with a huge bag of school information packets. Luckily for me my LSAT probably will not be good enough to get into most of those schools.

In all of my conversations with recruiters and admissions officers, I found the most interesting conversation to be the one that did not have anything to do with me or my future. I was surprised to see that Tulane had sent a representative. This shocked me significantly, because I have heard rumors regarding the future of Tulane that range so far as to include the suggestion that the school will not be able to re-open. What made the conversation more interesting was that the admissions officer was not able to make it out of the city. She explained her absence from the city and the rebuilding effort by stating, “I guess the fact that I’m out here on this trip shows how committed I am to this school.”

That kind of statement struck me as the most meaningful. Service to a higher ideal, in the time of crisis is more valuable than simply choosing schools on arbitrary or self-serving criteria. I hope that whatever institution I choose would inspire me to the same level of dedication.