No Valentine? Maybe It’s Law School

The 10 People You Meet In Law School

We’ve all heard the stereotype: Law students are society’s overachievers. They served as class presidents, captained debate teams, and set school records in golf and cross country. They weren’t always popular. In fact, their peers often labeled them as brownnosers and nerds. Despite the ridicule, though, everyone relied on them to do the dirty work. Some secretly envied them. And most knew they were destined for big things.
So imagine 500 strivers occupying the same space at the same time. Not everyone can edit the law review or deliver the graduation speech. And that’s when the real differences between these students come out. Under pressure, their perfectly-prepped personas crack. In high school, they may have served as envoys between the various cliques. In college, they may have taken the straight-and-narrow path. But in law school, they’ll drink, gossip, undermine, and fret… just like everyone else.
Sure, your classmates may have tutored farm kids for Teach For America or donned pinstripes on Wall Street. Over time, you’ll identify the tendencies that various classmates in certain categories demonstrate. That’s the contention of an unnamed writer who authors the Pour Me Another Glass and Write blog. While we’re unsure if this blogger is a law student, she (or he) certainly has a keen eye for detail.
So, if you’re planning to enter law school—or you’re trying to classify your mortal enemy—here is an abridged version of some of the most common law school archetypes:

• The Child Prodigy: “This person knows everything” and can easily unravel every argument you painstakingly construct. Sure, the prodigy is always happy to help, but she is also a daily reminder that “sometimes, your best is just not good enough.” 

• The Believer: He starts his sentences with “I believe” and delivers his points with “strong, firm conviction—but sadly, most of his answers are incorrect.” If you want to feel better about yourself, keep this person handy.

• The Book Thief: This person makes a gunner look like a harmless waif. “He knows the hoarding economics well… and does advance research on the books required for the semester’s subject so he can borrow and photocopy right before the rest does.” 

• The Activist: Billy Joel sang about the “angry young man,” with “his foot in his mouth and his heart in his hand.” In law school, the activist is always trotting out his social agenda. Like the believer, he always has something to say, maximizing “minimal knowledge of law for argument’s sake.”  

• The Hunter: You’ll find this guy at every gathering, preying on 1Ls and classmates who’ve just gone through breakups. The good news: People eventually get wise to his act. The bad news: That usually happens after he’s taken advantage of them. 

• The Nokia: She knows everyone. And carries around more information than an NSA database. She may never make judge, but she’ll make sure her person does. This is the person you want to be friends with. Just pray you never cross her.

Source: Pour Me Another Glass and Write

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