Wednesday, September 29, 2010

Help wanted: dealing with the 2L funk


Suck it up?
I am officially stuck in a law school rut. Been there for about two weeks now, and I'm still trying to figure out the reason. There are plenty of theories. It could be the six straight rejections that I received after my On Campus Interviews earlier this month, including one that arrived almost before I mailed my thank-you letter. Or it could be the fact that this is the year we are "worked to death," which comes after the "scare-you-to-death" year and before the "bore-you-to-death" year of law school. 
We are not close enough to the finish line to celebrate, but we are far enough down the path that the shine is wearing off. I don't think I am alone in my despair. There's a lot of grumbling about the grind. So what is the solution to the 2L funk? I'm not exactly sure. Spending more time with the family, and not being so obsessive about law school, seems to help. Cold PBR also has proven useful. In general, however, I think the best antidote is to simply suck it up (perhaps with the fantastic vacuum pictured at right). As law students at U of L, we're a privileged lot. Sure, we work hard, and there is no guarantee of success. But our outlook is pretty bright, at least according to some of the school's freshly minted marketing materials for the Class of 2009. A sample: 

  • Students with jobs 9 months after graduation: 96.8%



  • Students with job offers before graduation: 68%



  • Average private sector starting salary: $80,000.

I am reminded of a quote that I tripped across the other day in a book called Contemplative Prayer, by Thomas Merton, one of my favorite Kentuckians. 
"It is sometimes necessary to practice a laborious, arid and unconsoling form of prayer; at others one may receive grace and light almost without effort, provided that he is sufficiently well disposed." 
My translation: Sometimes life is tough sledding. Keep going. It will get better.

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