Reply to Jeff Selingo on people skipping "target schools"

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]I hear this last PP but are you saying connections cannot be had at larger schools? Like if my kid was at UCLA, Michigan, etc, wouldn't they make good connections to help with recruiting? The sheer size and abilities within those networks seem meaningful.[/quote]

They can be, of course. My husband went to a huge law school, got recruited by several firms, got his first job because one partner was an alum who also taught a class at his law school. But then he entered with all the other first-years, and that's a process designed to make most fail. He did fine, but it's a hell of a way to live, watching everyone get laid off and then seeing a new crop of shiny fresh faces come in.

Some of you like that, of course. It appeals to your inner Howard Roarke.

But if you're invested in seeing life as a series of zero-sum games that you are sure you'll win, how different are you from the guy who buys a lottery ticket every day with his gas? Not as much as you think.

Connections at smaller schools can be just, if not more, meaningful. Your professors are more likely to know you. Alumni networks are a lot tighter. And opportunities, when they happen, are more tailored than cattle calls. [/quote]

Succeeding in BigLaw is not at all the same as buying a winning lottery ticket. If you succeed, you got there because you worked your ass off, just like you worked your ass off in high school, undergrad, and law school. You are not there at the top by accident.

You can make connections at big schools and have professors who know you, if you are the kind of person who makes the effort to make the connection rather than just sitting in the back of the lecture hall saying nothing.[/quote]

Sure, Jan. Those other associates working 90-hour-weeks were just lazy.

I get it, you're invested in your own version of yourself, the one that exists in a meritocracy.

But we've seen you argue here, so I gotta say, bless your heart. [/quote]

Yes, you have competition. It is strong competition because the prize is significant. This does not mean that your victory in that competition was luck, like winning a lottery. Your argument to the contrary is hilariously stupid.

So what happened to you, anyway? You refused to compete because you knew you would lose? Or you got kicked to the curb and now you have to cope and seethe that it was pure luck that others won and you lost?[/quote]

It’s a small percentage who want the big law type of life with the billable hours and the 12 hour days.  And out of those who start this type of job quite a few leave on their own.  It’s not considered a significant prize for everyone but you’re right, it’s usually not luck. It’s work work work. 
[/quote]

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