@Nathan

I really like your faucet analogy regarding the semester. Interestingly, I felt the same way about finals. It was the first time that I could take a step back and try to make sense out of what I was learning. I actually found it less stressful than I did much of the semester, as strange as it seems. The first 12-13 weeks of the semester I spent scrambling to stay on top of my reading, to make sure I grasped every concept brought up in class and in general worrying about whether I was falling behind and "not getting things". During finals, for the first time, this weight was lifted off my shoulders. I was able to work at my own pace, put things together and not worry about whether I was doing as well as the person sitting next to me.

My favorite part, however, was that the two classes that I found most boring suddenly became interesting. Because of all my worrying and the frenetic pace during the semester, I never had a chance to step back and try to put together what I was learning. Isolated rules and concepts are generally uninteresting, but when one constructs a comprehensive framework in his/her mind and considers the reasons that it exists and the implications of it, subjects become much more interesting. It was the first (and only) time thus far that I truly enjoyed law school, as strange as it may seem. Everyone told me I’d hate finals – in fact, I really enjoyed them. I wish Columbia would give us more opportunities to do this. I strongly believe that it would assist students in developing true interests, and when students have true interests in subjects, they are much more likely to try and turn these into career options than simply pawning their licenses.

@Caroline

I did work inside one of the types of firms that Ron posted for 2 years (as a legal assistant). My average workweek was ~77 hours, and this includes only billable time, not time spent inside the building. The view from inside is "sexy" and I think this is how the firms are so successful at getting people to stay. It was plush; we got all the free food we could eat; we were constantly told how spectacular we were. In effect, we were told that we were "enjoying life" because we had the opportunity to spend a Saturday night in the office, working on a due diligence project for a merger that likely wouldn't happen, while wearing expensive shirts and having our overpriced apartments cleaned by someone else. Looking back at my experience, the firm was successful in that I actually believed that I was enjoying life during my experience. I think that one of the big problems with the way the school operates is that it does nothing to suggest to students or demonstrate to students that there are other ways to "enjoy life", and that one of these is through a job that is intellectually satisfying and allows you to work on a cause you really believe about.

-- DavidGoldin - 04 Feb 2010