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AdmittedStudentSalesDay 10 - 28 Mar 2009 - Main.KeithEdelman
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| | For the last few days, I have found myself cheerleading for Columbia at various admitted student events. Young recently commented in class that he found himself robotically spouting pro-law school sales pitches to admitted students at the last of these programs, and he had to stop himself from perpetuating “the con.” I don’t know if I’ve just completely guzzled the law school Kool-Aid, but I find myself very happy to be here at this point in my life. It doesn’t FEEL like I’m conning anyone, but Young’s point has been running through my head all day, and one girl mentioned to me this morning that my happiness made her want to come here.
Our discussions on this wiki and in class have made me curious to know whether being happy in law school puts me in the minority, and whether any of us are having internal conflicts when interacting with admits for this admitted students program. | | | -- AlexHu - 27 Mar 2009 | |
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> | I believe that your response is a bit misplaced as to what Eben said in class. Each of your reasons, while true in the narrow sense, doesn't really respond to the general proposition that, in Veblen's terms, many law students conspicuously waste large amounts of money by attending CLS when a public institution would provide a comparable education.
Sure, some students may receive grants from Columbia. But pointing out the exception doesn't help much; it might, in fact, strengthen the opposing position by admitting the general applicability of the initial proposition.
Indeed, there are no California schools in New York. But there are no New York schools in California either. UC-Boalt has its own unique alumni network and traditions as well. If we define admitted students' needs to be (1) attend an Upper West Side law school and (2) have connections to Columbia alumni, then yes they are getting exactly what they require. But the initial proposition indicates that future law students only need a good legal education. By purchasing a CLS degree, therefore, they conspicuously waste. I suppose there is room for argument as to whether attending school in NYC and being with over-achievers provides a better legal education than at Boalt.
But more importantly, assuming that students want to have powerful alumni connections, be in NYC, etc., I believe you actually validate Eben's comment. The reason that students want those features, originally, is that they demonstrate prowess and superiority over peers. In time, Veblen would say, the features themselves become highly valued, even though they do not meet the original need (receiving an adequate legal education).
-- KeithEdelman - 28 Mar 2009 | | | A word of warning - I'm aware that what follows is both a personal interpretation and hyperbolic and is therefore not applicable to everyone.
Here's how I understood Eben's cryptic aphorism: The image of who you might be becoming is more important than the reality. You will become something you can envision rather than something you want to be. I think the key word here is "envision". It's as if we're striving for some ideal that isn't our own and we don't really understand but we can kind of visualize. Some sort of life where we wear the perfect suit and do big important things for big important clients. Perhaps Prof. Bobbit (for those of us that had him for Legal Methods) will introduce us to his class some day in the future: "Here is Patrick Cronin. He went to Columbia Law School. He was editor of the Law Review and graduated at the top of his class. He then went to work for... where he did really smart and important things". Perhaps this fuzzy image of what we could be is what Eben's mantra - "You have to know what you want, and how to get it" - is supposed to dispel. By coming here, we expose ourselves to the risk that we'll follow this mirage to god-knows-where, but if we went somewhere less prestigious we wouldn't have that opportunity and we could concentrate on what we want and how to get it. |
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