tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7911788560018241640.post147462360555038119..comments2023-10-21T11:37:50.732-04:00Comments on The Blackbook Legal Blog: The Fixation on PrestigeUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger10125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7911788560018241640.post-25725962051659756882009-04-26T21:57:00.000-04:002009-04-26T21:57:00.000-04:00"I can picture it now: incoming first years having..."I can picture it now: incoming first years having panic attacks because the law school at which they deposited drops in the rankings."<br /><br />Good prediction. There was that guy saying he was considering going to UIUC over GW now bc of the rankings.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7911788560018241640.post-81802510649944717172009-03-25T22:22:00.000-04:002009-03-25T22:22:00.000-04:00Honor / prestige isn't necessarily, for everyone, ...Honor / prestige isn't necessarily, for everyone, a disease that requires a cure. One of the things I love most about law school compared to college and grad school (I did a degree before law school) is that the race for honors encourages us to try very hard, to be our best. For some people that means cheating, and for some lots of unnecessary stress, and then unhappiness when the chips don't fall where they wanted them to...but for me I enjoy the race. I don't always win but sometimes I do or get close and I'm ready for the next challenge. It's the slaps on the back, and the congratulations, and the feeling that people are proud of you for being, or at least trying to be, excellent...that's another side, I guess the upside, of this honor thing. I prefer it, with all its warts, to an environment where no one challenges each other and everyone is just doing their own thing and not pushing themselves either.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7911788560018241640.post-44547106396491516022009-03-09T23:14:00.000-04:002009-03-09T23:14:00.000-04:00Spot on article.Spot on article.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7911788560018241640.post-68238781235481723832009-03-09T11:03:00.000-04:002009-03-09T11:03:00.000-04:00Good article, Josh. And thanks for the thoughtful ...Good article, Josh. And thanks for the thoughtful reply, Mastershake!<BR/><BR/>I think the emphasis on prestige is one of those things people in our circles universally despise in a self-loathing way. I say self-loathing because, to an extent, everyone's a victim. The person going to the 123rd ranked school (I don't know what school I'm talking about or if there is a 123rd ranked school...I'm just making a point) is thrilled he or she is not going to the schools 124 down which are, by virtue of ranking, less "prestigious." <BR/><BR/>I wish the fixation, as Josh puts it, was less because there are so many other (more) important considerations in picking an employer, law school, etc. True story: I know someone who picked a job that forced him to be two hours away from his wife. He had an offer in the city where they were living at the time that paid just as much...but it wasn't as "prestigious."CRhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06418939857753947421noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7911788560018241640.post-56382117488467126522009-03-08T21:59:00.000-04:002009-03-08T21:59:00.000-04:00Master Shake--I think you're right in stating that...Master Shake--<BR/><BR/>I think you're right in stating that much of the prestige obsession is rooted in law student's insecurity. Success in academia has long been a constant in the life of (most) law students. It is, in my opinion, an insecurity in other aspects of life that fosters the obsession with prestige. It is, in a sense, (for some) a way to over compensate for deficiencies in other areas. <BR/><BR/>Thanks for the interesting comment. For a non-psych major, I think you've made a compelling argument. <BR/><BR/>2:32--<BR/><BR/>Interesting comment. Some of the obsession with the "T-14" and law journals, etc. is undoubtedly attributed to the fact that clients (and, in turn, the firms) place much emphasis on such accomplishments. With the price clients are paying, it is certainly understandable that they would want those with the most prestige-laden resume representing them. Still, I don't think this explains everything. For instance, a student can get a top job by excelling at a lower ranked law school. But this would not be as "prestigious" as attending a T-14.Joshua Bordenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04909742408710829739noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7911788560018241640.post-22762155570204212932009-03-08T14:53:00.000-04:002009-03-08T14:53:00.000-04:002:37: I was talking about why students care about ...2:37: I was talking about why students care about prestige and am suggesting they care because employers care. I think employers care because clients care. Not saying its wise, just that it is what it is.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7911788560018241640.post-37617279251859198202009-03-08T14:37:00.000-04:002009-03-08T14:37:00.000-04:002:32...you really think clients care about who jum...2:32...you really think clients care about who jumped 3 spots in the Vault rankings? I think they care more about who can get the job done.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7911788560018241640.post-36034677458130443212009-03-08T14:32:00.000-04:002009-03-08T14:32:00.000-04:00I agree w. Master Shake generally, but also think ...I agree w. Master Shake generally, but also think part of the problme is that employers care so much about this because clients do. So maybe the problems on a larger scale than we think.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7911788560018241640.post-80193951941142544272009-03-08T11:33:00.000-04:002009-03-08T11:33:00.000-04:00PS: Most gunners are just insecure WDs.PS: Most gunners are just insecure WDs.Fred Bastiathttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13521418879469327375noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7911788560018241640.post-75434114219660234892009-03-08T11:32:00.000-04:002009-03-08T11:32:00.000-04:00I was never a Psych major, but I think the whole '...I was never a Psych major, but I think the whole 'prestige' thing is wrapped up in the fact that every single one of us are/were insecure dorks-- maybe moderately popular dorks; maybe A/V club dorks; perhaps even closet dorks who refused to embrace our inner nerd for fear of losing the marginal popularity we had in high school and/or college. Coming to law school allowed us to differentiate ourselves from the unwashed, and, for once, be surrounded by people like us (dorks) and people who want to be like us (i.e. wannabe dorks, or WDs). <BR/><BR/>As with any sort of homogenization process, the observed parties then begin to seek ways to marginally differentiate themselves. Prestige, like grades, T14-ness, and clerkships, are proxies to illustrate that not only are/were we 'dorks;' we are/were trainable dorks who can/could contribute their intelligence to the betterment of society. <BR/><BR/>I personally don't think the proxies are of much value in either the short or long-term. You went to a T14 school? Congrats! That's awesome! You got a clerkship with a Fed. Dist ct?? Awesome! You worked for Wachtell? Great! Guess what: you're still the bony-ass freshman soccer player the senior football players taped to the bench in his Fruit of the Looms, while they drank your Gatorade. <BR/><BR/>Fuck it... I need to take some Xanax...<BR/><BR/>(Full disclosure: the above was a **mostly** tongue-in-cheek response to a valuable and interesting post by Josh Borden. I am still in law school [and not a very 'prestiguous' one at that, but one that'll do] and was never taped to a bench as a freshman soccer player.)Fred Bastiathttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13521418879469327375noreply@blogger.com