Good things come...
To those who wait. Yesterday, I was notified that I passed the July 2009 administration of the California Bar Exam. My feeling at the time of the exam was that I would pass because it ended up being easier than the practice examinations I had done. However, passage is never guaranteed because there is always the chance that you may draw a bar grader who, despite being a lawyer, just has no idea what you're talking about. As a former engineer, I was particularly concerned about this, especially if I drew the stereotypical "liberal arts" attorney.
What I think drove me a lot these last few years was that some people -- more than 1, but not by much -- doubted that I could do it. I know now -- and I likely knew then as well -- that while few engineers and scientists go to law school, enough of them do it that you have to be a complete turnip (no offense to turnips) to think it earthshatteringly unusual.
However, when I began seriously applying to law school some years ago, that was the sentiment I encountered. That law was a waste and that a technically-trained person like myself had no business whatsoever going into it. When I persevered, that sentiment turned into active disdain: I would never make it into a law school, and even if I did, I'd never graduate and I'd certainly never pass the California Bar, one of the hardest Bar exams in the nation. One of the supervisors -- a hardcore and very narrow-minded physicist -- I had at the time was the worst. He knew me quite well, my having demonstrated my abilities (mental in particular) to him on numerous occasions. If anyone was in a position to write a glowing letter of recommendation for graduate school for me, it was certainly him.
When I asked, he said sure, that he'd be glad to. He was quite well connected in the scientific community we worked in and with his recommendation, I likely could have gone to any number of schools. However, when he found out it was for law school (versus graduate school for a doctorate or masters degree), he said no.
What I think drove me a lot these last few years was that some people -- more than 1, but not by much -- doubted that I could do it. I know now -- and I likely knew then as well -- that while few engineers and scientists go to law school, enough of them do it that you have to be a complete turnip (no offense to turnips) to think it earthshatteringly unusual.
However, when I began seriously applying to law school some years ago, that was the sentiment I encountered. That law was a waste and that a technically-trained person like myself had no business whatsoever going into it. When I persevered, that sentiment turned into active disdain: I would never make it into a law school, and even if I did, I'd never graduate and I'd certainly never pass the California Bar, one of the hardest Bar exams in the nation. One of the supervisors -- a hardcore and very narrow-minded physicist -- I had at the time was the worst. He knew me quite well, my having demonstrated my abilities (mental in particular) to him on numerous occasions. If anyone was in a position to write a glowing letter of recommendation for graduate school for me, it was certainly him.
When I asked, he said sure, that he'd be glad to. He was quite well connected in the scientific community we worked in and with his recommendation, I likely could have gone to any number of schools. However, when he found out it was for law school (versus graduate school for a doctorate or masters degree), he said no.
posted by Andy!! at 12:04 PM
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