8.1.24 - For the gunners: winning and losing mindsets in law school
For this whole post, you need to visualize the chad wojak for the winning mindset and that crying zoomer wojak for the losing mindset.
Approach to Professors
Winning mindset:
- understands that, while its good to have quality professors since you are spending so much money, law school is a curve and everyone is receiving the same instruction, so it doesn't matter
- is generally grateful for professor's efforts, adapts to their idiosyncrasies, if their approach doesn't click they take it as a challenge or a problem to be solved
Losing mindset:
- inordinate amount of time complaining about instruction styles between classes, whining that it's not fair and that the professor doesn't really teach anything (they don't understand that law school instruction is completely different)
- perhaps wastes precious time complaining to administration or asking professor to adjust approach during class
Approach to the Curve
Winning mindset:
- understand that, while a harsh system, the curve presents an opportunity to distinguish yourself, and prevents the problems that plague undergraduate institutions where people of wide ranging ability levels/work ethics get clumped into the A category
- know that grades don't reflect their intrinsic self-worth, but understand that competition is a part of life, and embrace it like a happy warrior
- don't think about to curve too much, try their very best
Losing mindset:
- complain that the curve isn't fair, get anxious when they see gunners work hard in class because they will "ruin" the curve (they don't understand that they too, in fact, can work hard if they really wanted it)
- spend too much time thinking about the curve, trying to calibrate how much other people understand to determine how much effort to expend, instead of just giving it their all—they hope they can "ride" the curve
Approach to Studying the Law
Winning mindset:
- enjoy the law, understand they entered law school on purpose
- study for understanding, deeply appreciate the opportunity to inherit this rich tradition and participate in the reproduction of institutions and knowledge that our whole society relies on, see themselves as torchbearers of civilization
- sincere love of learning that shines through them, rubs off on others, and improves society
Losing mindset:
- maybe joined law school just for money or were humanities majors with no other plans (foolish, there are such easier ways to make money)
- "is this going to be on the exam?"
- "honestly, I want to be a [insert field] lawyer, I'm not even going to use this. I just want to get through this class ugh."
- "I can't believe I spent so much time studying that and it wasn't on the exam"
- "I stopped reading the cases. The rules are on quimbee."
- joke about being mediocre to feel better and bring down the vibe and culture wherever they go
Approach to the success of others
Winning mindset:
- "that's great for them! They must have worked really hard"
- learns from those who outperform them, incorporates their methods, knows that every human being, especially people doing well in your field of endeavors, have something to teach you
- compete, but understand that comparison is the thief of joy
Losing mindset:
- "yeah they did well but I bet they spent like eight hours a day studying lol"
- "at the end of the day grades aren't everything. You can be a complete idiot and still get As" (delude themselves into thinking that other people's grades don't signal some kind of competence)
- generally finds ways to knock someone down a peg once they hear good news about them
Approach to Life
Winning mindset:
- understand that as a law student, they are among the most privileged people in the world and cannot wait to use that privilege to better their families, communities, and country
- treat professional competition like a sport, you want to win, you'll do your best, you don't hate the opponent
Losing mindset:
- believe that, as a law student, they are a uniquely oppressed class of person, spends more time thinking about how hard their own life is (it's reading) then how they will use their privilege to help others
Approach to Failure
Winning mindset:
- understands that failures and setbacks are part of the stories of all great heroes, sees it as just another chapter in their own story
- know that, while disappointing, they have an intrinsic god-given sense of worth outside of grades and career success
- remember that learning is not about one's pride, but what they can do for others
Losing mindset:
- forgets that this is all just a game with a man-mad point system, thinks one's soul can be captured by metrics like GPA
- don't get back up when life knocks them down
Cheers,
knxnts