<p>Thanks, bluedevilmike, that was an excellent quote. I have really hit the slumps after graduating, at one point I was at the top of my class with top everything, just not anymore after cornell. I think that Jerry Rice’s quote if anything really shows that failure isn’t just human, it is - for many people - part of the equation for success. Up until this point, I guess I haven’t really experienced true failure - failing to meet my own expectations and goals after trying my best. Maybe this was a lesson that I needed to carry me forwards. Thank you for the comments and information about rankings as well, I now more fully understand the reasoning behind “T14 or bust.”</p>
<p>As for my motivations for becoming a lawyer and where I would like to see myself in say, 20 years, I think that the only real problem for me would be that the kind of lawyer that I would like to be really no longer exists anymore, and I kind of found out very late in the process. My favorite dramatic play of all time is “Inherit the Wind,” which was based on the Scopes Monkey Trial, a real case in which the defendant was represented by Clarence Darrow. The problem, of course, is that cases almost never go to court nowadays, and when they do, it is some lawyer with decades of courtroom experience. I can easily see myself as a lawyer, but I cannot see myself working for a biglaw firm that requires me to be in an office poring over documents and writing memos for ten hours a day. While I read very quickly and write well, I’d really like to be in the courtroom at least a few times a week.</p>
<p>Ariesathena, honestly I’m not really sure. I actually found out in senior year that grades for premed students are actually heavily deflated at Cornell. Part of the reason is that one fifth of the entering class is premed and as a result, it just isn’t feasible to give out so many high marks, and part of the reason is to weed out students who are not completely dedicated to the premed career path. A good friend of mine from my freshman year actually did much worse than I did, with a 2.4 and 2.6, and ended up becoming the President of one of the premed student groups. Personally, I was under the impression that I was failing and everyone was doing better, and I quit, among other reasons, namely, that I was a bit of a hypochondriac(not conducive to working in a hospital).</p>
<p>I’ve never really categorized whether I was analytical or creative, but I guess my LSAT states otherwise. I think that this might be because of my philosophy background, where we did lots of dense reading and talked about things like ontological reductionism.</p>
<p>As an update, I’ve decided against asking that particular professor for a recommendation, mostly because I do not think that she will be able to write a good one for me. I’m asking a professor who cares about me, but not enough to be so brutally honest. That said, this brings me to another question: How important are recommendations for law school admissions anyway? The search for recommendations was what ultimately brought me back to the forums to begin with, since they are what Cornell said I need to get on immediately.</p>