Wednesday, May 10, 2006

Being in the Middle

Mike and Russ,

I need to vent and I don’t want to bitch to my friends, so I figured I’d sound off on a couple of blog guys I’ve never met. So here’s the deal: I just finished the 2nd semester of my 2L year. For my first three semesters, I always ended up right in the middle of the curve, never more than an increment above or below. My class rank was right in the middle. Being in the middle didn’t exactly afford me many job opportunities or journal positions or anything, so this semester, I decided to make a change. No more internet in class, no more IMing while I was supposed to be studying, no more drinking on weeknights, I paid attention in class, read every assignment, and even made my own outlines. My grades just got posted for a few classes, and guess what? Right in the fucking middle again, right at the curve. All of the changes and efforts that I made this semester pretty much got me right back to where I started. Not only am I pissed that I didn’t do as well as I had hoped, but I gave up all the things that make law school fun, and made myself miserable in the process. I guess what I want to know is, am I just meant to be in the middle? Is this as good as it gets?

Thanks for letting me vent,

(Name withheld)



To answer your question with the brutal honesty that our readers have come to expect, yes, you are probably just meant to be in the middle, and this is probably as good as it gets. By the 4th semester of law school, your abilities, which are reflected in your grades and rank, have been established. Your performance as a first semester 1L is probably not a strong indicator of your abilities; your performance between both 1L semesters is a better indicator; but your cumulative performance after three semesters of law school is going to pretty much establish how well you can be expected to perform.

The most frustrating part about the middle is that it's like a mediocre relationship. You'll be prone to say, "It's not bad. Sometimes the law professors are sweet and it's nice to have something to do all day. But where is it going? I've got two years invested and nothing but B's. Sure I got that A in Torts and it left me floating on air but I can't coast off that one romantic memory forever. Am I settling? Is this the best I can do? I think that Business School admissions officer was flirting with me the other day."

The middle is not the end of the world. You tried your best and ended up average. Focus on the fundamentals; you still get to be an attorney. Do you think the 8th guy who got to the lifeboat in the Titanic beat himself up for not swimming the fastest? No, he was just happy to stay afloat.

I think part of the problem is the negative connotation with the word “middle”. Middle gets a bad reputation because of some of its associations. The middle seat in the backseat of a car is called “bitch”. The Middle East has been an area of the world filled with religious and economic issues for years. When you are in a rural area, it’s said to be in the “middle of nowhere”. And, believe it or not, some people look at being in the middle class as undesirable. Can’t we give these positive connotations? Instead of calling the middle seat “bitch”, we can focus on the positive aspects, like how it’s less susceptible to death due to a side impact crash. The Middle East is very similar to Arizona, and everyone loves Arizona. Why not call it East Arizona from now on? And I’ve always preferred to call rural areas East Buttfuck, or some variation. And what’s wrong with being in the middle class? At the very least, you’ll own a house and car and take a decent vacation every year.

We lose sight of the positive associations “middle” has. The best part of any Little Debbie or Hostess snack cake is the creamy middle. “Stuck in the Middle with You” was a pretty decent song, and by far the biggest hit for Stealer’s Wheel. Malcolm in the Middle had a few good seasons, and introduced the world to Frankie Muniz. So you see, it’s all about perspective. Being in the middle isn’t so bad. You’ll be a 3L in a few months. You might as well go back to playing on the internet in class, IMing all the time, going out during the week, and borrowing outlines instead of making your own. If nothing else, at least you won’t be miserable.