It's been slightly less than a year since I graduated from NUS law school, but recent events have prompted me to write this post.
To all aspiring law school students out there, this one's for you! So, here goes.
Within the first few days of entering law school, I guarantee you that you will hear this being said by the professors more than once: "If you've gotten straight As all your life, then be prepared to have the track record broken because you'll see more Bs and Cs than you will As."
The thing about being in law school is that every other student is a straight-A student. Welcome to reality: you're now an average student. Grades are bell-curved, which means that the grade B is what almost everyone else is getting.
But you don't have to feel inadequate about getting straight Bs. If you're getting straight Bs, I'd congratulate you, because you're pretty much graduating with a Second Upper Class Honours, which is a HUGE deal in law school. That's what everyone is aiming for. I'll tell you about the elusive First Class Honours in a few paragraphs' time.
So you're getting straight Bs. Maybe straight B+s (in which case you're really smart and don't let anyone else tell you otherwise). When you meet your friends from other faculties or majors and you tell them that you're getting straight B+s, they're gonna think, "Nah, he's not doing very well in law school."
That can't be any further from the truth. In fact, it's so far from the truth that your friends from the other faculties are probably on Pluto. If you're getting straight Bs or B+s, I dare you to tell your friends in law school that you're not doing very well. Friend, you'll get so bitch-slapped that you will wish you were never born.
There's a reason why law school's grading system doesn't go by CAP score. It's just a whole different system, and you can't compare your grades apple-to-apple with the grades of your friends from other faculties. So don't ever let the comment, "You only got a B+?" get to you, because a B+ is HIGHLY sought after in law school, and you're pretty much way above average (if average is the used-to-be-straight-A-in-JC student) if you get straight B+s.
Now, if you do meet a law school student who tells you he or she is getting straight As, (maybe some A+s or A-s), be prepared to fall prostrate on your knees and kiss the feet of that student, for you are looking at a god. This student is on track to become a future Judge of Appeal or ICC judge or stuff like that which 99.99% of law school students only dream of. Unfortunately, only less than 10 students in law school get that kind of score, and these students form the batch of First Class Honours.
I'll tell you how elusive a First Class Honours is. Just because you're in the Dean's List all 4 years of your law school life (and that will achieve semi-god status for you in law school) doesn't mean you're gonna get a First Class Honours. You could still get a Second Upper Class Honours. Only the top students in the Dean's List get a First Class Honours.
If you're getting a combination of B+s and A-s, you're pretty darn close to being on the Dean's List (if you're not already on it), which has slightly less than 20 students.
If you're not getting all these grades, please don't feel stupid. Hey, you beat out 500 other students who were SELECTED to go for the written test and interview (not counting the other 500 who weren't selected at all).
On the other hand, don't start gloating just because you got into law school. Getting into law school only means you're better at speaking, writing and arguing than the other 800 students who couldn't get in. I'm not in any way saying you're smarter than them because it doesn't mean you're better than them at other things (like MATH, which most law school students fail at). I know I don't have a mind for business so I highly admire people in the business schools.
Everyone is gifted in different ways, and you should respect that.
So keep calm and carry on!
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Try to walk a mile in my kicks.
1. Breaking my left arm really humbled me. Suddenly, all the little things I never gave a thought to became these massive tasks I could hardly accomplish - I'm not even talking about playing the piano or doing yoga. Simple things like typing, texting, sleeping on my left side, putting in my earrings, changing my clothes, clipping my hair up, cutting the beef/chicken on my plate. Little miracles that happen everyday that most of us (in fact, all of us) don't appreciate until they get taken away from us. My arm's MUCH better now and I haven't been happier typing, texting, sleeping on my left side (not all the way, but I'm not complaining), putting in my earrings, changing my clothes, clipping my hair up, cutting my food up. Miracles happen everyday and we should never take a single thing for granted.
2. This brings me nicely to point number two - every hand-holding, peck on the cheek, hug and kiss you get from your partner: Never feel like they're the "norm" or you're just going through the motions. How often have we slipped into treating these things casually and not thinking about what they truly mean when we do them? Kiss like it's the first time every time. When you hold hands, hold hands like you never want to let go. Take it from a girl who's only going to see her boyfriend for less than 2 months this year.
3. I suddenly feel all Tuesdays with Morrie-ish with this post.
4. All offices should have windows, not just rooms with windows. There's a difference. The consequence of the latter is that there will be rooms without windows, and depressing cubicles at the centre. I'm talking about open-concept, tear down all walls and let the sunlight pour into the office type of office! I am incredibly lucky to have a window seat in a gorgeous sun-lit room where I am working now, but I can't imagine what it must be like for my colleagues seated outside in the cubicles and windowless rooms. With a window, your life is in context: you can see a world outside of your life, literally.
5. I love the smell of the cool night breeze. It smells so different, do you ever realize it? It's incredibly fresh, but a different kind of fresh from morning air. When I smell it, I think of the entire universe beyond Earth. It's like I can smell the stars and galaxies in the night sky. It's an incredibly beautiful feeling that lasts for 3 seconds.
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Try to walk a mile in my kicks.
Chocolatey goodness.
Cream cheese icing goodness.
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Try to walk a mile in my kicks.
Because I just booked the air tickets from NYC to Vermont! It'll be a 5-day winter getaway to the mountains in the village of Stowe in Vermont, where one can ride one-horse open sleighs and cuddle in front of fireplaces in the bedroom! And finally try my hand at skiing or ice-fishing!
The first thing I'm gonna do when I land in NYC is to make a trip down to Magnolia Bakery and buy 5 tubs of the most heavenly banana pudding for keeping in the fridge!
Don't beat it till you've tried it!
And having a
Sunday brunch at the Waldorf Astoria with Teague (and hopefully Stefan if he can make the trip!)
(OK, I googled the Sunday brunch at the Waldorf for the first time and it's freaking US$95 per person, excluding tax OMG. Erm. This definitely deserves a hundred thoughts.)
(Then again, I spent about S$100 at Singapore's restaurant week. And it wasn't even buffet. And I didn't even get to drink CHAMPAGNE, which the Sunday Brunch at Waldorf serves.)
OKAY, never mind, the Waldorf it is!! I shall drink my fair share of champagne, bathe in the chocolate fountain and down some anti-histamines so that I can eat everything from the raw bar!
Then I shall spend the rest of my NYC time snuggled warm in John's apartment and reading the latest in the literary circles, and some others that are overdue. I've compiled a list of about 6 books:
- Oscar Wilde - The Importance of Being Earnest and Other Plays
- David Levithan - The Lover's Dictionary
- Amanda Hodgkinson - 22 Britannia Road
- Arthur Phillips - The Tragedy of Arthur
- Roald Dahl - Going Solo
- Roald Dahl - Boy
Not forgetting, most of all - I can't wait to hold the boyfriend in my arms again!
Time is passing so fast like sand through my fingers! The weekend will be over, but then I'll be like, hey, here it is again! I must be enjoying myself.
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Try to walk a mile in my kicks.
Days in Law School
