divine angst

I’ve been thinking a lot about the decision Mr. Angst and I will be making in a few weeks. Picking schools is going to be hard if we end up with multiple choices (which I think we will).

So I guess it’s lucky, then, that right about the same time I’ve been dwelling on this very issue, Profs. Bernstein and Kerr over at The Volokh Conspiracy have been discussing the wisdom of choosing the highest-ranked school one gets into. Bernstein starts by saying lots of his students at GMU chose it over the higher-ranked Georges in the DC area. He doesn’t offer much reasoning for it, just states it as fact. Kerr then adds that the reason everyone says students should go to the highest ranked schools they get into is primarily because such a choice opens more doors. Bernstein finishes up by agreeing with Kerr, then outlines a few reasons why someone might choose GMU over the higher-ranked Georges in DC—these include geography, cost, specific programs, etc.

It was only in that last post that I saw any recognition that non-traditional students may have different needs than fresh-out-of-college kids—particularly in the mention of geography and commuting. Frankly, the conventional wisdom—that you should go to the highest-ranked school you get into—really only applies to people who are unattached. When you’re married, or have kids, or own a home, or have a partner also going to school, picking up and moving clear across the country for a school just because it’s higher ranked seems like pure folly.

Now, Mr. Angst and I are going to move, sell our house, and uproot from this place that we love, mostly because there aren’t any programs here for him. And we’re excited about moving—it’ll be nice to live somewhere else—but we’re not exactly doing it just for kicks, you know?

If I had the freedom to choose a law school based solely on rank, I would have already sent in my seat deposit. But there are other things for me to consider—how happy will we be? How much time will we have together? How expensive will each city be and how much debt will we be in? One city has a nearby network of family and friends, the other doesn’t. Unfortunately, the social network doesn’t correspond with my schools’ ranks—but it does with Mr. Angst’s.

Of course the rankings weigh on my mind—I’d love to teach someday, and I can’t help but acknowledge that if we make certain choices, I might not be in a position to enter legal academia easily. But I also know that my dream career won’t be worth much if I have to sacrifice my family for it. And my dream career will probably taste slightly bitter if I know Mr. Angst gave up his own opportunities for me.

So I wish there was some recognition out there that not everyone can make the choice they want to, for whatever reason. And there should be more advice for people in that position. Here’s mine: don’t regret. When you decide on your school, if it’s not the decision you really wanted to make, figure out what you need to do to be content with it. Three years is a long time to walk around feeling like you made a bad choice.

Update: Chris Geidner at LawDork comments another bit of “conventional wisdom” referenced in Bernstein’s last post—that aspiring academics must go to the very top schools. Even I know this can’t be true, but it still gnaws at me. Chris puts some numbers and names out there to prove it’s not true. Thanks, Chris, for giving a hopeful future academic some…um…hope.

I love it when you go home for lunch, planning to empty and refill the dishwasher, start up tonight’s pasta sauce in the crockpot, and then enjoy a nice grilled-cheese sandwich—or maybe a salad—but instead, when you reach up on top of the fridge to put a big spoon in the utensil jar, you knock off a bottle of balsamic vinegar which then shatters all over the kitchen floor.

I LOVE that.

You are a guitar. You are a musical genius… congratulations. Most people think you are a little obsessed with music, but that’s okay. You don’t care what other people think. You are independent, and would rather have a few good (and weird) friends than a lot of not-so-good ones. You may feel that people run down your eccentricity, but that’s only because they’re jealous. You will most likely become very successful with your musical talent. \m/ Rock on! Most compatible with: Drumstick. Click here — What Random Object Represents Your Inner Self?

E. McPan, you’re MINE!