Well, it’s over. Yesterday I went and took the LSAT. I feel fairly confident about my answers and I feel like I couldn’t have done much better. That means that I either did really well or I bombed the crap out of it. I’ll know for certain in a few weeks and, once I know, I’ll share the results with the rest of you.
A lot of people were nervous and anxious about taking the LSAT. I wasn’t. Perhaps it’s because I’m several years older than the average LSAT test-taker (I’m 31. Most of them were in their 20s) and I’ve had bigger things to worry about in life than a silly test. Perhaps it’s because law school is just one of several options I have in mind and I’m not going to be upset if I don’t go. Or, perhaps it’s because I’ve never really sweated the small stuff. This was just another test. I’ve taken standardized tests before. They’re not that difficult for me and I’m not intimidated or impressed by them.
I’ve known a lot of different people in my life as well. Lawyers, doctors, teachers, carpenters, soldiers, blue-collar, white-collar — they all have had their strengths and their weaknesses. Doctors are the ones who impressed me the most because it’s just not a field I could go into. I couldn’t deal with the gore and the grossness that comes from the human body when it’s not functioning at peak condition. I also can’t deal with being unable to affect a situation, regardless of my skill or knowledge. Doctors have to be able to do both and, for that, they have my respect. That is something I know I could never do. But for everyone else, just about, I could see myself doing what they do if I had to. Some of it I wouldn’t necessarily want to do (I would get really bored working in most entry-level blue-collar positions) but I could do it. I consider myself fairly average so I figure that if I can do it, most people can do it. That (some would say) blase attitude makes it really difficult for me to be either impressed or intimidated by someone just because of their job.
That’s not to say I don’t respect people because I can see myself doing what they do. I generally respect everyone unless they do something that causes me to lose respect for them. It’s just that, if I can see myself doing what you do, then that’s one less way you have to try to impress me. Instead of relying on the mystique or status of your profession, you have to amaze or impress me by relying on yourself and your actions. That’s sometimes difficult for people who think they deserve some kind of respect just for having a certain job.
So, lawyers, while I respect most of them, just don’t make me think “oh, you have to be super brilliantly smart” to be a lawyer. I’ve known some lawyers who were complete idiots. I’ve known some lawyers that a dog could out-smart. I’ve also known some lawyers who really impressed me with their actions, the cases they chose to take, the arguments they made, and the way they view the legal process. But, as a whole, the profession doesn’t intimidate me.
That’s probably a big part of why something like the LSAT, which is supposed to be this huge, life-altering test, just makes me shrug and go “I gave it my best and I can live with that.”
But, now, it’s over. And I’m glad it’s done with. Now my day has four more hours that I can use for writing or relaxing or packing. And so, I’m going to get back to doing one of those things right now. 🙂
