Culture Shock! Back from Law-land December 19, 2006
Posted by Barrett in : Culture, Law , trackbackI’ve just completed my first semester of law school at University of California Hastings College of the Law. The past month of studying for finals has been the most grueling of my life: fifteen hours a day of studying, four-hour essay exams, and stiff competition between classmates…
When studying for finals, one enters into a different world — a different country, if you will. It is a country where all reality revolves around a few (ultimately insignificant) exams. While in this place one is apt to lose hope and to abandon those things in life that bring joy. It is so easy in this place to be overcome by a kind of deterministic thinking in which the slightest mistake on an exam can be seen to influence the future course of your life. This is a dark country.
After finals are over, coming back to reality is a relief, but I have often found it difficult to re-enter my old life. It takes me days to recuperate and become my old self. I think this experience is analogous to the culture shock that one has when returning from a long trip or stay in another country (not to mention “jet-lag” experienced because of the time differnce between my normal and finals schedule).
Three days have passed since my last exam of the semester, and I am finally starting to actually feel the relief of being done, and my sense of guilt from not studying is slowly eroding. I have four weeks of holiday celebration and general relaxation ahead of me. I sure am happy to be back from Law-land!
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Welcome back! You should come visit me in Grading-Land.
Great analogy, Barrett. While my finals were not nearly as rigorous, I am having acculturation difficulties. I have been on vacation for two weeks now and have been unable to truly slow down and relax. American culture, Los Angeles especially, cultivates a constant “finals” pace. Though I don’t have school, I am constantly thinking go, go, go. Of course, I take responsibility for much of this. Bleh. I need to go sit on a mountintop for a week or something.