The arrival of grades has subtly but unmistakably altered the mood of the class. Mostly it is the fruit of suppression: those who didn't do so well are putting on a brave face (successfully); those who did well are trying not to openly gloat (with mixed success).

Having completed the first major milestone of law school I can feel my expectations rising in the 2nd semester -- of myself, of the school -- and my patience for certain types of mediocrity getting shorter.

Based on the first week of classes I'm thinking I've got two professors who are on the ball and two who are not. I want to see the good in people, really I do. But the more experience you get with things, the harder it is to suppress your bad vibes, because, well, they're usually accurate.

Not that I want to be the guy with the black cloud on his head. In any environment you can be required to work with people you don't have a favorable impression of. Perhaps it's a frustration inherent to not having choice in your subjects or professors in the 1L year. If I chose a mediocre professor, at least I'd feel accountable for the error in judgment. When the school picks the professors for me, the accountability is diffuse.

16 Jan 05