Why I Have No Respect for Case

Hmm...you are are a buncha nosy bastards. ;-) If it matters any, I cannot respect Case because they admitted me into their law school.

Basically, what happened was I applied to a bunch of law schools over Thanksgiving break my senior year of college. Right before finals, Case called one of the professors who gave me a recommendation - my advisor and the head of the pre-law department at my college - to discuss me, and he asked me to call them. I did. The Dean of Admissions at Case Law School told me that I had the grades to get into Case (really, what does that require anyway?) and the LSAT scores, but they had concerns with my personal statement. She said that if I was willing to write another personal statement, she could guarantee my admission, however, if I choose not to, then Case was afraid that they would have no place in the class of 2001 for me.

Now, it may surprise people, but I actually AM capable of writing in complete, coherent sentences every once in a while. Case's problem with my personal statement was that in the second or third sentence, I swore. Specifically, the word "bitch." And the specific sentences was "This has led some people to call me a bitch." The law is a basically conservative freaks who consider themselves liberal when they wear plaid ties.

I was beyond offended. I politely told her that in fact, I was capable of writing another personal statement. I assured her that Case would love it and would admit me in a second and all would be happy. Then I paused and said, seemingly as an afterthought...if you didn't know me (I think and often speak quickly, if not wisely, when I'm pissed), "Unfortunately, when the first day of class came, the person who arrived would be the person who wrote the first personal statement." I worried aloud that they would not be happy to have such a student, and confessed my fear that I would not be happy in such a close-minded and restrictive atmosphere. So I told her that I feared Case was going to have to have the class of 2001 absent Stephanie. And our conversation ended. (And TRUST me, she called my advisor and he was PISSED at me.)

Now imagine my surprise in February when I was admitted.

And here's my thing. It wasn't even their threat not to admit me. I can respect that. That's their prerogative. And I'm sure that my personal statement affected other schools in some manner. No, what bothered me the most, the reason that I am completely incapable of respecting Case, is because, if you are going to make a threat, you better be willing to follow through. They ultimately weren't. I can't respect that.

And now you know, the rest of the story...