Bifurcations
My dad has a goofy phrase “bifurcation point” to mean a life-changing decision or occurrence (one that sends you down a particular path instead of a significantly different one). I get the impression that most of the bifurcation points he’s identified are decisions he wished he’d made differently (though I think he’s gotten out of that mode in recent years). Anyway, I thought I’d catalog all the bifurcation points on my road to the Capitol, just to prove how inherently unlikely the whole thing has been…
Bifurcation Point #1: Getting (only) 166 on the LSAT
Why it was unlikely: I studied like mad for the LSAT, months and months of preparation. I identified the section I had the most trouble with and worked on that. I was testing well on the practice tests, and probably was aiming somewhere around 169 or 170. But I got into the test and screwed up big time - on precisely the section that I knew was my weakest and the one I’d practiced extensively on.
The road not taken: If I had gotten 3-4 points higher on my score, I think there was a good chance I’d have gotten into Georgetown, which was my first choice. I was living in DC at the time, so I wouldn’t have to move and its definitely a top law school. Likewise, a few more points might have gotten me into Virginia, which would have had the major advantage of charging me only in-state tuition. If I’d done any worse on the test, I probably would not even have gotten into Duke, and may have put off law school for a year or more.
Bifurcation Point #2: Getting into Duke.
Why it was unlikely: Duke had an interesting international program, but other than that it was pretty much last on my list (who would want to go to Dook?). I turned in the application on the last possible day, and wasn’t even sure that I’d gotten it in before the deadline. Also, Duke’s application required me to admit that I had been “asked to leave” a graduate program (all other applications asked if I’d been expelled, which I could safely deny). I figured checking that box had pretty much sunk my application, but somehow despite all that I still got in.
The road not taken: If I hadn’t gotten the call from Duke, my options were G.W., Carolina, or see if Virginia ever took me off their waitlist. G.W. was expensive and not as highly ranked as the others, Carolina was the same (and I’d have to pay out of state tuition), so I probably would have waited a year and applied again. Who knows where I would have ended up if that had happened.
Bifurcation Point #3: Not making law review my second year.
Why it was unlikely: The application consisted of a case analysis, a personal statement, and GPA. At the time my GPA was quite high, my personal statement I thought was pretty good (I could demonstrate fairly convincingly that I was and have always been interested in international issues), and while the case analysis was not my best work, I thought it was decent enough for me to get on the DJCIL. Alas, ‘twas not to be.
The road not taken: If I’d made law review, my resume going into my 2L interviews would have been considerably stronger. I probably would have had at least 7-8 callback interviews, instead of just one. And I probably would have gotten 2-3 offers for summer jobs, instead of 0. And assuming I didn’t screw up the summer job too badly, I’d have a fairly good chance of getting an offer for permanent employment after graduation. Which means I would never have even been looking for any other jobs this year (why would I, with a 6-figure salary waiting?)
Bifurcation Point #4: Getting the job at Van Bael & Bellis
Why it was unlikely: What are the chances that a premier European law firm would have a Duke alum looking for Duke students interested in international law, at a time when most Duke students interested in international law had already committed to summer jobs with U.S. firms, and before my shitty fall grades had officially made it onto my transcript?
The road not taken: Last spring was a desperate time. The only prospects were either NC-government jobs, unpaid internships in DC, or back to Bode & Grenier. After I got the VBB job, I was officially rejected by the only things that could have made my summer look halfway productive - assisting clerks for a DC district judge, and doing a paid internship with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. And neither of those would have looked particularly impressive on a resume, nor would they have allowed me the time and resources to write my law review article.
Bifurcation Point #5: Being able to write a decent law review article.
Why it was unlikely: I got a random email from the duke journal of comparative and international law (DJCIL), stating that they were extending the deadline for rising 3Ls to submit articles and get on the journal. I had two weeks to research and write a 30-page paper on an international topic, while at the same time spending every night and weekend with Sandy (exploring Brussels, Paris, Luxembourg), and working every day at VBB. But somehow I was able to pull it off.
The road not taken: Without the article, I would not have made it onto the journal (a big boost to the resume - sorely needed in light of a steadily declining GPA). Without the article and the journal, I would never have been able to get a second interview with the Office of Legislative Counsel. Without the second interview, I would never have interviewed with the Parliamentarian’s Office (Hell, I would never have even heard of the Parliamentarian’s office).
Bifurcation Point #6: Getting a first interview with the Office of Legislative Counsel
Why it was unlikely: The Duke interview scheduling system does some kind of lottery thing, so even one’s first choice for on-campus interviews is not guaranteed. I think I may even have put the OLC as my first choice, but I did not get an interview. It was only during one random week in September that I got an email from career services telling people that the OLC had a few empty interviews slots (on a late Friday afternoon), probably due to cancellations. So I signed up for one of them, which at the time required me changing plans to drive up and see Sandy (I was debating whether it was even worth it). But for some reason I decided it was.
The road not taken: I could have easily skipped out on that interview, or ignored the email, or anything. If I had, I’d be stuck with very very very few prospects.
Bifurcation Point #7: Getting the second interview with the Office of Legislative Counsel
Why it was unlikely: I was told during the first interview that their primary criteria for calling people back for the second interview was the writing sample (i.e. the article I’d written). He said they were interviewing about 200 people from 6-7 schools, and that about 5-6 would be called back to DC. So I had about a 3% chance of getting that second interview.
The road not taken: Again, without the OLC interview, things were looking pretty grim.
Bifurcation Point #8: The fact that the Parliamentarians were even hiring
Why it was unlikely: This is an office of 6 people, most of whom spend their entire careers there. They rarely have openings, obviously, and it was just by chance that they’ve had a couple people retire in the last 5 years or so. I don’t think they’ll be doing any more hiring after me for maybe decades, who knows.
The road not taken: What would have been my options now if this hadn’t come along? Well, I’d sent out 30 packets of resumes to various DC law firms, and have received a steady stream of rejections (probably about 17 or 18 so far). Only one firm invited for “an initial screening interview” - they weren’t even offering to pay for my travel expenses. The antitrust division at the DOJ has already rejected me, as well as 2 of the 7 judges I applied to for clerkships. All 6 of my on-campus interviews led to polite rejection letters. Hell, even the GAO didn’t want me.
So what’s the upshot of all this? Well, I can’t help but feel that the gods have been trying their damnedest to maneuver me into the position I currently find myself in. They have had to constantly strike a fine balance of making me seem good enough for the various jobs and activities that led me to the Parliamentarians, while simultaneously making me seem incompetent enough to get me rejected from the kinds of things that would have steered me away from them. Coincidence? Intelligent design? Who knows…
And this is also not mentioning the series of unlikely events that led me to the most fulfilling relationship I ever had or will have. But that’s another entry I suppose…
Bifurcation Point #1: Getting (only) 166 on the LSAT
Why it was unlikely: I studied like mad for the LSAT, months and months of preparation. I identified the section I had the most trouble with and worked on that. I was testing well on the practice tests, and probably was aiming somewhere around 169 or 170. But I got into the test and screwed up big time - on precisely the section that I knew was my weakest and the one I’d practiced extensively on.
The road not taken: If I had gotten 3-4 points higher on my score, I think there was a good chance I’d have gotten into Georgetown, which was my first choice. I was living in DC at the time, so I wouldn’t have to move and its definitely a top law school. Likewise, a few more points might have gotten me into Virginia, which would have had the major advantage of charging me only in-state tuition. If I’d done any worse on the test, I probably would not even have gotten into Duke, and may have put off law school for a year or more.
Bifurcation Point #2: Getting into Duke.
Why it was unlikely: Duke had an interesting international program, but other than that it was pretty much last on my list (who would want to go to Dook?). I turned in the application on the last possible day, and wasn’t even sure that I’d gotten it in before the deadline. Also, Duke’s application required me to admit that I had been “asked to leave” a graduate program (all other applications asked if I’d been expelled, which I could safely deny). I figured checking that box had pretty much sunk my application, but somehow despite all that I still got in.
The road not taken: If I hadn’t gotten the call from Duke, my options were G.W., Carolina, or see if Virginia ever took me off their waitlist. G.W. was expensive and not as highly ranked as the others, Carolina was the same (and I’d have to pay out of state tuition), so I probably would have waited a year and applied again. Who knows where I would have ended up if that had happened.
Bifurcation Point #3: Not making law review my second year.
Why it was unlikely: The application consisted of a case analysis, a personal statement, and GPA. At the time my GPA was quite high, my personal statement I thought was pretty good (I could demonstrate fairly convincingly that I was and have always been interested in international issues), and while the case analysis was not my best work, I thought it was decent enough for me to get on the DJCIL. Alas, ‘twas not to be.
The road not taken: If I’d made law review, my resume going into my 2L interviews would have been considerably stronger. I probably would have had at least 7-8 callback interviews, instead of just one. And I probably would have gotten 2-3 offers for summer jobs, instead of 0. And assuming I didn’t screw up the summer job too badly, I’d have a fairly good chance of getting an offer for permanent employment after graduation. Which means I would never have even been looking for any other jobs this year (why would I, with a 6-figure salary waiting?)
Bifurcation Point #4: Getting the job at Van Bael & Bellis
Why it was unlikely: What are the chances that a premier European law firm would have a Duke alum looking for Duke students interested in international law, at a time when most Duke students interested in international law had already committed to summer jobs with U.S. firms, and before my shitty fall grades had officially made it onto my transcript?
The road not taken: Last spring was a desperate time. The only prospects were either NC-government jobs, unpaid internships in DC, or back to Bode & Grenier. After I got the VBB job, I was officially rejected by the only things that could have made my summer look halfway productive - assisting clerks for a DC district judge, and doing a paid internship with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. And neither of those would have looked particularly impressive on a resume, nor would they have allowed me the time and resources to write my law review article.
Bifurcation Point #5: Being able to write a decent law review article.
Why it was unlikely: I got a random email from the duke journal of comparative and international law (DJCIL), stating that they were extending the deadline for rising 3Ls to submit articles and get on the journal. I had two weeks to research and write a 30-page paper on an international topic, while at the same time spending every night and weekend with Sandy (exploring Brussels, Paris, Luxembourg), and working every day at VBB. But somehow I was able to pull it off.
The road not taken: Without the article, I would not have made it onto the journal (a big boost to the resume - sorely needed in light of a steadily declining GPA). Without the article and the journal, I would never have been able to get a second interview with the Office of Legislative Counsel. Without the second interview, I would never have interviewed with the Parliamentarian’s Office (Hell, I would never have even heard of the Parliamentarian’s office).
Bifurcation Point #6: Getting a first interview with the Office of Legislative Counsel
Why it was unlikely: The Duke interview scheduling system does some kind of lottery thing, so even one’s first choice for on-campus interviews is not guaranteed. I think I may even have put the OLC as my first choice, but I did not get an interview. It was only during one random week in September that I got an email from career services telling people that the OLC had a few empty interviews slots (on a late Friday afternoon), probably due to cancellations. So I signed up for one of them, which at the time required me changing plans to drive up and see Sandy (I was debating whether it was even worth it). But for some reason I decided it was.
The road not taken: I could have easily skipped out on that interview, or ignored the email, or anything. If I had, I’d be stuck with very very very few prospects.
Bifurcation Point #7: Getting the second interview with the Office of Legislative Counsel
Why it was unlikely: I was told during the first interview that their primary criteria for calling people back for the second interview was the writing sample (i.e. the article I’d written). He said they were interviewing about 200 people from 6-7 schools, and that about 5-6 would be called back to DC. So I had about a 3% chance of getting that second interview.
The road not taken: Again, without the OLC interview, things were looking pretty grim.
Bifurcation Point #8: The fact that the Parliamentarians were even hiring
Why it was unlikely: This is an office of 6 people, most of whom spend their entire careers there. They rarely have openings, obviously, and it was just by chance that they’ve had a couple people retire in the last 5 years or so. I don’t think they’ll be doing any more hiring after me for maybe decades, who knows.
The road not taken: What would have been my options now if this hadn’t come along? Well, I’d sent out 30 packets of resumes to various DC law firms, and have received a steady stream of rejections (probably about 17 or 18 so far). Only one firm invited for “an initial screening interview” - they weren’t even offering to pay for my travel expenses. The antitrust division at the DOJ has already rejected me, as well as 2 of the 7 judges I applied to for clerkships. All 6 of my on-campus interviews led to polite rejection letters. Hell, even the GAO didn’t want me.
So what’s the upshot of all this? Well, I can’t help but feel that the gods have been trying their damnedest to maneuver me into the position I currently find myself in. They have had to constantly strike a fine balance of making me seem good enough for the various jobs and activities that led me to the Parliamentarians, while simultaneously making me seem incompetent enough to get me rejected from the kinds of things that would have steered me away from them. Coincidence? Intelligent design? Who knows…
And this is also not mentioning the series of unlikely events that led me to the most fulfilling relationship I ever had or will have. But that’s another entry I suppose…