????如果大家認(rèn)為這些債務(wù)呈均勻分布,，請(qǐng)?jiān)傧胍幌搿,！氨姸喾▽W(xué)院的經(jīng)濟(jì)資助結(jié)構(gòu)與幾乎任何其他教育機(jī)構(gòu)的情形剛好相反,，”溫特哈爾特說。“入學(xué)成績最低的學(xué)生（往往是女性,，少數(shù)族裔,，或是來自社會(huì)經(jīng)濟(jì)背景處于弱勢(shì)的家庭）實(shí)際上在補(bǔ)貼入學(xué)成績最高的學(xué)生，后者往往能夠獲得獎(jiǎng)學(xué)金,?！睘榱藸?zhēng)奪更高的排名，法學(xué)院一門心思地招攬高分申請(qǐng)者,，而不是幫助那些或許最需要幫助的學(xué)生,。

????這個(gè)起點(diǎn)當(dāng)然無助于提升學(xué)生對(duì)法學(xué)生的溫情，法學(xué)院起始年級(jí)的氣氛非常詭異,。溫特哈爾特說,，這種情形非常像真人秀《單身漢》(The Bachelor)。他說：“每個(gè)人都假裝彼此相處融洽,，但在假象之下,，顯然存在一股揮之不去、因?yàn)楦?jìng)爭(zhēng)壓力導(dǎo)致的緊張感,?！?/p>

????如果你渴望邁入的法學(xué)院聲稱自己與眾不同，你最好不要全盤接受這種說辭,?！坝幸环N說法是，波士頓學(xué)院堪稱法學(xué)院中的迪斯尼樂園(Disneyland),，”溫特哈爾特說,。“這顯然只是一個(gè)比喻,，旨在強(qiáng)調(diào)這所法學(xué)院多么友善,，多么熱情。在我看來,，這個(gè)比喻形象地表明,，它的學(xué)生們正在非常虛偽地掩飾自己相互競(jìng)爭(zhēng)的事實(shí)。說到底,，它依然是一所層級(jí)分明的學(xué)校,。它依然奉行曲線評(píng)分模式。只有一定數(shù)量的人才能進(jìn)入這所學(xué)校,。在人數(shù)眾多的大班，學(xué)生們你追我趕,，力爭(zhēng)上游,。這種相互競(jìng)爭(zhēng)的動(dòng)力似乎過于強(qiáng)大。因此，不管大家多么努力地?cái)[出一副友善的表情,，都很難完全掩蓋,。”

????如果極具競(jìng)爭(zhēng)意識(shí)的學(xué)生奮發(fā)圖強(qiáng),，但沒有獲得他們想要的東西,，那就會(huì)造成非常不美妙的后果?！拔艺J(rèn)為,，很多時(shí)候，這些學(xué)生會(huì)覺得真實(shí)的世界與他們?cè)瓉淼南胂蟠笙鄰酵?。他們非但沒有步步高升,，就連收入也陷于停滯。我認(rèn)為,，從廣義上講,，他們會(huì)產(chǎn)生某種仇恨心理，”溫特哈爾特說,?！斑@種心理當(dāng)然讓人們更容易接受對(duì)法學(xué)院的各種批判，以及那些從意識(shí)形態(tài)角度對(duì)法學(xué)院現(xiàn)狀發(fā)出的拷問,?！?/p>

????法學(xué)院經(jīng)受的完美風(fēng)暴就是這樣醞釀而成的。法學(xué)院作為一家教育機(jī)構(gòu)招收了一大批雄心勃勃的學(xué)生,。它幾乎沒有嘗試過要消除學(xué)生們之間存在的經(jīng)濟(jì)條件不平等,，直接讓他們相互競(jìng)爭(zhēng)，最后又把他們?nèi)舆M(jìn)一個(gè)根本無力消化他們的勞動(dòng)力市場(chǎng)之中,。而當(dāng)學(xué)生陷于困境的時(shí)候,，學(xué)院方面只是聳聳肩，大言不慚地說什么,，它們當(dāng)初根本就沒有保證過畢業(yè)后一定能找到專業(yè)對(duì)口的工作,。

????但有一些證據(jù)表明，法學(xué)院正在采取措施平息如潮水般涌來的指責(zé),。過去幾個(gè)月,，愛荷華大學(xué)(University of Iowa)、賓州州立大學(xué)(Penn State)和羅杰?威廉姆斯大學(xué)(Roger Williams University)等學(xué)校相繼削減了法學(xué)院的學(xué)費(fèi),。

????為了打消申請(qǐng)者的戒心,，就連科克里也給未來的律師們提供了一些實(shí)用的建議?！澳憧赡苌喜黄鹉阈哪恐械氖走x院校,，”他說。“據(jù)我了解,，公立和私立法學(xué)院一年的學(xué)費(fèi)相差很多,，前者大約是13,000到16,000美元，后者可能高達(dá)56,000到57,000美元,?！奔s翰?馬歇爾法學(xué)院每年的全日制學(xué)費(fèi)為41,304美元。

????“那么,，這些收費(fèi)低廉的法學(xué)院在哪里找呢,？”他補(bǔ)充道?！捌鋵?shí)全美各地都有這樣的學(xué)校,。你可能要做的一件事情是，好好地了解一下這些低收費(fèi)院校,，看看能否被錄取,，能否制定一個(gè)去那里上學(xué)的融資計(jì)劃?！?/p>

????暫且不談機(jī)構(gòu)改革,，多說一些真心話或許是改善法學(xué)院處境的第一步。（財(cái)富中文網(wǎng)）

????譯者：葉寒

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????If you think the debt is spread around evenly, think again. "The financial aid structure at so many law schools is exactly the reverse of what it is at just about any other educational institution," Winterhalter says. "The bottom of the entering class -- which tends to be women, tends to be minorities, tends to be people from disadvantaged socioeconomic backgrounds -- effectively subsidizes the top of the class, who get merit-based scholarships." In the scramble for higher rankings, law schools focus on reeling in high-scoring candidates rather than helping students who might need it most.

????This starting point doesn't contribute to warm feelings for law school, which is a notoriously strange atmosphere to begin with. Winterhalter says it's a lot like the reality show "The Bachelor." "Everyone sort of pretends to get along, but it's very clear that beneath the veneer, there's a sort of lingering tension that comes from people's competitive drive," he says.

????And if the law school of your dreams says it's not like the others, you might want to take that claim with a grain of salt. "There's a saying at Boston College that it's the Disneyland of law schools," Winterhalter says. "Apparently, it's supposed to be a metaphor for how nice and friendly and warm and welcoming it is. To me, this is the ... the perfect metaphor for how sort of phony people are about the fact that they're being competitive. At the end of the day, it's still a rigidly hierarchical school. It's graded on a curve. Only a certain number of people can get in. There are big classes where people are fighting to be at the top, and it seems like that social dynamic is just too powerful to be completely overridden, no matter how hard you try to be nice."

????When competitive people work hard and don't get what they want, the result isn't pretty. "I think that often, they feel like what they thought was a mode of moving up in the world ends up just sort of stagnating them economically, and I think that, broadly speaking, people feel sort of bitter about that," Winterhalter says. "That certainly makes people more receptive to critiques of law school and to ideological examinations of what's going on."

????So, there you have it: Law school's perfect storm. As an educational institution, it admits highly ambitious students, pits them against each other with little attempt to level the financial playing field, and releases them into a market that can't absorb them. When students struggle, schools shrug and say they never guaranteed employment in the first place.

????But there's some evidence that law schools are taking steps to put out the fires. In the past few months, schools such as the University of Iowa, Penn State, and Roger Williams University have cut tuition.

????Even Corkery has some disarmingly practical advice for prospective lawyers. "You know, you might not be able to afford to go where you want to," he says. "I think tuition from public schools to private runs from around $13,000 to $16,000 a year, up to probably $56,000 to $57,000." Full-time tuition at John Marshall is $41,304 per year.

????"Now, where are those low-tuition law schools?" he adds. "They're just in pockets across the country. One thing you might do is explore schools with lower tuition and see if you can get admitted and work out financing to go there."

????Institutional reforms aside, maybe the best first step is a little more real talk.