No Law School for You!

Thomas had just finished his Real Estate degree cum laude from the University of Las Vegas, Nevada in the year 2000 and considered attending law school. He filed an application to only one place, William S. Boyd, which was Nevada’s new and only law school. As part of the application process, he had to get a certified copy of his high school transcript. “No problem,” he thought, “I still live with my parents near the school. I’ll just stop in.”

And so, Thomas, a college graduate, walked into the high school where he had collected so many unpleasant memories. He went into the administration office and recalled several uncomfortable situations. First, he recalled the time he locked his bicycle to a secretary’s desk. Then he looked at the floor where a punk who had spit in his face fell to his knees begging for forgiveness. Around the corner, he and his parents had complained about the poor educatory skills of one of the science teachers. And, just beyond that, was the spot he and his parents told a counselor that his younger brother had died the night before in a hiking accident. Thomas strode to the person in charge of records while trying to clear his mind of all the negativity.

“So you want to go to law school?”

“No not really, that’s why I am applying.”

“Well, here is your transcript.” Her eyes almost bulged at all the tents she saw on the papers.

“What do these pointy letters mean?” she asked.

“Oh, those are As.”

“I notice that you have more credits than you needed. Wait, wait a second…you are missing a half a credit of physical education.”

Thomas looked at her. He recalled taking one year of ROTC, which fulfilled one PE credit. Then, he remembered running on the cross-country team “Kicking Asphalt” for a semester to fill more PE credits.

“But you only took cross-country for one semester, not two,” was the bureaucratic response.

“Let me get this straight. I did more exercise running cross country for a semester than every student that took PE for two years and you’re saying I’m a half credit short?”

“Looks that way.” Thomas couldn’t tell if she was teasing him for his prior sarcasm.

“You are also telling me that I received a diploma from this school and another diploma from UNLV but will now have to take a semester of PE because I was a credit short?” Thomas grinned ironically.

The bureaucrat did not say anything. She tilted her head slightly, as if wondering what this future lawyer would say next.

Thomas cleared his throat, “Ok, does the transcript say that I lettered in Chess, one of my extracurricular activities. You know, it’s that strategy game where you physically move objects around. I think I used quite a few calories there. That club ought to count for a credit too. Oh, and I was in speech and debate club as well. My mouth got quite a work out there and that ought to count for another credit. I was also in Orchestra for four years, lots of arm swinging and finger moving involved. Also, I rode a bicycle to school and home every day, four miles, with a burden. I think that made me more physically active than most. Seems to me that that transcript is wrong and I should have a surplus of PE credits.”

The bureaucrat finally cracked a smile as she turned away, “You’ll be alright.”