Last week, I gave my thoughts on the things that change between your summer and start date.  That got me thinking, not everything changes, so what stays the same?  I’d love to hear your thoughts, but here’s my list of things that do not change:

10 ) Your false sense of accomplishment and entitlement.

 9 ) You still have to introduce yourself to partners 5-10 times before they figure out you work there.

8 ) The mailroom doesn’t know where your office is.

7 ) The really hot secretary who always seems to get assigned to the soon-to-be divorced partners still won’t talk to you.

6 ) Your quality of life…no, your life…means less than the per partner draw.

5 ) The support staff still loathes you for your paycheck compared to your abilities, but at least they try to hide it when you’re a summer associate.

4 ) You are still expected to attend firm functions (note: the definition of “firm function” changes to “work until 10 p.m.”)

3 ) You’re still performing narrow research projects and have no idea what the case for which you are doing it is about.

2 ) Your secretary will still treat you like a part-timer and avoid completing your work in any semblance of a timely manner.

1 )  Most partners still have no idea, and don’t care, who you are.