"You come in here, and you've seen Paper Chase....You go through the first year wondering when all hell is going to break loose, and it never happens," says 3L Paul T. Cappuccir.

"Paper Chase is a lie," says second-year student William B. Lindsey. "It depicts this place as an intellectually stimulating marine boot camp for the brain."

Most law students say that the character of the intimidating Kingsfield, whom Osbourn claims is based on a composite of several of his law professors, no longer haunts the halls of the law school. Most professors don't teach in the Paper Chase manner of calling on people to answer questions in class, they say.

"Kingsfield alleges that the school makes minds of mush into sharp legal minds, but the enterprise here is a good deal more modest," Cappuccirsays.

Cappuccir adds that "students feel free to saythey're unprepared. Very few professors harass,heckle or criticize them."

One student who feels that law school was evenmore like The Paper Chase than she expectedis 3 L Susan E. Keller '83. "Paper Chaseaccurately captures the intense hierarchy of theclassroom in which the teacher has total power andtotal control over your self-esteem," sheexplains. "Its humor is derived from what waspainful for me as a 1L."

Glenn D. Fogel, a first-year student, thinksthat The Paper Chase's representation oflaw school is false. However he says, "I'm gladthe myth exists. You go into an interview; theythink you work really hard."

He adds, "I hope you're not going to publishthis and ruin us.