What are the motifs in One L: The Turbulent True Story of a First Year at Harvard Law School by Scott Turow?

Commitment to excellence is a recurring idea in the story. Scott finds himself both attracted to and repelled by the pressure for excellence at Harvard Law School. Harvard Law School is revered as the best law school in the United States and those who graduate have an almost guaranteed life of privilege and success. It is understood that those who enroll and are admitted to the law school have excellent grades and credentials, a fact which levels the playing field among the One Ls for a short time. Each of the One Ls has reached or surpassed personal and professional goals and thrives on competition of some sort.