a tale of woe, with a moral: I’ve just been corresponding with a reader who wants to get into law teaching. His problem — and it’s a problem shared by many law students and young lawyers who want to get clerkships, fellowships, and other interesting jobs in government or in public interest law — is that he needs letters of reference from professors, and he’s not sure he can get any.
Why is that a problem, you ask? He got very good grades in many classes; why not ask the professors who gave him those grades? Because those professors have no idea who he is.
If he calls them, they’ll say that they’ll gladly write a letter saying that he wrote a very good exam and thus got a very good grade. But a letter like that is worth little; it simply repeats what the transcript already shows. In his words (though pieced together from several e-mails):
[I had n]o significant relationships with any of my law professors ―- I was that guy who got A’s without saying anything in class, and sometimes without regularly attending class. . . .
Although it sounds terribly arrogant (and probably is), I only talked in law school when I was tired of watching other students flail about. I’m sure part of it was my visceral distaste for the “gunners” in my class ―- I tended at the time to be so laid back that a rumor went around that I was an alcoholic and that the iced tea I brought to class every day was laced with whisky [EV: I infer from the person’s message that the rumor was indeed false].
In any event, I really missed out on a huge chunk of the law school experience by shying away from academic engagement. Not only did I cheat myself out of full value, but I really did put myself behind [in the search] for academic jobs. . . .
Maybe my sad story can somehow help others. -sniff-
Look, if you don’t want to speak in class except when called on, and if you don’t want to talk outside class to your teachers, that’s fine. I do think that students’ speaking in class tends to help them understand the material better, and get more interested in it. It also helps the professor and the other students, precisely because then class discussions aren’t just the usual five or ten talkers. But, other than in seminars, you aren’t required to participate (again, except when called on), and you certainly aren’t required to try to be friendly with us teachers. If you want to be the silent type, be our guest.
But understand that if you don’t let the professors get to know you, you can’t get the benefits that flow from their getting to know you: letters of recommendation, phone calls to prospective employers, and so on. Access to such personal help is one of the great advantages that students can have. You can only get it, though, if you build something of a personal relationship with the people from whom you’ll want the help.
So, first, make efforts to talk in class. Don’t talk just for the sake of talking, but surely you’ll have some interesting questions — ask them. You’ll also have some interesting answers that others in the class aren’t coming up with — give them. Don’t be afraid of sounding stupid to your classmates. Very few of the questions and comments that I’ve heard in class are at all stupid or embarrassing (yes, a few are, but really very few); and if you aren’t a frequent talker, your classmates will be glad to hear a new voice, instead of listening to the usual suspects.
And, second, try to get to know the professors — not all of them, but just the ones you like — outside class. If you have questions, go to their offices to ask them. Go out to lunch with them; many schools actually provide funds for teachers to take their students to lunch, so both your and the teacher’s meal could get paid for. And many of your teachers are actually pretty interesting people, who can say interesting and helpful things both about the class’s subject matter (if that’s what you ask them about) or about their other experiences (if that’s what you prefer).
Again, you don’t have to do it. If you think your professors are utter bores, and speaking in class is foolish, that’s fine. But if you don’t make an impression on your professors (except on the exam), you can’t expect to get the benefits that flow from making a good impression.
UPDATE: A reader writes:
Your comments about the perils of being a passive student are true for more than just law students. I’m an undergraduate engineering student and by being engaging with my professors, and interacting with them on a personal level . . ., I have developed relationships that have paid off well in the professional and academic world. One of my professors recommended me for an internship and now I have a permanent job at the company. Another is an adjunct professor who works during the day for NASA. Through him I was able to secure a fellowship for when I attend graduate school in the spring.
Enough about me though. This is really a life lesson about the power of interpersonal relationships. Hopefully people will learn the value of just being basically friendly to others.
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