Posted by Eugene Volokh:
The perils of being a passive law student --
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.
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