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Thursday, March 22, 2007
Variations in Law School Student Cultures
I am editing a symposium article I wrote for the University of Connecticut Law Review’s conference, Wal-Mart Matters. Once again, I am reminded how impressed I was by the dedication and devotion of the student organizers at the symposium who worked hard to make it a success. At this point, I have been to quite a few of these law review events and student-run conferences in all parts of the world. In Hartford, the level of participation, cordiality, and hospitality exemplified by the UConn law students was truly something to write home about. The students would bend over backwards to attend to every small detail. Students insisted on taking your coat and hanging it, getting you drinks, food, calling cabs for you, calling the hotel, completely by their own initiative, to make sure they now about a late check in/out, and they had this eagerness . And on a Saturday morning, the law students filled up a very large lecture room, each one of them dressed in a well-tailored suit.
I remember two year ago, when I was on the market, I was struck by variations in student cultures in law schools, that at least at first glance, didn’t seem to follow any predictable patterns of ranking, geography, public/private law school. I have heard however some people say that in colder or more isolated cities, students are more devoted to their extra-curricular law school activities. A friend of mine who recently moved from the Mid-West to a Californian Law School recounts how astonished he was initially when his new West Coast RAs informed him they were only available three days a week, as they needed a long weekend every week for play. I have also heard it said that in public law schools, students tend to be more active and act less as consumers and more as institutional citizens. Thoughts and impressions?
Posted by Orly Lobel on March 22, 2007 at 12:47 AM | Permalink
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Comments
I like getting sucked-up-to as well. But, let’s be honest here. They are doing it because of who you are.
Posted by: S.cotus | Mar 22, 2007 7:19:17 AM
Well-tailored suit? That's an odd fit with the rest of the post ...
Posted by: Jason | Mar 22, 2007 10:57:17 AM
Look, law schools have a lot of similarities. Most of the variances that you will witness is based on the insecurities that the students have regarding their careers and the way that the professors treat them.
At lower-ranked law schools, the professors think their students are losers. They don’t think of them as intellectuals. The students eventually become convinced than they are lesser people. These fears are confirmed by artificially low grades (as mandated by a curve) and therefore lesser job possibilities.
At higher-ranked school, the process is reversed. But, it isn’t until you get to schools that routinely send their grads into academe that the professors stop regarding their students with suspicion.
Students that come from the “right” background will know how to dress right. You seem to put a lot of stock in knowing how to dress right in law school. I wouldn’t put much weight into this, but I tend to judge people based on their written work and ability to make clients’ legal problems go away in a flurry of legal arguments.
Posted by: S.cotus | Mar 22, 2007 12:00:02 PM
I think your post raises several interesting issues that have fascinated me for a while. My hunch is that the vibe of a school with respect to spending more time skiing, surfing, and the like probably corresponds to the vibe of the city it's in. Smart people around the country flock to Denver because they want a more balanced life that allows them time to spend outdoors. Same with many of our students. In other cities, people in general work more, and perhaps law schools are more intense there.
With respect to some of the other variations you have noticed, I think that often varies from class to class within a school. One friend posited that perhaps classes that have more slightly older entering students (as opposed to just out of college students) tend to work harder and contribute more to institution building. (I suppose, however, that sometimes the opposite could be true). It's interesting to think about what an institution can do to foster that kind of energy from its student body.
Posted by: Miranda | Mar 22, 2007 3:31:32 PM
Perhaps another data point for your theory. I am not sure whether to consider Columbus "isolated," though it surely may be considered be cold.
Earlier this semester, the Ohio State Journal of Dispute Resolution most expertly and admirably managed their annual symposium -- with everything from student pickups and dropoffs of around ten visiting presenters, OSU gift baskets on check-in, thoughtful scheduling, delicious meals, and more.
Posted by: Thaddeus Pope | Mar 22, 2007 9:42:20 PM
i must admit i find the shock at the RAs' restricted availability kind of amusing.
Posted by: raised eyebrow | Mar 23, 2007 12:56:48 AM
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