Shortly after Legal Methods ended, a flurry of activity ignited across the student body. People around me obsessed over methods of mastering material and sought out counsel from upperclassmen for how to do so. They carved out social niches, either through student interest groups or self-assembly, to ensure they had a corner of law school they could call home for the next three years. Eventually, it occurred to me that this frantic activity is students’ attempt to exert control over a process in which they largely feel disempowered. It’s a valiant effort. But despite this incessant preparation for their law school career, in retrospect I think students neglected one crucial dimension of their academic and professional experience at law school: what it means to be a good classmate.
Far too many people underappreciate the value of being a good classmate. Consider how we learn. The Socratic method is learning by dialogue. Even if the discussion is between the professor and a single student, it’s for the benefit of all involved. It leverages our collective foibles and shared misunderstandings to get at a more fulsome and substantial grasp of the law. But, like any other conversation, people must be made to feel like their voices are welcome for it to be successful. And—perhaps more importantly—people need to show up. Being a good classmate encourages a kind of reciprocity that makes the process more rewarding for all involved.
It’s also a matter of best practice. Your class is a cast of characters with whom you’ll share many memories. The rigors of law school and the prospect of meeting such interesting, driven, and intelligent people is exciting at first. But the realities of group psychology, the challenges of social dynamics, and the simple stress of law school will quickly take their toll on your relationships with your classmates. This is inevitable. But keep in mind: The legal world is small, especially the legal markets where folks from Columbia tend to concentrate. Incorporating a conscious practice of being a good classmate into your daily interactions will likely pay dividends over the course of your professional life, even if you career from career to career.
So, perhaps being a good classmate is nice and beneficial. Great. But what does it mean to be a good classmate? Are there distinct duties or obligations that distinguish this relationship from any other? The baseline obligations for any professional relationship apply: Be kind, appropriate, and respectful. But the uniqueness of law school’s academic and social environment calls for further considerations. For example, the environment here almost demands comparison. Without meaning to, students often feel that those around them are reflections of the traits they admire the most. Don’t let this make you feel diminished. And don’t tear others down to justify what (likely only you) believe to be personal defects. A good classmate lifts those around them. Encourage other students to see what they see in others in themselves. If they perform particularly well on a cold call, congratulate them. Conversely, if a cold call goes poorly, remind them that it’s not a reflection of their aptitude. Or, at least have the courtesy to avert your eyes.
Celebrate your classmates’ curiosity. Encourage students to make conscious efforts to participate. Over the course of my law school career, I have been struck by the careful, considered viewpoints of many of my classmates. Whether or not they knew it at the time, the insights classmates have shared have left me indelibly changed. Students are drawn to law school for sundry reasons: career ambivalence, political aspirations, academia, and everything in between. Terminal points in a legal career vary. But I’ve been thankful that they were kind enough to make their voices heard.
One of the most rewarding things about studying law—when it has any reward at all—is that it’s often trying to confront and codify everyday life. Everyday life is, for those of you who have experienced it, remarkably complex. Moreover, it comes in multitudinous forms. Those around you may go on to be the very people who mold the arc of its development. They also possess entirely unique perspectives that can be invaluable tools for learning the law. Make full use of their talents! Push others to confront difficult realities. Ask questions of one another and push back where you feel the conversation is lacking. But be sure to make space for others.
Lastly, do your best to remain generous. The artificial scarcity of law school—of grades, praise, or prestige—encourages a survival mindset. Students hoard outlines, notes, and time. Resist this impulse. It will feel scary and illogical at first. That’s understandable. But every time I’ve gone out of my way to be generous, or a classmate has been generous with me, it’s been deeply rewarding. Academically, socially, or both. Acts of kindness echo much farther than people think.
Admittedly, there’s no one way to be a good classmate. But there are conditions precedent to becoming one. Be a conscious architect of a community where good classmates can thrive. It’ll make these three years here way more rewarding.
Davawn Hartz is a 3L and a writer for the Columbia Law Verdict. The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not reflect the views or positions of the Verdict.