Enroll in class with screening partner? Forum

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Enroll in class with screening partner?

Post by Anonymous User » Thu Jan 03, 2013 4:12 pm

I go to CCN and landed an SA position with a v20 firm. The partner who conducted my screening interview and gave me my CB also teaches an evening seminar next semester. I was wondering if it would be wise to take her course. The topic is mildly interesting, but I have heard negative things about her as a lecturer, and I certainly would not be taking the course if she was not teaching it. On the other hand, I feel like this could be a good opportunity to get to know someone who already kind of likes me before heading into my SA. On the other other hand, I feel like one blown cold-call could change her perception of me.

I know, typical TLS aspie nonsense, but I would appreciate some advice on what you guys would do in this position.

Also, please do not move this to another board mods, as I am only concerned about the affect that taking this course would have on my legal employment prospects.

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Re: Enroll in class with screening partner?

Post by Anonymous User » Thu Jan 03, 2013 4:36 pm

If it were me, I wouldn't. I feel like the chance of doing poorly in the class or making it obvious that you're doing other things online during class would be too high and it could be more likely to hurt you than help you.

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Re: Enroll in class with screening partner?

Post by Myself » Thu Jan 03, 2013 5:16 pm

I wouldn't. You have much to lose and little to gain in terms of perception, reputation, etc. You don't want to be doing class and doing butt-kissing work stuff at the same time.

Oh, and things could get awk if you don't do well in the class.

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Borg

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Re: Enroll in class with screening partner?

Post by Borg » Thu Jan 03, 2013 6:37 pm

Absolutely don't do it. You're not going to get any points with the partner for having taken the class, and if you don't do well you're screwed. Stay away.

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TTH

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Re: Enroll in class with screening partner?

Post by TTH » Fri Jan 04, 2013 1:16 pm

Nope.

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Re: Enroll in class with screening partner?

Post by Anonymous User » Fri Jan 04, 2013 3:37 pm

OP here, thanks for the advice. My gut instinct is to not enroll because, as you all indicated, I seem to have very little to gain, but a whole lot to lose. I'm concerned, however, that the partner will notice I am not in the class and think I am avoiding it to hide my incompetence. I suppose the better course of action would be to wait until my 3L year, after I (hopefully) have an offer secured, before taking the course and trying to build a relationship with the partner.

So should I send an email to the partner explaining that I cannot enroll in her class because of a schedule conflict, but will definitely try and keep my schedule free for next semester? Or just not draw any attention to myself? I'm leaning toward the latter...

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Re: Enroll in class with screening partner?

Post by hichvichwoh » Fri Jan 04, 2013 4:40 pm

Anonymous User wrote:OP here, thanks for the advice. My gut instinct is to not enroll because, as you all indicated, I seem to have very little to gain, but a whole lot to lose. I'm concerned, however, that the partner will notice I am not in the class and think I am avoiding it to hide my incompetence. I suppose the better course of action would be to wait until my 3L year, after I (hopefully) have an offer secured, before taking the course and trying to build a relationship with the partner.

So should I send an email to the partner explaining that I cannot enroll in her class because of a schedule conflict, but will definitely try and keep my schedule free for next semester? Or just not draw any attention to myself? I'm leaning toward the latter...
...really?

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dr123

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Re: Enroll in class with screening partner?

Post by dr123 » Fri Jan 04, 2013 4:42 pm

Why would you send an unsolicited email like that? WTF?

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somewhatwayward

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Re: Enroll in class with screening partner?

Post by somewhatwayward » Fri Jan 04, 2013 4:55 pm

Your first post was a reasonable question but your second post was totally aspie....honestly I doubt this person remembers you at all if your contact was limited to the screening interview and the callback. You do realize that screening interviewers usually talk to hundreds of students and that the interview was months ago, right? You will find during your SA that your interviewers generally won't remember you and then when you (presumably) go back after you graduate, the people who worked w you during your SA probably won't remember you either.

The point is that she will not notice that you aren't enrolling in her class. The point is also that your thinking is very self-focused if you believe that all the interviewers who gave you CBs remember you now.

ETA: I realized I sound harsher than I intended...I have asked self-focused questions in the past as well. But you are really overestimating your prominence in this person's mind if you think she will notice you aren't in her class.

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Re: Enroll in class with screening partner?

Post by Anonymous User » Fri Jan 04, 2013 5:06 pm

OP here, ok I apologize and realize that the second question was quite aspie. However, I'm the only one at the school to be summering at the firm this year, so I don't feel like it is completely absurd for the partner to look and see if the one SA enrolled in her class. We also talked about her teaching at the school during my interview. I am probably over-thinking this though, and I concede that the partner likely has completely forgotten what I look like and what we talked about by now. So...ya...I will just go with not drawing any attention to myself. Thanks for the input.

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Re: Enroll in class with screening partner?

Post by Myself » Fri Jan 04, 2013 7:09 pm

Anonymous User wrote:OP here, thanks for the advice. My gut instinct is to not enroll because, as you all indicated, I seem to have very little to gain, but a whole lot to lose. I'm concerned, however, that the partner will notice I am not in the class and think I am avoiding it to hide my incompetence. I suppose the better course of action would be to wait until my 3L year, after I (hopefully) have an offer secured, before taking the course and trying to build a relationship with the partner.

So should I send an email to the partner explaining that I cannot enroll in her class because of a schedule conflict, but will definitely try and keep my schedule free for next semester? Or just not draw any attention to myself? I'm leaning toward the latter...
You're way overthinking this. Don't do that during your SA. Just take your regular classes and don't bring it up.

To be honest, she's not likely to even think about your not enrolling at all during the semester. And if she does, it will be for not more than a second.

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Re: Enroll in class with screening partner?

Post by Anonymous User » Fri Jan 04, 2013 9:26 pm

I used to teach college. I might have noticed if a person I'd interviewed for something enrolled in my class. However, if they didn't, I wouldn't think about it for a second - if I noticed, I would assume they had a conflict/weren't interested in the class, and that would be that. (I mean, if the student had told me they wanted to take my class then didn't sign up, I might notice it for 5 seconds. But really, teachers don't care.)

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Re: Enroll in class with screening partner?

Post by aces » Fri Jan 04, 2013 11:12 pm

Anonymous User wrote:I used to teach college. I might have noticed if a person I'd interviewed for something enrolled in my class. However, if they didn't, I wouldn't think about it for a second - if I noticed, I would assume they had a conflict/weren't interested in the class, and that would be that. (I mean, if the student had told me they wanted to take my class then didn't sign up, I might notice it for 5 seconds. But really, teachers don't care.)
I agree with this entirely. Unless you explicitly told her that you were going to enroll in her class, she almost certainly wouldn't notice. Even if she did notice, she wouldn't care and it wouldn't reflect negatively on you. She would, like any normal person, assume that you had a full courseload or had a time conflict or weren't interested in the subject or any one of a whole host of reasonable reasons not to take the class. V20 partners have a lot more to worry about then whether some SA they interviewed is enrolled in their two-credit seminar. No one would be petty enough to hold it against you unless you had previously told them you were going to take the class.

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