How to develop a faculty connection? Forum

[bob sacamano]

I'm a 2L at a T-14 and I'm trying to figure out how to develop a relationship with a faculty member in order to serve as a letter-of-rec-writer for clerkship applications. I just got the top grade in the class in Admin law, so I'm guessing that the Prof for that class would be as good a place to start as any. Unfortunately I'm not a big office-hours person, so I don't have many faculty relationships.

I was fairly active in one of my 1L courses and the professor liked me very much, but that was one of my worst grades and so I'm not sure whether it'd be worthwhile to try to develop that relationship.

Anyway, does anyone know how to go about turning a top grade into a clerkship rec letter from the prof? I'd try to work as an RA for the Admin law prof, but he's not taking any RAs right now. Also I'm not in his class this semester, and it's too late to add.

My grades are border-line for clerkships from my school, so every bit helps. Thanks!

[bob sacamano]

Thanks, but this prof doesn't teach any small writing-type classes

[jbarl1]

.

[BlueDiamond]

you people dont know how to have a conversation?? kinda sad.. talk about anything.. theres no way you understand every little thing in class.. or talk about something else

[vanwinkle]

1) Talk to your professors outside of class time. You can possibly do this before class, after class, during office hours, stopping by their office when their door is open and asking if you can come in, or sending an E-mail and asking if there's any good time other than office hours that you could meet with them. Even just three or four conversations during a semester can give your prof more interaction with you and encourage him to pay more attention to you.

2) Does this really need to be explained to people in law school? How did you manage to get letters of rec to get into law school if you don't know how to do this?

3) Take the same professor again. Doing well in two of their classes gives them more chances to get to know you and more to write about. (In undergrad I took three classes from the same prof, participated in class, and got three A's. He still remembered me enough to write a personalized LoR five years later when I decided to go to law school.)

4) See if you can work for a professor you've already taken as an RA, or get them to sponsor you for an independent research project, or for a clinical project of some sort. Anything that gives you more interaction with them and gives them positive things to write about you is good.

5) Spring of 2L is probably a little late to be asking this question for the first time.

6) See #2.

[BlueDiamond]

1) Talk to your professors outside of class time. You can possibly do this before class, after class, during office hours, stopping by their office when their door is open and asking if you can come in, or sending an E-mail and asking if there's any good time other than office hours that you could meet with them. Even just three or four conversations during a semester can give your prof more interaction with you and encourage him to pay more attention to you.

2) Does this really need to be explained to people in law school? How did you manage to get letters of rec to get into law school if you don't know how to do this?

3) Take the same professor again. Doing well in two of their classes gives them more chances to get to know you and more to write about. (In undergrad I took three classes from the same prof, participated in class, and got three A's. He still remembered me enough to write a personalized LoR five years later when I decided to go to law school.)

4) See if you can work for a professor you've already taken as an RA, or get them to sponsor you for an independent research project, or for a clinical project of some sort. Anything that gives you more interaction with them and gives them positive things to write about you is good.

5) Spring of 2L is probably a little late to be asking this question for the first time.

6) See #2.

Referring to point #2 I'd also ask how they managed to have any friends without knowing how to have a conversation

[Nicholas Nickleby]

You don't have to go into office hours to talk about class. Find a professor who's connected to an area of law you'd like to practice and go in and talk to them. Take them for a class, ask if they need an RA, etc.

[pasteurizedmilk]

spring 2L is plenty of time to build a relationship. go to office hours, talk in class, ace exam, get LOR. pretty straightforward.

[LAWYER2]

you people dont know how to have a conversation?? kinda sad.. talk about anything.. theres no way you understand every little thing in class.. or talk about something else

This!
I find it mesmerizing that people can excel on so many academic levels, yet lack basic social skills.