. Forum

[Myself]

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[laxbrah420]

Clap with your hands for below par and par and twerk for the good ones dude. As a rule i make my booty clap for exactly one professor a semester

[kalvano]

It's stupid and I hate it. If I really enjoyed a class, I make it a point to stop by the professor's office (after I've gotten my grade so there is no chance of a misconception) and telling them how much I enjoyed it. I think that means more, and I've gotten close with a couple of professors doing that.

[rad lulz]

It's stupid and I hate it.

[Lacepiece23]

I thought it was the dumbest thing ever too. Didn't know it was some sort of law school tradition at all. However, of course someone always starts the clap in every class.

[stillwater]

i dont think its just a law school thing, i think its just fallen away in undergrad bc undergrads are not into such obsequious displays of "respect" anymore

[atcushman]

I dont think anyone knew of this tradition in my class and at the end of our civ pro class (we only take it 1 semester so it was the last time we would see him) the teacher looked around like he was expecting something then after a solid minute one person kinda half ass started to clap and stopped after like 3 slaps when he realized everyone was just packin their shit and didnt care...it was really awkward and i actually felt kinda bad for the prof.

[thelawschoolproject]

We had two professors explicitly state not to clap them out of the room because they felt it made it awkward.

[laxbrah420]

We had two professors explicitly state not to clap them out of the room because they felt it made it awkward.

So...djuclap?

[rad lulz]

I dont think anyone knew of this tradition in my class and at the end of our civ pro class (we only take it 1 semester so it was the last time we would see him) the teacher looked around like he was expecting something then after a solid minute one person kinda half ass started to clap and stopped after like 3 slaps when he realized everyone was just packin their shit and didnt care...it was really awkward and i actually felt kinda bad for the prof.

Don't feel bad. The dude gets paid a TON of money to teach the same thing every year and write articles that barely anyone reads.

[atcushman]

Ya it was his first time teaching a 1L class he had supervised some clinics and given some smaller upper level classes he is a nice guy but the entire semester was pretty fucking rough so the feeling lasted about as long as it took for me to shut my laptop and get out of my chair

[2014]

Apparently it is a tradition at my LS for teachers to take the last 5-10 minutes to talk about whatever they want, so they each went on tangents about random academic mind fuck things which was annoying and we then clapped.

We clapped in UG too, never understood why, these people are not their to entertain and they aren't giving any sort of compelling unique speech.

[lifestooquick]

Yeah, I always find it odd. Except for in Dressler's class. Dude earned it. He made me cry during the last class (live life day by day and do what you love kinda speech).

[3ThrowAway99]

I think clapping is a respect thing. It's customary at this point even if maybe it shouldn't be, so not clapping is beta IMO.

[Tom Joad]

I did it for my good profs and I watched them happily smirk jewishly as they walked out in delight and then it made me smirk jewishly because I knew I had made their day and then I was happy. I am a giver, people.

[kalvano]

Can one smirk whitely?

[Bildungsroman]

Yeah, I think almost every class I've had at UChicago has ended the final day with clapping for the prof. I've really liked all my professors so I didn't resent it. It's kind of a strange tradition, but whatever.

[stillwater]

I heard academia is a circle-jerk where a bunch of out-of-touch individuals make up awards and honors to give their equally out-of-touch friends and then it is reciprocated, thus closing the circle. It seems to me years ago one of these individuals told of a yet-practiced clap for professors tradition and another token of self-gratification for the ivory tower was established.

[eerie_erie]

In 1L year we clapped for every single professor, but maybe because they were all amazing. I was lucky. This semester we clapped for 2/4 professors we had, but I think those two really did deserve it.

[atcushman]

clapping for every prof regardless of quality=shitboomer?

[Myself]

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[dextermorgan]

I think one of my professors was butthurt that we didn't clap for him. He shouldn't have kept us extra on the last day.

Once after a particularly good torts lecture (around early October) there was a spontaneous standing ovation. I think that was more appreciated than clapping like trained seals on the last day.

[UnamSanctam]

I am brave because I sit there silently while everybody else claps.

[MinEMorris]

I always figured it's one of those moments many professors secretly cherish, some sort of moment where their mastery of the law is lauded and students express their awe and gratitude en masse, the sort of moment they'll repeat to underpaid nurses at a rest home some day. When your law review articles barely get cited (and only get cited for the purpose of contriving an even more obscure law review article), you never win teacher of the year type awards, etc. I imagine it is as good as it gets. I guess I had some sort of utilitarian sense that it was worth it in that sense, because it's such a small amount of effort on my part for what is probably, in the long run, a big hit for the professors.

That said, it can definitely be awkward and feel contrived. I had one professor where I was probably one of four people clapping, in which case it really would have been better for no one to clap at all and for us to pretend we simply didn't observe the practice. Some professors also simply shouldn't get the benefit of anything.

[Bildungsroman]

Once after a particularly good torts lecture (around early October) there was a spontaneous standing ovation. I think that was more appreciated than clapping like trained seals on the last day.

OH WHAT A SCHOLAR.