0L worried that I will become a gunner :( Forum

[3|ink]

Just don't raise your hand unless the professor is clearly looking for someone to raise their hand and he won't move on until someone does.

Ah shit.

That still makes you a gunner. Don't participate unless called on ever.

Yeah I know. I seriously just feel bad because nobody else raises their hand.

How long before this ends up in the "shit gunners say" thread?

[Gail]

Poppy cock.


No apologies. If you're a gunner you should raise your hand in class constantly. Throwing off the conversation into irrelevant topics each and every time. This will guarantee that no one else will learn a thing unless they also gun. Then sit back and watch the race to the top begin. But you'll already be there. You are the internet.

wait. what?

[vpintz]

Poppy cock.


No apologies. If you're a gunner you should raise your hand in class constantly. Throwing off the conversation into irrelevant topics each and every time. This will guarantee that no one else will learn a thing unless they also gun. Then sit back and watch the race to the top begin. But you'll already be there. You are the internet.

wait. what?

Excellent post + post count combo.

[asdflawyer]

Gunners don't worry about being gunners.

Came here to say this.

Came here to say the exact same thing as well. Do you think Dwight Schrute from The Office cares what people think about him? I don't think so.

[flcath]

To be fair, the presence of some gunners definitely increases everyone's enjoyment.

[romothesavior]

Just don't be a douche and you'll be fine. Here are a few signs that you're being a douche: (1) asking irrelevant questions; (2) asking questions regarding tangential points that are clearly not important; (3) asking questions concerning absurd hypothetical facts that you've created; etc. Also, be conscious of the tone in which you speak. And don't purport to act like you know anything.

Also, as the above-poster mentioned, watch for how your classmates react to your comments. This will provide a general insight as to how your remarks are regarded by your peers. If you continue to raise your hand and your professor ignores you, that is also a sign that you're a douche.

TCR

+1.

There's nothing wrong with contributing here and there, and in some classes (like seminars) it is even good to participate. But those three rules that mighttransfer laid out are pretty damn good ones. Stay on topic, don't be overly-involved, and keep an eye on how your prof and classmates perceive you.

[glitter178]

the entire purpose of participating is to answer a question you know the answer to so you won't be cold-called to answer a question you don't know the answer to.

[johansantana21]

If I hear your voice every class, you are a gunner.

[bruss]

Wow since when did participating in class become a sufficient condition of being a gunner. Just because you participate does not mean you are a gunner. Participation+consistency+saying irrelevant shit makes you a gunner.

[Ozymandias]

Raise your hand if you have something to say that contributes to the class discussion, if the professor asks. Make concision a priority. If you want to be a gasbag and impress the professor, go to office hours instead of derailing a lecture.

That's it. Nothing wrong with a student who's done the reading making a brief comment every so often. If you're worried about what people think, screw em. Some people at my school labeled gunners deserve the title, some don't. A lot of people seem to conflate working hard and participating with "gunnering." Ignore them. Just refrain from being a douchebag.

All of this, but especially the emphasized, is TCR.

[Nobody]

Wow since when did participating in class become a sufficient condition of being a gunner. Just because you participate does not mean you are a gunner. Participation+consistency+saying irrelevant shit makes you a gunner.

Not in law school yet, but I feel like the same principle carries over from undergrad: being a gunner isn't just participating in class, it's being that kid whose hand shoots up like a rocket at every single question, and is constantly interjecting with complete nonsequitors or starting stupid arguments with the professor. If you have any sense of self-awareness you can participate in class without coming across as a needy douche.

[Gail]

the entire purpose of participating is to answer a question you know the answer to so you won't be cold-called to answer a question you don't know the answer to.

this was my undegrad strategy. never did the readings. never did the non-graded homework. didn't want the professor to hate me so every class i picked one thing to say. said it. and went back to playing solitaire.

[FryBreadPower]

Haven't read any of the thread, but seriously?


How can you be worried about becoming a gunner? How about...just don't be a gunner? It's like being worried that you are going to be homicidal.

[handsonthewheel]

This advice may be easier to heed if youjust keep in mind that top 10%, LR, and a V5 SA don't mean shit when you don't have any friends.

Kinda more accurate.

[quadsixm]

I think the fact that you are worried enough to post about "becoming a gunner" 6 months prior to matriculation means you will likely be a gunner.

[J-e-L-L-o]

I think the fact that you are worried enough to post about "becoming a gunner" 6 months prior to matriculation means you will likely be a gunner.

more like a gunner in undergrad learning the law gunners game to up his gunner game to the max.

[dingbat]

"Sure. Everybody says Omega's the best, but I hate to seem... you know, pushy"

"let the unacceptable candidates worry, because after tonight, they're... you are... Kent!"

[L’Étranger]

If and when you do become a 1L gunner OP, please do not ask hypotheticals during lecture. Ever. Thank you.

[PDaddy]

Maybe it will help you to understand why students shouldn't be gunners once they arrive on campus. Think logically for a minute. As you know, law school is hella expensive, and distracting a prof - even with well-intentioned queries - retards the day's pre-planned lecture. That means that the prof doesn't get to cover all of the planned material, which lowers the value of the lesson for that day because the students didn't get to hear all that the prof planned to cover.

Students thus lose a lot of money when the lecture is held up by gunners, whose questions are, at best, usually of tangential value in the grand scheme of the course. The same questions are better suited for office hours. The rare instances in which students ask brilliant questions in class do not atone for this loss; moreover, such questions would likely be answered within the flow of the lecture and cold-calls anyways. And it goes without saying that your peers do not care to hear what you think about a particular issue. If they do, they will ask you outside of class or during study group hours.

As for some of the other gunnerish things people do, bragging, subtle attempts at intimidating other students, playing psychological games during reading weeks and after exams, ripping pages out of books, being rude during study group...do you really need to be told why those things make you a douche, or why other students will quickly want you to withdraw if exposed to your douchery?

Fear of recrimination for such acts should be enough of a deterrent for any student. If you want to be a gunner, do it here or online somewhere else (like the rest of us online gunners ). Your law school rep will stick with you forever. You'd be surprised at how small the legal community really is, despite its enormous membership. Word gets around.

[J-e-L-L-o]

I find it funny when gunners get outgunned by the professor lol.

That usually shuts em up for a lil bit...

[caputlupinum]

I never thought of myself as a gunner until I read this thread.... I ask hypotheticals all the time and professors always seem to like it because they will proceed to rant for half the class about the question I had. I have to teach myself everything anyways so why let them ramble about shit you can read in the text. Does this mean I will be a gunner in law school? I also morph my political views to match those of each professor I have, and I always kiss ass during office hours. I guess I must be a douche... In this context though it seems like all econ majors are gunner douches...

[BEAST_mode]

I never thought of myself as a gunner until I read this thread.... I ask hypotheticals all the time and professors always seem to like it because they will proceed to rant for half the class about the question I had. I have to teach myself everything anyways so why let them ramble about shit you can read in the text. Does this mean I will be a gunner in law school? I also morph my political views to match those of each professor I have, and I always kiss ass during office hours. I guess I must be a douche... In this context though it seems like all econ majors are gunner douches...

[Addy]

I shied away from gunning (minimal class participation unless called upon). Turns out, this could be detrimental. Even for an SA position BigLaw firms expect an LOR from one of your law professors (this came as a bit of an unwelcomed surprise). Unlike UG where classes were small (dozen or so), it was easy not to be faceless, LS provides a different challenge given the larger class sizes. Keeping your hand down might not work to your advantage.

[03121202698008]

I shied away from gunning (minimal class participation unless called upon). Turns out, this could be detrimental. Even for an SA position BigLaw firms expect an LOR from one of your law professors (this came as a bit of an unwelcomed surprise). Unlike UG where classes were small (dozen or so), it was easy not to be faceless, LS provides a different challenge given the larger class sizes. Keeping your hand down might not work to your advantage.

You don't build a relationship with a prof in class. You build it in office hours or working on a research project. Typically, your LRW professor writes your LOR and since these are smaller classes that prof will know you and your work much better.

[Gail]

I never thought of myself as a gunner until I read this thread.... I ask hypotheticals all the time and professors always seem to like it because they will proceed to rant for half the class about the question I had. I have to teach myself everything anyways so why let them ramble about shit you can read in the text. Does this mean I will be a gunner in law school? I also morph my political views to match those of each professor I have, and I always kiss ass during office hours. I guess I must be a douche... In this context though it seems like all econ majors are gunner douches...

Honestly. Undergrad isn't that hard. So being an "undergrad gunner" is dumb, but it's also not really the end of the world in the way that it is for law school where every second is so precious.


Cut out being a douche and people won't hate you in ls.