Sai Kulkarni ‘23
Culture Editor
Once you are past your first semester in law school, you are allowed to pick electives and set the number of credits you are taking. If you plan ahead, you can ensure that each of your final two semesters consists of the bare minimum—12 credits.[1] You will find, however, that no matter how many credits you take, there remains minimal time to actually study. Every time you sit down to plan ahead for the week, you will find at the end, you did not meet that plan at all. This article is going to explain why that is.
The answer is not that you are a slacker. Despite the fact that some people make jokes about not caring about law school,[2] we all made it to a Top 10 school in our field. This excellent institution does not accept slackers into its ranks; we all studied hard and excelled at some point in our careers prior.[3] The truth is, you are actually spending your time on something that is very important. Much like your classes, it is a required element of the law school experience and you must spend adequate time on it that you need. It's a part of developing your personality and of getting the most out of this experience. As a logical, intelligent law student, you probably think I am describing your extracurriculars. First of all, no. Who would even do such a thing?[4] I’m actually talking about the importance of socializing.[5]
Most of us have taken advantage of Bar Review by now.[6] We all have friends to hang with or are in the process of making friends and thus have to go to many events or hangouts to solidify those budding friendships. That is to say nothing of the 1Ls who are almost socially obligated to participate in everything that their sections do.[7] That part, socially obligated, underlies this article. Between social pressures, the need to relax, and long term benefits, socializing as a whole becomes almost required as part of law school. The Law School, then, should recognize that, and give us the credit for meeting this requirement. Specifically 4 credits for this. Perhaps the Administration should treat it as something like—a class?
Debauchery and pretty good deals at the Virg. Photo Courtesy of Sai Kulkarni '23.
You read that right, I believe that the Law School should give us four credit hours per semester as just recognition of our social lives.[8] Let’s take each of those three previously listed reasons and break them down.[9] Social pressures are important to address. All our lives, the scourge of peer pressure has been decried by our teachers, parents, and society in general. But each of these people failed to tell us that life is almost entirely driven by the pressures from society.[10] The Law School should recognize that the young, impressionable 1Ls don’t want to be left behind when all the people they know are making friends and creating a place of comfort within this high-stress environment. Whether they are having fun is irrelevant, new students are more concerned with not being out of the loop during their conversations between classes. Part of the law is doing things we don’t like in favor of our clients, regardless of whether those clients are persons or businesses. Shouldn’t the Law School reward the effort of those students who are trying hard to meet the intense requirements of this program? I think they should.[11]
Speaking of intensity, the next relevant factor is the simple need to relax. Even if it gets annoying, I will keep repeating it:[12] we are in law school. This is an intense place with a course load that often boggles the mind. Add clinics, extended work for summer employers, and externships, and the pressure can quickly get out of hand. The Law School knows that mental health is a problem. Especially in the wake of last year, it should be obvious. On top of expanding the availability of mental health care,[13] offering these credits will not only recognize the efforts that each sociable student takes to manage his or her own sanity but will also encourage other students to just take a break and relax a little.[14] If the Law School is serious about helping students “in these trying times,” this is an easy way to do it.
Finally, let’s discuss the long term benefits. I can still hear Lauren Parker and Kevin Donovan in my mind talking about networking; I doubt I will ever be free from that.[15] But that’s one of the long term purposes that socializing serves. We will all be successful, and developing good relationships can lead to later professional success. There is another, less “gunner,” long term benefit: relationships! Students might find, bump into, or finally make a move during a party or Bar Review that results in future LawHoos. If the Law School promotes this behavior through course credits, they will be investing in their own future; people are much more likely to send their kids here if the school is the reason those kids exist.
All in all, the Law School has many reasons to legitimize the social behavior that already occurs. We deserve recognition for the work we are doing. And for the OWLs, I guess we can give them a similar course for “life management” instead of incentivizing them to come out. At the end of the day, the Law School should accept and reward socializing as an essential, non-law activity.
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omk6cg@virginia.edu
[1] If you do this, don’t take one semester of 16 credits 2L. Don’t do it. I am in eternal pain, don’t suffer like me. Please. For your own sanity.
[2] Or make it their entire personality like I do.
[3] Not me, though, and I dare you to find any evidence to the contrary.
[4] Especially writing in a comedy newspaper for the Law School. Who would do something so ridiculous?
[5] Or as I like to call it: getting LIT.
[6] If you haven’t, please do! It's a great way to meet people.
[7] I know it seems like a lot, but go to section softball, it's life changing.
[8] I know my thesis is in the fourth paragraph. Yes, I’m a great legal writer, how dare you think otherwise.
[9] One of my close friends mentioned I have this sentence in each of my articles. I’m not going to change it, I’m just giving her a shoutout.
[10] “Just say no” doesn’t work when it comes to hanging out generally. What do you say to that, Nancy Reagan?
[11] If you don’t think this is intense, try to get space on a table at Virg after midnight. It's a battle.
[12] I refer you to my friend Skylar Drefcinski if you think being annoying makes me stop something.
[13] This is mostly a criticism of the University as a whole.
[14] Yes, this entire article is a bit to convince my public service friends like Parker Kelly and Kathryn McEvoy to hang out with me more.
[15] This is a joke. Thank you to you two and all of OPP for helping me get a job.