HLS in Focus

My criminal law professor has a weird knack for giving us impossible hypothetical scenarios, which he will invariably follow up with the adage: “For every complicated question there is a simple answer… and it is always wrong.”*

The saying rang true for me this weekend. I was visiting some friends at my alma mater, Brown University, and ended up in a conversation with a couple freshmen about law school. I thought I was being pretty informative until someone asked me what they thought was a simple question: What are the classes like?

At first I wanted to answer with something basic like, “fine” or “tough”. The problem is that, just as my criminal law professor would have predicted, any simple generalities would have been flat wrong.

The complication here is that no two of my classes are in any way remotely similar. Each professor’s teaching style is pretty unique and can drive class time in very different directions.

For instance, I have a couple professors that use the Socratic method sparingly, preferring long discussions based on establishing deeper understanding of the principles behind the cases. However, I also have a professor who I’ve heard one student claim “might as well be Socrates” for how extensively she cold calls in an attempt to tease out the relevant facts of each case.

My professors come from all levels of academia, private practice, and governmental work. These unique perspectives can radically change the classroom dynamic, by changing how the professor is likely to frame a question and approach legal problems.

I have classes where it is not unheard of to have 200 pages of reading in a night, and others where I would be shocked if I received more than 20. The reading themselves vary by class from dense case law to broader discussions on legal theory and relevant socioeconomic underpinnings of the law.

My point is that when I am asked how are my classes, it’s difficult to answer because each professor puts a unique spin on the subject matter that they are teaching, such that no two classes are the same. The incredibly cool thing about this is that none of these stylistic decisions are better or worse than the others. I enjoy the open-ended discussions as much as the scholastic inquiry of the Socratic method. I like hearing one professor opine about the deep economic history of property rights and then hear another talk about the time they were defending Mike Tyson and the former heavyweight champion playfully, but painfully, jabbed him in the arm. Every class is distinct from one another, and that’s what makes them rewarding.

If you ever find yourself asking a Harvard law student how their classes are going, forgive them if they stammer a bit. It might actually be a good thing.

* I know my professor would love to take credit for this, but the quote can be traced back to Mencken.

- Anit