Study Group at Columbia Law Requires Resume, Transcript

[Faeelin]

An interesting story, that's led to an enormous amount of derision and contempt for CLS students.

http://abovethelaw.com/2009/12/study_group_at_columbia_requir.php?show=comments#comments

Study Group At Columbia Requires A Transcript
Thursday, December 10, 2009 10:11 AM - By Elie Mystal

We come across some ridiculous news here at Above the Law. But few stories are as douchetastic as what happened last week at Columbia Law School. A tipster reports:

Some 1L chick has been asking a select few of her classmates if they'd be interested in forming a study group. Here's the catch: in order to be "accepted," you have to submit (1) resume, (2) undergraduate transcript.
I barely know what to say. So I'm going to throw it to a friend of mine who graduated from Columbia Law a few years ago:

I haven't heard about this, but it doesn't surprise me....
Jesus Christ, this doesn't surprise me. I graduated from a law school where s*** like this happens and I'm not surprised.


All right, let's analyze the problems here after the jump.

Asking fellow students to submit their undergraduate transcripts is unimaginably asinine. But submitting to the request is arguably even more pathetic:

[T]ell me what's sadder: the fact that this poor girl thinks this is an acceptable thing to do, or that people have actually submitted their "qualifications"?
Here's what I don't understand, in no particular order:

* Don't people tend to study with people they like? Does this Columbia law student have no friends?

* Explain to me again what an undergraduate transcript has to do with law school?

* Did the student do this in hopes of showing up on Above the Law? Am I being trolled?

* What kind of ego does it take to think that people must be qualified for the privilege of studying with you?

The last point really breaks me up. Fundamentally, setting up a study group is a nice way of saying: "I'm not smart enough to understand this on my own." You are asking for help! Beggars cannot be choosers.

But is there a Columbia law student running around thinking that she's so great that others must submit a freaking curriculum vitae to get in a room with her?

This poor girl's gotten an enormous amount of crap on facebook, but I'm a bit curious. While her method is incredibly jackassish, doesn't everyone try to work with people who are as smart as they can? And that being so, the contempt this poor gal's been getting is amazing; she's had to take everything off of facebook, as random people are just yelling at her. So, was she being reasonable but acted rashly, or an absurd git?

[ulmont]

This poor girl's gotten an enormous amount of crap on facebook, but I'm a bit curious. While her method is incredibly jackassish, doesn't everyone try to work with people who are as smart as they can? And that being so, the contempt this poor gal's been getting is amazing; she's had to take everything off of facebook, as random people are just yelling at her. So, was she being reasonable but acted rashly, or an absurd git?

Absurd git.  She'd be much better off finding people she can work with rather than seeking out the top, especially as defined by her metrics.

[jimmy olsen]

While an absurd request, she doesn't in my opinion deserve that level of harassment for it.

[Caliga]

  I don't see the problem with that at all.  When I was in high school and they forced us to do "group projects", it always ended up being me and maybe 1-2 other people doing all the work for a bunch of other lazy jackasses.... this was especially bad with the areas of study that the school insisted on being heterogeneous (like science until 10th grade).

[Malthus]

She did a very stupid thing; in the old days it would have just rated a "pffft!" from fellow students, but now, everyone wants to be entertained by such examples of stupidity and the Internet allows them to be.

From my Law School experience, study groups were basically a bunch of friends who got together to help each other. A formal "application process" would be simply unimaginable, and I can only assume that those who actually responded to such a request simply did not know any better and were assuming that this was somehow normal.

[DisturbedPervert]

Don't see anything wrong with what she did at all

[Malthus]

I don't see the problem with that at all.  When I was in high school and they forced us to do "group projects", it always ended up being me and maybe 1-2 other people doing all the work for a bunch of other lazy jackasses.... this was especially bad with the areas of study that the school insisted on being heterogeneous (like science until 10th grade).

A "study group" isn't a group project. It has nothing to do with the school at all. It is basically a bunch of friends who want to help each other study.

The request is similar to "if you wish the privilege of being my friend, please submit your resume and transcript ... ".

Nothing *wrong* with that per se, but very, very presumptuous.

[DisturbedPervert]

I don't think what she did is that much different from academic fraternities that require transcripts for admission.  They're basically study groups with access to archives.  She's just making her own.

She sounds like an uptight freak but I don't see any reason for people to care about it.

[LaCroix]

society attacks those that break their rules. justice served!

[dps]

Well, I wouldn't want to be part of her study group if she's that assinine about who can join (unless she's really hot--and WTF, nobody has asked, "Is she HOTT?" yet, dang standards are slipping around here--or if she has really good connections in the legal world so I'd have a chance to network).  But if she wants to set the criteria for who can be in her study group and I'm not interested in joining, why should I care what criteria she sets? 

[Malthus]

I don't think what she did is that much different from academic fraternities that require transcripts for admission.  They're basically study groups with access to archives.  She's just making her own.

She sounds like an uptight freak but I don't see any reason for people to care about it.

There is an obvious difference, in that some external organization is setting standards for admission. Presumably, *everyone* who wants admission to the fraternity has to pass the test.

Here, unless she's published her transcript for all to see, it is her who is establishing criteria for access to - her, without any such reciprocation.

Thus, it is presumptuous. The only reason people care about it is that people enjoy poking fun at the presumptous.

[Malthus]

Well, I wouldn't want to be part of her study group if she's that assinine about who can join (unless she's really hot--and WTF, nobody has asked, "Is she HOTT?" yet, dang standards are slipping around here--or if she has really good connections in the legal world so I'd have a chance to network).  But if she wants to set the criteria for who can be in her study group and I'm not interested in joining, why should I care what criteria she sets?

I assume people "care" purely for the purpose of poking fun at someone who is acting in such a manner.

"If you wish the privilege of being my friend, please submit your application and references to ... "

[sbr]

Pics?

[Admiral Yi]

It's nerdy and anal but not a cause for outrage.  Just don't join the study group.

The story is more interesting to me as an example of law school/lawyer outrageaholism.

[Malthus]

It's nerdy and anal but not a cause for outrage.  Just don't join the study group.

The story is more interesting to me as an example of law school/lawyer outrageaholism.

I think "derision" is a better word for it than "outrage".