Go Ask, Young Woman

Something really struck me at one of those indistinguishable 1L lunch panels last year: men generally do not hestitate to barge in and talk to professors or partners. Thus, they hook up with great mentors. Thus, they are set on the path of success. Women don't want to intrude, don't want to be a bother, don't want to be rejected.

If you never ask, you're never told no. Of course, you never hear yes, either. Or please come in and chat, or hey how about going to the basketball game tonight, or I would love to write a letter of recommendation for you.

Women in law and law school are frustrated by the lack of female professors and partners--and rightly so, I think. But I suspect that some professors are frustated at not getting the chance to help some of their female students, who maybe don't get up the nerve to just ask for that Letter. It took me long enough, but at least I did it. Letters 1, 2, and 3 are tentatively lined up, though there's a strong chance that one or two of those will disappear when they see my transcript.

In other news: still no place to live, my godson gets confirmed tonight (hi HTM! Your card is on its way.), its muggy in the Green Lounge but I'm freezing in the library, and I still haven't written my dang-blasted paper.

Comments

[k]

Similar. I finally mustered up the nerve to ask for #3--and the answer was an immediate yes, so clearly all my angst over asking for it was wasted.

[LL]

I was thinking about that the other day- how guys seem to volunteer with questions, comments, staying after to talk to the prof, etc. more readiliy than girls do. I don't believe it's because the girls think they're any less valid members of the law school community or feel repressed (at least not any of the ones I know), but I wonder if it's because we have a stronger inner-editing process. When I think think of something to say in class, before I raise my hand, I usually pause and (a) answer my own question or (b) decide it's too nit-picky or off topic to bother. If it's neither, I'll go ahead and comment, but I feel like if a lot of guys went through that same self-edit before speaking, the number of male/female volunteers would even out. Have you noticed that more males volunteer with (b)-type comments than females? It's intriguing...

That has pretty much nothing to do with rec letters, but congrats on getting yours all lined up!!