Breaking the Stereotype

Sabrina Macklai

U of T Law students rip pages out of library books, send notes with deliberate errors, and hoard articling positions — right?

While the University of Toronto Faculty of Law boasts a favourable reputation as one of the world’s top law schools, students at the Faculty aren’t necessarily viewed under the same positive light. Overly competitive, individualistic, and just flat-out mean, are just a few terms that come to mind when others picture a U of T law student. But how true is this stereotype?

It is true that given the Faculty’s extremely selective admissions process, the students here are academically “the strongest student body in the country.” It makes sense to extrapolate that the students who occupy the top and want to stay at the top of the top would adopt a cut throat nature. But having finished three quarters of my first semester at the law school, I’m not convinced.

Everyone I’ve met thus far at the law school — fellow 1Ls and upper years, first generation students and students with family lines of lawyers, and people who share my beliefs and those who differ — have all been eager to share resources, provide advice, and generally be kind. 

Although the Faculty does not currently allow recording of lectures, I’ve found that students in my class are more than willing to share their lecture notes if you happen to miss a class. With exams just a month away, I’ve already received many offers by my peers to share their outlines and maps. The Students’ Law Society is also brimming with study materials provided voluntarily by upper year students.

Beyond resources, however, the students here are very open about the difficulties of law school and take action to provide support to one another. I’ve personally benefited from the many mentorship opportunities the Faculty provides, including the peer mentorship program, the academic success program, and the peer mental health support program. In all these programs, upper years volunteer their time and expertise to assist 1Ls in their transition to law school. 

Outside of school, my peers have been earnest in getting to know one another, which can be difficult when starting a new program during a pandemic. Nonetheless, students in my class have created inclusive group chats, formed study groups, and invited each other to virtual hangouts. Though many of us haven’t met in-person, we’ve become more than just a black screen on Zoom to each other.

Sure, students here are graded on a curve which can make it compelling for students to withhold resources and actively compete against one another to ensure they’re within the top 15% of their class. But in reality, students here seem very willing to lend a helping hand to any classmate in need. Forging friendships rather than making enemies may in fact be a better strategy to perform well at law school. 

There will always be some students who are solely here for themselves, but that is likely the case in any law school, not exclusive to the University of Toronto. So while it may seem like U of T Law is full of snakes, I’m happy to share that at least my experience has been the opposite. 

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