« Parent Teacher Conferences | Main | (Singing) “It’s my release day »
November 6, 2006
Asshole Bingo
Hey, don’t blame me . . . I’m not the one who invented it.
As anyone who’s seen THE PAPER CHASE knows, law professors use an insidious teaching technique called the Socratic Method. In lieu of preparing a lecture, the professor simply calls on a student and then grills them on some point of law. And when you’re a first year law student, there’s nothing more terrifying than being put on the hot seat.
Not so much when you’re a second or third year student. Then, being called on is really only a minor annoyance. One day, while I was in my Commercial Paper class (and yes, it was just as boring as it sounds), the professor called on me, and I just laughed. He sighed, shook his head, and said, “I should have known better than calling on a third year.”
Classes become much more amusing when you get over your fear of being called on, and are able to fully devote yourself to mocking your classmates. Especially the pompous and self-important ones who just love being called on. Their hands shoot up in the air every the time professor asks a question, and then they yammer on and on and on . . . and on . . . and on . . . usually until the professor cuts them off.
It is because of such verbose classmates, that the traditional law school game of Asshole Bingo was developed.
Asshole Bingo works as follows:
1. Each player gets a grid with 25 boxes, set up as five across and five down;
2. Each player then fills the name of a classmate in each of the boxes; the middle box is reserved as a wild card;
3. Every time one of the classmates on your chart speaks, you get to mark that box;
4. Once you have a row of five marks – horizontal, vertical or diagonal – you have achieved Bingo.
5. In order to announce that you have Bingo, you must raise your hand in class, and, when called upon by the teacher, utter a previously agreed upon key phrase. For example: res ipsa loquitur, or slippery slope, or the floodgates of litigtation. Part of the challenge of the game is to work the phrase into your answer, without the teacher catching on what you’re doing.
Chances are that if you’re not aware that your classmates are playing Asshole Bingo . . . well, your name is probably on someone’s grid. And maybe you should reconsider how often you wave your hand in the air, Hermione Granger-style.
This blog was brought to you by Whitney's new book, Testing Kate, a novel about surviving law school, finding love in unexpected places and turning your luck around.
Posted by Whitney at 1:15 PM | Comments (4)
Comments
This is interesting (and kind of sad) to me, because my experience was totally different. I went to night school my first year of law school, and we were all working professionals who were actually there because we wanted to be there - and most of us were paying for it ourselves. So we had some terrific discussions and nearly everybody participated. Of course, when I switched to the day program my 2nd year, it was as you described. My biggest regret from law school was that I didn't stick with my night school classes, even though it would have taken me another year to graduate, because I totally disliked classes with the fresh out of college kids. There is only so much "who is sleeping with so and so" and "did you hear about the kegger" you can take when you're 29 . . .
Posted by: Alesia Holliday ![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://www.literarychicks.com/nav-commenters.gif)
at November 6, 2006 2:28 PM
I love this concept! I'm using it the next time we have one of those big school meetings. It's always the same parents asking the questions.
Hmmm. I think there's a way to turn this into a drinking game, too. It'll make those meetings go MUCH faster.
LC Eileen
Posted by: Eileen at November 6, 2006 4:09 PM
LOL Whitney - that's hilarious! And I'm glad I'm not the only LC who curses. :)
Posted by: Lani at November 7, 2006 10:17 AM
And, PS, TESTING KATE ROCKS!!! Loved it!!
Posted by: Alesia Holliday at November 7, 2006 3:46 PM
