LLM #4 — Be open, be friendly, be a leader
The LLM is not only a time to learn about law. It is also a time to make friends and connections that will last forever.
About 3 months before flying from Spain to the Washington DC to attend Georgetown Law LLM, I talked to a colleague at the firm that had done the same some years before me.
He told me the following: “the first few days everyone is going to be a little bit confused. Use that confusion to become the leader of the class so everyone knows who you are. So first day, scream ‘who wants to grab a beer’ and everyone will follow.”
So I did. And it was amazing.
Not only I got to break the ice, helping everyone (including me!) connect easier, but I also met some people that are my best friends today! We got to organize diversity parties, where everyone brought food and drinks from their country; we discussed our opinions on political issues in different countries learning from each other; and we forged alliances for life.
- Be open: there are millions of people out there that you can reach to which can be very beneficial for you (not only in business, but also as a person) if you are willing to reach to them
- Be friendly: and people will be friendly to you. It amazes me how many people prefer to be rude or just not friendly to others that they don’t know.
- Be a leader: this is more of an attitude for life in general. If you lead, people will recognize you as someone with the will to do things and will reach out to you whenever they need something.
Looking back, I think I figured out why people come out from the LLM (and every master degree in general) so happy about the experience: the magic is that the 250 people that attended my LLM where all in the same situation in life. We were all ambitious brave smart law students from all around the world, so you can relate very easy with everyone. So use this special circumstances to create special friendships.
I want to thank all my LLM colleagues for such an amazing experience. I will never forget you.
Originally published at https://www.antoniodelaesperanza.com on April 20, 2017.