Summer school went well, I Am Jured my Family Law class-very exciting.
Now it is time for a new year. There is something about each new year that is familiar, yet exciting and different. I always meet new people because it's not just your section in class anymore. The longer I am in school, the more I get to know the faculty and it's so much fun. Law School has gone from scary, to family. They are there when you cry, have a break down, when you're excited, and everything in between. You fight with them, and you don't like all of them, but when Thanksgiving hits, you all sit down and realize you are still thankful!
3L year is supposed to be fun and easy, but that's only if you make it that way. I, the constant overachiever, am taking too many hours, working two jobs, and am an editor on law review and Historian of OAWL. I enjoy being busy and it keeps me going. Some people need the break. The point is-do what works for you and ignore those who say you are doing it wrong.
Thursday, August 16, 2012
Wednesday, June 13, 2012
Grades!
Grades FINALLY came out. It feels like torture to have to wait a month + for grades. The real torture comes once you know grades have been turned in and are just waiting for them to be posted. It becomes excruciating when they pop up and you are scared to look.
The thing is, they never turn out bad* and I have actually improved almost every semester (LAST semester was pretty hard to beat, but I got close to the same). Still, you never know how it is going to turn out. Is this going to be the semester I make my first C? Is this going to be the semester I make straight As? (Neither one has happened for me, I always seem to have a B+ or a B mixed in.)
Another nerve wracking thing-with grades you can also Am Jur-which is the highest grade in the class. So far I have Am Jured 1 class-Wills and Trusts. It was my favorite class ever and it's what I want to do with my life. However, just making an A+ does NOT mean you necessarily Am Jur. So, after waiting in AGONY for grades, if you get an A+, you have to wait in AGONY for the Am Jur list.
In the end, we are all going to graduate and most will get jobs. You don't need to be top of the class to get a good job. So relax, open a bottle of wine, and be glad you survived.
*Bad is relative. Some people think B's are bad, I personally have no problem with Bs,
The thing is, they never turn out bad* and I have actually improved almost every semester (LAST semester was pretty hard to beat, but I got close to the same). Still, you never know how it is going to turn out. Is this going to be the semester I make my first C? Is this going to be the semester I make straight As? (Neither one has happened for me, I always seem to have a B+ or a B mixed in.)
Another nerve wracking thing-with grades you can also Am Jur-which is the highest grade in the class. So far I have Am Jured 1 class-Wills and Trusts. It was my favorite class ever and it's what I want to do with my life. However, just making an A+ does NOT mean you necessarily Am Jur. So, after waiting in AGONY for grades, if you get an A+, you have to wait in AGONY for the Am Jur list.
In the end, we are all going to graduate and most will get jobs. You don't need to be top of the class to get a good job. So relax, open a bottle of wine, and be glad you survived.
*Bad is relative. Some people think B's are bad, I personally have no problem with Bs,
Wednesday, May 23, 2012
Advice for the Incoming 1Ls
1) expect to read a case a MINIMUM of 2 times.
2) Brief EVERY case at least your first semester
3) Do NOT try and start outlining on your first day. You need to get through a whole "block" of material before you understand where the class is going, and it will be a waste to start too early.
4) Do NOT get in the habit of skipping class. Law school takes roll and you will lose points if you miss too many
5) Find a study group you can WORK with. Don't just try and study with people you think are smart. You need to find people who "click" with you and learn like you do.
6) Do NOT just take an upper classman's outline and study off that-you need to make your own.
7) DO take upper classmen's outlines to compare yours too-but do not take everything in them just as fact. Often they can help you find were to look for info you are confused about.
8) Do not lose your social life. All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.
9) Ask your professor questions. That is what they are therefore! If you don't understand a topic, ask after class, shoot them an email, go to office hours,whatever you need.
10) Do hypos! Just learning the information is not enough. memorizing will only get you so far. You need to learn how to APPLY the info.
2) Brief EVERY case at least your first semester
3) Do NOT try and start outlining on your first day. You need to get through a whole "block" of material before you understand where the class is going, and it will be a waste to start too early.
4) Do NOT get in the habit of skipping class. Law school takes roll and you will lose points if you miss too many
5) Find a study group you can WORK with. Don't just try and study with people you think are smart. You need to find people who "click" with you and learn like you do.
6) Do NOT just take an upper classman's outline and study off that-you need to make your own.
7) DO take upper classmen's outlines to compare yours too-but do not take everything in them just as fact. Often they can help you find were to look for info you are confused about.
8) Do not lose your social life. All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.
9) Ask your professor questions. That is what they are therefore! If you don't understand a topic, ask after class, shoot them an email, go to office hours,whatever you need.
10) Do hypos! Just learning the information is not enough. memorizing will only get you so far. You need to learn how to APPLY the info.
Monday, May 21, 2012
First day
It is the first day of summer school. I always get jitters about the first day. This isn't like undergrad where on the first day you get the syllabus and get to leave early. Nope, in law school it starts with "Ms./Mr.______ Please tell me about the case." As a 3L ( as long as I passed everything), you would think I would get over being nervous. Heck, I haven't briefed a case since the beginning of the Fall Semester of my 2L year. Nope, I'm nervous! In fact, I briefed my cases for today!
Everyone has their favorite way of briefing a case, and some teachers require you to brief a specific way as well. For me, I always start with "procedural posture". This is what happened in the trial/appeal/etc. That way if they say "affirmed", I know what they mean. Also, my favorite 1L teacher always required this information right at the beginning and it is a habit now I can't seem to shake. There is something about knowing that information that is comforting.
Wish me luck today. If there are any budding law students out there, this is how I like to brief:
Everyone has their favorite way of briefing a case, and some teachers require you to brief a specific way as well. For me, I always start with "procedural posture". This is what happened in the trial/appeal/etc. That way if they say "affirmed", I know what they mean. Also, my favorite 1L teacher always required this information right at the beginning and it is a habit now I can't seem to shake. There is something about knowing that information that is comforting.
Wish me luck today. If there are any budding law students out there, this is how I like to brief:
I. Case Name
a.
Procedural Posture:
b.
Facts:
c.
Issue:
d.
Analysis:
e.
Holding:
f. Conclusion:
g.
Rule:
Tuesday, May 15, 2012
Summertime and the Livin's easy
Not always true when you are a law student. Summer isn't about pools, sun, and vacations. Summer is about internships, anxiety for when grades will post (about 6 weeks after you take finals-it blows), and summer school. That's right kids-I am taking summer school. In order for me to fit in family law (a must, I believe) I had to take it over the summer.
Sure, I have done intercession before in undergrad, but this is different. Undergrad and law school are completely different animals. I will have class every day and my final will be the first week in July. My reading will be about 30 pages a night, which is the usual for law school, so I am not too scared.
On top of summer school, I will be working 20 hours a week. I will be doing research, writing memos and briefs, and hopefully getting to do a probate! Internships are important, they set a standard for what you will be doing post graduation. If you don't work over the summer at a law office, it can really hinder your job opportunities later.
Wish me luck. I'll be dreaming of pool time inside a stone building this summer:
Sure, I have done intercession before in undergrad, but this is different. Undergrad and law school are completely different animals. I will have class every day and my final will be the first week in July. My reading will be about 30 pages a night, which is the usual for law school, so I am not too scared.
On top of summer school, I will be working 20 hours a week. I will be doing research, writing memos and briefs, and hopefully getting to do a probate! Internships are important, they set a standard for what you will be doing post graduation. If you don't work over the summer at a law office, it can really hinder your job opportunities later.
Wish me luck. I'll be dreaming of pool time inside a stone building this summer:
Thursday, April 12, 2012
Law School-the Hunger Games Edition
My friend made a very appropriate statement today-enrollment day: "I felt like I was in the Hunger Games for a second there, I had to move so fast!" Oh enrollment-another way law school has students compete with each other. The core classes aren't too rough to get into. It's the FUN classes; the skills classes and seminars that are impossible. These classes only hole 16-25 people. There are 185 in the "3L" class-you do he math. Granted, not everyone wants into the exact same classes, but there is a good number wanting into the hot topic classes.
Law and Literature-this is amazing for law students. We don't get to read literature, we get to read casebooks, so getting to read for pleasure and a grade is AWESOME!
Interviewing, Counseling, and Negotiation-this is a fun class where you get to actually act like a lawyer. You get to have mock interviews and a fake client. It is super fun.
Alternative Dispute Resolution-this is where you get to practice mediation and other ways of ending a dispute without resorting to litigation. It is another class you get to act in.
Employment Law Seminar-this is taught by our Dean of the Law School, so of course it is popular. Dean Harroz is a super fun guy and very intelligent. it always fills up fast.
I feel a little bad for the soon to be 2Ls, they don't get the chance to do too many fun classes. Then again, I didn't either-we've all been there.
Law and Literature-this is amazing for law students. We don't get to read literature, we get to read casebooks, so getting to read for pleasure and a grade is AWESOME!
Interviewing, Counseling, and Negotiation-this is a fun class where you get to actually act like a lawyer. You get to have mock interviews and a fake client. It is super fun.
Alternative Dispute Resolution-this is where you get to practice mediation and other ways of ending a dispute without resorting to litigation. It is another class you get to act in.
Employment Law Seminar-this is taught by our Dean of the Law School, so of course it is popular. Dean Harroz is a super fun guy and very intelligent. it always fills up fast.
I feel a little bad for the soon to be 2Ls, they don't get the chance to do too many fun classes. Then again, I didn't either-we've all been there.
Tuesday, March 27, 2012
When it all comes together
For some people, things click right away. That was me for Wills and Trusts. I just got it. For others, it doesn't come together until the end. This is me for most classes. Hence why I love outlining.
In my law school-there are no midterms. There is no way to know how you are doing in a class until the final. This is incredibly stressful. The good part about it, though, is it all comes together in the end. Everything you have learned makes sense when you look at it as a big picture. It's no longer this rule from this case and that rule from that case, but a cohesive understanding of that area of law.
So, while I could live without the stress, I appreciate that moment of clarity that only comes during finals prep time.
In my law school-there are no midterms. There is no way to know how you are doing in a class until the final. This is incredibly stressful. The good part about it, though, is it all comes together in the end. Everything you have learned makes sense when you look at it as a big picture. It's no longer this rule from this case and that rule from that case, but a cohesive understanding of that area of law.
So, while I could live without the stress, I appreciate that moment of clarity that only comes during finals prep time.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)