Advice for doing well in law school Forum

[ari20dal7]

An A would pull his GPA down. Be considerate.

[ari20dal7]

Sweet Moses, I'd love it if I could.

Truth be told, I don't completely see it. I'll probably get up and go to bed earlier. The Cardinals come first, so I'll never be studying to miss a Cardinal game. I'll try to get my workouts and personal stuff done before the first class starts. Then, I can study in between classes and in the time between the last class and the baseball game. Then, I'll probably go exercise again and study for a little while after that. So I could see putting in a few less hours during the week and a few more on the weekends.

So I'm hoping to do something like:

5:15 - wake up/read for myself/eat some breakfast
6:00 - exercise
7:30 - get some light studying in
9:00 - head over to class

Then class and studying in whatever schedule they put me on.

Around 3, I assume classes will be over, so I'll study till five, which is when most Cardinal games will start.

Around eight, I'll go exercise again, then get in an hour of studying before bed. So, on the average day, I'm looking at studying a couple hours less than X. I'd like to make that up by doing a little more on Saturday and Sunday.

Of course, the Cardinal games will end in late October (certainly not at the end of September, right?). So I'll have more time to study for finals.

Now for the bad news - Cardinal games start in April of the spring semester.......I had better hammer the fall.....

The key thing will be getting into whatever routine my class schedule allows. I'm usually pretty good about sticking to a set schedule as long as the schedule doesn't make my personal priorities impossible. Since my personal priorities are the Cardinals, we're good.

But yeah, X has given us some amazing info, and we're lucky he did that.

[ari20dal7]

I can't even imagine how X would've dominated if he hadn't had that commute. 4.33, ladies. 4.33.

So, I'm planning on basically implementing what he did, except swapping a Cardinal game for a commute, and an hour's worth of studying for some exercise. I'll need to work a little harder on weekends, but I can probably dig that. I'm not pretty enough to score an LA woman, so I won't have that distraction either

[BradyToMoss]

I can't even imagine how X would've dominated if he hadn't had that commute. 4.33, ladies. 4.33.

So, I'm planning on basically implementing what he did, except swapping a Cardinal game for a commute, and an hour's worth of studying for some exercise. I'll need to work a little harder on weekends, but I can probably dig that. I'm not pretty enough to score an LA woman, so I won't have that distraction either

3 years of an X-like GPA and they'll suddenly find you pretty enough.

[KidA23]

MLB Extra Innings FTW

I plan on getting the ESPN Full Court package for college bball season, as I doubt we'll get much ACC ball up in Ithaca...

[KidA23]

I've got the online packages, so worst case I can listen on gameday audio. The toughest thing will be getting Sooner football. Audio for baseball is just fine, but for football it's kinda lacking.

Yea, baseball is easily the best 'radio sport' because of its lack of speed. Football and basketball just move too quickly to really enjoy just by listening (particularly basketball). It's a lot easier to picture what a baseball game looks like via a radio broadcast than football or basketball.

The only regionality you have to worry about with college football are the ABC Saturday afternoon games. The ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU are national obviously. CBS broadcasts SEC games on Saturday afternoon and night, and NBC still has that awful Notre Dame partnership. I know Fox Sports has had some decent Big 12 matchups in their evening slot the last couple of years.

[bwv812]

IMO It would be insane to leave. What employer would not want the #1 student from UCLA?

Wachtell Lipton Rosen and Katz

But WACHTELL currently has two UCLA Law alums on its attorney roster: John Neumark (Associate, Restructuring and Finance) and Holly Strutt (Counsel, Restructuring and Finance) .

Counsel? Unless Wachtell does partner-track counsel, this isn't a good sign, especially since Wachtell seems to operate on the assumption that every associate will eventually become partner.

[OperaAttorney]

IMO It would be insane to leave. What employer would not want the #1 student from UCLA?

Wachtell Lipton Rosen and Katz

But WACHTELL currently has two UCLA Law alums on its attorney roster: John Neumark (Associate, Restructuring and Finance) and Holly Strutt (Counsel, Restructuring and Finance) .

Counsel? Unless Wachtell does partner-track counsel, this isn't a good sign, especially since Wachtell seems to operate on the assumption that every associate will eventually become partner.

Hmm. . . .I wonder whether that's true. Unlike Zeezoo, I don't daydream about working for Wachtell, but I am curious.

[philo-sophia]

IMO It would be insane to leave. What employer would not want the #1 student from UCLA?

Wachtell Lipton Rosen and Katz

But WACHTELL currently has two UCLA Law alums on its attorney roster: John Neumark (Associate, Restructuring and Finance) and Holly Strutt (Counsel, Restructuring and Finance) .

Yeah, they hired ONE associate from UCLA in 1997 and ONE in 2004. Even as the #1 student i can't say i like those odds (not that everyone wants a job at Wachtell...just saying). Compare UCLA's 2 to Harvard's 45, Columbia's 42, NYU's 32 and Yale's 18 (...and Duke's 4 )

[bwv812]

But WACHTELL currently has two UCLA Law alums on its attorney roster: John Neumark (Associate, Restructuring and Finance) and Holly Strutt (Counsel, Restructuring and Finance) .

Counsel? Unless Wachtell does partner-track counsel, this isn't a good sign, especially since Wachtell seems to operate on the assumption that every associate will eventually become partner.

Hmm. . . .I wonder whether that's true. Unlike Zeezoo, I don't daydream about working for Wachtell, but I am curious.

Their website indicates they have about 81 partners, 114 associates, and 11 counsel; this associate:partner ratio is unparalleled and gives you some idea of the expectations they have of their associates, as well as an associate's chances of making partner.

[OperaAttorney]

I just browsed WACHTELL's website for the first time. (I told I wasn't interested .) They definitely seem to favor certain schools, and UCLA ain't one of 'em. I hear Wachtell's an "interesting" place. . . .

[The_Wall]

Having a legitimate reason to dump the Suns for the Celtics is the only reason I'd go to Harvard over Columbia.

Of course, with the way I pick teams, KG would retire in July and Lebron James would sign with the Knicks in August.

[ari20dal7]

I just can't dump a team I care a lot about. That said, the only teams in which I'm heavily invested are the Cardinals and Sooners. I would probably dump the Hornets for the new OKC team if I still lived in OKC. I'm an Arizona Cardinal fan, and also like the 49ers because I hate Dallas, and when I was growing up, you rooted for the 49ers if you hated Dallas.

[The_Wall]

Dump is a strong word.

I'd just like a legitimate basis for loyalty to a team not in Year -1 of a six year rebuilding phase. When the Suns are back in the hunt (without Steve Nash, sadly), I'll be with them.

Until then, I need some place to go in May. I watched this year's Finals only because I hate LA.

[ari20dal7]

I gotcha. If you're just looking for a random team, consider the Hornets. CP3 is transcendent.

[The_Wall]

Chris Paul is a joy to watch. So's his backup. The rest of the team less so.

If you're looking for the future in the West, I think you'll find it in LA and Portland before New Orleans. Utah's like a low rent San Antonio, but if you took Jerry Sloan out of the calculation I doubt they'd even make the playoffs. Denver's rubbish and just shopped away the only guy on the roster who plays any defense for a future second round draft pick. San Antonio is still the gold standard 1-3 but needs to turn everybody 4-9 out to pasture. All Mark Cuban's tilting at David Stern's windmill doesn't make up for how blinkered he has to be to think Avery Johnson was the problem in Big D. Golden State has lost her engine to a team that miraculously got worse for the bargain.

The NBA's just like baseball, in the end. The only reason folks think the West (American League) is so good is that the East (National League) is so bad.

And still my Suns couldn't get it done with three All-Stars and the best true point guard of his generation.

[ari20dal7]

Nice breakdown of the West, although I disagree about Utah's roster. Those guys just physically overpower lots of teams. I think they have trouble matching elite scorers at times, but they're so strong and mean that they blow out crappy teams and never lose at home. Sloan's personality and preferences are certainly part of that equation.

New Orleans is right on the edge. They overpaid for Posey, but he does give them a lockdown defender and another useful piece. The problem I see for them is basically what happened in Game 7 against San Antonio: in a big game, when you need points, who's going to show other than CP3? Jannero freakin Pargo was running that game down the stretch and just would not give the ball up. On the other hand, if either Peja or Peterson gets hot from outside, they're awful tough to beat. I really like a Paul-Posey-Peja-West-Chandler lineup at crunchtime, although that lineup is really short a slasher, which Julian Wright could give to an extent. A lot depends on Wright, in my mind: he needs to be able to match his per minute production from last year on a larger scale, which is exactly what Hollinger noted today in criticizing the Posey signing. If Wright can become a legit 15-8 kind of guy (which is absolutely within his capabilities), and they can stay healthy, they've got every shot at winning the West, particularly since that lineup I was just mentioning is awfully tough defensively (with the exception of Peja, whom they could probably hide in that situation).

Portland - man, I like what they're doing up there. There is no ceiling on those guys in two years, but I think this year is a bit early. LA is obviously a huge contender, but I need to see them with a healthy Bynum (bouncing back from that injury is no given). Also, we're beginning to get to the point where you have to watch for a decline from Kobe, although I'd be shocked if you see any or much of that this year.

Mark it - Golden State doesn't decline at all. Baron Davis is a younger AI - good, but horribly inefficient and chucks up more bad shots than anyone in the league.

I agree with the NBA/MLB comparison. It's described as an age of parity, but it's really about painful mediocrity. About 4-6 elite teams in each sport (BOS/TB/CHW(won't last)/CHC, LAL/UTAH/BOS/DET/NO/SAS), a few teams that are faux contenders (CLE/PHO/DAL/PHI, STL/MIL/PHI/NYY/NYM/LAA/OAK), and a morass at .500 or less that includes a wild variety of teams that might get it together (like Portland, who will be very very very good, and the Indians, who are exceptionally well managed and will bounce back) and pathetic teams that won't be good in the next ten years.

[The_Wall]

That's precisely the problem. In that game, everybody (everybody, that includes Chris Paul) but Jannero Pargo looked scared out of their wits down the stretch. In Paul's case, I think it came down to exhaustion. For the rest, they were out of their depth and they knew it. David West is good, but he's not the second option on a championship team. Peja has never been that guy. I do like Julian Wright. Is he that guy? I don't think so. Chris Paul beat the Mavs by himself. Their defense was soft in the middle and he gutted it-he created an offense that had little choice but to beat that team. And they got lucky with San Antonio, whose bench looked like the cast of a Centrum Silver commercial.

It's a good team, don't get me wrong, but against Kobe Bryant, Derek Fischer, Lamar Odom, Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum, Phil Jackson versus Byron Scott? Paul can't shoulder the load he shouldered at the end of the season and in the first round and get them through LA (and likely a refreshed San Antonio, a beleaguered but for the moment still potent Phoenix) to the Finals. He's a fantastic point guard, perhaps the best scoring/passing point guard since Isiah Thomas, but he's still a point guard. He's going to need a lot more help.

I agree on Portland. A lot is riding on Greg Oden, who has yet to wear an NBA jersey on an NBA floor, but what must frighten WC executives is how good that team looks even if he never does. Utah's tough, no doubt, but I think they're playing above themselves, particularly Carlos Boozer. Jerry Sloan was rough-houser in his day. He's just turned them loose.

As for parity, that's damn right. I'd rather not have a salary cap at all in the NBA than the current system, where one player can eat up half the available cash for four or five years of first and second round exits and then poutily demand a trade. When a guy like Daniel Gibson gets a five year deal and mediocre bench players are demanding sixty million dollar contracts, you can either dump the salary cap or cut the maximum salary. It's damn near impossible to build a team of eighties era caliber without extraordinary luck and players willing to take paycuts a la San Antonio.

My preference would be to do neither, actually, but instead to cut the total number of teams to 25-28. You might tip things over to the supply side that way.

[Rufus]

top of the class at UCLA = any job you want. it will make u look real good. i say stay.

[thespinstartshere]

top of the class at UCLA = any job you want. it will make u look real good. i say stay.

Middle of the class at HYS = any job you want. It will make you look real good. I say go.

[sluggo]

I think it's really interesting that more people haven't responded with the OP's specific interests in mind. Since he is highly interested in IP law, it seems like Stanford would be an automatic no-brainer were he accepted. The same goes for Harvard, because it's Harvard. In terms of Yale, you'd obviously have to consider going to the best law school in the nation, but I have a feeling you'd be doing it almost entirely for the sake of prestige. I'd only go there if you were certain that the two years of New Haven were worth whatever edge the degree gave you for what you're interested in.

Amazing advice, btw. Thanks for being generous enough with your time to share it with all of us.

[YoungFogey]

I think it's really interesting that more people haven't responded with the OP's specific interests in mind. Since he is highly interested in IP law, it seems like Stanford would be an automatic no-brainer were he accepted. The same goes for Harvard, because it's Harvard. In terms of Yale, you'd obviously have to consider going to the best law school in the nation, but I have a feeling you'd be doing it almost entirely for the sake of prestige. I'd only go there if you were certain that the two years of New Haven were worth whatever edge the degree gave you for what you're interested in.

Amazing advice, btw. Thanks for being generous enough with your time to share it with all of us.

If you were choosing it over H and S, I would agree. However, if the choice was Yale and UCLA, with H & S out of the picture (which can happen), I'd say it is still worth it.

[ari20dal7]

That's precisely the problem. In that game, everybody (everybody, that includes Chris Paul) but Jannero Pargo looked scared out of their wits down the stretch. In Paul's case, I think it came down to exhaustion. For the rest, they were out of their depth and they knew it. David West is good, but he's not the second option on a championship team. Peja has never been that guy. I do like Julian Wright. Is he that guy? I don't think so. Chris Paul beat the Mavs by himself. Their defense was soft in the middle and he gutted it-he created an offense that had little choice but to beat that team. And they got lucky with San Antonio, whose bench looked like the cast of a Centrum Silver commercial.

It's a good team, don't get me wrong, but against Kobe Bryant, Derek Fischer, Lamar Odom, Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum, Phil Jackson versus Byron Scott? Paul can't shoulder the load he shouldered at the end of the season and in the first round and get them through LA (and likely a refreshed San Antonio, a beleaguered but for the moment still potent Phoenix) to the Finals. He's a fantastic point guard, perhaps the best scoring/passing point guard since Isiah Thomas, but he's still a point guard. He's going to need a lot more help.

I agree with much of that. This was the Hornets' first run in the playoffs, and I think you'll see them gel a bit more next year. CP3 was absolutely fatigued - he not only shouldered the load in the playoffs, but did the same throughout the regular season. No player in the league meant more to his team than Chris Paul, and that's a big burden to carry all year. As the other guys step up a little more, perhaps they'll be able to do a little more. As for that Laker squad - I'll need to see it before I believe it. For all the talk about how young this Laker squad is, Fisher is certainly getting up there and I think we can expect a decline pretty soon. If Bynum comes back from that injury, then they'll have the size inside to dominate tons of people. If he doesn't, then you're back to a defensively challenged offensive powerhouse in which Gasol is expected to bang with the other team's biggest big, and the Celtics series proved conclusively that this will not work to LA's advantage. In the games against New Orleans last year, they lost at home by 14 (with Bynum, they actually won the rebound battle, but took ten threes from Peja: shit happens) and won on the road by nineteen (again, Bynum big inside and the Hornets shot 37%: shit happens). In a series with New Orleans, I have trouble believing that Gasol is going to be able to compete on the boards with Tyson Chandler and maximize his inside/out game. But anyway, I hate that Fisher/Vujacic/Kobe/Odom/Gasol lineup defensively, and I think you can just beat them up inside with it and force LA's guys into matchup problems.

With Bynum getting it done, then everybody moves to their natural position and the team becomes incredibly solid.

[ari20dal7]

The other issue with New Orleans is that they can be a deadly offensive team - when Peja and Peterson are hitting from outside. Peja especially is one of the best pure shooters in the game, but you live by the arc, you die by the arc. They really need more slashing, penetrating scoring from someone other than CP3, and this is where I think Julian Wright is huge. Posey certainly can't provide much of that, and I'm not expecting anyone else on that roster to learn a new trick, so Wright's development needs to start NOW if New Orleans wants to contend for a title. If he can come in off the bench, play significant minutes, and give you 12-15 a game, that's a vital insurance policy if Peja and Peterson decide to go 1-17 from three. As it is, you've got David West (a good but not elite player) and Tyson Chandler (who's mostly a defensive/rebounding asset who scores some tip-ins). In that Game 7 against San Antonio, you saw the problems with all of this. Peja wasn't hitting, neither was Peterson, and it all came down to Paul, leaving him fatigued beyond belief, especially as he had to drag the team back into it all night long. If New Orleans could have counted on anyone to score some damn buckets, I think Paul would've had something left in the tank......

[The_Wall]

New Orleans didn't face LA in the playoffs. Tyson Chandler is a man, no doubt, and Pau Gasol is not, but their biggest problem against San Antonio, which was absolutely slaughtered by LA, was not defense or rebounding. Their problem was offensive production-it was Chris Paul or bust. I don't think Tyson Chandler, whatever he does on the boards or to Gasol defensively (and if Bynum is back, he won't get to hammer Gasol the way the Celtics did), is the solution to that problem. It may be Julian Wright, as you suggest, or a combination of Wright, Chandler and West, but it seems to me that, this year, West will have to be the answer for them.

LA is taking a lot of flak for the Finals, but it ought not be forgotten that they were heavy favorites to win that series. People grossly underestimated the Boston Celtics, who were the best team in the league last season and will likely be the best team in the league this season. There's no shame in being dominated by Paul Pierce, Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett-I still think the Lakers were the best in the West and, if Bynum is healthy, will have a frontline so dominating that even the Celtics will have a hard time stopping them.

As far as Fischer's concerned, though, I agree. The Lakers have four or five years, I think, if Bryant holds it together, but they're going to need a replacement at the point. And that may be a problem-in my view, Fischer was a bigger move than Gasol and he's central to Bryant holding it together. How many guys like him are there? And how many of them can take over leadership duties from Kobe Bryant?