UConn Class of 2014 Forum

[Heartford]

Downing - I have a flickr set here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/59959091@N ... 185991635/

The interior shots are mostly just library ones. And a mysterious basement cafeteria place that was sort of abandoned. And a LOT of windows. I really liked the windows.

Nice! That mysterious basement cafeteria is called Truffles, and it's actually pretty good considering how dreary it looks. If you go there at 12:30 or so on a weekday (not Friday) it's pretty packed.

Here's the menu:
http://trufflesbakery.com/pages/01menus ... _menu.html
they also have a daily special, which will show up in your email every morning.

It's owned/run by the same folks who own/run this cute spot in Farmington, CT: http://trufflesbakery.com/

[downing]

Snapdragon and Hartford: THANK YOU!!!!!!!

[downing]

Downing - I have a flickr set here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/59959091@N ... 185991635/

The interior shots are mostly just library ones. And a mysterious basement cafeteria place that was sort of abandoned. And a LOT of windows. I really liked the windows.

Nice! That mysterious basement cafeteria is called Truffles, and it's actually pretty good considering how dreary it looks. If you go there at 12:30 or so on a weekday (not Friday) it's pretty packed.

Here's the menu:
http://trufflesbakery.com/pages/01menus ... _menu.html
they also have a daily special, which will show up in your email every morning.

It's owned/run by the same folks who own/run this cute spot in Farmington, CT: http://trufflesbakery.com/

The menu is decent. I can see myself going there often.

[Bear46]

wow great pictures of the interior...I've been looking for some as well! Thanks!

[freestylr782]

Has anyone attained summer reading assignments?

[downing]

For incoming 1Ls there aren't any summer reading assignments. However, UConn Law's website does provide an extensive list of books to consider reading during summer.
--LinkRemoved--

[Heartford]

You should soon (today?) receive an email regarding TWEN access. TWEN is the website your professors will use to post assignments, helpful material, and other class communications. Unless things have changed since last year, you actually probably do have reading assignments to complete before some of your classes start, but they're mostly just introductory/to give the professor something to talk about during your first class meeting. These assignments will be posted on TWEN at some point before your first class.

--LinkRemoved--

P.S. Am I posting too much on here? I feel like I'm intruding on your class thread! If so, please let me know!

[downing]

You should soon (today?) receive an email regarding TWEN access. TWEN is the website your professors will use to post assignments, helpful material, and other class communications. Unless things have changed since last year, you actually probably do have reading assignments to complete before some of your classes start, but they're mostly just introductory/to give the professor something to talk about during your first class meeting. These assignments will be posted on TWEN at some point before your first class.

--LinkRemoved--

P.S. Am I posting too much on here? I feel like I'm intruding on your class thread! If so, please let me know!

Your intrusion is very welcome - any helpful advice a 1l could use is very appreciated. Now I'm looking forward to getting a good look at the assignments, even though I won't be able to purchase books for another 2/2 1/2 weeks. (still need to move, set up, etc.)

[Bear46]

You should soon (today?) receive an email regarding TWEN access. TWEN is the website your professors will use to post assignments, helpful material, and other class communications. Unless things have changed since last year, you actually probably do have reading assignments to complete before some of your classes start, but they're mostly just introductory/to give the professor something to talk about during your first class meeting. These assignments will be posted on TWEN at some point before your first class.

--LinkRemoved--

P.S. Am I posting too much on here? I feel like I'm intruding on your class thread! If so, please let me know!

We did just get an email today about signing up for TWEN, Westlaw and LexisNexis. My Lawyering Process Practicum has an assignment up that's due on the first day of class. Your advice is so helpful, don't stop!

[Heartford]

You should soon (today?) receive an email regarding TWEN access. TWEN is the website your professors will use to post assignments, helpful material, and other class communications. Unless things have changed since last year, you actually probably do have reading assignments to complete before some of your classes start, but they're mostly just introductory/to give the professor something to talk about during your first class meeting. These assignments will be posted on TWEN at some point before your first class.

--LinkRemoved--

P.S. Am I posting too much on here? I feel like I'm intruding on your class thread! If so, please let me know!

We did just get an email today about signing up for TWEN, Westlaw and LexisNexis. My Lawyering Process Practicum has an assignment up that's due on the first day of class. Your advice is so helpful, don't stop!

Oh cool. Definitely sign up for those- Lexis and Westlaw are going to be your best friends soon. One note about TWEN and first assignments- make sure you check in on TWEN once in a while over the next few weeks- it may look like you have no assignment for the first class right now, but professors are sometimes slow to set up TWEN sites for their particular class.

I'm glad to hear I'm not being obnoxious, but this should be the thread for you guys to get to know one another/find roommates/commiserate about briefing cases, etc. So I'll just hang back unless anyone has more questions about how things work. Definitely feel free to PM me about anything at all- even if it's a simple question like "what is westlaw?"- I'm more than happy to answer anything.

[downing]

Are there anything historical facts I should be aware of before entering my first Constitutional Law course? E.g. The names of all the US presidents and each president's number on the timeline.

[Heartford]

Are there anything historical facts I should be aware of before entering my first Constitutional Law course? E.g. The names of all the US presidents and each president's number on the timeline.

Are you taking Con Law during your first semester? We didn't have it until the spring. Anyway, the short answer to your question is no- I don't think it would be helpful to, for instance, memorize all of the presidents.

It might be pretty useful to have a basic grasp of U.S. history- even just knowing the sequence of major historical eras (notably the Revolution, Civil War, WWI, Depression, WWII, Civil Rights Movement, Vietnam, War on Terror) and having a basic grasp of the issues our country faced during those periods.
I don't mean to suggest that you spend the rest of your summer delving into great historical tomes- A History Channel-level of understanding will be more than sufficient for you to do well in Con Law.

It would be even more helpful to build up a good understanding of the way our government works; particularly the interplay between the three branches. Most of the Constitution is devoted to outlining the special characteristics (and, implicitly, the differences) between the three branches of government, and you'll spend plenty of time in Con Law discussing the borders between the separation of powers. Another major topic in that class will be the authority conflicts between the Federal and State governments, and also between separate states.

In my opinion the portion of Con Law class that was devoted to the bill of rights and subsequent Amendments was much easier and more fun than discussing Articles I-III, but I if I had boned up on issues like Federalism & Separation of Powers I might have had more fun overall.

[downing]

This is the name of my class: 7540-01 Constitutional Law, An Intro - Fall 2011 - Prof. Barnes
So I'm not sure if the intro means it's a class designed to ease us into a more rigorous con law course, or if it's equivalent in meaning to Con Law 1.

Thanks for the info. Now I have a good reason to touch up on my rusty knowledge of US History.

[Heartford]

This is the name of my class: 7540-01 Constitutional Law, An Intro - Fall 2011 - Prof. Barnes
So I'm not sure if the intro means it's a class designed to ease us into a more rigorous con law course, or if it's equivalent in meaning to Con Law 1.

Thanks for the info. Now I have a good reason to touch up on my rusty knowledge of US History.

Yup, that's Con Law. I guess they decided to teach that during the first semester this year? Out of curiosity (and since this is actually on-topic for the thread) what classes are you guys taking this fall? Lawyering Process, Con Law, and what else?

[ran12]

This is the name of my class: 7540-01 Constitutional Law, An Intro - Fall 2011 - Prof. Barnes
So I'm not sure if the intro means it's a class designed to ease us into a more rigorous con law course, or if it's equivalent in meaning to Con Law 1.

Thanks for the info. Now I have a good reason to touch up on my rusty knowledge of US History.

Looks like we're in the same class.

[Bear46]

This is the name of my class: 7540-01 Constitutional Law, An Intro - Fall 2011 - Prof. Barnes
So I'm not sure if the intro means it's a class designed to ease us into a more rigorous con law course, or if it's equivalent in meaning to Con Law 1.

Thanks for the info. Now I have a good reason to touch up on my rusty knowledge of US History.

Yup, that's Con Law. I guess they decided to teach that during the first semester this year? Out of curiosity (and since this is actually on-topic for the thread) what classes are you guys taking this fall? Lawyering Process, Con Law, and what else?

Weird, but I don't have Con Law in the fall. The courses I've been registered to take are Contracts, Torts, Lawyering Process, Civ Pro and Criminal Law.

Are the classes different depending on which section you're in?

PS. I'm in the day division if that helps.

[downing]

This is the name of my class: 7540-01 Constitutional Law, An Intro - Fall 2011 - Prof. Barnes
So I'm not sure if the intro means it's a class designed to ease us into a more rigorous con law course, or if it's equivalent in meaning to Con Law 1.

Thanks for the info. Now I have a good reason to touch up on my rusty knowledge of US History.

Yup, that's Con Law. I guess they decided to teach that during the first semester this year? Out of curiosity (and since this is actually on-topic for the thread) what classes are you guys taking this fall? Lawyering Process, Con Law, and what else?

Weird, but I don't have Con Law in the fall. The courses I've been registered to take are Contracts, Torts, Lawyering Process, Civ Pro and Criminal Law.

Are the classes different depending on which section you're in?

PS. I'm in the day division if that helps.

I'm taking contracts, torts, lawyering process, crim law, and con law. I'm also in the day division, but I think the day division is divided into different sections.

[ran12]

This is the name of my class: 7540-01 Constitutional Law, An Intro - Fall 2011 - Prof. Barnes
So I'm not sure if the intro means it's a class designed to ease us into a more rigorous con law course, or if it's equivalent in meaning to Con Law 1.

Thanks for the info. Now I have a good reason to touch up on my rusty knowledge of US History.

Yup, that's Con Law. I guess they decided to teach that during the first semester this year? Out of curiosity (and since this is actually on-topic for the thread) what classes are you guys taking this fall? Lawyering Process, Con Law, and what else?

Weird, but I don't have Con Law in the fall. The courses I've been registered to take are Contracts, Torts, Lawyering Process, Civ Pro and Criminal Law.

Are the classes different depending on which section you're in?

PS. I'm in the day division if that helps.

I'm taking contracts, torts, lawyering process, crim law, and con law. I'm also in the day division, but I think the day division is divided into different sections.

It is separate sections for day division. Weird thing is that for Con Law, there are only about 35 kids last time I checked and it's supposed to be a 70 person class. There should only be one Con Law class in the fall from what I know and I thought it would have everyone in the same section taking it together but that doesn't seem like it's the case.

[Heartford]

Wow, so those of you who are taking Con Law won't be taking Civil Procedure until the Spring? That's strange because I saw Civ Pro as sort of the foundational class and it helped me understand most of my other classes better (Except criminal law, of course). But I guess other schools save Civ Pro for later too, so it must work out in the end.

We had a disparity in class sizes too- some people had a tiny Criminal Law class and a huge Torts class, other people had tiny Lawyering Process and huge Contracts, etc. I don't really know why they do it that way. Also, I don't know how it will work for you guys, but my "section" had Torts, Contracts, and Civil Procedure in common, but Criminal Law and Lawyering Process were sort of split up.

[mebo28]

Hey Heartford,

So, did you find any of your classes in your 1L enjoyable? If so what...and on the other end of that question, any that were very not enjoyable?

Thanks.

[Heartford]

Hey Heartford,

So, did you find any of your classes in your 1L enjoyable? If so what...and on the other end of that question, any that were very not enjoyable?

Thanks.

Honestly, I found all of my classes to be enjoyable at times, and unenjoyable at other times. Every class has plenty of interesting subject matter but you'll always have a rough day or two in any of them. Lawyering Process can be rough during your first semester because it tends to take up a lot of time (because of your writing assignments) but it's only 2 credits. But you'll learn to research and write and i actually found it really fascinating. Civil Procedure can be notoriously complex at times, but once the different doctrines start makind sense with each other it's pretty illuminating. I found criminal law to be some of the more interesting reading assignments, but class was often tedious. Contracts is interesting but vexing at times (see UCC 2-207) and the same pretty much goes for Torts.

Seriously though, I really enjoyed my first semester. It's a lot of work but once you get used to it it's not really that hard, and if you're legitimately interested in the law it's really pretty fun.

P.s. Sorry for sloppiness/rambling- I'm typing on my phone at my summer job.

[mebo28]

Hey Heartford,

So, did you find any of your classes in your 1L enjoyable? If so what...and on the other end of that question, any that were very not enjoyable?

Thanks.

Honestly, I found all of my classes to be enjoyable at times, and unenjoyable at other times. Every class has plenty of interesting subject matter but you'll always have a rough day or two in any of them. Lawyering Process can be rough during your first semester because it tends to take up a lot of time (because of your writing assignments) but it's only 2 credits. But you'll learn to research and write and i actually found it really fascinating. Civil Procedure can be notoriously complex at times, but once the different doctrines start makind sense with each other it's pretty illuminating. I found criminal law to be some of the more interesting reading assignments, but class was often tedious. Contracts is interesting but vexing at times (see UCC 2-207) and the same pretty much goes for Torts.

Seriously though, I really enjoyed my first semester. It's a lot of work but once you get used to it it's not really that hard, and if you're legitimately interested in the law it's really pretty fun.

P.s. Sorry for sloppiness/rambling- I'm typing on my phone at my summer job.

Thanks,

I guess all this negativity towards law school had started to make me think I was about to enter a year of misery.

[Heartford]

In my opinion, most of the negativity about the law school experience is coming from people who aren't actually interested in being lawyers. You'll read a lot of people on this and other sites talking about how you'd be better off going into Engineering, Medicine, or Business. Personally, I disagree- I'd be far worse off in any of those fields because none of them interest me. If I was only interested in making money, I'd be in business school where they literally teach people how to make money. Instead, I'm in law school where they're teaching me about law.

All that being said, if you're not actually interested in law, then law school really would be a completely miserable experience for you.

Edited to add: None of the above was meant to imply that I disagree with the recent New York Times articles or other press concerning the legal hiring market (if that's what you meant about "negativity"). It's really rough out there, and if people think they're going to be handed a job just because they're in law school, they are incredibly incorrect.

[bjoscott]

Has anyone in the Evening Division started reading the "Damages" book for Pandya's Torts class yet? Looks like he wants us to hit the ground running. It is 400 pages and he wants it read before the start of class in case you are not yet aware....

[mebo28]

In my opinion, most of the negativity about the law school experience is coming from people who aren't actually interested in being lawyers. You'll read a lot of people on this and other sites talking about how you'd be better off going into Engineering, Medicine, or Business. Personally, I disagree- I'd be far worse off in any of those fields because none of them interest me. If I was only interested in making money, I'd be in business school where they literally teach people how to make money. Instead, I'm in law school where they're teaching me about law.

All that being said, if you're not actually interested in law, then law school really would be a completely miserable experience for you.

Edited to add: None of the above was meant to imply that I disagree with the recent New York Times articles or other press concerning the legal hiring market (if that's what you meant about "negativity"). It's really rough out there, and if people think they're going to be handed a job just because they're in law school, they are incredibly incorrect.

No, I wasn't talking about the legal market.

Thanks.