Texas Class of 2016 Forum

[romanticegotist]

Anyone else attending the State Bar Annual Meeting on Thursday?

That's on Thursday? Didn't realize it was coming up so soon. I don't know if making the trip from Austin --> Dallas for one night and presumably skipping some amount of work is something a 0L is expected to do. Were I in DFW I'd totally go.

[StylinNProfilin]

Yeah If I was in Austin I wouldn't make the trip.

[romanticegotist]

Got the package Monica was talking about today...it's a leather binder thing, a class of 16 pen, etc. The binder has a thing for holding iPads which is hilarious because they assume I can afford that and school.

[Pebbles]

Anybody receive the new thing in the mail yet? I moved recently and will have to get it forwarded so I won't know what it is for a while. What is it? I'm mildly curious.

(Not sure if I have posted here before, I lurk though, so Hi!)

Burnt Orangish Brown zipper portfolio with the same logo from the water bottles embossed on the front. Has a removable iPad holder inside with a UT law microfiber cloth. The middle has a nice pen/iPad stylus and the right side has a legal pad with the same logo watermarked on it. There was also a pocket guide to Austin tucked in there. Overall a very nice (not so) freebie.

As for the question about the Bar meeting, I would like to go, but I have to work until 5, and I am having dental surgery the next morning so I don't think 5:00 Dallas traffic is something I will brave.

[emkay625]

Hi folks-

Bored soon to be 2L here. Any questions? I'm an open book.

Hook 'em.

[BigZuck]

Hi folks-

Bored soon to be 2L here. Any questions? I'm an open book.

Hook 'em.

Favorite thing about UT?

Least favorite thing about UT?

[emkay625]

Hi folks-

Bored soon to be 2L here. Any questions? I'm an open book.

Hook 'em.

Favorite thing about UT?

Least favorite thing about UT?

Favorite thing - People aren't crazy competitive, at least outwardly. People are relaxed and friendly and helpful. Overall there's a casual sort of vibe with lots of focus on social events.

Least favorite thing - There's a lot of fratty types, which is probably both a cause and symptom of the casual vibe. So I guess it's a double edged sword. Also grades take FOREVER to come in. Finals ended May 13. I'm still waiting on two grades.

[BigZuck]

I guess I'll try a couple more:

Why did you choose UT?

How often do you go out with your classmates? Is it typically just bar outings or do you guys get to take advantage of the live music scene, outdoorsy stuff, etc.?

Thanks for doing this!

[romanticegotist]

What are classes/clinics/professors that you would strongly recommend/think we should avoid?

Where do people tend to socialize? (I've lived in 78704 whole time i've been here so no knowledge of campus really)

[emkay625]

I guess I'll try a couple more:

Why did you choose UT?

How often do you go out with your classmates? Is it typically just bar outings or do you guys get to take advantage of the live music scene, outdoorsy stuff, etc.?

Thanks for doing this!

I chose UT because I'm from Texas, I'm married, and my husband and I want to live in Texas. I fot into some higher ranked schools but after attending a few ASD's, I really just wanted Texas. I love Austin and am happy. (I also went to undergrad here, then worked for 4 years, and was excited to move back to the city).

I don't go out with my classmates often but I am an exception - I had a job during all of 1L. It's hard to find time to go out when you have school plus 20 hours of work a week on top of it. With that said, probably twice a month. Everybody else was probably twice a week. Lots of outdoorsy type stuff - floating the river, etc. Mostly bars though.

[romanticegotist]

How did you feel about being broken up into societies and sections?

[emkay625]

What are classes/clinics/professors that you would strongly recommend/think we should avoid?

Where do people tend to socialize? (I've lived in 78704 whole time i've been here so no knowledge of campus really)

I just finished 1L so can only speak about the professors I had....but......if you get Goode or Anderson thank your lucky stars because they're awesome. Anderson seems intimidating at first but he's not. He teaches Torts and wrote the book. Literally if you memorize the footnotes in the book you will get an A. The book is very well written, easy to understand, and succinct - like 1/3 the size of our other books. He's great and very funny - but be prepared. He's helpful in office hours. Exam is half multiple choice half essay.

Goode is the nicest professor of all time. I had him for Crim. He's also incredibly engaging and a good teacher. You will learn so much. Exam is nothing out of the ordinary - do all of the practice exams the library has on file for him and it will seem like a breeze on test day. He takes all his students to lunch, too, which is a nice bonus.

I reconize this isn't that helpful, but you don't get to pick your 1L classes anyway. I figure I'll have more helpful things to say by the time you register for 2L classes.

[emkay625]

Forgot to answer your other question - people tend to hang out near campus, the bars on Rainey street, and the East side.

[emkay625]

How did you feel about being broken up into societies and sections?

I like it a lot. It creates a vibe where you really get to know 25 people REALLY well as opposed to 75 people kind of well. I much prefer that. It's also a cool experience to have a 25 person doctrinal class, you don't get that at most other schools.

[romanticegotist]

How did you feel about being broken up into societies and sections?

I like it a lot. It creates a vibe where you really get to know 25 people REALLY well as opposed to 75 people kind of well. I much prefer that. It's also a cool experience to have a 25 person doctrinal class, you don't get that at most other schools.

I have this weird worry about the small sections where I'm in a class where the average skill is way higher than for the rest of the class as a whole and I get completely boned by the curve. Is that a realistic scenario or does it not work that way?

[mg7]

How did you feel about being broken up into societies and sections?

I like it a lot. It creates a vibe where you really get to know 25 people REALLY well as opposed to 75 people kind of well. I much prefer that. It's also a cool experience to have a 25 person doctrinal class, you don't get that at most other schools.

I have this weird worry about the small sections where I'm in a class where the average skill is way higher than for the rest of the class as a whole and I get completely boned by the curve. Is that a realistic scenario or does it not work that way?

I'm not sure exactly what she meant by this, but I think Monica Ingram said that they form the societies by grouping together people of similar skills and backgrounds or something like that.

[romanticegotist]

How did you feel about being broken up into societies and sections?

I like it a lot. It creates a vibe where you really get to know 25 people REALLY well as opposed to 75 people kind of well. I much prefer that. It's also a cool experience to have a 25 person doctrinal class, you don't get that at most other schools.

I have this weird worry about the small sections where I'm in a class where the average skill is way higher than for the rest of the class as a whole and I get completely boned by the curve. Is that a realistic scenario or does it not work that way?

I'm not sure exactly what she meant by this, but I think Monica Ingram said that they form the societies by grouping together people of similar skills and backgrounds or something like that.

I presume I'm not the first person to think of that, but I hadn't heard it addressed at all.

[de5igual]

How did you feel about being broken up into societies and sections?

I like it a lot. It creates a vibe where you really get to know 25 people REALLY well as opposed to 75 people kind of well. I much prefer that. It's also a cool experience to have a 25 person doctrinal class, you don't get that at most other schools.

I have this weird worry about the small sections where I'm in a class where the average skill is way higher than for the rest of the class as a whole and I get completely boned by the curve. Is that a realistic scenario or does it not work that way?

It's not supposed to happen, but sometimes it does. Looking at the chancellors list, I see now that my small section was significantly overrepresented. Regardless, small section classes account for only 9/~30 credit hours your first year, so it should have a negligible effect on whether you do well.

[romanticegotist]

. Regardless, small section classes account for only 9/~30 credit hours your first year, so it should have a negligible effect on whether you do well.

Ah, that was the piece I was missing. I must have zoned out when they were explaining how much time is spent w/ the small section.

[StylinNProfilin]

Hi folks-

Bored soon to be 2L here. Any questions? I'm an open book.

Hook 'em.

Thanks for doing this!

Anything u wish you would have known before 1L?
What are most people doing this summer?

[yackob]

Anyone have or looking for housing and need a roommate? I'm in San Francisco, will be travelling a lot this summer, and figure it'd be better to try and arrange something in advance rather than find a place in August (I'm getting a million private dorm ads in the mail but they all look like rip offs).

I'm 25, from Oakland, clean, do my best to be considerate, don't have any strange loud nocturnal habits, don't invite the whole bar home, etc. Hit me up via PM if you're interested and we can discuss via e-mail/IM/phone/hangout/whathaveyou.

I'm pretty flexible about what and where so long as it's not too far from campus (I'm not sure if I'm going to get a car yet). A 3-5 person apartment would be a plus for me, I've found these situations more enjoyable in the past

Thanks,
Jacob

[BigZuck]

Got the package Monica was talking about today...it's a leather binder thing, a class of 16 pen, etc. The binder has a thing for holding iPads which is hilarious because they assume I can afford that and school.

Speaking of which, Dean Ingram owns an iPad so we can finally put all those persistent "romanticegotist=Dean Ingram" rumors to rest.

[romanticegotist]

How long until you goons realize that I'm actually Dean Farnswo-I mean, haha you're so funny, BigZuck!

[emkay625]

How did you feel about being broken up into societies and sections?

I like it a lot. It creates a vibe where you really get to know 25 people REALLY well as opposed to 75 people kind of well. I much prefer that. It's also a cool experience to have a 25 person doctrinal class, you don't get that at most other schools.

I have this weird worry about the small sections where I'm in a class where the average skill is way higher than for the rest of the class as a whole and I get completely boned by the curve. Is that a realistic scenario or does it not work that way?

To be honest I have no idea how it works! I think everyone has that fear and everyone always claims their section is the hardest/most-gunnerish/smartest section (literally, I had people in every section make this claim to me). I think section assignment is random and then they adjust for an equal gender/racial/instate and out of state balance, but that's just a guess. I have no idea.

[emkay625]

Hi folks-

Bored soon to be 2L here. Any questions? I'm an open book.

Hook 'em.

Thanks for doing this!

Anything u wish you would have known before 1L?
What are most people doing this summer?

I wish I would have come in with a good study plan that was realistic. I came in thinking I WILL READ ALL THE SUPPLEMENTS!!! which was a waste of money and not feasible. I seriously bought like 6 for each class, which is just way too many. Here's my advice:

Before Class:
Read the cases assigned. Brief them, but make it a short brief (it should be no longer than about 2/3 of a page).
In Class:
Take notes but not too many notes. Only write down - really important black letter type stuff, anything that gives you insight to the professor's personal opinion, and any hypotheticals the professor throws out.
After Class:
That same day, go home and read 1-2 supplements. (The E&E plus maybe one other). Take your brief, your notes, and the supplements and make an outline. (Yes, I recommend outlining as you go).
Six Weeks to Go Until Finals
Take your outline you've been working on the whole time PLUS two good outlines you've gotten from 2ls and 3ls. Use those to make sure you haven't forgotten anything. Also, continue your plan of outlining the same day of class.
Four Weeks Until Finals
Start taking practice exams. At this point, take one a week for each class.
Two Weeks Until Finals
Start memorizing for closed book exams. (Make flash cards!) Take one practice exam a day.
One week before finals
Distill your long outlines into shorter outlines. Your long outlines will be anywhere from 50 - 100 pages. You need to distill these down into about 15 - 20 pages. Keep taking one practice exam a day. Keep memorizing for closed book.
During dead days and days between finals
Read over your short outline once a day. Take two practice exams a day, one in the morning and one at night. Make sure you compare your answer to the model answer when you're done. Make a 2-3 page checklist of issues/elements. If it's closed book, memorize this checklist. Make sure it includes case names. (People who say you don't need to cite case names are full of lies. I got points for case names). Tab your case book and long outline if the exam is open book.
Night Before Exam
Go to the movies. Drink a glass of wine. Sleep. Don't study.

Sorry this was long. But if you do this and outline from the beginning, you will never have a reason to stay up past 10 pm studying. I was done by about 5:00 during the first 2/3 of the semester and by 9:30 towards the end. Also, don't waste time in between classes. Use it to study.

This summer I'm doing a judicial internship the first half and a 1L SA for a firm in Houston the second half. 1L SA's are rare, I'd say about 15 percent of us got one. That is a guess though. Most people are doing a combination of judicial internship/public interest work.