Northwestern 1L/2L/3L/Grads Taking Questions and Challenges Forum

[Flips88]

Thanks made my decision much easier.

I may be in the minority here, but I took Presser last year and really disliked the class. He phones in lectures he's clearly been doing for years and years. He never has any actual discussion with students in class really. His exam is so simple that I think a high school senior could do well on it...like seriously his questions are like who is favorite and least favorite SCOTUS judge and why? The class will almost certainly be curved so it's pretty hard to gauge how he grades at all. He also feels the need to name drop every scholar or judge he's met that he teaches about. "This was my contracts professor at Harvard" "I once got to eat lunch with Justice Thomas." "I was on Geraldo Rivera several times to talk about the Clinton impeachment."

The upsides are that you'll only have to talk maybe once or twice all year. You don't have to read. The exam is stupid easy, but that may be a bad thing because of the curve.

[rinkrat19]

Thanks made my decision much easier.

I may be in the minority here, but I took Presser last year and really disliked the class. He phones in lectures he's clearly been doing for years and years. He never has any actual discussion with students in class really. His exam is so simple that I think a high school senior could do well on it...like seriously his questions are like who is favorite and least favorite SCOTUS judge and why? The class will almost certainly be curved so it's pretty hard to gauge how he grades at all. He also feels the need to name drop every scholar or judge he's met that he teaches about. "This was my contracts professor at Harvard" "I once got to eat lunch with Justice Thomas." "I was on Geraldo Rivera several times to talk about the Clinton impeachment."

The upsides are that you'll only have to talk maybe once or twice all year. You don't have to read. The exam is stupid easy, but that may be a bad thing because of the curve.

I heard from another student that it was also the first class she'd actually felt uncomfortable voicing a (liberal) opinion in. That might be a plus for some people, though.

[Flips88]

Thanks made my decision much easier.

I may be in the minority here, but I took Presser last year and really disliked the class. He phones in lectures he's clearly been doing for years and years. He never has any actual discussion with students in class really. His exam is so simple that I think a high school senior could do well on it...like seriously his questions are like who is favorite and least favorite SCOTUS judge and why? The class will almost certainly be curved so it's pretty hard to gauge how he grades at all. He also feels the need to name drop every scholar or judge he's met that he teaches about. "This was my contracts professor at Harvard" "I once got to eat lunch with Justice Thomas." "I was on Geraldo Rivera several times to talk about the Clinton impeachment."

The upsides are that you'll only have to talk maybe once or twice all year. You don't have to read. The exam is stupid easy, but that may be a bad thing because of the curve.

I heard from another student that it was also the first class she'd actually felt uncomfortable voicing a (liberal) opinion in. That might be a plus for some people, though.

Yeah, he will say things like "I think the Confederacy had a decent argument for secession." He's pretty unapologetically conservative.

[thefuturenow]

Thanks made my decision much easier.

I may be in the minority here, but I took Presser last year and really disliked the class. He phones in lectures he's clearly been doing for years and years. He never has any actual discussion with students in class really. His exam is so simple that I think a high school senior could do well on it...like seriously his questions are like who is favorite and least favorite SCOTUS judge and why? The class will almost certainly be curved so it's pretty hard to gauge how he grades at all. He also feels the need to name drop every scholar or judge he's met that he teaches about. "This was my contracts professor at Harvard" "I once got to eat lunch with Justice Thomas." "I was on Geraldo Rivera several times to talk about the Clinton impeachment."

The upsides are that you'll only have to talk maybe once or twice all year. You don't have to read. The exam is stupid easy, but that may be a bad thing because of the curve.

I heard from another student that it was also the first class she'd actually felt uncomfortable voicing a (liberal) opinion in. That might be a plus for some people, though.

Yeah, he will say things like "I think the Confederacy had a decent argument for secession." He's pretty unapologetically conservative.

I actually don't mind the conservatism. It only adds to the allure. Not a conservative by any means but the liberal echo-chamber at top schools gets boring after a while. I'd like to hear how he justifies those ridiculous sentiments. I hope he has read past CTEs and lets the students participate this time, and I hope those students are unapologetically liberal. Fight! Fight! Fight!


ETA: Did he really name drop Geraldo Rivera? Might reconsider my elective choice.

[Kikero]

I really liked ALH. Presser is definitely a character, but that's what makes the class fun. He is certainly conservative, but I don't think he holds being liberal against students. In the classes where there was some discussion/Q&A, he pressed pretty hard both against liberal and conservative opinions.

As for the test, I think there are ways to distinguish yourself, but you might have to volunteer more information. For example, if you get the question "Who is your favorite SCOTUS Justice and why?" answer the question, but try to work in themes from other parts of the course. If you choose Warren you don't have to only talk about things that Warren did, but also some of the changes the law went through leading up to the Warren court and what other justices had done in the past.

[Icculus]

FedJur w/ Kontorovich. Thoughts? It looks like only 10 people are in it. And he had awful CTECs.

[rinkrat19]

FedJur w/ Kontorovich. Thoughts? It looks like only 10 people are in it. And he had awful CTECs.

It looks like his FedJur CTEs are better than his ConLaw ones, at least.

Imagine taking a physics class from Sheldon Cooper. Class with Kontorovich is kind of like that.

[Dr. Filth]

FedJur w/ Kontorovich. Thoughts? It looks like only 10 people are in it. And he had awful CTECs.

Can you see how many people are enrolled in each class right now?

[Kikero]

FedJur w/ Kontorovich. Thoughts? It looks like only 10 people are in it. And he had awful CTECs.

Can you see how many people are enrolled in each class right now?

https://www.law.northwestern.edu/regist ... esults.pdf

[Magnalum]

.

[Roll Fizzlebeef]

I'm relatively higher up on WL for contemp. SCOTUS cases. Chances that more than one person drops it?

Also, thoughts on usefulness of Advanced Legal Research?

[Icculus]

FedJur w/ Kontorovich. Thoughts? It looks like only 10 people are in it. And he had awful CTECs.

Can you see how many people are enrolled in each class right now?

https://www.law.northwestern.edu/regist ... esults.pdf

Thanks for posting! I'm in a class with around 50 people. How likely is it that this number drops down to 40 or less?

Unlikely.

[Icculus]

I'm relatively higher up on WL for contemp. SCOTUS cases. Chances that more than one person drops it?

Also, thoughts on usefulness of Advanced Legal Research?

I took it. Probably the most useful class I took 2L. I actually had a research assignment at my SA that I only knew how to complete because of that class. Odds are that particular assignment would have taken me two to three times as long without the class. Highly recommend it, though I think Mirabel is better than Rosenbaum. I had Rosenbaum and she was good but I heard Mirabel was the person to take if you can.

I will add that it'a like clr in that it's only 2 credits but seems like more work that other classes.

[jn7]

So is it safe to assume that after first round, courses bordering the minimum enrollment to be curved (say like 36-37 enrolled) will break after second round?

I thought maybe people will drop after seeing other options, but that can definitely go the other way.

[Georgia Avenue]

if you're taking antitrust please drop it and take someone else with you

[jn7]

if you're taking antitrust please drop it and take someone else with you

Wish I could help, but no not taking AT

[rinkrat19]

So, looks like both sections of Evidence are curved. Am I going to want to kill myself?

[echooo23]

What's the likelihood that I'll move from #3 on the wait list into a class with fewer than 25 spots?

[Icculus]

What's the likelihood that I'll move from #3 on the wait list into a class with fewer than 25 spots?

Depends totally on the class. Some classes have high turnover rates, others don't. For example, it is doubtful if you are #1 on Entrepreneurship Law waitlist you would make it in, but I made a 25 person class being #5 on the WL.

[splitmuch]

if you're taking antitrust please drop it and take someone else with you

Whose the prof? Not sure you actually want this.

[eschewinganonymity]

Let's talk Negotiation: I bid and got into Belcore (which is still open) but Gandert and Carrel both have huge waitlists (36 and 26, respectively) - do the rest of you know something that I don't?

[Georgia Avenue]

if you're taking antitrust please drop it and take someone else with you

Whose the prof? Not sure you actually want this.

fischman. uncurved is that much worse than 42 person curve?

[elibrarian]

if you're taking antitrust please drop it and take someone else with you

Whose the prof? Not sure you actually want this.

fischman. uncurved is that much worse than 42 person curve?

He hasn't taught antitrust before but from what I've heard, he curved an otherwise uncurved Admin class last semester.

[Pokemon]

Ok... no antitrust for me...

[bdubs]

I know it's kind of ridiculous, but does anyone have an ethics outline for Foster?