Britt is thisclose to being a 2L! Forum

[britt2010]

OH MY GOSH.

My law school has this singing group, Headnotes. They sold singing valentines this week and the first ones went out today. I was the first one in my class, first class of the day. It was amazing! Then they dedicated a Britney Spears compilation of "Crazy" "Hit Me Baby One More Time" and "Gimme More" to our crim professor. It was fantastic, beat boxing and choreographed moves and all.

If this isn't a reason to go to Michigan, I don't know what is.

[britt2010]

Wow. 1.5L is going very, very quickly.

I started out determined to branch out, make more friends. I had a blast. I get the feeling that everyone was much more relaxed this semester after they got an idea of (1) what's expected and (2) what is required.

I had a bit of a slump where the prospect of schoolwork was nearly unbearable, I won't lie. Now I'm back at it, more or less, and aware of the fact that exams are right around the corner...

[britt2010]

Exams soon? O RLY?

http://www.vault.com/lawschool/top25/

Did my oral argument for legal practice (profession writing/skills course)--hoorah it's over!!

[britt2010]

So I take it you are taking electives now? Anyway, how difficult did you find the first year? What about electives?

I have an MBA in finance and risk management (using derivatives) and wanted to get into securities law, deal structure, M & A, taxing of derivatives, structuring derivatives, blah blah blah! Do you think the MBA will be a big hlp in doing well in those courses? (If you have taken them!)

Is Michigan's approach to the application truly holistic as they say?

I'm a fall starter 1L, which means that by winter (this semester) I'm only permitted to take one elective. I've got 17 hours; three core classes (torts, crim, con) , legal practice, and my elective.

It's not that the actual day-to-day material is difficult (although contracts was arguably confusing at first), but the sheer volume and the rate a which you are expected to know it and be able to apply it. Even more difficult is the monotony--or, better yet--rigidity of your schedule. Unlike undergrad where you had the freedom of release after a bi-weekly exam was over, there is only a steady pulse that quickens as exams approach.

Second semester has been strange, because everyone has been much more carefree but has also slacked (myself included). I imagine that the next month will be brutal. I have a lot of learning.

Surprisingly, my elective has been the most challenging. With no environmental law background I signed up for an overview course that takes an interesting approach to the problem. It's been...challenging. I actually prefer a big text book and readings over what we're doing in the course.

Legal practice (yeah, it's that thing you have to take, think it's called professional responsibility or something at other schools) was more demanding this semester. Last semester was difficult in that you had no idea what you were doing, but this semester was difficult in that you did know what you were doing but the workload had tripled.

So, re: difficulty of 1L, it's not rocket science, but you shouldn't take that to mean that it's easy, either. Calculus was bang-your-head-against-the-wall impossible for me at times. This was rarely that. It's more psychological and more about allocation and management of resources.

Your specific concern about your background knowledge: Yes, there are certain courses where having a background in business and accounting will be an asset. The converse isn't necessarily true, however; it's entirely possible to take securities or corporations and excel without the background that you have.

Application process and holistic approaches: I'm not entirely sure. Read Grutter v. Bollinger 539 U.S. 306 (2003), ha.

Hope this answered your questions.

[britt2010]

Today is our last day of legal practice. 10, sometimes 9am every Friday...and it's over!!!

So how did section IJKL, the best 1L section to ever rise from the creamy foam of the sea, celebrate?

Champagne. Mimosas if you prefer. Croissants and crullers...all in class.

What did we do for April Fool's Day? Our entire section wore maize, at the suggestion of our torts professor, and did the wave in our other two classes. In torts we had cheers every 15 minutes. Every time someone asked a key question we took out a keys and rattled them (we do that at games for "key plays.")

How did we celebrate March Madness? With an animal war bracket. Ostrich v. Badger? LLama v. Hyene? Silverback gorilla v. killer whale? The stakes were high.

All in all, law school ISN'T a killer, drab experience. Yeah, first semester s stressful. I lost 10 lbs, some hair, some color, and my personality. Admittedly, my family did not like me when I went home for Xmas--I was so high strung. This semester, once I remembered that there is a world out there that has nothing to do with 1L, I enjoyed myself a whole hell of a lot more. You know how they say "find something you really like and stick to it?" It's not that easy. You'd think it was, but it's not. It wasn't until I realized how stressed I got and how much less I wanted to be like that/care that I started purposely making time for me.

So yeah. Go crazy-go-wild your first semester. You kind of have to, in a way. But realize that it's not the end-all be-all. You'll make it to 2L.

...thought I'd share some of the more fun aspects to the everyday. Cheers