"1L of a Ride" - Would you recommend? Forum

[doublefocus4]

I'm trying to find a few good books for 0L prep and I just came across "1L of a Ride: A Well-Traveled Professor's Roadmap to Success in the First Year of Law School." Have never seen mention of it on TLS but its reviews on amazon are glowing. Has anyone here read it and would you recommend?

[Dany]

A couple opinions: http://www.top-law-schools.com/forums/v ... 3&t=100826

I've also seen in recommended in one or two other threads, but I haven't read it.

[HardWorker3]

I read half of it, then stopped to start Law School Confidential. I enjoyed what I read so far and will finish it later this summer.

[Seminole_305]

It at least gives you a nice overview of what to expect from Law School. Give it a shot if you can afford it.

[crysmissmichelle]

I liked it, did the Kindle version. . . wish I had a hard copy.

[stowhat]

It is pretty similar to Law School Confidential. If you have already read Law School Confidential, I wouldn't pay for this book. I'm currently reading a copy I picked up from my local library.

[Omega10]

I read most of it (skipped parts about Law Review write-on, etc, and will read them later) as a precursor to the more down and dirty 0L books (I'm on GTM now). Overall, I'm glad I read it, as it provides a general overview of what to expect. Honestly, digging around TLS might provide similar insight, but this comes from a prof who compiled student and faculty perspectives over several years into a more coherent format, and he attempts to paint the 1L experience in a somewhat humorous light. I haven't read Law School Confidential, so I don't know how they compare.

The chapter on student life/maintaining your sanity/staving off depression was a little disheartening, but at least he didn't gloss over it or ignore the issue altogether. It made me question whether I really want to enter the "most depressed career field in America" though.

[TTH]

Not being snarky: I can't imagine a law professor would have anything useful to say about how to navigate 1L.

[doublefocus4]

Thank you for your responses. So far I have bought GTM and I wanted a few other books to add to my reading list. I think I'll be adding 1L of a Ride to it.

[Omega10]

Not being snarky: I can't imagine a law professor would have anything useful to say about how to navigate 1L.

Well, he was there once, so... personal experience? But yeah, I get what you're saying. Mostly he relies on student commentary. He surveys his students on the first/last day of class each semester, and he also sought opinions of top students at a variety of law schools. Still, you gotta take his insight with a grain of salt.

[bcmickle]

I guess I would recommend it if you had money to burn and were nervous about 1L. I got it and read it and it was alright. I also took Law Preview which I found to be a waste of time and money (except that I'm trying to use it in a transfer application because a teacher from the school taught me during it!).

I know you didn't ask this, but if you are thinking about buying a book to get to help you with essay exams, I strongly advise you not to get "Getting to Maybe" as it was useless for me. In terms of what professors want, you should just ask your professor and students who already had that class with that professor. And the sample essays are terrible, like, I can't believe how bad they were. I know this is random, but I feel pretty strongly about it lol.

[random5483]

I read several books the summer before law school because I had resigned from my job, and I was well nervous about law school. I read both Getting to Maybe and 1L of a Ride. In my opinion, neither book helped me in law school; however, Getting to Maybe was probably the better of the books.

If you want to spend the cash and need something to calm your nerves, either book can be useful. However, in my opinion, the best thing you can do your 0L summer is relax and have fun. Once your 1L starts you don't get any more summer vacations. For instance, I had 2 weeks off between finals and my summer job, and during those two weeks we had a law review write-on. Basically, have some fun. This might be your last "vacation" in quite a while.

With that said, reading the books might help you feel a bit more ready for law school. They won't help you, but maybe they will boost your confidence.

[bceagles182]

Raising 2L here... I'm top 8% & law review @ a T2. I read this and GTM before law school. I thought this was a good overview of what to expect and thought GTM was worthwhile from a conceptual standpoint, just to keep in mind as you are prepping for that first set of finals. Don't overdo it though. Read these books while sitting on the beach, not while from a library while taking tons of notes.

There really isn't anything that can prepare you for what is coming.