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We are supposed to chose our 1L elective this week, and I'm looking for some advice. Basically, I've narrowed it down to either Administrative Law, or Alternative Dispute Resolution. Here are my personal personal thoughts on both:

Admin: I know that this is a practical class to take. It will help with classes I take down the road, and it is also, generally, useful knowledge. That being said, I've been told by a few people that it is a ton of reading, the material is very dry, and the exam is a beast. To keep things in perspective, I will also be taking Con Law and Civ Pro next semester (both for 5 credits) and LRW II for 2 credits.

ADR: From what I've been told, this class has a "lighter" reading load and a paper instead of a final exam. Now, my reasoning for taking this class is not solely based on it being a "lighter load" class; it is also good practical knowledge to have.

All things considered, I am leaning towards Admin. I know I'll take it at some point, and I feel like I should just go for it now. However, I will consider any and all advice.

The best move here is to figure out which one the smartest kids are going into, then enroll in the other one.

Let me add that apparently, neither class is graded on a curve.

don_geis wrote:Let me add that apparently, neither class is graded on a curve.

Dude the paper for sure. Your 1L grades are all that matter. Without a curve anyone, with enough time, effort and help, can write an A paper.

IMHO, it is a terrible idea to take Admin during 1L. A 3L/LR ed board member told me I'd be insane to take Admin concurrently with two other doctrinal courses, and I'm a 2L. I'd definitely go with ADR. You don't want that on your plate at the same time as Civ Pro and Con Law, especially since 1L grades matter so much. Focus on your core classes.

AssumptionRequired wrote:

don_geis wrote:Let me add that apparently, neither class is graded on a curve.

Dude the paper for sure. Your 1L grades are all that matter. Without a curve anyone, with enough time, effort and help, can write an A paper.

Even though the paper will be due at basically the same time my appellate brief for LRW is due?

Any more thoughts??

Do you have to take an elective? At UT, they're optional. I know a kid who had awesome grades after 1st semester, took a 1L elective, and managed to drop out of the top 25%. Which is to say, don't do it if it's optional, and if it's not, do the paper so you don't have to sweat it when you're prepping for your other finals.

UT1502 wrote:Do you have to take an elective? At UT, they're optional. I know a kid who had awesome grades after 1st semester, took a 1L elective, and managed to drop out of the top 25%. Which is to say, don't do it if it's optional, and if it's not, do the paper so you don't have to sweat it when you're prepping for your other finals.

Not optional. Need to take something.