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Summer before 2L year, how to prep?

Posted: Fri May 31, 2013 1:16 am
by laxbrah420
Are you guys reading any 2L prep books? Or anybody who is a 3L or above, do you recommend doing some prep? Since 1L was basically survey courses, should I read those supplements again to prepare for their higher level courses? There seems to be a dearth of literature on the subject --no "2L of a Ride" for instance.

Re: Summer before 2L year, how to prep?

Posted: Fri May 31, 2013 1:41 am
by 09042014
I assume since you are going after firms you are loading your schedule 2L Fall with the psuedo required classes right? You don't want to go to OCI without them on the transcript as in progress.

Fed jur
crim pro
Evidence (if you have 5 course, wait til spring if you only have 4)
Admin
Secreg

These should all have E&Es. People say don't 0L prep, but 2L summer prep is key. Gunners double down because they don't wanna get no offered. And Nojerbs trying insanely harder when they realize they need a clerkship or a grade boost. It gets insane. None of the typical 1L crazy competitiveness happened at my school. but 2L. DAMN. A group of clerkship gunners registered for 8 classes each to block others from biglaw required classes, then dropped at the deadline. This filled the class up until three weeks in, and the kids who got off teh waitlist could never catch up. Devious.

Classes are at least 3 times more content. And statues are much harder because they are so specific.

Good luck

Re: Summer before 2L year, how to prep?

Posted: Fri May 31, 2013 4:00 am
by togepi
Desert Fox wrote:I assume since you are going after firms you are loading your schedule 2L Fall with the psuedo required classes right? You don't want to go to OCI without them on the transcript as in progress.

Fed jur
crim pro
Evidence (if you have 5 course, wait til spring if you only have 4)
Admin
Secreg

These should all have E&Es. People say don't 0L prep, but 2L summer prep is key. Gunners double down because they don't wanna get no offered. And Nojerbs trying insanely harder when they realize they need a clerkship or a grade boost. It gets insane. None of the typical 1L crazy competitiveness happened at my school. but 2L. DAMN. A group of clerkship gunners registered for 8 classes each to block others from biglaw required classes, then dropped at the deadline. This filled the class up until three weeks in, and the kids who got off teh waitlist could never catch up. Devious.

Classes are at least 3 times more content. And statues are much harder because they are so specific.

Good luck
That's fucked up.

Re: Summer before 2L year, how to prep?

Posted: Fri May 31, 2013 11:27 am
by Danger Zone
Thanks for the important tips, dudes. Wouldn't want to go into 2L fall without prepping for Fed Courts.

Re: Summer before 2L year, how to prep?

Posted: Fri May 31, 2013 2:09 pm
by Benjamin1987
What is a BigLaw required class?

Re: Summer before 2L year, how to prep?

Posted: Fri May 31, 2013 2:16 pm
by Danger Zone
Benjamin1987 wrote:What is a BigLaw required class?
Outed as TTT student.

Re: Summer before 2L year, how to prep?

Posted: Fri May 31, 2013 2:22 pm
by 09042014
Benjamin1987 wrote:What is a BigLaw required class?
Classes firms make you take to get an offer. No official list. Those I said plus fed tax, sec reg, trial ad, antitrust, etc. etc.

Re: Summer before 2L year, how to prep?

Posted: Fri May 31, 2013 2:40 pm
by Benjamin1987
Desert Fox wrote:
Benjamin1987 wrote:What is a BigLaw required class?
Classes firms make you take to get an offer. No official list. Those I said plus fed tax, sec reg, trial ad, antitrust, etc. etc.
Thank you. I'm assuming that would have to be 2nd semester 2L or 3L?

Re: Summer before 2L year, how to prep?

Posted: Fri May 31, 2013 2:45 pm
by 09042014
Benjamin1987 wrote:
Desert Fox wrote:
Benjamin1987 wrote:What is a BigLaw required class?
Classes firms make you take to get an offer. No official list. Those I said plus fed tax, sec reg, trial ad, antitrust, etc. etc.
Thank you. I'm assuming that would have to be 2nd semester 2L or 3L?
As long as it gets done.

Re: Summer before 2L year, how to prep?

Posted: Fri May 31, 2013 2:50 pm
by Benjamin1987
Danger Zone wrote:Thanks for the important tips, dudes. Wouldn't want to go into 2L fall without prepping for Fed Courts.
Not quite, Tom Cruise. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IKbLquqxBAQ

Re: Summer before 2L year, how to prep?

Posted: Fri May 31, 2013 11:42 pm
by Kage3212
I assume this entire post is a huge batch of sarcasm....but just to make sure.....taking the easiest classes possible (or interests) 2L fall is TCR, correct?

Re: Summer before 2L year, how to prep?

Posted: Sat Jun 01, 2013 5:33 pm
by thesealocust
Kage3212 wrote:I assume this entire post is a huge batch of sarcasm....but just to make sure.....taking the easiest classes possible (or interests) 2L fall is TCR, correct?
Most firms have a required 2L and 3L GPA to get an offer, but it's weighted by course. A given firm, for example, might require a 3.8 average in seminar courses (which they know are uncurved) but only require a 3.5 or 3.6 average in lecture courses with curved exams.

Firms also vary on whether they have hard requirements, or sliding requirements based on your 1L performance. Gibson simply revokes full time offers to anybody whose 2L or 3L GPA falls below their 1L GPA, while Cravath requires a 3.6 (meaning a summer occasionally actually has to improve after 1L year to get an offer).

Re: Summer before 2L year, how to prep?

Posted: Sat Jun 01, 2013 7:06 pm
by spets
thesealocust wrote:
Kage3212 wrote:I assume this entire post is a huge batch of sarcasm....but just to make sure.....taking the easiest classes possible (or interests) 2L fall is TCR, correct?
Most firms have a required 2L and 3L GPA to get an offer, but it's weighted by course. A given firm, for example, might require a 3.8 average in seminar courses (which they know are uncurved) but only require a 3.5 or 3.6 average in lecture courses with curved exams.

Firms also vary on whether they have hard requirements, or sliding requirements based on your 1L performance. Gibson simply revokes full time offers to anybody whose 2L or 3L GPA falls below their 1L GPA, while Cravath requires a 3.6 (meaning a summer occasionally actually has to improve after 1L year to get an offer).
To be fair, Cravath does bend its own rule to accommodate for strength of school. For example, I know a Columbia grad whose grades slipped to 3.55 after graduating, but Cravath didn't revoke the offer.

Re: Summer before 2L year, how to prep?

Posted: Sun Jun 02, 2013 11:12 pm
by salix
I've got a bit of a different 2L prep question. I'm a part time student, so come fall I'll be in Torts and CivPro (and working in the Tax Clinic). I've already taken Contracts, Property, and Criminal Law; I'm taking ConLaw and FedTax this summer (plus moot court competition/ working PT (nonlegal)/ family).

Generally, when an 0L asks about summer prep for those courses, TCR is don't go to law school focus on generally understanding law school exams, typing speed, etc., but don't do substantive prep because you'll just have to unlearn everything, and learn it the way your prof wants you to. Is it different for someone approaching these 1L courses with a year of LS (kind of) under her belt?

I have 3 weeks between end of summer classes and beginning of fall classes. What should I do to best prepare for those '1L' classes?

Re: Summer before 2L year, how to prep?

Posted: Sun Jun 02, 2013 11:23 pm
by Bronte
Kage3212 wrote:I assume this entire post is a huge batch of sarcasm....but just to make sure.....taking the easiest classes possible (or interests) 2L fall is TCR, correct?
Yes, the posts ITT are sarcastic. And, yes, you can feel free to take fluff courses. This is the path of least resistance, so I understand why people do it. Still, I think there's value to taking doctrinal courses in 2L and 3L year. People spend their last two years taking classes like animal law, and then complain about how they didn't learn anything in law school. I spent a couple hundred thousand on my degree, so I felt like learning something.

But on under no circumstances should you be doing summer prep for upper-level courses.

Re: Summer before 2L year, how to prep?

Posted: Tue Jun 04, 2013 12:01 am
by Gorki
(1) spend all summer prepping for OCI via mass mailer generation and mailing said mass mailers

(2) OCI is priority, above classes

(3a) Secure job after OCI and just show up to class and have a somewhat genuine interest in learning until OCI leaves your mind; use supplements, old outlines, etc. for finals

(3b) Strike out at OCI, hate life till finals; use supplements, old outlines, etc. for finals

Re: Summer before 2L year, how to prep?

Posted: Tue Jun 04, 2013 10:33 am
by 3|ink
Desert Fox wrote:
Benjamin1987 wrote:What is a BigLaw required class?
Classes firms make you take to get an offer. No official list. Those I said plus fed tax, sec reg, trial ad, antitrust, etc. etc.
I hope you're not serious. There's no way I can fit all that shit into my schedule.

Re: Summer before 2L year, how to prep?

Posted: Tue Jun 04, 2013 10:39 am
by A. Nony Mouse
salix wrote:I've got a bit of a different 2L prep question. I'm a part time student, so come fall I'll be in Torts and CivPro (and working in the Tax Clinic). I've already taken Contracts, Property, and Criminal Law; I'm taking ConLaw and FedTax this summer (plus moot court competition/ working PT (nonlegal)/ family).

Generally, when an 0L asks about summer prep for those courses, TCR is don't go to law school focus on generally understanding law school exams, typing speed, etc., but don't do substantive prep because you'll just have to unlearn everything, and learn it the way your prof wants you to. Is it different for someone approaching these 1L courses with a year of LS (kind of) under her belt?

I have 3 weeks between end of summer classes and beginning of fall classes. What should I do to best prepare for those '1L' classes?
Honestly, I would just take the 3 weeks and relax so you can start the semester fresh. You know how law school classes and exams work by now, you can learn what you need to during the semester. If it will really help, though (because you also work full time and therefore are time crunched), you could get the syllabi and start reading ahead. (Which is different from 0Ls doing generic prep by reading supplements without knowing what their classes will cover, which is why the general recommendation is that 0Ls not do substantive prep. There's a difference between trying to do substantive prep, and getting started early on your classes.)

Re: Summer before 2L year, how to prep?

Posted: Tue Jun 04, 2013 4:19 pm
by salix
A. Nony Mouse wrote: Honestly, I would just take the 3 weeks and relax so you can start the semester fresh. You know how law school classes and exams work by now, you can learn what you need to during the semester. If it will really help, though (because you also work full time and therefore are time crunched), you could get the syllabi and start reading ahead. (Which is different from 0Ls doing generic prep by reading supplements without knowing what their classes will cover, which is why the general recommendation is that 0Ls not do substantive prep. There's a difference between trying to do substantive prep, and getting started early on your classes.)
Sounds like good advice. Thanks.