Hey, sorry it took me so long to respond, I've been winding down from exams - it feels good to be free.Mark_LS wrote:You were a UK foreign applicant right? I'm basically you, minus one year.piccolittle wrote:Bumping this and jumping in now that I finished my last exam (YAY!). 1L and loving it.
Sorry for the really broad question, but how does the schooling compare?
I really like this question. I have to say, the schooling is pretty similar to what we've been used to, except there are exams in December as well and your courses run by semester. I think if you were a good student in the UK, you will be pretty well prepared to handle the work here. The main issue is that no one is looking after you and making you do the work - that's normal for me, but I know for some people it is a little disconcerting to have the entire grade based on one exam. I wasn't a particularly good student in the UK, so I find it difficult to make myself go to class when I'm so used to messing around all year and cramming everything in last minute before the exam. So, you may have different struggles depending on your experiences before.
In terms of lectures, they are more like a mix between lectures and tutorials in the UK. Most of your classes will be pretty big (say 100 people per lecture hall), but you will be expected to participate. I actually got away with saying very little in my big classes (I was cold-called once in Torts and not at all in Civ Pro), and would volunteer occasionally in my "small class" of about 30 people. Be sure to read the advice guides here and don't get sucked in to the herd mentality of only thinking about preparation for class. Your professors will have very different styles - only one of mine was entirely student-driven, and I have to say that was probably my worst class. We didn't get anything done because he was grilling people on the minute details. My favorite professor (who was visiting, so you may not have him if you come) would call on people but would finish your sentence or rephrase what you said if you were struggling. Class is definitely not as scary as it sounds, or as it seems in the first couple of weeks.
I also found that the school is way more concerned with your experience and well-being than mine were in the UK. Everyone in the administration is extremely accessible, and during exam times they did things like set aside quiet study rooms with snacks, have professors serve up a midnight pancake buffet, and had a champagne toast for all the 1Ls after our last exam. I think the only thing that makes law school stressful is the way your fellow students whip themselves into a frenzy. Get to know your professors (office hours are awesome), join a few clubs, take advantage of the free stuff, make a semester-long study plan and stick to it. This school is amazing and it's worth taking full advantage of.
I didn't see if you've already been admitted or not, but either way, hope to see you here!
Is that true even for LPW and our small classes? I've been feeling stalkery and I had a suspicion that grades were imminent in the class once we could see the course evaluation reports. Am I reading too much into that? lolUnitarySpace wrote:You won't find out until the semester starts. Some people last year waited a month after that.
