Stanford Law School Class of 2018 Forum

[cc78]

The no grades first semester is also very cool, especially contrasted with the quarter from hell that Stanford has waiting for you the moment you show up.

huh? what's that mean?

apparently YLS is really the only law school worth attending...

Oh Caps, you don't know...no one has told you...

Even though SLS is on a quarter system, the first quarter of 1L is the same length as a semester at other law schools and in that one quarter you take FOUR doctrinals: CivPro, Contracts, Criminal Law, and Torts. I think CivPro is pretty f'in hard and I have heard on multiple occasions that Torts is easy, but still that's 4 exams. You get to top it off with LRW first quarter as well.

It's a beast...

[LoganCouture]

The no grades first semester is also very cool, especially contrasted with the quarter from hell that Stanford has waiting for you the moment you show up.

huh? what's that mean?

apparently YLS is really the only law school worth attending...

Oh Caps, you don't know...no one has told you...

Even though SLS is on a quarter system, the first quarter of 1L is the same length as a semester at other law schools and in that one quarter you take FOUR doctrinals: CivPro, Contracts, Criminal Law, and Torts. I think CivPro is pretty f'in hard and I have heard on multiple occasions that Torts is easy, but still that's 4 exams. You get to top it off with LRW first quarter as well.

It's a beast...

Yeah it's insane. It's also more like a semester from hell because I think it starts about a month earlier than the rest of the university/is longer than other quarters.

[ballcaps]

The no grades first semester is also very cool, especially contrasted with the quarter from hell that Stanford has waiting for you the moment you show up.

huh? what's that mean?

apparently YLS is really the only law school worth attending...

Oh Caps, you don't know...no one has told you...

Even though SLS is on a quarter system, the first quarter of 1L is the same length as a semester at other law schools and in that one quarter you take FOUR doctrinals: CivPro, Contracts, Criminal Law, and Torts. I think CivPro is pretty f'in hard and I have heard on multiple occasions that Torts is easy, but still that's 4 exams. You get to top it off with LRW first quarter as well.

It's a beast...

Yeah it's insane. It's also more like a semester from hell because I think it starts about a month earlier than the rest of the university/is longer than other quarters.

oh...great.

whatev, the grading system still makes it chill as fuck, amirite?

...amirite?

[cc78]

Well...

I mean, we know that 1-2 H's a quarter is median, and once you know what the median is you can start to sort yourself. So, though I hope against hope it's chill, I'm far less certain than I was maybe a month ago.

[taks7]

The no grades first semester is also very cool, especially contrasted with the quarter from hell that Stanford has waiting for you the moment you show up.

huh? what's that mean?

apparently YLS is really the only law school worth attending...

Oh Caps, you don't know...no one has told you...

Even though SLS is on a quarter system, the first quarter of 1L is the same length as a semester at other law schools and in that one quarter you take FOUR doctrinals: CivPro, Contracts, Criminal Law, and Torts. I think CivPro is pretty f'in hard and I have heard on multiple occasions that Torts is easy, but still that's 4 exams. You get to top it off with LRW first quarter as well.

It's a beast...

Yeah it's insane. It's also more like a semester from hell because I think it starts about a month earlier than the rest of the university/is longer than other quarters.

Is this similar/different from the 1st semester at Harvard?

[ballcaps]

p.s. what's the deal with ASW? can't find info anywhere.

[zaetoroftheprotoss]

Officially checking in!!

[cc78]

Is this similar/different from the 1st semester at Harvard?

Great question. I think its pretty similar to HLS, except at SLS, you have two more quarters of school to do, while HLS has winter term, which I don't think is anything like regular school, and spring semester. Most of the folks in here will be making the H/S choice, so I hope we can get absolute clarity on this question.

[strugglebus]

p.s. what's the deal with ASW? can't find info anywhere.

It's 4/25-4/27 (Sat - Mon) with a minority preview on 4/24. The RSVP and info are on the admitted students website; login information comes in the snail mail packet. (Although Stanford's snail mail is magically fast--got mine two days after the call in the Southwest).

[psychmusic]

.

[ballcaps]

p.s. what's the deal with ASW? can't find info anywhere.

It's 4/25-4/27 (Sat - Mon) with a minority preview on 4/24. The RSVP and info are on the admitted students website; login information comes in the snail mail packet. (Although Stanford's snail mail is magically fast--got mine two days after the call in the Southwest).

thanks!

see you guys there!

[isaiah1992]

Is this similar/different from the 1st semester at Harvard?

Great question. I think its pretty similar to HLS, except at SLS, you have two more quarters of school to do, while HLS has winter term, which I don't think is anything like regular school, and spring semester. Most of the folks in here will be making the H/S choice, so I hope we can get absolute clarity on this question.

Our first quarter is 12 weeks instead of 9 with about 2 weeks to prepare for exams. This year classes ended before the thanksgiving break. First quarter you take civ pro, crim, LRW, contracts and torts. Second quarter is 9 weeks, you take property, con law, fed lit, and one or two electives, spring quarter you take fed lit plus 3 electives. In spring you can take any classes except clinics or classes outside of the law school.

[cc78]

Our first quarter is 12 weeks instead of 9 with about 2 weeks to prepare for exams. This year classes ended before the thanksgiving break. First quarter you take civ pro, crim, LRW, contracts and torts. Second quarter is 9 weeks, you take property, con law, fed lit, and one or two electives, spring quarter you take fed lit plus 3 electives. In spring you can take any classes except clinics or classes outside of the law school.

Thanks. It's great to hear from a current SLS student to help us 0L's figure things out. Forgive my stupidity, but what exactly is Fed. Lit, and why in the world do we have to take it for two quarters?

[dunie]

Is this similar/different from the 1st semester at Harvard?

Great question. I think its pretty similar to HLS, except at SLS, you have two more quarters of school to do, while HLS has winter term, which I don't think is anything like regular school, and spring semester. Most of the folks in here will be making the H/S choice, so I hope we can get absolute clarity on this question.

Our first quarter is 12 weeks instead of 9 with about 2 weeks to prepare for exams. This year classes ended before the thanksgiving break. First quarter you take civ pro, crim, LRW, contracts and torts. Second quarter is 9 weeks, you take property, con law, fed lit, and one or two electives, spring quarter you take fed lit plus 3 electives. In spring you can take any classes except clinics or classes outside of the law school.

Thanks for your help! Just to clarify, it's 12 weeks of classes + 2 weeks to prepare/take exams? Or 12 weeks altogether? And after the first quarter, is each quarter 9 weeks + time to prep/take exams? Or 9 weeks altogether?

[isaiah1992]

Our first quarter is 12 weeks instead of 9 with about 2 weeks to prepare for exams. This year classes ended before the thanksgiving break. First quarter you take civ pro, crim, LRW, contracts and torts. Second quarter is 9 weeks, you take property, con law, fed lit, and one or two electives, spring quarter you take fed lit plus 3 electives. In spring you can take any classes except clinics or classes outside of the law school.

Thanks. It's great to hear from a current SLS student to help us 0L's figure things out. Forgive my stupidity, but what exactly is Fed. Lit, and why in the world do we have to take it for two quarters?

Not a stupid question at all. Fed Lit is the continuation of LRW, so in LRW you write a memo and a brief, in Fed Lit you write one brief in winter and then do oral argument about a week after you turn it in (just did mine yesterday) and then in spring you write a second brief and then another oral argument. your first argument is in front of your classmates and professor, second is in front of an actual state or district court judge.

Also, first quarter is 12 plus 2 weeks prep for exams. We ended class November 21st and our first exam was December 5th. This quarter we have about 5 days to prep for exams after the 9 weeks. In spring we only get one weekend I believe, but thats why I am only taking one class with an exam.

[cc78]

^^Thanks! That makes sense.

Of the four non-LRW classes you take first quarter, how would you rate their relative difficulty?

[isaiah1992]

^^Thanks! That makes sense.

Of the four non-LRW classes you take first quarter, how would you rate their relative difficulty?

It depends. if you have good professors your classes wont be difficult. Civ pro is always tough, torts wasnt hard, but my professor was great at explaining difficult concepts. Contracts was terrible, and crim was easy to understand, but thats because it was my favorite subject. I think difficulty is relative to every person, depending on what interests you.

[goldenflash19]

Current SLS 1L here. Just read through this thread and wanted to add a few things.

It's actually really easy to live with a pet in Munger. The website makes it sound like your pet has to be legitimately certified as a therapy pet, but essentially all you need is a note from a doctor that having the pet is best for your mental health, and you're good to go. Quite a few people in Munger have pets, and given how much it costs to live off campus and how nice it is to live close to the school 1L, it's definitely worth getting a note and living with your pet here. The housing people are known to be super chill about it, and I've never heard of a person who submitted a note not being able to live with their pet.

I live in Munger and love it. It can't be more than 100 feet from the school. I can leave my room 3 minutes before class starts and make it there with time to spare. My bedroom and living room are huge, I have my own private bathroom, and the kitchen is state-of-the-art. The ONLY downside is the cell phone reception and wifi because of how thick the earthquake-proof walls are. I can only talk on my phone in a certain hotspot in my apartment. This can actually be really frustrating when it comes to having to do phone screener interviews outside or making my LDR work.

Fall quarter is complete hell, but it gets so much better. I've went from 18 hours to 11 and have had so much more time to explore campus and the surrounding area. In regards to classes being easy/hard, it depends almost exclusively on the professor. A lot of people found K's to be really hard, but my section had an amazing professor, and it was a breeze. The important thing to know is that if it's hard/easy for you, it's probably that way for your classmates, too, and this can really affect the curve. Strategically, it might be better to bust your ass on a hard class knowing that it might be easier to distinguish yourself compared to an easier class where everyone is going to have great answers.

For me it came down to H v. S, and I cannot be happier with my decision. Unless you have a compelling and specific reason to choose H, come to S. Not having LP's makes our grading system so much more chill. It's so nice having the security of knowing that no matter how badly an exam goes, you don't have to worry about getting a scarlet letter on your transcript. Also, don't underestimate the effect that the weather can have. Whenever law school gets too stressful, I take a jog around our amazing campus, and I calm down almost instantly. Highs have been in the 75-78 range all week- I went swimming on Friday, did my conlaw and property reading while tanning outside yesterday, and am jogging up the amazing "Dish" trail today where you can actually see San Francisco from the top of the foothills.

The only "downside" for me has been that I have bad willpower and there is way too much cool stuff for me to do in Norcal. San Francisco, Wine Country, Carmel/Monterey, and Yosemite are all within easy reach. Especially if you're not from the area, it can be so hard to resist the temptation not to indulge in Norcal. I've spent more time than I probably should have enjoying my surroundings, but it has been so worth it. There truly is no place I'd rather be.

I'd be happy to answer any questions about law school or S. Hope to see y'all in Sunny California!

[ChiefMango]

Checking in!

Can't wait to take a look at the school and meet a few of you guys during ASW.

For those of you who are current SLS students, how do you guys feel about the student culture at Stanford? Is it as collegial and kind as people have made it out to be? Does the size become a bit claustrophobic, as you continue to run into the same people? Also, this may be a newbie question, but how much control do you guys have over selecting professors for your classes during 1L? Are there any really great ones whose classes you suggest we try to get into?

[isaiah1992]

Checking in!

Can't wait to take a look at the school and meet a few of you guys during ASW.

For those of you who are current SLS students, how do you guys feel about the student culture at Stanford? Is it as collegial and kind as people have made it out to be? Does the size become a bit claustrophobic, as you continue to run into the same people? Also, this may be a newbie question, but how much control do you guys have over selecting professors for your classes during 1L? Are there any really great ones whose classes you suggest we try to get into?

The student culture is about as good as it gets in law school. It's collegial but people are competitive by nature. However, for the most part people don't let it interfere with how they treat people. I'll let someone else speak about living on campus and claustrophobicness because I live off campus. You also have no control over your 1L core professors. Faye randomly creates the sections and you get who you get.

[goldenflash19]

+1 to all of the above.

I would like to note that even though we don't get to pick our doctrinal professors, we do get more input with selecting our professors than most 1L's do because the quarter system. We get to pick 1 or 2 classes during the winter quarter and every course except for Fed Lit during the spring quarter. Depending on how many classes/hours you take, you could be picking up to 6 different courses. You could feasibly tack on a course with a professor you had for a doctrinal and build upon this relationship to help develop a good clerkship LOR.

The student culture is amazing. It's so collegial here. I was making and sharing outlines and checklists with my section makers throughout exam time. We really helped each other out. There's a few gunners and ultra competitive type people, but you don't really have to deal with them outside of class if you don't want to.

I would 100% recommend living on campus and/or at Munger during 1L. Fall quarter is such a bitch that it's worth living a 2 minute walk from the school. Between class and all the extra stuff, it's worth it being right there. There were days it felt claustrophobic, but SLS' campus offers so much stuff within easy distance that it's easy to break this feeling. Whenever I feel confined, I jog up to the Dish or down Palm Drive or hop on the Caltrain to San Francisco, and everything gets better. It only gets claustrophobic if you let it.

[ChiefMango]

Thanks so much for the thoughtful replies, guys! I imagine it's quite easy to spread out on the 8000 acres of beautiful, palm tree covered pastures that Stanford provides.

For those of us who are coming straight from undergrad, how important do you guys think it is to figure out what you want to do before going in? Are there any areas of law that you think Stanford might not prepare you well for, or are all of the bases covered? Also, do you guys think students run the risk of becoming separated from the outside world or from a sense of social justice & public advocacy while on the farm?

I apologize for the string of questions. I'm just incredibly curious and haven't been able to find these answers online.

[goldenflash19]

Thanks so much for the thoughtful replies, guys! I imagine it's quite easy to spread out on the 8000 acres of beautiful, palm tree covered pastures that Stanford provides.

For those of us who are coming straight from undergrad, how important do you guys think it is to figure out what you want to do before going in? Are there any areas of law that you think Stanford might not prepare you well for, or are all of the bases covered? Also, do you guys think students run the risk of becoming separated from the outside world or from a sense of social justice & public advocacy while on the farm?

I apologize for the string of questions. I'm just incredibly curious and haven't been able to find these answers online.

It's definitely not that important that you know what you want to do. I took a few years off from undergrad and thought I knew what I wanted to do, but I've gone back and forth with different areas of the law since coming here. It's kind of expected that a lot of students don't truly know what they want to do until they've at least gone to school. One important qualification, though. Be sure that you know that you want to become a lawyer. If you don't want to become a lawyer, you will be miserable. There have been several times where I've questioned things. If you're on the fence before coming to school, I'd recommend deferring or waiting a few years and getting some experience. (I'd actually recommend taking a few years anyway).

I think all of your bases are covered at Stanford. We have a ton of resources, and if there is something you want to do, Stanford has the means to make it happen. There are very few circumstances in which I would say one is "better off" at a different school than S for a specific career path (exceptions being going to Yale in general, Harvard for politics, and tie-specific secondary market considerations in certain cases).

S has an awesome social justice/public advocacy sense. You do not have to worry about getting separated from the outside world. There is a strong public interest community here, and the school has been very responsive in light of the recent social justice concerns. There have been protests, social justice seminar courses added to the schedule, and special events featuring some pretty renowned speakers. I think it's somewhat easy to get separated during 1L because of the workload and stress, but, kinda like becoming claustrophobic, it only happens if you let it and can happen anywhere.

[qwertyTLS]

these poll results are pretty interesting. i get the argument for YLS, but am curious why would some of y'all choose HLS over SLS?

[littlepuff]

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