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Written by Spencer Adkins
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Thursday, 27 March 2008 08:07 |
Your first year of law school has the reputation of being a daunting one. There are many stories, books and movies of how difficult it is, both intellectually and stamina-wise. Many first year law students approach law school with feelings of stress, intimidation and dread. This generalized feelings of anxiety can be lessened by an understanding of what is true and what is myth, basically by knowing what to expect. In the instance of starting law school, as in many others, knowledge is power.
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The Socratic Method. Law school professors often utilize the much-cursed Socratic method as a means of teaching their classes. What this means is that they expect you to be prepared for every class lecture and ready to be called on. They will call on you and grill you on the reading material assigned for the class. If you do well, your reward will be further grilling, perhaps by asking to apply the legal reasoning from the reading material to hypothetical situations. This approach can drive fear into the heart of many law school students. Remember that your fellow students are in entirely the same boat. While the process may seem torturous now, the benefit will be your increased ability to think on your feet and be more poised and confident.
Law School Examinations. Law school exams are different from the types of exams you have taken before. On a law school exam, you are presented with a fact pattern. You have to determine what legal principles, issues and rules are applicable. There is no set right or wrong answer, it is your reasoning that will determine whether or not you get a good grade. Simply memorizing the law and reciting it will not get you a good grade on a law school exam.
Keep Up With The Work. Law school courses incorporate an enormous amount of material and reading, far more than you are used to in your undergraduate courses. It is the practice of many college students (I did this myself!) to “blow off” much of the work during the semester and then attempt to “cram” in the material at the end. This is ill-advised. You simply can not expect to read, absorb, and understand a law school’s semester worth of materials in a short period of time—no matter how hard you work at the end. It takes time to comprehend the material, as well as to understand how to apply it. Furthermore, in order to get the most of your classes, you will need to have done the reading pertaining to the class. Which brings us to the next point…
You Must Attend Class. It is the practice of many college students to not attend classes, and just “make up” the work by doing the reading and reviewing a classmate’s notes. While there may be times during which missing class is unavoidable, it is not a good idea to miss class on a regular basis. Law school lectures are integral to preparation for examinations. Much of what is discussed/explained in class will not be reflected in your reading materials. If you can not make class, you will want to get a classmate’s notes. Some law schools even allow student to tape lectures. If this is the case, you will want to ask a friend to tape the lecture from you. Many students attend class, tape the lecture, and then listen to it again later as part of their studies. Yes, law school class lectures are that important!
While the first year may seem daunting, remember that all lawyers have gone through it and survived. You are smart or you wouldn’t be there. Hang in there!
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