Law School
- Thread starter wags
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Take as many Poli Sci classes with Dirk Deam as you possibly can.
Don't go to jail 2 nights before the LSAT.
Don't go to jail 2 nights before the LSAT.
I'm currently a 1L at Iowa, and you probably don't want to hear my opinions on law school since I have spent the entire day studying Civil Procedure....
In all honesty, I think the best thing you can do is make sure you visit school, sit in on classes, and make sure it is really something you want to do. I did none of these things, and the first month or so of school was a quite a shock. Applying to and getting into law schools sounds great, and makes for a good pick-up line, but once you're there you realize it really is a difficult undertaking.
With that being said, I have enjoyed law school alot aftering getting used to it. My advice in getting ready to go to law school is to take classes that beef up your GPA, start practicing for the LSAT early, and make all the connections you can while in undergrad. Connections become very important as you begin looking for clerkships and jobs after your first year.
In all honesty, I think the best thing you can do is make sure you visit school, sit in on classes, and make sure it is really something you want to do. I did none of these things, and the first month or so of school was a quite a shock. Applying to and getting into law schools sounds great, and makes for a good pick-up line, but once you're there you realize it really is a difficult undertaking.
With that being said, I have enjoyed law school alot aftering getting used to it. My advice in getting ready to go to law school is to take classes that beef up your GPA, start practicing for the LSAT early, and make all the connections you can while in undergrad. Connections become very important as you begin looking for clerkships and jobs after your first year.
Deam is fantastic, a great guy and his classes are excellent. However, if you really want to know what law school is like, I recommend you take a class with Dr. Waggonner (sp.?). She is a tough grader, rigidly enforces a curve and requires you to read a lot. I found her class the closest to the typical first-year curriculum.
Consider me jealous...I've had my face stuck in a Civil Procedure textbook for a week!
Waggoner is very good as well.
Clones85 said:
She's extremely fortunate. Tons of 3Ls will be pumping coffee at Starbucks by the looks of the local legal market.
I would take a year or two off. Go work somewhere, maybe somehow related to law. If not at least start paying close attention to the legal field. The job market is tough and Law School is miserable. Make sure you are dead set on being a lawyer. So many people drop out after one semester or one year!!
But if you rock the LSAT( 170+) disregard everything I say and have fun at a top 15 school!
But if you rock the LSAT( 170+) disregard everything I say and have fun at a top 15 school!
In the end though, follow your gut. I was 3/4ths of the way to finishing my undergrad degree in elementary education before I decided to go to law school, and don't regret the decision at all. Law school is pretty awful, but it is do-able. Also, even if you get out and realize you don't want to practice law, you immediatley make yourself qualified for just about any job. Employers realize that the skills it takes to get through law school (reading, writing, analysis, advocacy, ect.) are the same type of skills that will make you successful in just about any professional capacity.
This is how I get to sleep at night. The job market for lawyers is **** right now, especially around here. I don't really want to pack up my life, and rip away from my roots and move halfway across the world to be a lawyer. If I can find a good, non-legal job in this area, I'll have no doubt that a law degree would still set you up to do a lot in life.
Yeah it was a good day when she got the offer. My back was starting to hurt if you get what I am saying!!
She interned for 2 years at the same firm and did a good job for them.
A lot of our friends that are graduating have not been able to find a job yet. Some are moving to other cities and than hoping to get a job when they get there. I guess some professors have connections and think if they live there they will be ok
Also, I would recommend you closely consider the economics of law school before you commit. If you are a born litigator, love mock trial or moot court, then law school is your only choice to engage in this type of work. However, if you don't like these activities, think about it a little more. Here's a couple good articles to read:
National Jurist - March 2010
Lawyer Layoff Patterns: Young Go 1st, and Top 10 JD Is No Shield - News - ABA Journal
Finally, know yourself. Unless you ace the LSAT and get into a top 10 school, it may not be a wise decision economically. If you go to law school for other reasons, for example, because you're a hopeless idealistic dreamer like myself, then it can still be a wonderful decision, but make sure you receive some sort of scholarship or attend a state school! The costs of tuition continue to rise and I know countless top 20 law school graduates here in Chicago who are searching for jobs.
Hope this helps.
National Jurist - March 2010
Lawyer Layoff Patterns: Young Go 1st, and Top 10 JD Is No Shield - News - ABA Journal
Finally, know yourself. Unless you ace the LSAT and get into a top 10 school, it may not be a wise decision economically. If you go to law school for other reasons, for example, because you're a hopeless idealistic dreamer like myself, then it can still be a wonderful decision, but make sure you receive some sort of scholarship or attend a state school! The costs of tuition continue to rise and I know countless top 20 law school graduates here in Chicago who are searching for jobs.
Hope this helps.
Like I said, I am a 1L at Iowa and I am just hoping that the market has improved by the time I'm done. I'm also willing to pack up and try out about anywhere in the U.S. that would offer me a job...
LSAT Preparation Recommendation
Take a course in Symbolic Logic & Semantics, usually offered in the Philosophy department. That is what I advise the pre-law students at U of I to take and they've universally told me it was the best preparation for the LSAT's.
I recommend this course because after taking it, I blew away the logic problems in the LSAT. Additionally, it's one of the most useful courses I've take EVER as it improved my reading comprehension as well as my writing. I would recommend this course regardless of whether a person intends to go to law school.
Take a course in Symbolic Logic & Semantics, usually offered in the Philosophy department. That is what I advise the pre-law students at U of I to take and they've universally told me it was the best preparation for the LSAT's.
I recommend this course because after taking it, I blew away the logic problems in the LSAT. Additionally, it's one of the most useful courses I've take EVER as it improved my reading comprehension as well as my writing. I would recommend this course regardless of whether a person intends to go to law school.
Take lots of Economics. I think that will help you in the first semester (Contracts, Torts, Property @ University of Iowa) more than Political Science classes. Second semester law school (Criminal, Constitutional, Civil Procedure) is probably more related to Political Science. Really though, there is no secret to success. Work hard in undergrad, get good grades, and study and prepare enough for the LSAT's, and you will be fine. What schools are you interested in?
I'll be a 1L this fall at Drake, its good to read some of your guys opinions about law school because it atleast gives me a perspective of what to expect
I get people who say its cake and others who say it was pure hell, guess I'll have to wait and see
I get people who say its cake and others who say it was pure hell, guess I'll have to wait and see