Welcome back! Today, we have more great information and advice for you in your law school decision-making processes! You can read yesterday’s segment here.
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4) How did you begin the process of deciding where you wanted to apply?
AP: “Growing up in Connecticut I thought I wanted to attend law school there as well, but I realized that some of the best schools in the country would require me to travel. I made a list of ten schools that were primarily in the Northeast region, but then picked out some of the T14 schools to apply to, as well. I was interested in the quality of the academics the school could offer me, the internship opportunities available, the types of careers the faculty members had prior to becoming professors, and the likelihood that I could get a job upon graduation with the university’s name behind me.”
DM: “When I first applied to law school I wanted to stay in or near TN, but part of my heart also wanted to be closer to home, which is NJ. During my year as a consultant for ZTA I decided to apply to a few other schools and expand my options.”
SO: “This question can be indirectly tied to your GPA and LSAT score. If your GPA and LSAT score makes you eligible for a top tier school, I would say the search process is different than if you don’t have an extremely high GPA and LSAT score.
If you are able to get into a top law school, go for it because a degree from a top-tier school opens doors in your career that might not ever be opened for others.
If you cannot get into a top tier law school, the question entirely depends on where you want to practice. For instance, if you want to practice in Tennessee, it isn’t logical to attend law school in California because the state laws are so different. Even though law school doesn’t teach directly to what the current law is, it is extremely beneficial to attend a law school in the jurisdiction you wish to practice and be licensed in, or a jurisdiction similar to where you wish to practice.”
MK: “I picked my top three schools, about two fallbacks, and a couple long shots. Then, I picked schools that were comparable to my top schools that I hadn’t really considered but learned more about through the application process. THIS IS THE PROCESS I RECOMMEND.
I toured my top choice, and when I got a scholarship offer from them, ended up not even turning in my other applications. I DO NOT RECOMMEND THIS, APPLY TO A LOT OF PLACES YOU NEVER KNOW WHERE YOU COULD END UP.”
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5) What made you choose to go where you did?
AP: “Georgetown was the highest ranked school I got into, so I accepted without even having visited the campus! I knew that the legal market in Washington, D.C. was excellent and both the school and its location would provide me with wonderful opportunities.”
DM: “A change in my March 2016 ZTA travel schedule brought me to Chapel Hill, NC, over Easter break.  I was lucky enough to have the time to rent a car, drive the six-hour round trip to Columbia, SC, and visit the law school. Based on the school’s willingness to fit me in on a last minute tour, telling me all about Columbia, and taking the time discuss other questions and concerns, I knew attending USC would be one of the best decisions I had ever made. A year later, a brand new law school building, and I still believe I made the best decision!
SO: “I chose Memphis based off of the faculty. You would be hard-pressed to find in Tennessee a faculty as distinguished as the faculty at the Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law. From graduates of Yale Law School, Harvard Law School, and other top 20 schools, the faculty has translated that expertise into practice, working for the Department of Justice as litigation attorneys and other Big Law firms across the country. With this high-quality educational experience and practical knowledge from such respected employers, the faculty can impart such valuable knowledge into students here in Memphis.”
MK: “When I toured the law school at Belmont, I fell in love with the campus and the community. It is also in Nashville, so being close to home was definitely a plus.”
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6) What is a typical day like for you now in school?
AP: “Since 1L year I have taken between 5-6 classes every semester, so a typical day consists of me waking up at 6:30 am and staying on the law school campus from approximately 8am-9pm. During that time period, I am either in class, in the library, at extracurricular activity meetings or at the law school gym. I typically have 2-3 classes on any given day and 1-2 meetings per day, as well. Last semester I was a judicial intern at the District of Columbia Superior Court so twice a week I would spend 5 hours a day in the judge’s chambers or observing in court as well. After I leave the school campus I continue to do any studying, prep work and homework I have remaining, and hope I get to bed before 3 am!”
DM: “Currently, I have classes from 8-12:30 pm and I will have lunch and head to my job at the University of South Carolina Athletic office of Compliance. Tuesday and Thursday I head back to school around 4 pm for an evening class taught by the Chief Judge of the South Carolina Court of Appeals. I am very lucky because I do not have class on Friday!!”
SO: “It’s very much like a full-time job. I wake up about 5:30 am, get to school by 7:30 am to review my notes and reading before classes begin, and then attend classes and study at school until about 5 pm. I’ll go home and continue to review notes, outline or study until about 7 pm.  In between all of that, I try to work in time to clerk with the County Attorney’s Office.”
MK:
“5:30 – Wake up
6:30 – Leave house
7:00 – Get the biggest coffee Starbucks will sell me
7:15 – Get to school, study until class
8:30 – 12:15 – Class
12:15 – Lunch
1:00 – Study or read until I’m either done with the work for the next day or cannot retain more information
7:00 – Drive home
7:30 – Get home, eat dinner
8:00 – Get ready for bed
8:30 – Relax and review for class tomorrow (or watch Netflix).
9:30 – Sleep”
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7) Is it anything like you expected it would be?
AP: “It is a lot more difficult than I expected, but at the same time, I did not expect to enjoy it as much as I do! Despite the workload, at the end of the day I am always extremely happy to be where I am.”
DM: “No- they tell you law school is a very mentally challenging experience. But it sure does knock you down but pick you up at the same time. I have met some of the most amazing professors and friends during my time at USC, but I have always learned how to think like an attorney and how to succeed in a new field.”
SO: “I don’t think you can ever be ready for law school. It’s the equivalent of being dropped in the middle of a foreign country without a translator and expected to do well while learning the customs and language of the new country.”
MK: “The difference in undergrad and law school is that you actually HAVE to read the assigned readings, and there are a lot. I didn’t believe anyone when they told me this, but it is true. The reading is hard, but if you enjoy what you’re learning, you feel like the work you are doing is important, you also have an incredible support system of friends that are going through the exact same thing that you are.
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8) What do you love about it?
AP: “I love the fact that it is preparing me to be a litigator because the feeling of standing before a judge and jury in the courtroom, and persuading them with my creative arguments, is simply amazing. Although the work is challenging, I enjoy reading cases and engaging in class discussions. I also like the wide variety of people law school has allowed me to meet, as well as the internship opportunities that I would not have had otherwise.”
DM: “I love the constant mental challenges and there are times when you worry you are not learning anything but during daily life you find yourself thinking differently and assessing problems/issues in a whole new light).”
SO: “The law and the practice of law can be broken down and distilled into a simple sentence: it is a game of problem-solving. Each day I learn how to help a future individual who might be at the most stressful point in their adult life resolve a problem. To me, that is the thing I love about the law.”  Â
MK: “It’s a lot more like Legally Blonde than they lead you to believe. The fact that I come home every day feeling like I have learned something so substantive, that two weeks ago I didn’t know the topic existed, and now I feel like an expert on it, like you LITERALLY GET SMARTER EVERY DAY.  Also the fact that we are all working together as a class to learn this profession, where the work we do will make a difference in people’s lives.”
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9) How do you stay on top of the workload?
AP: “I have two agendas that help me organize my assignments, their due dates, and any meetings or office hours I also have coming up. I try to schedule out my days in regards to what I need to get done by the end of the day, and I don’t go to bed until everything on that list gets done. I also use a lot of time on weekends to get ahead with my readings.”
DM: “I plan a set schedule for each hour of the week. Since I am working this semester and my involvement as a volunteer for ZTA, I keep myself on a tight schedule, with time on the weekends to relax and watch football.”
SO: “Google Calendar has saved my life multiple times. If it isn’t on my calendar, it isn’t getting done. I schedule everything, which makes it easy to maintain consistency and make sure I complete everything I need to by its respective deadline.”
MK: “Take breaks, keep three different calendars, LOTS of coffee, weekend homework marathons, studying near people who keep you on task and don’t distract you, don’t leave school until you are ready to walk into class the next day.”
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Join us again tomorrow for the final day of law school advice!
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