Hello again, Jury of Peers! Fall semester is wrapping up and let me tell you, campus is buzzing. Finals are looming, caffeine consumption is increasing, winter break is coming, and the energy is palpable. Even seasoned 3Ls feel a twinge of anxiety as December 1st creeps towards us and finals begin.
But before we rush to the end of the semester, let me give you a recap of the semester thus far. This year, I am really pushing myself to make the most of my final year. My first year, I was very shy and found making friends difficult because of it. Then, I lost a year and a half to the pandemic. So, needless to say, I’m making this year count.
This semester I took the most courses I ever have in one semester. Not the heaviest course load in terms of units but the physical number of classes I took. I started my semester with Trial Advocacy on Monday and will be ending that class with two full mock-trials. Tuesdays are Torts II and Motion Picture Contract Drafting. These two classes could not be more different. Torts II is a traditional bar class where you read a bunch of cases and learn rules. Contract Drafting consists of literally reading and writing contracts every week. This class has given me the most headaches but it’s truthfully been one of the most valuable practical classes I’ve taken.
Wednesdays start with Negotiations and end with Marital Property. Negotiations is a good foundational class if you’re interested in transactional law. Marital Property is a bar course that reinforces some Trusts & Wills topics and goes further in depth about how property changes with marriage and how it gets divided upon divorce.
In addition to classes, I got to put on my first in-person panel for the Day Student Bar Association which focused on helping 1L’s get tips for exams, and I got to give three campus tours! I really enjoy taking part in community building activities to being on student gov’t and being a student ambassador is a real rush for me.
Overall, in-person law school is just so much more joyous and so much more tortuous than online. The highs are higher and the lows are lower, but you can’t appreciate the good without the bad (I’m looking at you, traffic). Though law school is strenuous, and hectic, and overwhelming, it is also fascinating, and enriching, and enjoyable.
So even though I didn’t write about law school myths this week, the myth I want to bust is that law school isn’t pleasant. You get out what you put in, and I have filled my cup this semester. Hopefully I can do the same next semester.
Happy Holidays, and I’ll see you in the next post,
Kelsey