A Day in the Life

Students Helping Students

One of the most common topics about which we receive questions here in Admissions is the level of competition at the Law School.  The answer I usually give is that our students are competitive with themselves but not each other, and are, in fact, more than happy to help one another wade through Fed Jur or Con Law I.  A great example of this is a session organized by the Law Women's Caucus (LWC) to help 1Ls choose the best elective for the Spring Quarter.  All 1Ls choose one elective from a selection of seven to eight 2L/3L classes, including Legislation (taught by Professor Gersen '04), Health Law (taught by Professor Malani '00), Economic Analysis of the Law, and Copyright (taught by Professor Picker '85), as their fourth class.  To aid the 1Ls in this process member of the LWC held an informal session where the upperclassmen shared their experiences and opinions on specific classes and about the way to choose classes more generally.  One of the 1Ls in attendance, Michelle Sowemimo ('10), shared her thoughts on the session:

"I found the session EXTREMELY helpful to understanding more about the electives beyond what was already available on the website.  The 2Ls and 3Ls who gave advice did an excellent job of balancing both the pros and cons of each elective.  This gave me a clearer idea of what each elective would entail.

I think being able to choose electives in the first year will really help me to start narrowing down my academic interests.  I also didn't realize until the session that I would be in classes with 2Ls and 3Ls which I think is also a great asset!"

Thanks, Michelle!  For more information on academic support services offered by the Law School contact Maureen Sheehan '04, Associate Director of Student Affairs, who is a great source of guidance about crafting your course schedule not only for the 1L  year but for the entirety of your law school career.

The "Over the Hump" Party: U of C Students Celebrate the Mid-Point of the Year

U of C students are well-known for their dedication to their studies but they are also great at bringing balance to their lives with lots of fun.  Sara Feinstein (08), our Law Students Association President, gives us an example of the way our students celebrate the mid-point of the year:

"Students at the University of Chicago tend to embrace a "work hard, play hard" mentality.  The quarterly Law Students Association party exemplifies this mentality.  During Winter Quarter, after the 1L students complete their second Bigelow writing assignment, LSA hosts a heavily subsidized party affectionately called "Over the Hump."  This party, usually on a Thursday night, involves drinks, dancing and a much needed opportunity for law students to relax with their friends.  Over 200 law students attended the event held on February 7th at Club 720."

The Journal Writing Competition

It’s getting awfully quiet around here. The upper-class students are taking their exams, and the 1Ls are finishing up their classes and getting ready to start their first forays into the legal working world. But for many of our 1Ls, there’s one last thing to do before leaving the Law School behind for the summer: the journal writing competition.

The Law School has three student-edited journals: The Law Review, The Legal Forum, and the Chicago Journal of International Law. The Law Review is published four times a year and publishes on any legal subject. The Legal Forum is a “symposium journal,” meaning that it hosts a symposium on a single topic each year, then published the articles from that symposium along with student work on the same topic a year later. CJIL publishes twice a year on international law topics, and publishes standard articles, symposium pieces, and shorter essays that might not find a home in more traditional journals.

These journals are all entirely student-managed and student-edited. A board of third-year students manages each, and the journal is staffed by second-years. These 2Ls are chosen by a writing competition that takes place immediately after exams at the end of 1L year. Students choosing to participate in the competition write a "Topic Analysis," a 10-page paper detailing the merits of a particular topic as the basis of a Comment. All three journals use the same writing competition, and students may enter for any of the journals. The topic is selected by the Boards of the various journals, and all relevant materials are provided in a packet; no outside research is permitted. For the Law Review, participating students must also complete an edit of a short sample of legal writing. Students are given about two weeks to complete the competition, and entering transfer students can enter the competition along with the other rising 2Ls.

For CJIL and Legal Forum, the writing competition is the only way staff members are selected during this summer. (All upper-class students have the opportunity to become staff members on the journals by writing a publishable article, known as a “comment,” during their 2L or 3L years.) For Law Review, 10 of the 29 students offered membership over the summer will be chosen completely based on the writing competition. The other 19 students will be offered membership based on their 1L grades and the submission of a "good faith" entry in the writing competition (described below). Because all members are required to enter the writing competition, neither members nor the Board know whether an individual student has "written-on" or "graded-on."

The writing competition isn’t easy, to be sure – students are tired from exams, and are generally starting new (and often daunting) jobs while trying to complete the Topic Analysis. But journal membership can be very rewarding and interesting, and the experience of writing and editing legal scholarship serves many of our students well in their careers. We encourage you to visit the websites of our journals and see what they have to offer.

1L Job Search

Our 1L students are deep into their job search process, seeking legal experience in any number of fields for the summer after their 1L year, so we asked 1L Jason Lawrence to write about his job search experience to date. Here's what Jason had to say:

"I’ve been asked to write this blog post to let you know about the great career opportunities available to you, even as a first-year law student, here at the U of C. But as one of my favorite professors once told me - show, don’t tell. So I’m going to do my best to describe the opportunities that have been available to me and let you decide.

The Career Services office has given us first year students the opportunity to interview with summer employers including law firms, corporations like Microsoft, and government agencies like the Internal Revenue Service. This "on-campus" interviewing is generally available only to second year students at most law schools.

I recently interviewed with a large international firm for a summer associate position in their Chicago office. In preparation for the interview, our Career Services office helped me learn how to effectively research the firm and their practice areas, so I was prepared to ask informed questions and speak to my interests in the areas of law that they practiced. In addition, the office conducted a mock interview with me to give me practice, advice and confidence in my interviewing skills.

The interview itself was, if nothing else, a very educational experience. Our interviewer was a 2006 law school graduate, who had only been with the firm for four months. As a result, the interview was less formal than I had expected. I felt that it was a good experience because the reality is that not every interview you will have with prospective employers will be with established associates or partners, or even the attorney that you expected to interview with. Regardless of whether I ultimately get the job, I felt that this process has prepared me well and given me what I hope will be an advantage over other students as I look ahead to the more traditional interviewing process for a job after the second year.

In addition, our career services office recently arranged a lunch with employers from the Minneapolis/St. Paul (Twin Cities) area. I honestly had not given a thought to working in the Twin Cities prior to the lunch. Now, I am thinking about seeking employment there this summer and beyond. While there are plenty of opportunities to find employment in a big legal market like Chicago, New York or Los Angeles, our career services office has made several opportunities in other markets available as well. If you’re from a somewhat smaller city than Chicago like the Twin Cities or Pittsburgh or St. Louis - or like me and from Eastern Iowa where Chicago is the closest city - and want to work in a smaller market, you’ll have plenty of opportunities and support in finding quality (and still well-paying) employment in those markets here at the U of C."

1L Experience: First Quarter Exams

Our 1Ls finished their first round of exams a little over a week ago, and after the Dean of Students sent them off with a champagne toast, we contacted some of them and asked how the exam period had treated them. 1L Emily Throop, author of the November 28, 2006 post declaring that students are actually having fun here at The University of Chicago Law School, reports that she is still enjoying law school, exams and all:

"Well, exams are over, and despite the periods of freaking out that myself and my fellow 1Ls survived, exams were not that bad. In fact, if I may say so at the expense of being crucified by law students across the country, they were kind of fun. Ok, well maybe that’s a bit of a stretch. Exams here are not the uber-competitive, impossible tasks that one hears about in law school legends. First year exams are all open-book, which means you can use ANYTHING: outlines, notes, casebooks, hornbooks, commercial outlines, old exams, anything. Of course, by the time the exam comes along, you basically know the material, but it’s always nice to have items to reference. There is no stress about memorizing tiny details, because you can always look them up. Our profs are so nice about the whole process. They realize we will be a little worried (to say the least) about exams, and hold review sessions, hand out outlines, and tell us their main advice is to relax and enjoy ourselves! It can be stressful to pack a whole quarter of info into 3hrs, or 8 in the case of a take-home, but you will have all the tools you need to succeed. And, due to our quarter system, we only have two exams this quarter. All in all, it was a gentle, a little bit scary, but also a little bit fun initiation of law school exams."

Yes, Emily, law students across the country would probably react strongly to your characterization of exams as "fun," but I get what you're saying. I always found that my classes in law school didn't really come together for me until I sat down to study for exams. It was always a cool feeling to look back on the quarter and realize that I had actually learned something . . .

Wine Mess

Wine Mess is a long-standing student-run tradition at the Law School, so I thought I'd let the students involved tell you about it. 2L Frank Busch, captain of Wine Mess this year, put it this way:

"It's only appropriate that this entry in 'A Day in the Life' is about the best time to be at the Law School. Specifically, Friday afternoons from 4-6. Any reasonably sane reader - and perhaps you - must be wondering why on earth a person would want to delay their weekend an extra two hours. The answer is simple: Wine Mess.

Wine Mess. A place where a constantly changing selection of premium beers - along with a full bar - are available. A time that transitions nicely into friday evening plans. A group of people just as interesting, smart, and social as you are.

It has been my pleasure to organize and run Wine Mess this year. Being behind the bar is an altogether different experience than attending was last year, however it is obvious that this year's 1L class is off to a great start. If nothing else, their enthusiasm for Friday afternoons makes the entire event the best time of the Law School's week."

And to second the 1L enthusiasm Frank references, 1L Carlos Soto wrote: "Every Friday afternoon, after our torts class with Prof. Epstein, we have Wine Mess, which is one of the coolest traditions at the Law School. It's an awesome way to relax after a week of class. There's almost always free food, be it ice cream or tacos. Even if you don't drink you won't feel out of place because the main purpose of Wine Mess is to talk and get to know each other better. Our class has been brought even closer together through Wine Mess because we play foosball and whiffleball right in the Green Lounge, even with professors, who are always in attendance. In fact, it's also a great opportunity to meet your professors in an informal setting. Every week, we get one or two different professors or faculty members giving us advice on everything from classes and jobs to sports and good restaurants around the area. Few things are as fun as Wine Mess; most 1Ls will tell you that they met their best friends there and that it's the perfect atmosphere to start off the weekend. If you are considering attending the Law School, I recommend that you visit us on a Friday afternoon so that you can check it out. I guarantee you will have a great time."

I swear I'm not making this up -- the students really are having fun here at the University of Chicago Law School (and I remember wine mess fondly from my time here -- we started many Fridays at wine mess, with various spouses/significant others/friends meeting us in the Green Lounge after work before we headed out for the night). Don't believe me? Take Carlos up on his offer -- come visit us on a Friday afternoon and see what it's all about.

1L Experience: Work Hard, Play Hard

We asked some 1Ls for their perspectives on what life is like at the Law School for them so far. Here's what 1L Emily Throop has to say about the social life at the Law School: "I think the biggest myth about law school, (or maybe just this law school?) is that it's not fun.  Well, not that it's all fun.  Right now I am sitting in the library on a Sunday afternoon reading Civil Procedure (which is probably not going to be anyone's favorite subject, even though class itself is quite engaging.)  But, unlike the mythical UC student who spent all weekend at the library, that is simply not reality.  Students here have fun, a lot of fun.  Every Thursday there is Bar Review, a common phenom at law schools around the country.  Students reps pick a bar in Chicago and everyone is invited to come up and celebrate that the weekend is (almost) here.  Contrary to popular belief tons of people go.  In fact, this Thursday, we had so many people at the original bar that we moved on to another bar down the street.  Every Friday, the Law School has Wine Mess, where at 4pm (yes, 4pm) students gather to patronize the "bar" that is set up in the Green Lounge and mingle with classmates.  And we often get food; this week it was chips, salsa, and guacamole, and pumpkin pie.  For those who don't enjoy the drinking, the law school sets up numerous other events.  About three times a week, different student groups bring lecturers to campus for lunchtime events.  And, yes, they do provide the lunch, which may account for stellar turnouts.  Bottom line:  we have to work hard (this is law school), but trust me, anyone who wants to will find many ways to make their time at this law school fun.  (And oh yeah, classes are pretty interesting too?)"

1L Experience: Happy to Be Here

The Class of 2007 seems to be enjoying Law School quite a bit. How do I know? Because when we ask for blog posts, we get things like the following, from 1L Jason Krigel: "I became a law student only five weeks ago.  Since then, I have been almost constantly busy.  I received no shortage of warnings about the rigors of the first year of law school.  What I've discovered so far, however, is that these grim portraits of legal education don't quite describe the experience, at least not at University of Chicago.  If I focused exclusively on going to class and completing my reading assignments, I would have ample time to sit around and catch up on the current season of Project Runway.  Unfortunately for Heidi, my vegging-out time has been dramatically curtailed.  It's not that I am living in the library with my textbooks - although there is certainly plenty of work to be done.   Rather, I can't help but take advantage of all the opportunities that this school affords.

"I hate to sound like a shill for the Admissions office, but I truly am excited to be here.   In a typical week, I expect to have conversations with my professors outside of class, to debate with my classmates between lectures about public policy issues (It's true; we're all nerds), to attend a lunchtime lecture with a member of Congress or a visiting legal scholar (a lesser known benefit to law school are the speaking programs during lunch where food is provided - a frugal student can eat for free three or four days per week), to attend the weekly "Bar Review" on Thursday night where law students meet at a different Chicago bar, to grab a quick dinner with fellow law students in Chinatown, Pilsen or one of the dozens of other great Chicago neighborhoods.  Of course, the experience will be what you make of it.  But I am constantly impressed by my classmates and the law school.   

"If you are reading this blog as a means of procrastinating from writing your admissions essay, I advise you to get back to work on those apps.  The effort is well worth it.  (Of course, this rosy picture may be put to the test if they invite any 1L's to write for the blog in four weeks when we are all in the middle of studying for final exams.)  Good Luck!"

1L Experience: In Classes and in the Classroom

In our continuing series of posts by members of the class of 2007, we bring you 1L Christopher Trendler. Chris chose to focus on what classes are like here at the Law School: "Even though I've only been a student for a couple of months, I can definitely see that there is something different in studying law at the University of Chicago.  Ideas are everywhere.  From classes to the Green Lounge, from meetings of the many different student organizations to sitting with the dean and chatting at coffee mess, every idea is welcome. Especially innovative ideas.  One of the most interesting classes Chicago has is called Elements of the Law - a class idea that originated at the Law School.  Professor David Strauss is teaching us the different methods of reasoning judges use in making decisions, and how the law relates to other academic disciplines, like psychology, economics, business, political science, etc.  In this class, the professor will often ask us about the different ideas we might have about a particular judicial decision and encourage us to draw on our knowledge we might have from studying a subject in undergrad or working in a field for a couple of years.  It's so interesting to hear my classmates' perspective, and many times, the discussion will continue in the hallway after class.  The idea dialogue also continues openly with professors.  I've thoroughly enjoyed attending the Law School's "Best Ideas" lectures during lunch, where we can hear and debate a professor's ideas and cutting edge research.    For instance, last week Dean Levmore talked to us about single subject rules in state laws and how these relate to the legislature, as well as in litigation.  We were able to hear his arguments, and then respond with questions and other ideas we might have.  This free and open exchange of thought that is so prevalent here is one of the many reasons my first two months at Chicago have been incredibly rewarding."

The 1L Experience

The 1Ls at the University of Chicago Law School have been here for over a month now, so we thought we'd see what they had to say about law school now that they've settled in and made themselves at home. We'll share their thoughts with you over the next few weeks in a series of "1L Experience" posts. To start, here's what 1L James Burnham had to say on how the law school experience is living up to the expectations he had before he came:

"The University of Chicago has a certain reputation which can be neatly summed up in their self-deprecating slogan of being the place 'where fun goes to die.' When I was visiting other law schools during the admissions process, I heard endlessly from students that I shouldn’t go to Chicago because it would be boring and competitive and so on and so forth. Therefore, I have been tremendously surprised to find almost the exact opposite is true.

In the Class of 2009, a strong sense of camaraderie has already developed and is yet to be undermined by any of the bizarre law school competitiveness you hear about as an undergrad. Our many nascent friendships are furthered by the one stereotype of Chicago students that has turned out to be entirely true: everyone is very bright and very interested in the law as an idea, rather than simply learning it as a means to an end. For example, I am in a class unique to Chicago (taught by the highly regarded and always charming Professor Sunstein) called Elements of Law which is essentially a quarter-long discussion of different policy implications to various legal theories and the philosophical foundation of different aspects of law.

In terms of going out, it is true that Hyde Park is not the most thrilling place in America. However, we manage to get to the North side at least once a week and have livened up some of the sleepier spots down South. Fun is entirely what you make of it so if you are out with a large group of classmates just about anywhere will be entertaining.

I keep waiting for the other shoe to drop and law school to suddenly morph into the stress-filled horror Scott Turow paints in 1L but, so far anyway, the two are not even comparable."

We'll check back in with James later in the year and see if that shoe's dropped yet!