More Grades and Ranks

Spring grades have been released. My GPA went up by one one-hundredth of a point and I rose two slots in the class rankings, so I'm declaring victory.

My lowest grade was, predictably, Contracts. Contracts was also the only class in which my grade fell from the fall to the spring. I'll have no choice but to take some more classes in transactional law, but you can bet I'll be avoiding that professor.

Summer Classes

Three weeks into the summer session, I finally feel like I have time to write a word about the classes I'm taking. Criminal Pretrial Procedure is mostly about the Fourth Amendment: searches, warrants and exclusion of evidence. It's fascinating stuff, not least because it's taught by a veteran judge who really knows the material. He also shouts, runs around the room and does funny voices. I guess he's had experience teaching two-and-a-half hour night classes.

Just ten minutes after Crim Pro ends, Legal Profession begins. The contrast is stark. It seems like ethics should be interesting - there's material in the textbook about the Enron scandal and even criminal attorneys hiding corpses - but the professor just stands at the podium and grinds through her Power Point slides for ninety minutes. The class ends at 9:35 PM. We should be allowed to attend in our pajamas.

All Done

I just submitted my law review application materials, four hours before the deadline. It wasn't my best work, but just having it in the can is a real load off my mind and my schedule. Ironically, today was also my last day for a few weeks at my on-again, off-again summer job. I don't know what I'll do with all the free time. It's feast or famine.

Something's Got to Give

The sixty-hour weeks caught up with me quickly. I have a vicious cold and spent most of today in bed. This is bad because this weekend is the only free time I have to write the ten-page case note (the law school equivalent of a book report) that will be my application to the law review staff.

Law review is one of the quintessential law school experiences. Every decent law school puts out a journal that is edited and partly written by students. Service on the law review is a flashy resume item, and admission to the staff is competitive. Right now it looks like my application is going to be pretty weak.

Studying in Comfort

The crazy schedule of work plus summer school (part time students, I have a renewed respect for you) has made it hard to post regularly, but I must take a moment to report that the school has put some sweet new comfy chairs in the library lobby. They're dynamite!

School is In Session

Summer classes start tomorrow. I'm only taking two classes, but the accelerated pace of the summer session will take some getting used to. My total reading assignment for the first day of class? 123 pages. Add the fact that I'm now holding down a job, and it's going to be a long ten weeks.

Back In the Real World

There's nothing like a full-time job to make one appreciate the academic life. I couldn't find work in the legal field, so I'm back at the job I walked away from nine months ago when I went to school. At least I had somewhere to go. Tuition ain't cheap!