Share:

Category Books

Law School for Dummies »

Authors: Rebecca Fae Greene
ISBN-13: 9780764525483, ISBN-10: 0764525484
Format: Paperback
Publisher: Wiley, John & Sons, Incorporated
Date Published: May 2003
Edition: (Non-applicable)

Author Biography: Rebecca Fae Greene

Rebecca Greene, JD, is a May 2003 graduate of Indiana University School of Law—Bloomington. A contributor to the American Bar Association’s Student Lawyer magazine, she also wrote for Peterson’s Law Schools.

Book Synopsis

The straightforward guide to surviving and thriving in law school

Every year more than 40,000 students enter law school and at any given moment there are over 125,000 law school students in the United States. Law school’s highly pressurized, super-competitive atmosphere often leaves students stressed out and confused, especially in their first year. Balancing life and schoolwork, passing the bar, and landing a job are challenges that students often need help facing. In Law School For Dummies, former law school student Rebecca Fae Greene uses straight talk, sound advice, and gentle humor to help students sort through the swamp of coursework and focus on what’s important–all while maintaining a life. She also offers rare insight on the law school experience for women, minorities, non-traditional, and non-Ivy League students.

	Introduction	1
	About This Book	1
	How to Use This Book	2
	Conventions Used in This Book	3
	Foolish Assumptions	3
	How This Book Is Organized	3
	Icons Used in This Book	5
	Where to Go from Here	6
Part I	Considering Law School	7
Chapter 1	Exploring the Realities of Law School	9
	Demystifying the Law School Experience	9
	Assessing Whether You Can Make It in Law School	11
	Considering Other Important Factors before Deciding on Law School	13
	Glimpsing the Law School Experience Year by Year	14
	Charting the Law School Course	15
Chapter 2	Appreciating Diversity in Your Law School Class	19
	Everyone Goes to Law School for Different Reasons	20
	Changing Times, Changing Demographics	20
Chapter 3	Choosing the Best Law School for You	31
	Deciding Whether You Want to Be a Big or Small Fish in the Law School Pond	31
	Making Sense of Reach Schools, Likelies, and Safeties	32
	Weighing the Key Qualities of Law Schools	33
	Visiting Law Schools	40
Chapter 4	Using Battle-Tested Application Strategies to Succeed	45
	Demystifying the Application Process	46
	Getting the Most Out of Your Prelaw Advisor	52
	Making Your Application Stand Out: The Steps to Success	54
	Improving Your LSAT Savvy	58
	Navigating the Nuts and Bolts of the Law Schools Data Assembly Service (LSDAS)	62
	Glimpsing What LSAT Scores Can Get You into Law School	65
	Playing the "Weighting" Game	66
	Handling the Outcome of the Application Process	67
	Deciding to Defer	69
Part II	Getting What You Came for: The Law School Experience	71
Chapter 5	Getting Into the 1L Groove	73
	Performing Five Crucial Tasks before School Starts	73
	Tips for Taming Your Transition	78
	Selecting the Right School Supplies	81
	Attaining the Law School Mind-set	82
	Sanity-Saving Ways to Survive Orientation	85
Chapter 6	Surviving Typical First-Year Classes: A Crash Course	87
	Understanding the 1L Curriculum	88
	Reviewing How a 1L Course Is Organized	91
	Making the Most of Your 450 Classroom Hours Per Year	93
	Handling Your Professors	95
	Yikes! I Was Caught Unprepared	97
Chapter 7	Don't Sweat the Small Stuff: Keeping Academics in Perspective	99
	Law School Isn't a 24/7 Affair	100
	Keeping Active and Healthy	106
	Making Time for Significant Others	109
	Surveying the Law School Social Scene	110
Part III	Studying Law: Secret Techniques That Really Work	111
Chapter 8	Thinking and Talking like a Lawyer	113
	Does Law School Really Change You?	113
	Braving the Socratic Method	117
	Reading Cases Like a Pro	121
	Briefing Cases: A Step-by-Step Approach	122
	Recognizing the Importance of Class Participation	126
Chapter 9	Romancing the Tome: Making the Most of Your Study Time	129
	Maximizing Your Study Time	130
	Tackling a Wealth of Information	133
	Getting the Skinny on Outlines	136
	Deciding What to Put in Your Outline	140
	Determining When to Start Your Outline	141
	Getting a Little (Outline) Help from Your Friends	143
	Putting Your Outline to Work for You	143
	Taking (Many) Practice Exams	144
	Discovering the Joy (or Pain) of Study Groups	146
Chapter 10	Assembling Your Personal Study Aid Arsenal	151
	Improving Your Comprehension with Study Aids	151
	Loading Your Study Arsenal with Other Essential Tools	158
	Taking Advantage of the Law Library	159
Chapter 11	The Longest Three Hours of Your Life: Acing Your Law School Exams	161
	Mastering the Most Common Exam Types	161
	Understanding Your School's Exam System	170
	Exam Day Survival Strategies	172
Part IV	You're Halfway There (2Ls and 3Ls)	179
Chapter 12	One from Column A: Choosing Your Courses	181
	Choosing a Successful Course Load	182
	Revealing Strategies for Selecting the Best Electives	187
	Gaining Credit for Real-World Experience Outside the Classroom	193
	Taking Courses Outside the Law School	196
	Getting a Global Perspective from Study Abroad	196
Chapter 13	Not a Moot Point: Getting Involved in Law School	199
	Benefiting from Extracurriculars	200
	Explaining Law Reviews and Law Journals	202
	Working on Law Review and Law Journal	207
	Arguing for Fun and Profit: Moot Court	210
	Considering Clubs	213
	Jumping on the Research Assistant Bandwagon	215
	Getting Involved Outside of Law School	217
Part V	Preparing for Your Future	221
Chapter 14	Landing Your Perfect Summer Job	223
	Considering Major Factors That Impact Summer Job Options	224
	The Early Bird Gets the Job	226
	Taking Stock of Your Summer Job Options	228
	Picking Through an Assortment of Summer Jobs	230
	Readying Resumes and Cover Letters	232
	On-Campus Interviewing	236
	Managing the Call-Back Interview	241
	Munching Through the Lunch Interview	244
	Writing Thank-you Notes	246
Chapter 15	Getting the Lowdown on Careers	247
	Exploring Practice Setting Possibilities	247
	Setting Goals for Your Job Search	259
	Figuring Out What Legal Employers Really Want	263
	I Accept: Handling a Job Offer Properly	265
	Dealing with Rejection	266
	Playing the Waiting Game	266
Chapter 16	Narrowing Your Focus: Choosing an Area of Practice	269
	Focusing on Some Key Areas of Practice during Law School	269
	Putting On Your Career Counselor Cap	271
	Peeking at 18 Popular Areas of Practice	275
Chapter 17	Thinking Outside the Box: Considering Alternative Legal Careers	279
	Bucking Traditional Legal Careers	279
	Proceeding toward an Ideal Alternative Career	282
	Sampling Nontraditional Legal Jobs	285
	Modifying Your Job-search Tactics	289
Part VI	Wrapping Up Your Law School Career	293
Chapter 18	In a Class of Its Own: Preparing for the Bar Exam	295
	Deciding Whether to Take the Bar Exam	295
	The Bar Exam, Explained	296
	Looking at the Character and Fitness Review	300
	Recognizing the Advantages of a Bar Review Course	300
	Using What You Know and Other Tricks to Prepare for the Bar Exam	302
Chapter 19	Moving toward Graduation--and Beyond	303
	Winding Up Your Law School Career	303
	Getting a Professional Graduation Photo	304
	Reflecting on Your Law School Years and Looking Forward to Your Future	306
	Treasuring the Magic of Your Graduation Day	310
	Keeping in Touch with Classmates	312
	Dealing with the Prospect of Being Unemployed at Graduation	313
Part VII	The Part of Tens	317
Chapter 20	Ten Plus User-Friendly Law School Resources	319
	Perusing Ten (or So) Useful Web Sites	319
	Surveying Magazines and Newsletters	321
Chapter 21	Ten Best and Worst Things about Law School	325
	Gaining Valuable Public Speaking Skills	325
	Becoming a Better Writer	326
	Discovering How American Society Works	327
	Developing Practical Legal Skills That You Can Use Regardless of Whether You Become a Lawyer	327
	Finding Out How to Look at Both Sides of an Issue	328
	Spelling Disaster: A Lack of Discipline	328
	Being with the Same People 24/7	328
	Not Getting Enough of a Hands-On Education	329
	Facing Stiff Competition from Classmates	329
	Realizing That the Law Is a "Jealous Mistress"	330
Chapter 22	Ten Little-Known Law School Secrets	331
	Working Part-Time during the School Year Helps with Your Financial Aid	331
	Choosing Best-in-Class Study Group Members	332
	Using a Laptop in Class Saves Time Come Exams	332
	Using Commercial Study Aids Throughout the Semester	332
	Not Giving Your Classmates Fodder for Gossip	333
	Getting Friendly with Professors Early Ensures Good References Later	333
	Killing Two Birds with One Stone: Externships for Credit	334
	Getting Course Outlines by Joining a Club	334
	Graduating in December Sometimes Gives You a Leg Up	334
	Making Use of Alums while Job-Searching	335
	Index	337

Subjects

« Previous Book College Drinking: Reframing a Social Problem

Next Book » The Law Student's Pocket Mentor

Category Books

Law School for Dummies »

Author Biography: Rebecca Fae Greene

Book Synopsis

Table of Contents

Subjects