student senate’s guide to l columbia law school...read the guide and get excited about the next...

Student Senate’s

Guide to

Columbia Law School

Unofficial

Unofficial Guideto

Columbia Law School

Compiled by Columbia Law School Student SenateProject Editor, Craig Greiwe2006-2007 Executive Board:

Sonya Mirbagheri, PresidentTope Yusuf, Vice-President

Adam Sparks, TreasurerStuart McPhail, Parliamentarian

Table of Contents

Chapter 1: The Technicals - Getting StartedChapter 2: Life at the Law School – An overview of your first yearChapter 3: Stores and More – A commentary on Morningside Heights and

New York CityChapter 4: Choosing Classes

To include graduation requirements, writing requirementsChapter 5: School involvement

To include clinics, journals, etc.Chapter 6: Choosing a Career

To include public interest, clerkships, academia, business, firm work,and other careersa) Public Interest Lawb) Career Centerc) Non Law Careers

Chapter 7: The Bar & the MPREChapter 8: Last Words & “Secrets of CLS”Appendix A: Listing of interest/practice areas and classes that fit themAppendix B: Listing of professors alphabetically and by practice area

Welcome Letter

Hello Class of 2010! We hope you’re excited to join the Columbia LawSchool family. This unofficial guide is the product of months of hard workby several members of the student body with some input from theadministration. Since you receive bits and pieces of information from theschool throughout the summer, we thought we would sum it all up foryou in one place. We hope it will help you get geared up for the year asyou transition between your previous life and law school. There are tonsof helpful hints from where to shop for groceries to how to study for lawschool exams. Please keep in mind that this is an unofficial guide and isnot necessarily representative of the opinions or position of the school(had to insert a disclaimer). We think we did a pretty good job ofcovering all the bases in the first two chapters, but expect the rest of theguide in the fall when you actually start. For now, enjoy the summer,read the guide and get excited about the next three years.

Chapter 1

We, the Student Senate, have taken the courtesy of putting together what we think arethe clutch tasks you need to take care of before you get here, from finding you a placeto live to setting up your ID card and insurance. There are a few things, though, youwill want to take care of immediately. This is our own two cents, not the school’s, butwe hope it’s helpful. As Civil Procedure, one of your first-year courses, will teach you,sometimes it’s all about following the rules just to get to the point where you areallowed to play the game…

Before you even step foot on campus, we have created a step-by-step process to makesure everything is ready when you arrive. This is not meant to be a comprehensive list,or an excuse to ignore the official materials and information Columbia sends you. It’sjust our advice on the things that should draw your special attention. Student Services,the University, and other departments will be sending you a number of packets andmaterials over the coming weeks, but we wanted to hit the highlights. Oh, and all thoselittle links on the admitted students webpage? Please take the time to EXPLORETHEM. They cover most of this information, too.

Chapter 1: The Technicals

Explanations for each step of this checklist areon the pages that follow.

_Housing Form_Financial Aid Forms_Activate CUNIX ID_Activate Law School Network (Lawnet) ID_Insurance/Vaccinations_Send in CLS ID Sheet_Law Brief/Message Board registration

I. A ROOF OVER YOUR HEAD

First off, you will have a place to live. Don’t worry, Columbia Law School will take good careof you. You may not receive your housing assignment until June or July, but it’s on the way,and the school is working on placing you. It’s a gigantic puzzle, and it takes a while for every-one to fit in the right pieces, but it will happen,and you will be able to move in at least a weekbefore classes begin, which is plenty of time.You might be able to move in before then,but if you want to start planning your travelnow, including plane and hotel reservations,just count on that week.

Now that that’s out of the way, let’s talk a bit more about housing. If you’ve already filled outyour application, you might want to skip this section, but if not, keep on reading. If you’vevisited, you’ve seen some of the apartments, but you may not know how it all breaks down.When you’re considering which apartment to request when you fill out the form online, it’simportant to consider your preferences and how they match up with what’s offered. It’s alsoimportant to fill it out as soon as you can—housing is assigned based on preferences, and insome cases, the date you submit your housing application.

There are plenty of apartments in University housing, but the law school also has somebuildings that are only for law students, including Lionsgate, the apartments on 115th street,420 West 116th, and Lenfest Hall. Not all of the law students live in these buildings, so manylaw students also live in other University-managed apartments. As you begin to fill out yourhousing form—which you should do as soon as possible athttp://www.columbia.edu/cu/ire/preform.html—we’ll give you some things to think about.

As you start to consider the choices on the following page, there are a couple of factors youshould balance out: distances, possible roommates, price, and quality of the amenities. By theway, if your rent is more than financial aid allows you (they budget $1100 a month, includingutilities), you can petition for a financial aid increase, which is met by private loans.

Chapter 1: The Technicals - Housing

The Housing Preference Form:www.columbia.edu/cu/ire/preform.html


Lionsgate is, as it says, a luxury apartment building and great because the apartments aregenerally spacious and have beautiful views. In fact, because it’s so spacious, it’s very popularwith couples, professors, and some students with families. (But many single students live there,too.) It can be pricey, though, and is about four blocks from the law school. This is a bit fartherthan some of the other buildings, but also close to Broadway restaurants and the subway.

Lenfest Hall is really nice and almost brand new. It is also, like Lionsgate, pretty expensive(more than Financial Aid initially budgets for you, in fact). People who live there generally loveit. They build a dorm-like community, except you have modern studio apartments withamenities instead of old college dorm rooms. Like Lionsgate, it’s also farther from the school(five blocks) than many other law school apartments. Those five blocks are also uphill.

Another option is an “Apartment Share” with one or two other students. Studios and othersizes are also available, but harder to get. There are two types: University-owned and law-school owned.

Law-school-owned apartments include the studio apartments at 420 West 116th and the sharedapartments on 115th. There are only studios and 1 bedrooms on 116th, and a combination ofstudios and shared apartments on 115th. Both of these options are very close to the law school,and you will be surrounded by fellow law students in buildings that are much older than Lenfestand Lionsgate. This can be a down side when you just want to “get away” from law students, butit also means easy socializing. Your roommates will likely be fellow 1Ls who are going throughthe same thing you are, which is a great support system. The maintenance staff members areexceptionally nice and friendly (on 115th, Maria and the “supers” usually know everyone’s nameshortly after the school year begins).

University-owned apartments are like law school apartments except they’re farther away andyour roommates can be from any other area in the University other than the law school, althoughUAH tries to place you with other law students when they can. You could live on 120th or110th; your roommate could be a physics Ph.D. student or getting her masters in teaching. Thedrawback, of course, is that you might not have as much instant socializing with other lawstudents. UAH also has studios, one-bedrooms, and other larger apartments, and is especiallypopular with couples and families. The upside—and a big upside—is that the rent is usuallycheaper and the rooms can be much bigger.

So how to choose? Law school apartments are generally popular—living with fellow lawstudents so close to the school is great for building a support network and “being part of it all.”These apartments, however, can be smaller and more expensive than University-managedapartments. Not always, just sometimes. But they also include utilities and all those extraneouscosts that pop up.

So, beware of those costs—anecdotally, while some university apartments are $100 to $200 amonth cheaper, these other bills can add up. Not the mention the costs of furniture—most lawschool housing also includes the basics, such as a bed and desk, though some have more thanthat and others aren’t furnished at all (you’ll find out in advance, don’t worry). So yourapartment in UAH might be bigger and cheaper, and that’s really a substantial possibility, but itmight end up being a balancing act. You should make sure to take into account distance, costs,potential roommates, and the size of your apartment. No matter what way you choose, moststudents are generally pleased with their housing—Columbia does a good job of taking care ofits students.

Lastly, MAKE SURE YOU TAKE CARE OF THE HOUSING FORM ON YOUR OWN.Your parents might have different preferences than you do, but you are the one living there. Ifthere is one thing you take the time out to do for yourself, this should be it.

There is, however, one other important distinction to bemade: as there are two types of apartments (Law SchoolManaged vs. University Managed), this hints at the factthat there are two people handling housing: one at the lawschool, and one at the University. Elizabeth Graingerhandles the law school housing, and we make anunqualified endorsement that she is one of the nicest, most helpful people you will ever meet atCLS. She works tirelessly on behalf of students (like many of the people in Student Services,who we’ll get to later). The University housing office (called UAH) can be harder to deal with.While there are some good people in that office, they can be slow to respond. It’s not that theytry to be that way—it’s just that they’re managing over 100 apartment buildings and are oftenbogged down. Note, though, while Grainger does the law school assignments, everything doeshave to make its way through UAH eventually.


Chapter 1: The Technicals - Financial Aid

II. PAYING FOR IT ALL

Now that you’re in and you’re coming, your first thoughts might be how you’re going to pay foreverything. CLS is here to help, or at least help you get loans. Almost all students have acombination of grants, federal loans, and private loans. Now, you’re wondering if you have all ofyour forms in, how you get private and federal loans, and how you will make sure you will havetaken care of everything. Don’t worry: the financial aid office is there to work with you. While it isyour responsibility to get the forms in and done, they are there to give you a helpful nudge whenyou forget to fill something out.

Early on, you will receive a binder from the Admissions Office with several forms. The FinancialAid Office has a section, including a checklist to make sure you’ve filled everything out. Inevitably,this means sitting down with a pen, paper, and a lot of tax returns to figure it all out. Our advice isthis: if there is one area that you want to double-check your work and make sure you haveeverything filled out, this is it. Work off the checklist and financial aid packet. Fill out the loanforms. And if you have questions, call the financial aid office. They are very helpful. Just be sure tobe prepared, and to have all your financial information on hand. Remember though: some forms willgo to financial aid, and some will go to other places.

You might be surprised by how quickly you can be approved for a private law school loanonline—but it’s still legit. And if unexpected educational-related expenses come up—moving toNew York, rent deposits, higher rent, or a routine expense that you will have that’s not included inthe official CLS budget, you can always put together a letter, with supporting documentation, thatdetails your need for additional money. If the school approves it (and generally, if it’s a legitimateeducational expense, they will), you can borrow the additional money. But don’t forget to look foroutside scholarships. What it comes down to is this: you’re in…and Columbia will help you find away to pay for it.

Chapter 1: The Technicals - Financial Aid

Chapter 1: The Technicals - Computer Wizardry

III. BUYING A COMPUTER

If you sit in on a class, you’ll see that almost everyone has a laptop. So if you’re in the market for anew computer, you should think about that route. For notes or papers, for tests…it just makes lifeeasier. The key, of course, is that most students like to take exams on laptops. While you may notfind yourself someone who types notes in class, you will almost always find that a laptop is moreconvenient and helpful during your law school career. If you don’t plan on purchasing a newcomputer for law school, and have a desktop right now, we strongly advise you to think aboutgetting a laptop. If you don’t have the money to buy a computer, the Financial Aid Office will workwith you to get a one-time additional extension to your loans to purchase a laptop. From ourperspective, while we never endorse going even more deeply into debt, given the cost of CLS at$60,000 a year, an additional one-time loan of $1,000 in exchange for the convenience of a laptop issomething you should consider. The law school publishes guidelines for what type of requirementsyour system will need, but don’t worry too much about them if you’re buying a new computer.Almost all new computers come with everything you will need—the guidelines are mainly to makesure, if you’re using your old computer, that it will actually work with the law school network. Onething to think about, though, is size: smaller can make a difference when you’re carrying it aroundall day.

As for PC or Mac, this is a more difficult decision. First, if you want to stick with a PC for lawschool, you will be fine. But if you’re a die-hard Mac fan, for whatever reason, please read on.First, we have good news. At one point, the only reason for Mac users not to buy a Mac was thatthe law school would only allow you to take exams on a PC because the software used forexams didn’t adapt to a Mac. That’s no longer the case. Now, thanks to Bootcamp software thatallows Macs with Intel processors to run Windows, you can take your exams onWindows running on a Mac. It’s important to note that the school does not recommend Macsand will not provide support for them, including if they crash during exams. You will have toattend an IT training session and sign a waiver that if your Mac crashes while running the examsoftware (known as SofTest) that you won’t blame the lawschool, but other than that, you’re golden. You also havethe option of borrowing someone else’s PC or renting a PC for exams so getting one is not impossible.

IV. YOUR COLUMBIA ID

This is also known as your CUNIX ID, or “UNI.” It’s the first thing you need for the Universityand the Law School to be able to identify you. It’s already set up, but you have to activate it.And with activation comes access to your Columbia email address. This is important for morethan your vanity: email will be your lifeline to the school, even before you’ve arrived in NewYork. Announcements and notifications, events and class information—it all goes through yourColumbia email, the default contact information CLS has for you. Even if you have given themanother email to communicate with you through the admissions process, once you matriculateand decide to enroll, they default to your Columbia email, and you can’t ever change that. Youcan set up your Columbia Email (which is also known as “Cubmail”) to forward to anotheremail, but the University and the Law School will both always send to your official schooladdress. So if you don’t activate it, imagine the problems…

V. YOUR LAW SCHOOL ID

For reasons that we don’t understand, and probably never will, in addition to your University ID,you also have a separate Law School electronic ID. There are some historical reasons for this,but all you need to know is that you have two separate IDs and you will have to set up both.First, is the CUNIX, which we mentioned. The other is your “lawnet” ID, which is almostalways the first initial of your first name and the first five letters of your last name.


www.law.columbia.edu/law_school/info_tech/stud_sup/incomingstudent

Step 1: Scroll down and click on the gigantic link, “Click here to create an email account”Step 2: Follow instructions


Why is this important? First, the law school ID is also known as your “Lawnet ID,” whichreferences the law school’s own internal website. This website is the access portal to many of theschool’s resources you will ultimately need, including your grades, class schedule, directories, andother valuable links. Lawnet’s resources are always growing as CLS works to integrate many of itsalternate websites into this umbrella, so it’s important to get access. It will also allow you to seeinformation about and photos of your professors and future classmates.

Getting your law ID also activates your “vanity email” link to your regular Columbia email. WhileColumbia assigns you an address such as “[email protected],” the law school vanity email isyour [email protected]. This does not activate, however, until you get yourlaw school ID.

Your law school ID also gives you access to log in to any of the computers on the network, as wellas to link your own personal computer to the law school network. There are several computer labsaround the law school that are available to you 24/7, and logging on to the network from them oryour own computer gives you access to your printing allowance (you get 2500 pages per year), apersonal drive, and the shared “group” drive.

Lastly, the law school ID also gives you access to “Courseweb,” located at https://coursewebs-2.law.columbia.edu/Coursewebs/access.nsf. The courseweb will contain a link for each of yourclasses, and professors sometimes choose to post material on it, such as assignments, lectures, andexams. We’ll get into those a little bit later, but suffice it to say that your law school ID is importantto activate early on, as well.

www.law.columbia.edu/law_school/info_tech/stud_sup/incomingstudent

Step 1: Complete the mandatory training module by scrolling down and clicking on the giganticlink that says “Click here to login to the CBT.”Step 2: Take the module quiz. At the end, when you pass, you will get your lawnet ID. WRITE ITDOWN, along with your password.


VI. ONCE YOU ARRIVE AT SCHOOL

Before you become too excited about joining the law school network, keep in mind activating thesetwo IDs is really the only critical “tech” aspects of your matriculation that you should do early on.Once you arrive, you will register your Ethernet card, you will configure your computer for accessto drives and the school’s wireless network, and become a tech-savvy law student, if you aren’talready one. The law school IT department has created step-by-step directions for all of this, just foryou, and will provide them upon your arrival. (If you’re really ambitious, they are also postedonline, and you can set your computer up before you arrive). Their office is located on the seventhfloor of Jerome Greene Hall, the main law school building, or via email [email protected]. They will also, for about three weeks during August, hold “officehours” every day in a classroom in the main law school building from 9-5 every day to help youthrough the process, including registering your computer with the school. Don’t worry about doingany of this now—wait until you get here.

Chapter 1: The Technicals - All the Other Stuff

VII. INSURANCE

There are three types of insurance, and there will be a Q&A session early in the school year for youto ask questions. We don’t want to speak for the insurance company, but here’s what we know:

If you are still on your parents’ insurance and want to stay on it, you don’t need to worry aboutColumbia insurance, except to waive it. You can file a waiver (which you can get from theinsurance office on the fourth floor of John Jay hall) each semester to get your money back fromthe University, and forget about the rest of the information. But for most of us, we buy University-provided insurance. This is provided by a company called Chickering, who administers theschool’s Aetna plan. There are two types of plans, and you will have until September 30 to finalizeyour choice: basic or comprehensive. If you have a reason to believe you will have routineprescriptions or have to see the doctor routinely, it’s worth the extra money to get thecomprehensive. It has a higher maximum level of prescription coverage and doctors’ appointments.

When you buy University insurance, it means you will have to go to the University health centerFIRST when you have a problem (unless it’s an emergency, in which case you should go to thehospital). If you have the flu, or you’re not feeling well, or something is wrong that you wouldnormally go see your family doctor about, you have to go to the health center first at John Jay Hall.If they can’t treat you, they will refer you to an outside specialist. If you go to the specialist or yourfamily doctor first, your insurance will not pay for it.

The University insurance has the added benefit of billing your “health services” fee at the sametime so that you can go to John Jay Hall when you are sick. And since your insurance covers youyear-round, this means that when you are away for the summer, you will have to call the Columbiahealth center and get a referral BEFORE you go see a doctor where you are located. Yes, it’s notconvenient, but it’s the way it works. That said, the Columbia doctors and nurses are really niceand helpful—most of them seem genuinely happy to be helping students, so you shouldn’t beafraid to see them. There’s also an online appointment scheduling system, among otherconveniences, so that you can schedule according to your availability. For mental health services,there is an equally helpful center located on the eighth floor of Lerner Hall on the main campus.There, they can treat you for short-term issues, or refer you to an outside practitioner for regulartreatment. Again, as with physical health services, if you have a reason to believe you might needregular treatment, we endorse the comprehensive insurance plan.

One special note: 1Ls arrive in August, but your insurancedoesn’t start until September 1. If you would like insurancecoverage during your time at CLS in August, you can pur-chase the supplement online through the link provided onthe admitted students website (you can also purchase itretroactively once you get here). In 2006, it was $177 forthe month, so it’s up to you—if you think you will need coverage in any way, or just to be safe, weadvocate purchasing it. (This will provide only emergency and “urgent care” coverage. Regularappointments at the John Jay Hall health center don’t begin until September.)

You may have more questions, but trust us, this is most of what you need for now. Read over thepamphlets the University sends you, but don’t stress: there is a very informative Q&A session atthe law school once you arrive. And don’t forget to choose your insurance level—comprehensiveor basic—by September 30.


You will not get your schedule released or be able to file for insurance unless you turn inan MMR vaccination form and complete an online meningitis vaccine questionnaire bySeptember 30.

MMR: www.health.columbia.edu/docs/services/immunizations/mmr.html.Meningitis: https://ssol.columbia.edu/ssv/crt/menIntro.html.


VIII. ID SHEET / PHOTOS

When you send in your deposit, CLS also asks you to send in your information sheet, listing yourfull name, your undergraduate University, etc. At the top of this, it asks you to send two passportsized-photos. Do it. Trust us, do it. You can crop a regular photo or have mugshots taken—eitherworks, and you can send them digitally or in hard copy form. These photos are used to create yourCLS ID cards, so that the school can give them to you on your first day of orientation. They’re alsothe photos in the student directory, so make sure it’s a photo you like! And if you don’t have yourID, it is a complete pain in the neck to play catch up, not to mention get anything done.

IX. MEAL PLAN

The University will send you information about buying meal plans, or putting “flex” dollars onyour account. (“Flex” dollars are “flexible” tax-free dollars that can be spent at a number ofUniversity merchants, including restaurants on campus.) Our advice: ignore most of it. Don’t buy ameal plan—you can do it later, and it’s just not something to saddle yourself with right away. Andif you feel the need to use University food providers, most take cash and usually debit or creditcards. For the ones that don’t you can easily add a few dollars here and there to your “flex” forconvenience’s sake, but don’t worry about that now. Some people live by flex, some never use it,but you can add them at any time, and there are more important things to take care of…like gettingready for classes.

X. BUYING BOOKS, REGISTERING, PREPARING FOR CLASSES

If you’re reading this and wondering what to do toprepare for classes, you’re already worrying toomuch. Many people think about taking courses tohelp them prepare for law school or buying books togive them the “inside track.” If you feel the need,you can do so, but we strongly advocate that youdon’t worry about it. We’ll get to this later whenwe talk about Legal Methods and your 1L year, but Columbia does a good job of providing youwith the resources you need to succeed in law school. Take this last summer before you enterschool to enjoy life. Law school won’t take all the fun out of your life (contrary to popular belief),but it will be a substantial work load. So enjoy the free time you have now. Don’t worry aboutbuying books—you will do that after orientation. Don’t worry about preparing for classes beforethey start in the fall—it’s not necessary. And don’t worry about registering for courses—you can’t.They’re pre-selected for your first year. There’s more on this later, of course, but as far as thedetails of when and where to buy books and register: don’t worry. You don’t need to do anythingbefore you get to orientation.

Don’t worry yet about where to put those heavy books for those classes, either. Starting on yourfirst day of orientation (and not sooner—they erase all reservations the day before orientation), youcan reserve a locker online through lawnet.


XI. ORIENTATION

Orientation will take place on XXX and XXX, 2007. The first day is mandatory, the second dayis highly recommended. We know it’s tempting not to go, but there will be a lot of informationthrown at you during these two days, and it’s a great time to meet your classmates. If you’re notaround to get it, you might find yourself more than a bit confused. Orientation will provide youwith faculty and student perspectives on life at the law school, information about registration andyour class schedule, an introduction to student services, and information on a number of otherimportant topics. This will also put a face to many of the names you’ve been hearing from, andinclude a tour of the law school. And you should take the tour, it will make it easier to navigatelife at the school. One of the best parts is a panel of current students—with honest opinions aboutwhat it means to be here and how to deal with law school. That panel alone made the second dayworth it. And did we mention it’s a great time to meet your classmates?

Chapter 1: SPECIAL SECTION - Moving to New York

If you’re from New York, parts of this section might be helpful. If not, you may already be totallyconfused, and we’re here to help. Either way, there are some things we think you should know aboutmoving to New York, Morningside Heights, and Columbia. Maybe you’ve got questions about howto get here, or what to buy for your apartment (and where). We’ve got some advice—take what youneed, and leave the rest. This is what worked for many of us—what works for you might be thesame, and it might be different.

GETTING HERE:Plane, train, automobile, bus. You can fly into Newark, LaGuardia, or JFK airport, all located fairlyclose. If you’re on the eastern seaboard nearby, consider Amtrak or a Metro train. And, of course,you can drive, but beware of the cost to park (often between $20 and $40 a day). Cabs from JFK are$45 plus toll, flat fee; from La Guardia, around $30. From Newark…a lot more expensive. The M60from La Guardia and a number of Manhattan buses stop by Columbia.

GETTING YOUR APARTMENT:When you arrive, you will need a place to stay while you get your apartment. You will schedule alease-signing appointment with the University, and then they will take you to get your keys. Werecommend scheduling an appointment for the first thing in the morning, giving you the whole dayto settle in. Then, you should arrive in the city the day before, and get a hotel room for thenight—the “Columbia” rates at nearby hotels are often reasonable, and it’s worth it not to bestressed with possible delays in trying to make it from the airport or train station to the housingoffice, then to your apartment, all before they close at 4:00 PM. (Housing appointment hours are M-F, 9:15 AM - 3:30 PM.) The same “places to stay” that Columbia recommends on its webpage forvisits work for this purpose, too. You can also stay with a friend, of course. P.S. About that leasesigning appointment. If they tell you to bring it, bring it, including 2 photos.

FURNISHING:Once you have your new apartment, you will wonder what you need. Our advice is it depends…on ifyour roommates are new students, too, and if your apartment is furnished. When you receive yourhousing assignment, the housing office will give you the contact information for your otherroommates—we suggest contacting them to see if they are new students, or already in New York. Ifthey’re already at CLS, it will be up to you to work with them to determine what you will add to theapartment, but if you’re all new, there’s a few things to think about.

If your apartment is “furnished,” you will likely have a living room with a couch and two chairs, butthis can vary. Your kitchen will have a refrigerator and stove, and probably a kitchen table and threechairs. Your room will have a bed and mattress (varying sizes), one small dresser, and a desk. For“furnished,” we’ll admit, these can be pretty sparse accommodations. Some apartments do come withmore, though—it just depends. What you add from there, though, is up to you: naturally, you knowyour own needs. A microwave, another dresser, a bookshelf—it’s up to you. But we highlyrecommend buying things in the New York area after you’ve arrived. You should see your placefirst, because you could have a gigantic room, or a very tiny one. It wouldn’t be good to show upwith a full set of furniture and nowhere to put it—like if you end up in Lenfest, where apartmentshave more furniture.

As for furnishing, there are two Ikeas nearby in Jersey. You can rent a car for the day with a few ofyour friends to drive there or better, yet, Student Services usually sponsors a day trip, and theyprovide the transportation. There’s nothing worse than paying delivery fees or carting home abookshelf on the subway. There are no Targets on Manhattan, but there is one just across the river inBrooklyn and just up the “1” train in the Bronx. Close, but still a 30 minute train ride. The Kmart atPenn Station is a bit closer.

You can order online, or rent or borrow a car for the day. Home Depot is always nice, but they don’tsell lumber in Manhattan (odd as that is). Really, however, the gem of the area is UniversityHousewares and University Hardware on Broadway and 113th. These brother stores haveEVERYTHING you can imagine. There’s also a Staples on 125th, and a good hardware store on122nd and Amsterdam. Before you go trekking anywhere, try there. For more stores and ideas,check out the “Local Stores and More” section, with a listing of local stores, restaurants, andeverything in-between.

And as for food? Morton Williams is convenient—right across on Broadway. Fairway is cheap, but atrek (down to 132nd Street and 12th Avenue or 74th and Broadway), but lugging back groceries canbe a hassle unless you invest in a shopping cart. On the other hand, many students swear byFreshDirect.com. It’s an online grocery store. They have everything a normal grocery store does,including deli, frozen foods, etc. But they also have some nifty other things, like freshly made meals,organic and vegan options, and a cool device that allows you to pick a recipe and they will send youexactly the right amount of every ingredient for it. Believe it or not, it’s also much cheaper than mostof the local grocery stores. You just give a 2-hour window when you will be home for delivery, andthey only charge $5 for the service. When it’s 10 degrees outside, you’re low on food, and you reallyneed those two hours to get work done rather than walk fifteen blocks to Fairway, you’ll thank us forthe recommendation. Point, click, and let other people do the work. There are other local options, butit’s a balancing test between the weight of the bags and the distance of your walk home.

•Contact your roommates in advance.•Arrive the night before you move in.•Freshdirect.com.•Ikea in Jersey!•University Housewares.

…Now once you’re all settled in with food and furniture, you might be wondering, “What next?”Well, “Law School” is the answer, but don’t stress. You’ll be just fine—in fact, we’re guessingyou’ll do quite well. It’s Columbia!

Chapter 2

So now that the technicals are out of the way, you’re ready to begin law school. What willColumbia Law School be like? What will you do every day? What are classes like? How do youmake friends? Everyone’s experience will be unique, but we’ve put together what we think aresome pretty common experiences, a few “heads up” ideas, and our own advice for adapting.We’ve surveyed current students, run around town, taken our own experiences, and compiledthem together in this chapter. Periodically, by the way, you’ll see a little box that contains“Survey Says…” These boxes contain select quotes compiled from a 2007 survey ofstudents—just to give you some first-hand opinions.

I. MAKE FRIENDS

Many of you will move in a few days before Orientation begins. In fact, we highly recommend it.Those few days will allow you to settle in and explore New York. And they’ll also give you theopportunity to get to know many of your fellow classmates. Some classes have used a Facebookgroup to get started with communication, others have used the provided Columbia Law messageboard. Whatever way you choose, we encourage you to meet up with students coming from yourarea of the country before you even get here. And once you’re here, check out the postings forwho is doing what every night. Inevitably, everyone will be hitting up one of the local bars orrestaurants. You can find out more about these places in the “Local Stores and More” section, butin the meantime, rest assured—someone will be out there for you to meet up with. Most of thestudents at Columbia in August are 1Ls The undergrads and other schools don’t start untilSeptember. Some 2Ls arrive halfway through the month and are busy with interviews, and otherstudents are taking a professional responsibility course. So have at it with your classmates! Get toknow each other over a game of darts, a good cheap meal, or a beer.

There will be several days of orientation activitiesduring August, as well. The school will arrangeevents, student groups will host dinners and outings,and there will be everything from Scavenger hunts toYankees games. Take advantage of a wide range of

these offerings—you will see some of the same people over and over, but you will also meetsome new people each time.

Take the time now to make some good friends—you’ll be pleased that you did later in thesemester. Law school can be tough at times, and friends will help you through it in many valuableways. This place isn’t just about the books—the people are what make it really amazing. So takethe time to get to know those around you. It’s worth it. Some of the events may seem cheesy, butwe assure you—they usually tend to be the most fun. For the record, we’d like to put in a definite“do it” plug for the all-day scavenger hunt. There’s no better way to get to know New York, andno better way to get to know several fellow 1Ls really well.

Chapter 2: Life at the Law School

Chapter 2: Life at the Law School - Getting a Social Start

II. ORIENTATION

After and in-between all of this fun, there is Orientation. Orientation is two days. During the firstday, the Law School will throw A LOT of information your way. Bring a pen, and hang on to all ofthe papers and materials they hand you. (Even though it’s all also online.) When they hand you thatfolder of 20 different colored sheets of paper, all of those sheets will play very important roles inyour life, especially the one with your class schedule.

Of course, there will be parts of Orientation that aren’t the most exciting. The financial aid “Howto spend wisely” program isn’t likely to win any awards but is required for anyone who receives afederal loan. (They dole out some useful financial aid information but also have some oddsuggestions about how to save money.) Most of the programs, however, will be very useful andinteresting. The second day usually has a panel of current students giving some great advice, andwe highly recommend it.

III. SCHOOL STARTS: LEGAL METHODS

After Orientation, you’ll dive right into your first law school class, Legal Methods. Make sure youbuy your book in the current edition when you get your class schedule. Books are sold both at thebookstore in Lerner Hall on the main campus (115th and Broadway) and at Labyrinth Books (112th

and Broadway), in case one or the other should run out of the book you need. Book in hand, you’llprobably also receive an email from your professor telling you to have a certain number of pagesread for the first day. They don’t waste time—they jump right in and so should you. If you don’treceive an email, be sure to check Courseweb, as your professors may have posted assignmentsthere, at https://coursewebs-2.law.columbia.edu/Coursewebs/access.nsf.

Chapter 2: Life at the Law School - Getting a Social Start

HOW DID YOU MAKE FRIENDS AND MEET PEOPLE?

“Most of my friends were in my section first year. But really there are so many activities, it’s not hard tomeet people.” - 2L

“It’s easier than you think, because your peers will be friendlier than you may expect. I went to the BarReviews that are held weekly on Thursdays—it’s a great way to meet people and build relationships,even if you don’t drink. Joining clubs is also a sure-fire way to make friends, particularly with 2L’s whocan give you advice.” - 2L

“I met people at orientation and during legal methods. I am still good friends with most of the people Imet in the first few weeks I was at Columbia.” -3L

“I forced myself to be very social and attend many law school functions first semester of 1L year eventhough it wasn’t something I’d normally do. And I’m grateful I did.” -3L

Chapter 2: Life at the Law School - Academics Start (Kind of)

Legal Methods is designed to be an introduction to what a regular law school class is like. You will read cases, you will analyze them, and you will likely be“on call” at some point (which means that you areexpected to know the material if the professor calls on you that day). You will work through issues and grow to understand what it means not to stop with acase’s decision, but to look at the why’s and how’s.Depending on who you get as your professor (and wewon’t reveal which one we preferred), you will havea light or a moderate amount of reading. But LegalMethods is your only class (along with its “section”of Legal Writing), so you really have little excuse not to do the reading. Beware, it takes longer toread 15 “law” pages than 15 pages of GQ or a novel. All in all, though, it’s not too bad. It is, afterall, your introduction to law school.

That said, we have one piece of advice about Legal Methods: don’t stress. If you put in a good effortand pay attention, you will almost certainly pass. Almost everyone does. The class is pass/fail, andyou’ll usually take the pass/fail exam in September. The class is also mostly procedural—it’s aboutlearning how to analyze a case, not memorizing a million case decisions.

Legal Methods is also designed to be a time for you to continue to explore New York and to meetyour classmates. When a student organization holds an event, go. (And not just because they usuallyhave free food, though that’s a powerful incentive.) When your friends want to head out to a bar forthe night, go. This is the time, when you only have one class for a few hours a day, when you shouldget to know the world and people around you. Take this opportunity. It won’t happen again.

SPECIAL SECTION: STUDYING

And in fact, this brings us to one VERY important point about Law School. Many of you will betempted to buy “Planet Law School” or take a law school prep course. This is really not necessary.Law school is about learning to be at law school, so take the time you have before you get here toenjoy what you’re doing. And once you arrive, do your thing. Not anyone else’s thing, not whateveryone else seems to do or tells you to do. Try what you did that got you into Columbia. LegalMethods is the perfect opportunity to do this. Chances are, if you outlined every paragraph inundergrad, you could do that here, too, and succeed. And if you assimilated all of the knowledge ofyour classes in undergrad via osmosis, while we have our doubts, it might work here, too. The mainpoint is don’t change who you are because you think Law School should be tougher or easier oranything in between. You know how you learn best in a class and in studying—don’t change rightaway. Chances are, it will work at Columbia, too. If it doesn’t, you can readjust then. You may needto tweak a few things and learn a few new techniques—law school is a bit different from undergradafter all—but Legal Methods is a great opportunity to figure out what works for you.

“Legal methods is the perfect introductionto law school, but don’t kill yourself overit. I was really stressed the first two daysand then decided that the class waspass/fail and I would catch everything withtime. So then I began to use this key timein the year to build relationships and makefriends.” -2L

IV. LEGAL PRACTICE WORKSHOP (LPW)

In addition to Legal Methods, you will also start your Legal Practice Workshop. This class meets foran hour a week, and is taught by an Associate-in-Law or an adjunct faculty member. An Associate isessentially a law-professor-in-training, and an adjunct faculty member is usually a practicing lawyerwho is taking time out of his or her career to teach the class at Columbia. The focus of this coursefor the first semester is to introduce you to the basics of legal writing.

This class is far from perfect, but there are some things to gain from it. For starters, legal writing isvery different from what you may have written in the past. Our point, of course, is that we could allbe better legal writers. LPW will not make you a perfect legal writer, but it will get you started onthe right path, one you will continue down for your entire legal career. Partners who have beenpracticing twenty years will tell you their bosses still give them corrections and feedback—it’s anongoing process. But it starts with LPW. Put in the effort, in spite of the fact that it’s pass/fail, andyou’ll get some good skills in return.

You will write two memos in this class, but don’t stress about them. For the first, they will hand youthe research and cases you need. For the second, you will have to do your own research. For both,you’ll turn in outlines that will give you the chance to see if you’re headed in the right direction, andyou’ll get plenty of help and guidance. And in-between, you’ll learn all about fact statements,discussions, and questions presented. In short, you’ll learn everything you need to know to getstarted with legal writing (including Bluebook citations, the all-important talent). These memos canalso serve as great writing samples for your summer job search—so put some time into it.

V. LEGAL RESEARCH WORKSHOP (LRW)

Eventually, you will add a second kind of workshop: legal research. It’s yet another hour-a-weekclass, this one taught by a law school librarian. Here, you’ll learn the basics of legal research,including using the online search engines (Westlaw and LexisNexis), the books, and the libraryas a whole.

Study groups can also be helpful. Sometimes, it’s good to have a few people around you withdifferent perspectives. Sometimes, it just reinforces what you already know. And sometimes, it’sjust helpful to know there are other people going through the same experience. Many CLS studentshate the idea of study groups, others love them. In our survey, one student called them “a uselesswaste of time,” while another said, “I don’t think I could have made it through my first semesterwithout my group—we provided each other with moral as well as academic support!” It just comesback to the golden rule: figure out what works best for you. If you’re in doubt, try one out and seewhat happens.


This LRW is still a new and evolving course, which is shorthand for saying that the librarians andlaw school are still trying to figure out how to make it work. The past couple of years they havevacillated between different formats, and they’re constantly working to make sure it’s better, but italways needs work. However, research librarians are ALWAYS in the library (they have their ownoffices across from the circulation desk), and you can always go ask them for help and to walk youthrough whatever you don’t understand—and continue to seek help throughout your time here.

Later in the semester, after you have finished this course, Westlaw and LexisNexis will hold theirown training programs. These will refresh your memory, confuse you further, or do something in-between, but you get “points” for attending them, and you can redeem the points for things likeStarbucks cards. These companies are essentially trying to bribe your loyalty so that when you getout of law school, you’ll keep using the service. While they’re free in law school, once yougraduate, it’s a fee-based system. But the main thing to remember is that if you don’t fullyunderstand Legal Research, there will be plenty of opportunities to figure it out.

VI. YOUR FULL SCHEDULE

Once Legal Methods is over at the end of August (LPW and LRW continue through the semester),you will start your regular courses. Some law schools around the country do it differently, butColumbia splits up your first year required courses into two semesters. Your first semester includesContracts, Civil Procedure, and Torts. Some people like to say that “everything in the world is eithera contact or a tort, and civil procedure helps you deal with both.” The second semester, you getCriminal Law, Property, and Constitutional Law, plus an elective. (Which means that everything inthe world isn’t torts or contracts, but that would ruin the joke.) Second semester you will also getanother Legal Practice Workshop, also known as Moot Court, but there’s more on that later.

Oh, and one thing that’s NEVER on your official Columbia Law School schedule? TA Sections.You have one small class, but for your two big classes, you may have a professor who uses TAsections. These are “discussion sections” designed to help answer questions about the course or dopractice problems. Their attendance is “optional,” but we recommend attending, if not for theknowledge then because professors are allowed to adjust your grade for participation, after all. Theyare guided by wise 2Ls and 3Ls who did well in the class in the years before, and meet once a weekfor an hour.

Not all large sections have them, though. Some of you will have no TA sections, some of you willhave a TA section for all of your large classes, and some of you will have only one. There’s no wayto predict it, and there’s no way to get around them. Like we said, they’re ‘technically optional,’ butyou might get extra help or a better understanding through them. If they’re really good, it’s a bit likehaving an in-person outline for every class.


So your first year schedule looks like this:

August First Semester Second Semester

Legal Methods Civil Procedure Criminal LawLegal Practice Workshop Contracts Constitutional Law

Torts PropertyLegal Practice Wkshop Legal Practice WkshopLegal Research Wkshop ElectiveTA Sections (Maybe) TA Sections (Maybe)

The official name for your schedule is “Foundation Year Curriculum.”

First semester, one of your three main courses willLikely be a “small section,” of between 20 and 30students. Your other two classes will likely havebetween 80 and 120, and your workshops will havearound 12 people. These may seem like large classes,but it’s surprising how small they seem when you’rein them. Some professors have a knack for making everyone feel that they’re important in class,and for encouraging discussion. In fact, most if not all first year professors do. That’s becausethe Law School likes to choose some of the best professors to teach 1Ls. We’re thankful.


HOW DID YOU STUDY?

“Set smaller goals—instead of thinking how I have 100 pages to read for two classes before tomorrowmorning, I make myself read for once class at a time. And I study someplace where there are nodistractions (internet, tv, etc.).” -2L

“I kept perspective. Life involves prioritizations and tradeoffs—you can’t do everything and will surelymake yourself miserable even if you were to.” -3L

“I tried very much to keep law school like a job—I did all my work between classes, staying until 6,maybe a bit later. But I tried to keep it from running into my outside life.” -2L

“I just tried not to stress out so much. But I think that is part of the process; questioning yourself for thefirst time and emerging and having that confidence. And people TELL you not to freak out; but we’re lawstudents, so we do; it’s inevitable.” -2L

Chapter 2: Life at the Law School - First Semester

Your first semester will have a million different aspects to it. You will get involved in studentorganizations, you will stress about classes and then stop stressing, you will go out and stop goingout and then start anew. You will discover your favorite things about New York, and the thingsyou hate. While everyone’s experience is unique, there are some things we all end up goingthrough together.

I. THE JOURNEY

When you first arrive, we encourage you to be social—you’ll make lots of friends, and in a lot ofways it will feel like freshman year again (no matter how long ago that was for you). Then, you’llget down to business and play catch up in Legal Methods…just in time to realize you were stressingfor no reason. You’ll join a few organizations and start to find your place in the law schoolcommunity. Then you’ll start your regular classes and maybe feel overwhelmed. Of course, that’snatural: you have three classes instead of one (although the reading from Legal Methods can be asmuch as these “regular” classes combined), and on top of that you’re likely involved in a few eventsand other groups. But you’ll get through it with shining colors. And there is help when you need it(we’ll get to that in a bit). Likely in September, you’ll take your Legal Methods exam…and youwill (almost certainly) pass. As you wind up the semester and begin to study for finals, you’llwonder how you’ll ever digest all the material. You’ll find there’s way too much time betweenexams and you feel like going out. After you take your exams, you’ll realize it wasn’t all thatbad…just in time to wait for your grades. And you will wait for those until roughly mid-February.

So what does this all mean? Let’s break it down…

II. STUDENT ORGANIZATIONS

Almost every student organization will start offthe year by holding an interest meeting. TheCalifornia Society, the Public Interest LawFoundation, the Society for InternationalLaw…almost every interest has a groupbehind it. You don’t have to fit any specificmold for any group. For example, men canjoin the Columbia Law Women’s Association,and beer lovers can join the wine-tasting group (yes, there is one). So join away…and better yet, think about getting even moreinvolved. Many of the organizations have “1L Representatives,” to give you a great chance tocontribute to a group on a meaningful leadership level. Take a look around at the more than 50current organizations. (If there’s an interest that isn’t met, there are ways to start your own group.)There will be an interest group meeting every day, so take advantage of the free lunch or dinner(there will almost always be free food) and feed your curiosity. But don’t forget to pace yourself.

“Extracurriculars were so helpful in makingmy experience at Columbia enjoyable.The more practical ones allowed me to seewhat it’s like to be a practicing attorney.The others gave me a group of people tosocialize with and to get a break fromschool work.” -3L

“Being part of a student organization helpedme feel connected with others and helpedme consider life outside of the classroomprism.” -2L


III. EVENTS

These very same student organizations will throw many of the events on campus, including lectures,panels, and bar nights. In fact, it’s an oft-repeated phrase at law school that if you don’t want topay for lunch, you won’t have to. You might think we’re being silly, but nope…every 2L can tellyou that his 1L year, there were more than enough events. Though too many of them serve pizza(see the section on the gym for that one), they are there. In addition to student organizations,Student Services, the Registrar, Career Services, the Center for Public Interest Law, and all ofthe centers and organizations at the law school have events, lectures, and lunches. Whether yourinterest is constitutional reform in Sierra Leone or housing reform in New York, there will be anevent for you.

This is a good time to note, however, that there are definitely some events you don’t want to miss.Supreme Court Justices have a way of stopping by, as do many of the judges who wrote theopinions in every case book you read. And “big Columbia,” meaning the main University, has aWorld Leaders speaker series that last year alone brought President Clinton, Czech PresidentVaclav Havel, Mayor Bloomberg, and a number of other Nobel Laureates and world leaders tospeak. You will get emails about all of these things—in fact, your inbox will be clogged with 20 or30 messages a day about main University and Law School events. Don’t just delete them! It’s wortha few seconds of your time just to scan them over to see if there’s something you’re interested in.

SPECIAL SECTION: SONI

SONI stands for Student Organization News and Information. Every student organization has anofficial email address: [email protected], and with that email comes a list with every student’sname on it. When they send to this list, you receive an email. If you have decided that you no longerwant to receive emails from an organization, though, it’s easy to unsubscribe. Directions are at thebottom of any email an organization sends, but basically you send an email tolistserv@[email protected], and type “unsubscribe-[organization name] in the messagebody and leave the subject line empty.

You can re-subscribe at any time, and the Student Services office maintains an online listing (theSONI “blog”) of all announcements at https://coursewebs-3.law.columbia.edu/discussions/somlblog.nsf. In fact, we highly recommend that you log on now, if only to get an idea for yourselfof just how many events are going on. The blog goes back for 30 days, and we think you’ll besurprised to discover just how active the school is every month. (Unless, of course, you’re checkingit during the summer when everyone’s gone home.) There’s also a weekly email called “TheAdvisor” which lists all events going on in the law school.

IV. YOUR FIRST EXAM…and EXAMSOFT

The Legal Methods exam is likely in September. There is very little need to be studying all throughSeptember for it. The exam focuses on the skills you learned in Legal Methods—meaning, can youdissect a fact situation and apply a statute? Can you see the many possibilities of each side’sargument? Columbia gives you a full day off to study—if they thought you needed more, they’dgive it to you. But they don’t and that should tell you something.

Your first exam (and most of your exams, unlessthey are take-home or multiple choice) will betaken on ExamSoft. You also have the optionto hand-write your exams if you choose.ExamSoft is software that blocks out theinternet and other programs on your computerwhile you’re taking an exam. It has basic wordprocessing functions, and conducts a secure upload of your exam to acentral server, where your professor will access it for “blind” grading (meaning your test showsonly a number, not a name). You can download ExamSoft free of charge, and you MUSTdownload the test file for your specific exam at least by the night before. ExamSoft used to be onlyavailable for PCs, but you can now run it on Macs with Intel processors. (This requires that youuse Bootcamp and load Windows onto your Mac—you must run ExamSoft through Windows.)Don’t worry about downloading it now; you will get several emails throughout your first semesterreminding you to do so.

V. REGULAR CLASSES – NOTES AND STUDYING

Your first semester, your classes will be a bit different than Legal Methods. For starters, eventhough everyone has the same three classes, you’ll quickly find out that professors have VERYdifferent teaching methods and very different ideas about what you should learn in class. Someexams will call on you to dissect an entirely new issue based on rules you know whereas otherswill call on you to apply and explain rules from cases you’ve studied. It depends on the professor,but they are all ultimately designed to test you comprehensively on the subject.

Our advice? The Student Senate maintains a G (Group) network drive that has outlines of all thecourses and several copies of past exams, though not all. While we don’t advise cramming forthose exams just yet, it can often be helpful to download a past exam to see what was tested forand how.

And the best method for doing well? Pay attention! We all like to think we’re great students, andwe’ll pay attention all the time and do all of the reading in law school. The reality is, it just doesn’thappen sometimes—but and by admitting that, you can work to fix it.



Yeah, we’re all guilty sometimes, but that doesn’t mean you can’t try to be a better student. Itsounds cliché, it sounds trite, but when was the last time that you really took the time to prepare fora class as much as you needed to? It doesn’t mean forsaking your entire social life. It just means notsurfing the net for hours on end. While you should continue to do “what works for you,” you shouldbalance that with an understanding that law school IS hard. It’s supposed to be. So keep a couple ofthings in mind…

On the one hand, you can take a laptop to class.Typing your notes may make life easier whenyou outline for the semester, or when you’researching for just the right term or that “thingthe professor said that day.” It can help youget down a lot of information that you wouldn’tbe able to keep up with if you were hand-writing.The internet can also help look up case summariesor terms you don’t understand. And, of course, when you’re called on and don’t know the answer,IM can be an amazing way for your friends to help out!

But you will also have a lot more notes to pare down. And you may end up taking down too much.Not to mention, wireless internet is always a distraction. Email, Instant Messenger, surfing the web,checking the latest scores—sometimes you think you can toggle between the lecture and thereadings and the note-taking. But the fact is, along the way you might lose something.

Most students do take laptops to class. Some do hand-write, though. Those who do will say there’san inherent filtering process in what you hand-write because you can’t write nearly as fast as youcan type. And with just a pen and paper, you are forced to pay attention in class. You might catchmore nuance in the conversation, and you might just get more out of your very-expensive education.

Either way, it’s a personal decision, and one you should think carefully about. But not matter whichdecision you make, in the words of Professor Bob Scott, “You are being trained to be lawyers, notcourt reporters.” Law school is about thinking, not just writing down what the professor says, so nomatter if you are typing or writing, take some time to make sure you’re doing it right.

Oh, and the reading? Sure, they say you don’t have to do all of it, and you probably don’t. Butprofessors rarely assign whole textbooks—they pick and choose sections. Wouldn’t you think theypick and choose them for a reason? If you’re behind, focus on the cases, which are important. Butbeware of the “notes” for each case—many exam questions have found their origins in them.


SPECIAL SECTION: THE FIFTH FLOORWilliam and June Warren Hall, home of Student Services,

Registration, Admissions, and Financial Aid

The Fifth Floor of WJWH is a happy place. It’s a happy place because they have fresh milk, coffee,cookies, and brownies there Monday through Thursday at 2:00 PM. It’s there for students, so stopby and try it sometime. Beware, it’s a popular service, so come early.

It’s also a happy place because it’s where you can go for answers and help with just abouteverything. You’re probably already familiar with the Admissions Office, though you’ll want tohelp them out every spring with recruiting the new class—they provide great food and it’s alwaysa cool experience actually to help someone make an informed and good choice…especially whenthey end up coming to Columbia! Financial Aid will be important every now and then, as in everyspring when you need to renew your loans and grants. And the Registrar will come into play whenyou actually have a choice in classes after your 1L year, including for cross-registration with otherschools, and credit requirements. But don’t worry about any of that now—you have enough onyour plate.

The fourth office there, Student Services, is the one to help you deal with everything on your plate.They manage all of the student groups, so if you become involved with one of them, you’ll be hereoften to manage your account, book events, and get advice. But they also help out with workingconstantly to make your life at Columbia Law School less stressful and easier to live. They providesome great programs, explaining services at the University or helping out with intramural sports.(And those programs usually have great food, too.)

But most importantly, they’re here to help you when you run into a roadblock. If you’re havingtrouble in a class, can’t seem to keep up with all your work, or in general need someone to getadvice from, they’re here. The office is composed of Gail Heatherly, Elizabeth Grainger, TebaBesada, Ilene Strauss, Dean Michelle Greenberg-Kobrin, Bernice Garcia, and Matt Rafalow.Technically, they all have their roles—Gail is the Director of Academic Counseling and StudentOrganizations, for example, and Ilene is the Director of Judicial Programming, Clerkships, andAcademic Counseling. But any one of them is always happy to help you, and to point you in theright direction for whom to talk to about a problem. Not only that, but they also keep an eye out foryou even when you aren’t looking out for yourself. It’s pretty hard to fall through the cracks atColumbia. If you don’t sign up for a mandatory course, or you aren’t on track for graduation, they’llfind you. If you don’t have a place to live, or you’ve dropped off the face of the earth and deep intoyour casebooks, they’ll check in. They’re a great part of the law school. So go for the milk andcookies, but keep coming back for the people. It’s worth it.

“Student services is a great place under Dean Greenberg-Kobrin. Who knew that a law schoolwould have a place where people actually cared about how you were doing and did what theycould to make it better?!” -2L


VI. STUDYING FOR EXAMS

In a survey of CLS students, the vast majority admitted that they didn’t quite keep up with the paceof their classes, and they weren’t always paying attention. But even more important, they noted that,if they had kept up through the semester, they would have had no need to cram for exams. Justsomething to think about.

That said, here’s how exams work. First, don’t start studying for your December exams in August.It’s just wrong, and it’s not necessary. Somewhere near the end of October, you can download theexams and sample outlines from the G (Group) Drive. Look over them, study them. You might eventake a practice exam—exam model answers are often included for you to check your work against.

Then, after you get an idea of “where you’re going,” take your own notes and try to organize them,if you haven’t done so over the semester. This is commonly called “outlining,” building a quick-reference guide to cases and rules. For classes where you have an open-book exam, it can also be ahelpful quick reference. Many, but not all people create these for their classes. In some ways, it’s theprocess itself, not the actual outline, that helps you study. Going back over your notes, picking outwhat’s important, remembering key cases—these are the activities that help you remember what youneed to know at exam time.

Also, a lot of people are really happy when they purchase “hornbooks.” (Hornbooks are generallyguides that try to filter the law down into “black letter law,” with clear and concise explanations.)Some people instead go with commercial outlines, which are a lot like the outlines you might drawup for your class—except written by law professors, a lot clearer, and a lot longer.

These books and other guides often take the most popular cases—the ones you’ve beenstudying—and condense them into easily readable material and understandable rules. Take them witha grain of salt, of course. No book is perfect and no book will match your professor’s approach, butthey can be really useful. In fact, try Gilbert’s, which is considered one of the best of the bunch, andthe “Examples & Explanations” series, or Emanuel outlines. And there’s no need to rush out and buythem—Student Services keeps a copy of them all in Academic Advisor Gail Heatherly’s office.

That said, with most, if not all, of your grade riding on your exam, it can be tempting, we know,to freak out and start studying in August. Don’t. First of all, you won’t even have an accurateperspective on what to study—you don’t even get a picture of where the professor is headed in the course until October. Then, take some time to digest it. If you start in late October or earlyNovember, you will have plenty of time.


VII. GRADES

So you take the exam, and now you want grades. You (mostly) can’t get a job offer without them.You’re dying to know how you’ve done. You just want to see what they are.

But there are some things you should know. First, your grades won’t be posted on a bulletin board.They are distributed via your Lawnet login, and only you can see them. Also, CLS doesn’t everrelease rankings. They assign students as Stone and Kent scholars at the end of the academic year,which means approximately top 30% and top 3%, respectively, but that’s as close as you get.

Second, your classes are graded on a “1L” curve, which is a bit stricter than the regular curve otherclasses are on. It’s a complicated formula that even the people who designed it would be hard-pressed to explain. What it amounts to, though, is everyone gets a B. Not exactly, but pretty much.In fact, over 70% of the student body gets a B, B+, or B-. About 15-20% get an A or A-. Only afew get a C—in fact, you pretty much have to try hard to get one. That’s not an excuse to slack andaccept the average—there’s no better feeling than nailing the material and coming out with an A.It’s just to let you know that it’s not the end of the world if you don’t end up with the A. Everyoneat Columbia is incredibly intelligent, and a forced curve means that most people come out withsomething in the middle. And it also means that you will likely come out with good gradesoverall—which, along with that stellar CLS degree, will land you a GREAT job.

HOW DID YOU STUDY FOR EXAMS?

“Outlining throughout the semester and not just cramming for two weeks was absolutely the mosthelpful thing I did. I wish I had done it for more classes.” -3L

“I try to outline, which helps in studying (it’s really the writing of the outline, much more than thereading of it, that helps organize a class’s concepts). In all of my classes, going to class was mostimportant.” - 2L

“I usually finish up all my reading a week or so before classes end. I try to give myself a week perexam of study time. I then basically spend a good part of the week writing my own outline fromthe text and my notes, going over other outlines, and talking with study groups to see if there’sanything I missed.” -2L

“Old exams are key. Taking a few made me work through some issues which helps get youthinking, making connections, etc. Model answers are often a goldmine of insights you didn’tcatch that can be useful on the exam.” -2L


Oh, and lastly—professors are required to turn in grades by a certain point. Classes with over 100students have six weeks from the date of the exam; with under 100, four weeks. These are justguidelines, though. Your grades will likely start to trickle in in January, but be prepared for thefact that you likely won’t have them until the start of February.

SPECIAL SECTION: YOUR FIRST SUMMER JOB SEARCH

You will be told, from the moment you arrive, that everyone at Columbia Law who wants a job getsone. On the one hand, you shouldn’t believe everything you hear. On the other hand, this a time tomake an exception to that rule. You will get a job, and a good one. When you tell people you go toColumbia Law School, they will nod in approval and tell you how impressed they are with you. It’sinstant street cred. So, yes, you will almost certainly get a job.

But right now, you’re probably not concerned with what happens when you graduate—you justwant a job for the summer after your first year. From the moment you arrive, you’ll be tempted todive into the search. As with everything in law school, hold up for a bit—and this time, because youhave to.

Columbia Law School, like most law schools, belongs to a consortium known as NALP—theNational Association for Legal Career Professionals. This is important to you for several reasons,including of all the information and resources it will provide. But it is very important your 1L yearbecause it means there are two very important rules:

1. No one at Career Services or the Center for Public Interest Law can talk to you about a job orinternships before November 1. This is known as the “internal” deadline.2. No employer is allowed to speak to you about a job or internship before December 1. This isknown as the “external” deadline.

On November 1, Career Services will schedule a program where they will give you a giganticresource book and the login and password to everything they have to offer. From that point, you canaccess all of the online databases about firms, get resume help (law school resumes look differentthan regular ones), and ask any questions you want. The Center for Public Interest Law will offer itsresume and interview workshops and job strategy session in the beginning of November and guideyou through the process of applying for jobs in the public sector. They offer great resume andinterview workshops! You can and should use both offices, but more on that later.

Many of your classmates might begin research on what employers to apply to, including so far as tofinish all their cover letters, resumes, and labels—having the envelopes ready to mail on thatDecember 1 date. You can, too, if you want to get a head start. In fact, if you will be home over theholiday break, and you want to work in your hometown for the summer, it’s really smart to send outthe letters early in December so that you can schedule a few interviews while you’re back home.

But if you don’t get around to it because you’ve got finals and studying and classes (it’s a perversesystem, we realize—you don’t get access or help until you’re too busy with school to focus on it),don’t worry about it.

A lot of people don’t send out anything until after the new year. In fact, Career Services and CPILboth schedule on-campus interviews for your 1L summer all through February. There will be awhole bidding process, but you will have the chance to interview with employers from all over thecountry (it’s a blind bidding process—you choose them, they don’t choose you). And if there areemployers from your hometown who want to interview you, they will either fly you out or wait untilSpring Break. Most employers, in fact, want to see your grades before they will interview you ormake an offer, and you won’t even have those until February. CPIL also coordinates studentparticipation in a gigantic public interest job fair every year. So take your time.

That said, a “firm” job is not your only option for the summer, and in fact, we strongly advise you tolook at other options. If you want a firm job, you can go for one (and there are tactics to help youget one). You might also consider that you can work in a firm your second summer, and possibly fora good number of years after law school, if not for the rest of your life. Our (and the school’s)endorsement: take your 1L summer to do something special or different. Trust us, when you getaround to interviewing for your 2L summer, it will only help, not hurt, you.

For starters, Columbia GUARANTEES funding for summer publicinterest work. If you want to work for a not-for-profit organization or government agency,you can do it with a stipend from the school to cover expenses. If you want to go abroad to workwith an NGO or other international organization, the Human Rights Internship will pay for yourplane ticket and give you a stipend. In fact, every year, these options get more popular, and forgood reason: these are amazing experiences, and every student who does them unanimously agreesthat it was the best decision for their first summer. Don’t worry about finding the right program,either—the school, especially the Public Interest Law Center (more on them later) will help youfind just the right fit.

There are other options, as well. If there’s a professor you want to work with, or one of your 1Lprofessors who really got you interested in a subject, you can try being a research assistant withthem for the summer. You can also go clerk for a judge, or work for a DA’s office. And once again,students who take these options almost unanimously say it was the most amazing experience andthe best decision they could have made for their 1L summer.

It bears repeating: take the time to consider all your options; look at something different. Youjust might find that it’s an amazing experience, and something that greatly impacts your lawschool career.


VIII. SECOND SEMESTER

We won’t focus a whole lot on your second semester—there are more chapters to this book that willhelp you figure out what lies ahead in the years to come. Right now, though, we do want to give youthe heads up on a few important topics.

Chapter 2: Life at the Law School - Second Semester

First, your three main classes: you will have Criminal Law, Property Law, and ConstitutionalLaw. The newness of “being in a real law school class!” will long have faded off, you will likelyhave found your study and note-taking groove, and the realization will suddenly hit you a fewweeks into the semester: you’re in law school. The material will be dense and tough to getthrough at times. The professors could be great or just okay. You will be balancing a studentorganization or two, your social life, and just staying sane. But it will all be okay, and you willget through it with flying colors. You made it into Columbia; it’s pretty hard to make it back outwithout finishing the right way.

In addition to your three main courses, you will have another Legal Practice Workshop. This isyour “Moot Court” requirement. We bring this up now because early in the fall semester, therewill be a Moot Court panel, where you will see a ton of student organizations promoting theirown moot court competitions. As a 1L, many of these competitions are open to you. You shoulddefinitely take a look at them. They will be sponsored by student groups—the AmericanConstitutional Society (ACS) will have one, as will identity groups like the Black Law StudentsAssociation (BLSA) and several other groups. And anyone is welcome to apply for any of them.If chosen, however, know that this will add a significant burden to your fall semester, but lightenyour spring semester, as well. You will write a complex and lengthy “brief” that you submit to the“court” (the competition) in the fall. In the spring, you will spend hours practicing your oralarguments in preparation for the competition. And if you proceed to the next level, you canexpect more work, but you can also expect a really rewarding experience. CLS students havefared well in these competitions on a national and international level.

Doing “Moot Court” in the fall, however, does not get you out of LPW: Moot Court.You will still have this class. You just won’t have to write a brief all over again, and yourclass requirements and structure will be different from everyone else’s. But you will haveit nonetheless.

Second semester LPW, for everyone else, is your first exposure to “being a lawyer.” You willwrite a brief, which is an argument for your side of a case in the appeals process. Then, you’llprepare oral arguments, which will be in front of a “judge,” usually a professor or 2L or 3L. Youwill have about a month to write your brief, and a month to prepare and make oral arguments.

As with your first semester LPW, the class is pass/fail, so you shouldn’t stress. There is nocompetition (unlike the fall competitions we mentioned), and you will make it through unscathed.You should take this opportunity to learn how to do this and see if you enjoy it.

You can also use this as a jumping off point for Mock Trial and other moot court competitions,including the school-wide Stone Moot Court competition in the fall, open to 2Ls and 3Ls. Thisprestigious competition takes place over many months, and final arguments are often heard by awell-known judge, from the Supreme Court or the Circuit Courts of Appeals.


Lastly, your elective. You will, unlike many of your friends at other law schools, actually get achoice for one of your classes second semester. It used to be that all Columbia 1Ls took classescalled “The Regulatory State” and “Perspectives on Legal Thought.” As useful as the classeswere—and they were useful—they were also unpopular. So, just as all of the rest of the law schoolsstarted imitating Columbia and adding the courses to their own schedules, Columbia decided it wastime to drop it and give students a choice. (And a version of “Reg State,” as one of the classes wascalled, is still one of the elective choices.)

In the fall, Registration Services will announce what electives are offered, and you will rank yourpreferences. Almost everyone gets their first or second choice, and there are some GREAT classes.There are also some not-so-great classes. Our advice? READ THE COURSE EVALUATIONS onLawnet. If everyone in the course hated it the year before…chances are, there’s a reason. And takewhat interests you, not what you think you “should” take. It is, after all, an elective. You have achoice for a reason.

IX. YOUR SECOND SUMMER CAREER SEARCH

The only other part of your second semester (and first summer) that we should start in on is yoursearch for your internship for your 2L summer. Again, you’re encouraged to take a look at publicinterest jobs and other alternative endeavors, but it’s just a fact that many Columbia Law Studentsgo to work at a firm for their second summer. Of course, you might be asking why we’re bringingthis up now—we just finished talking about your first summer! Your second summer search,however, will most likely be very different from your first summer search, and, most importantly, itinformally starts during the spring semester of your 1L year.

Starting in January, firms from across the country will begin holding “1L Receptions” and “1LLunches” at Columbia. Many of them are New York-based, but they can talk about their offices inother parts of the country. Basically, this is an excuse for a firm to raise its profile with you—tomake you aware that they “exist.”

1L YEAR…

“Going out once or twice a week will settle those nerves. Honestly, if you let the work get to you,you can be totally overwhelmed. Just try to remember that 1L year is scary, 2L year is a lot ofwork, but by the time you hit 3L year, you’re in your stride and almost done.” -3L

“1L year can be tough, but you’ll make it and you’ll be glad. Remember to have some fun andyou’ll be fine.” -3L

“The law school is not the entire world, you should have a life outside the law (it’s hard for the 1Lsto realize this with all the intensity).” -2L


The lunches and receptions are free food, and you might even get to talk to a lawyer or recruiterfrom the firm. We say “might,” though, because 1Ls outnumber lawyers at these events 10 to 1,so it’s entirely possible to go, hang out with your friends, and leave without ever talking to anyoneexcept the recruiter at the registration table. You might not want to, but we’re just saying: it’spossible. These receptions will be practically EVERY lunch period and EVERY night (except forFridays, of course) for the months of January, February, and March. You may even get tired of thefree food and drinks. You may not believe us, but eventually you’ll reach your limit. But this is yourfirst opportunity to meet some of these firms, so take advantage!

The reason all of these firms want to raise their profile with you is called EIP, or Early Inter-view Program. In August, many 2Ls come back early, and the Career Services officearranges for thousands of interviews over thecourse of one week at a hotel in Midtown.Firms from all over the country set up roomswhere they will interview you. Employers careabout raising their profile because you rank who you want to interview with (and receive slots basedon a lottery system), not the other way around. It’s a blind process—firms don’t get grades orresumes until after you select them for an interview. There will be more about this in later chapters,but the receptions and lunches become a big part of your life during your second semester, so keepan eye out and your social calendar open. (They do choose some pretty great restaurants….) Thatsaid, there are several students every year who do not participate in EIP and look to public interestinstead. That search will begin the fall of your 2L year.

X. BIG COLUMBIAThis is a limited introduction to Columbia Law School, so there’s not a whole lot we have roomfor about Columbia University. More will come in later chapters, but there are a couple of thingswe think are important.

First, “Big Columbia” is an amazing school, and you will have the opportunity in your 2L and 3Lyears to take courses there. Do it if you can and if it makes sense for what you want to do. Up to 10credits will count towards the 83 credits of your CLS degree, and you can take a number of optionalcredits on top of that in the main University or through other schools that won’t apply to yourdegree, so take advantage of it! Not to mention the possibility of a double-degree.

Second, spend some time on the campus. It’s beautiful. The University itself dates to the mid 1700s,but the campus is late 1800s, and it shows…from Butler Library on one end of the main quad, toLow Library on the other end, it’s idyllic. There’s nothing better than spending an afternoon on thelawn reading in the sun (a nostalgic memory come January). There are also a million great placesto get away from the law school—you can study in Butler or the Fine Arts Library (two popularplaces), or in any number of places.


SPECIAL SECTION: THE CENTER FOR PUBLIC INTEREST LAW (CPIL)

“CPIL is the greatest place on earth. They always have good advice. They are laid back—which isgood when everyone else is stressed out. And they never think anything is a bad idea; they just helpyou figure out how to make it happen.” - 2L

You’ve heard us allude to the Center for Public Interest Law in a number of areas—studentorganizations, events, and your career search. In a way, CPIL is all of those things. Columbia has anumber of “centers,” like the Center on Global Legal Problems or the Center for Law andPhilosophy. (There are 13 Centers, soon to be 14, and 21 Programs). CPIL is a little bit different,though, in how much they’re involved with students.

For starters, they put on 35 events in the month of September 2006 alone! For that reason, look outfor the separate chapter on CPIL, but a few things to get you started:

-CPIL is there to help you with careers. They will help you find a public interest job, go overyour resume, put you in contact with alumni, and guide you towards fellowships and programs.-CPIL is there to help you with your pro bono requirement. All students are required to put in40 hours of pro bono work sometime during your 2L and 3L years. The center will help youfigure out how.-CPIL is there to help you as a “student organization.” CPIL sponsors and works with a number ofstudent organizations that are active in the community. Some help kids, like the Harlem TutorialProject, and others give you practical legal experience, like helping low-incoming housing residents.

CPIL has a lot going on, so we encourage you, even if you don’t know if you have an interest inpublic interest law, to take a look at them. They can play a big role in your 1L life, and they alreadyplay a big role in the law school. (Which is why they have their own, later Chapter in our Guide.)

Last, Columbia has a lot of services you might want to take advantage of. For starters, they havediscount metro cards and Health Services—the latter of which is important when you get sick,because if you’re on Columbia Insurance, you can’t see any other doctors without a referral fromColumbia Health Services.

You can do everything from reserving music practice rooms to holding an event in the Lerner Hallsocial space; there are a number of places to eat, and don’t forget about the gym! It’s not the greatestin the world, but you will likely want to work out every now and then (if only to work off the pizzaand cookies from every event). Dodge Fitness Center is located on the main campus, just behindLow Library. It’s one of many useful facilities on campus, so take a day or two to explore the place.Browse through the viewbook they send you, and take a few mental notes.


XI. NEXT UP

Well, that’s enough for now. We hope we’ve given you an introduction to Columbia Law. Ifyou’re anything like us, you were dying for a few answers, and now you probably got more thanyou bargained for. Take it all with a grain of salt, and don’t stress about remembering it all.When you get here, you’ll get the full copy of our “Unofficial Guide to Columbia Law School,”and there will be plenty more information on your time here, including graduation requirements,writing requirements, seminars, specializations, your job search, the bar, and much more. Butin the meantime, enjoy your last bit of life before law school! Have some fun, and we’ll see youin August!

Secrets of CLS

A bit of insight from your future classmates…on the DL, of course.

THE WORK

1. Law School can be hard. But it’s definitely worth it. 2. Don’t be this guy: “I procrastinate, and then stress out when things are due.” -2L 3. Try being this girl: “I wish I knew that I didn’t have to be as stressed first year as I was. People made much too big of a deal about everything.” -3L

3a. Who probably listened to this guy: “Don’t let law school consume your entire li feDon’t let law school consume your entire li fe.” – 2L

4. “Slow and steady wins the race— I kept up with reading 1L year, worked

pretty consistently throughout the semester so I didn’t have to cram too

much in the end.” – 2L

5. The workload is entirely manageable. WE SWEAR. It’s just that your Nintendo, email, and facebook get in the way.

6. “Law school is hard work, 7. Or maybe just take a trip but there are great people to the Hungarian Pastry Shop here to help it seem more for cheesecake. That always fun. There is pressure at times, eases the pressure. but I think that pressure is 99% self-imposed.” – 2L 8. This guy seems to have it down: “Sometimes I work out to get rid of stress. But I also try to keep things in perspective. It’s not the end of the world if I don’t finish all my reading or say something brilliant in class.” – 3L 9. “I find that managing the stress and my emotions is harder than managing the workload itself.” -2L 10. “Learn to accept that there are a lot of things beyond your control, you’ll survive.” – 2L. Those things include “the curve,” forgetting half the Model Penal Code on the day of the final, getting sick and missing a week of class, or sometimes, just not being in your groove. These things happen. And you will survive. Thousands of alumni will attest.

11. Sometimes the key to survival is juggling. And sometimes, it’s just admitting there are priorities: “You don’t have to read everything and study perfectly to do well, sometimes you really just have to focus on writing well, being organized, and getting a hornbook.” – 2L 12. And sometimes that priority is a nap. To which we say, “Wake us in a few hours.” 13. When you’re not napping, try studying.

14. When exams hit, “Coffee, exercise, and meditation—two of the three are essential to survive the exam period.” -2L

CLASSES AND GRADES 15. “There really are no classes you HAVE to take, regardless of what other people say. Just do what’s interesting to you.” – 2L 15a. “Who you take is just as important as what you take.” – 3L 15b. “Take professors, not courses” – 3L

15c. “I wish I knew to only pick classes based on professors—good professors can make almost anything interest, and no-so-good professors can make interesting material quite painful.” -3L 15d. “You know what the best part about CLS? The professors. I have had so many brilliant and famous professors that managed to also be caring and wonderful. Professors. It’s been a privilege.” -3L

16. DID YOU PAY ATTENTION TO NUMBER 15?! 17. If you are dead-set on going into this type of law or that type of law, at least consider the fact that a good lawyer is a well-rounded lawyer, and a well-rounded lawyer takes a wide range of classes while in law school.

18. People go from a place where they get As to a place where the majority get Bs. That’s an adjustment.

19. You will not understand the grading curve. Just do your best.

20. Well, almost everyone. Some people get Cs, but not very many. And some people get As.

21. The people who get As don’t usually talk about it. 22. Those gunners who are REALLY loud and talk a lot in class? The ones who quiet down second semester realized it didn’t help when they still ended up with a B.

23. There’s a popular saying: Those who get As become professors. Those who get Bs become judges, lawyers, businessmen, and esteemed colleagues. So, guess what? That B you got? NOT THE END OF THE WORLD. 24. But don’t use #18 as an excuse to stop trying. Just use it for perspective: “Apply yourself, but realize grades don’t determine who you are, and employers kill for Columbia students so the job will fall into place.” –2L 25. Besides, bringing home an A on a report card NEVER gets old.

CAREER 26. “Don’t be afraid to plan a career 27. Of those who do become that does not involve a big firm.” -2L lawyers, some love it. Others In fact, you don’t have to become a realize they should have thought lawyer. And Columbia can help you about #26. see the other options. 28. When you’re thinking about what else to do, try thinking deeply. Money, prestige, working for a top firm…they’re all nice. But, as they say, “you can’t take it with you.” What do you want to take with you?

29. And you don’t have to work in NY. A LOT OF US DON’T!

30. Don’t be afraid to go home. The pay is often roughly the same, and the cost of living much cheaper. Which equals more money in the bank.

“I had a wonderful summer in AZ working for a law firm. I don’t think people should get sucked into the mindset that you have to work for a big NY firm. I got better pay (well, proportionally better pay), and I had a much more relaxing summer than I might have had in the city.” – 3L

31. It’s also easier to get a 1L firm job back home, too—as long as “home” isn’t New York City. 32. When you graduate, you will get hired. You will hear it often, but it’s true. So don’t kill yourself trying to get there.

“It is good to aim high, but it is also so good to know that everyone is going to get a good job. They mean it—there is no need to stress about getting a job, which is a huge relief.” -2L

33. Beware your online identity. Prospective employers will search you online. 34. Columbia guarantees public interest funding for the summer. And has a good Loan Repayment Assistance Program (LRAP). So think about it. Sometimes doing good can be good for the checkbook AND for the soul.

THE PEOPLE

35. The people here will keep you sane. You’re all in it together. 35. The people here will keep you sane. You’re all in it together. 35. The people here will keep you sane. You’re all in it together. 35. The people here will keep you sane. You’re all in it together. 35. The people here will keep you sane. You’re all in it together.

(Yes, we intentionally repeated that. And yes, we are telling the truth.)

36. “I’ve enjoyed my time here so far-most students are cool, smart, interesting people.” -2L 37. Whatever downside there is to the people here, there are more upsides: “I think that Columbia Law Students tend to sort themselves into groups, but they also can be friendly and helpful to people outside their groups. There are many opportunities for participation and leadership.” -3L 38. “I think the key idea is that you have to work to maintain friendships, either indirectly, through class and extracurricular projects, or directly, through making time to have conversation with people about subjects other than The Law. Making time for the social aspect is important to sanity and to life after law school.” -2L 39. “My fellow students are friendlier and more helpful than I expected. Sure there are always a few crazies in every school, but you can easily find your own in terms of friends.” -2L

40. The best way to find friends is to

go out, get involved,

and talk to your classmates. Your social group should not be limited to 10

people whom you share every class with.

41. Just remember: “Before I came here, I heard it was a comparatively competitive school. It’s just not true. People are always more than willing to share notes and outlines, and they usually work together to prepare for finals. More important, the opportunities to interact outside of class are limitless. There are so many people around that you’re bound to find others with similar interests. There’s a student group for everything. And bar review every Thursday night helps 1Ls to break the ice and make new friends. Some of my best friends in life are the people I’ve met here.” -3L

42. “I wouldn’t trade these people or these three years for any other experience.” -3L

43. Stand on the shoulders of those who came before you. 44. “Search out people who might understand you, whether it’s professors or upper years, and bombard them with your questions. It does help. – 2L 45. “I wish I had consulted more upperclassmen and gotten more advice.” -3L 46. “Just talk to lots of 2Ls to get advice—they’re useful.” -2L 47. “Get to know 2Ls.” -2L 48. “2Ls and 3Ls, make friends with them—they’ll give you the inside scoop. Date one if you have to!” -2L

49. Reread #43-48. Just to be sure.

50. You are part of a community. CLS gave you something.

So give a little back. You’ll be happy you did 20 years down the line when you’re arguing a case in front

of that 1L you didn’t spend the time getting to know.

LIFE IN GENERAL 51. Don’t date in the law school.

52. If you’re going to violate that rule, be sure to keep it to a fellow law student.

53. Just beware of the gossip. Keep it on the DL as long as you can.

54. In spite of #51, you may just meet the love of your life in the law school.

55. “Don’t walk on Morningside Drive when it’s dark—Someone does it every year to their regret.” – 2L. In other words, be careful; you live in a big city. 56. Go out and see the city. On that note, be a part of the community and make friends. Down the road when you’re a lawyer, you will be happy that your relationships with your peers are stronger. 57. GET INVOLVED! Join a club! Go to the events!

58. “You are part of a greater community, not part of the furniture in the library.” – 3L

59. It is possible to go four out of five days without paying for food, thanks to the number of events that go on. You will have pizza half the time, but you will still eat. 60. If you think first semester is crazy, just wait until after you get back from Spring Break. For some reason, EVERY major event happens in those six weeks. 61. “You don’t have to kill 62. “Take it easy and relax. Law school yourself studying; enjoy it shouldn’t be miserable. It should be while it lasts, because it fun. It’s like college, part two, and once only lasts three years, and you start working you’ll wish you could then it’s off to work.” -3L go back, so enjoy it while you can.” – 3L 63. Dodge Fitness Center may not be the greatest, but it’s still got the basics. And sometimes a good workout is all you need.

64. “Remember to have fun— sometimes law students forget.” -2L

65. “Student Services under Dean Greenberg-Kobrin is a great place.” – 2L

66. “Nobody listens, but here goes: relax. Seriously.” -3L

67. There are some who will say the journal system is a waste of time, and they only do it because law firms ask about it.

There are others who say that it was an amazing experience and

they learned a lot. Figure out which one you will be BEFORE you sign up to do it. 68. The most comfortable place to study in the law school is not in the expensive brown chairs on the mezzanine, or in the carrels in the library, but the comfy red chairs on the upper floors. They’re quiet and comfortable, and not crowded. At least they weren’t until we let the secret out just now. 69. When those red chairs are gone, try different libraries—there are a dozen libraries at Columbia, and most of them are soaring, beautiful places to study. Start out staring at undergrads at Butler, then move to Fine Arts, Social Work, and others.

70. “Just breathe!” -3L

71. “Relax. Get your work done, but take advantage of your three years in NYC.” -2L

72. “Keep your head above water. Don’t freak out. It’s tough for everyone, but everyone manages to make it.” -3L

73. “Do not lock yourself in the library—you will asphyxiate.” -2L

74. In fact, try staying away from the library a bit. You’ll be there enough as it is, but don’t force it on yourself. Besides, LexisNexis and Westlaw give you almost everything you need online.

75. “Remember to remind yourself that you enjoy life.” -3L Did you catch that theme?

76. Columbia Law School is part of Columbia University…WHICH IS AN AMAZING UNIVERSITY. Don’t forget to explore it. 77. Columbia brings people from all over the world to speak and teach. There may be a dozen events at the law school every week, but there are also two dozen more at “Big Columbia.” 78. Don’t forget to use every last one of your 10 credits allotted for classes outside of the law school. 79. Take a slow, long walk along college walk at least once. Spend an afternoon studying on the steps of Low Library at least once. Wander through St. Paul’s chapel at least once. Then realize that this University is just BEAUTIFUL.

80. Lerner Hall has good quick food. 81. JJ’s in the basement of John Jay Hall is open til 4 AM Sunday through Thursday. It has all the basics: a deep fryer, smoothie machine, and even basic sundries.

82. Health Services is in John Jay, to the southeast of the South Fields (those big green fields in the middle of campus, in front of Butler).

83. “I think that most people come to law school because they want to make a difference in the world while reaping the perks that come along with being someone important. At Columbia I realized that making a difference takes more time and effort than I thought it would, and sometimes it’s sort of discouraging. But I still think law school is the best place to be to understand the world and how to change it.” -3L 84. “Who knew the first year was going to be so full of soul searching?” -2L

85. Many people here were top of their class.

All of them were successful in their own way.

The first will change. The second will not.

86. “Seriously, I’m still confused about what success is supposed to look like, concerning my legal education. I thought I knew what I wanted to be and to be capable of doing after my years here. I’m not sure that I have the skills to meet that previous goal, but more important, I’m not sure that the previous goal is what I should be pursuing.” -3L 87. The person who said #86 will change the world and do amazing things. 88. Questioning who you are and what you believe in is part of growing, both academically and socially. Just don’t change who you are for the sake of changing or just because you’re in law school. 89. “Remember

that life

is way,

way bigger

than Columbia Law.” -2L

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