Below are the notes taken from Law School Orientation day 1. Some of these will be specific to Drake while others are more general. Note to the reader: the content here is kind of specific to me, so you will need to pick and choose what information is relevant.
Finding Success in Law School
Clear your mind before starting law school:
- Getting a car maintenance appointment
- Sending mail
Resources
Below are some resources that are specific to Drake Law.
- Resource Page: https://www.drake.edu/law/library/
- It takes 90 credits to graduate
- What section of the student handbook outlines the “Advanced Writing Assignment”? Section 5.2.2
- Drake Student Counseling Center: (515) 271-3864
- You can find an attendance form at drake.edu/law/students/
- Organizations you can join at Drake: Christian Society, Moot court Board, Political organizations
- Director of Career Development: Katie Atkinson Overberg
- my.drake.edu has many resources, on there one thing you can do is: make payments
- Number for Drake Tech Help: 515.271.2001
Here are some more general resources:
- TWEN contains all course materials including the syllabus and other material.
- School emails
- Some professors use the program Blackboard
- Microsoft Teams is used to store documents and make plans with academic advisement
- Students also have a folder that keep your legal research and writing assignments
Define Success
Why am I here?
- To prepare to enter Constitutional Law so I can help other people by maintaining and defending the rights in the Constitution.
What do I want to “get out” of my time at law school?
- Experience in many student organizations that will help me find career success.
Success look like?
- Top grades, active in elite student organizations, developing strong connections.
What do I expect law school can/should do to support my success?
- Give me the resources and academic support necessary for good grades.
Academic Success
Because law school is stressful, it requires “grit”. Grit is a mindset that you can achieve a goal despite the difficulty of the task. You can use the stress from school to benefit you or help you. However, that benefit or harm is often a result of a mindset. If you believe you can perform well, that is likely to happen.
When it comes to law school you need to be in the mindset that law school is difficult but manageable
Personal Assignment – Write your own story – What this semester will look like
This semester I plan on studying every day except for the weekends. These weekends will act as my recovery time. During this time, I will spend time with my wife, resting, and doing meaningful exercise.
When it comes to studying, I will read the cases in their entirety. From these readings, I will make briefs which will help with course lectures. I will take these notes and briefs and publish them to review often. Additionally, I will summarize these notes with audio, which will help me review material on rides. In the late afternoon, I will study with others, reviewing content together, which will help me find success. After a long day, I will come home, but not shut down. For me to find a balance, I will need to stay active both at school and at home. No studying will occur at home, it will all be done at school.
Takeaways
Orientation day 1 was interesting. Most of the day was used getting to know your other classmates with plenty of get to know you games. We had a welcome from the Dean encouraging us to always be the advocate for our client. We had a couple brief lectures about law school success. Finally, we had another lecture about Law school Foundations, telling us how to study the law.
Disclaimer
The content contained in this article may contain inaccuracies and is not intended to reflect the opinions, views, beliefs, or practices of any academic professor or publication. Instead, this content is a reflection on the author’s understanding of the law and legal practices.
