November is a lifestyle
Posted by Jana DiCosmo on Nov 8, 2009
Hello Prospective Widener Law Students! I suppose an update is in order?
Last night, I had the rare opportunity to eat out at a restaurant with a very close 1L friend (as opposed to eating a microwavable TV dinner as I read the next day’s Evidence cases). She has been feeling the workload steadily and disproportionately increase over the last two months. It occurred to me—that’s what every law student feels during the month of November. In fact, when you’re in law school, November is not a month. It is a lifestyle. You learn that staying up to date is critical if you are to do well on the final exams. You learn that looking great in class is far less important than having great exam scores. You make sacrifices.
The upside is the rewards that come from those sacrifices. Doing well my first year landed me my first-choice internship last summer. Last week I got a call from my boss from that internship. He wanted to know if I was “interested” in doing some research for a couple criminal cases coming up in the next few weeks. (Jana says to self: Yes! Whoopee! That’s fanfrickintastic! Jana says to boss: “Yes, sir, I would be happy to help”). Making sacrifices my first year helped me do well on my final exams, which helped me get a great internship with a great boss, who now wants me to do research for him (and his colleagues). When you become a law student, there is no greater compliment.
So, to all of you who are wondering what law students do in November, here is the answer: we continue to work hard, sacrificing decent food and fun, so that we can get the rewards of our hard work. We live like law students now so that we can live like lawyers later.
Transition from first year to second year
Posted by Jana DiCosmo on Oct 21, 2009
There is an old adage: “The first year, they scare you to death. The second year, they work you to death. The third year, they bore you to death.” As an extended division student who will complete law school in a total of four years, I suppose that there are some necessary recalculations. Even so, I’m not entirely sure how accurate that saying is. My first year was a blast! Don’t get me wrong, law school is quite an undertaking; but the challenges are rewarding. While there were times that the workload was overwhelming, there was one thing that did not change—my love and passion for the law.
As a beginning second-year law student (aka “2L”), I can already see the changes in my approach to school work, networking, etc. So, here are some tips from a former 1L to remember when you start your law school career.
- Visit your professors during their office hours. YOU are the reason they have office hours in the first place. Take advantage of it!
- Figure out your saturation point. How long can you go, without stopping, and still be productive? Do you need 10 minutes for every 2 hours of studying? What about long term? I could stay on campus for two weeks straight. But as soon as Day 14 rolled around, I had to roll out.
- Make friends with the office secretaries, security guards, and other campus staff. Their work is invaluable in keeping our campus going, not to mention that you will appreciate a smiling face when your open memo is due.
- Eat breakfast, wear comfortable shoes, and dress in layers. If your professor lets you, you should bring a snack to class, too. It will help you stay awake when discussing the relationship between personal jurisdiction, subject matter jurisdiction and venue.
- Make friends with 2Ls, 3Ls, and 4Ls. They can give you the inside scoop.
If you are reading this blog, by the way, you clearly have good taste in law schools. As someone who applied to almost every law school on the east coast, I can say with confidence that there is no school that comes close to the high standards of excellence and the friendly campus atmosphere that Widener Law embodies. (This is why Widener was my first choice). If you are lucky enough to be accepted, you should enroll immediately. It will be one of the best decisions of your life.
Jana DiCosmo, 2L
Wow! My First Semester at Widener Law
Posted by Jennifer Perez on Oct 21, 2009
Wow. My first semester in law school is finally here. Well, all in all, it’s pretty much what I expected. It has definitely been a challenge, but I have enjoyed every second of it!
As far as the academic challenge, late night study sessions have become a regular thing, but so has meeting great, new people. Every semester, first years at Widener Law get a mid-term exam in one class; the other classes rely primarily on a final exam or final assignment. This year, we had a mid-term in our Torts class. I formed a small study group and it really helped! This may sound cliché, but two heads are definitely better than one. After mid-terms, things have slowed down a little bit, but I can already feel things speeding up again. Other than that, I would like to give future first-years some advice: Back up your information correctly. I recently broke my portable jump drive and was lucky enough to find someone that could fix it for me long enough to transfer my files. Because I backed up my information incorrectly, I would have lost everything I have done since August!
Aside from classes, there is so much for me to do on campus: workshops, speakers, training sessions, meetings, networking socials, etc. It was somewhat overwhelming at the beginning of the semester, but I’m certainly getting the hang of things now. Tomorrow, I am buying my ticket to Widener Law’s first ever “Fall Ball,” an evening of dinner and dancing. After all, a girl has to have a little fun, doesn’t she? Plus, it’s a really good opportunity for students to network and get to know each other. As a member of the Christian Legal Society, I will also be assisting with our big event for the semester: “Biblical Principles of Time-Management” with Dr. Anthony Lee, U.S. Head of Forecasting, AstraZeneca Biopharmaceuticals, Inc.
My friends and family have also been very supportive. At times, in undergrad, my parents had a hard time understanding the dedication associated with getting a higher education (like not always being able to visit on weekends). However, things have definitely changed since those days and everyone is on the same page now.
Well, I should start reviewing for Property class tomorrow. See you soon!
Jennifer R. Perez
J.D. Candidate 2012
Widener University School of Law
The Richard Stockton College of New Jersey
Class of 2008
B.A. Political Science