It’s that time of the year: after cycling through multiple screener interviews, impressing at callbacks, second year law students have in their hands offers for the upcoming summer. A veteran of on-campus interviews and callbacks myself, I would like to share some thoughts on what to do to aid in your decision.
About Tiffany Gee Ching Lo
Five Approaches for Getting Ready for 1L Year
So you are getting ready to start law school! You might be thinking: Do I need to prepare? If so, how should I prepare?
I believe that there is no correct answer. There are a number of possible approaches, and the best one depends on your goals and needs. Below, I review some of the common ways to get ready for your 1L year, especially during the summer before you start law school. You can select one, or mix and match the approaches to your liking. [Read more…] about Five Approaches for Getting Ready for 1L Year
What do you actually do on Law Review? An Overview of Opportunities
Many students hope to get on Law Review for multiple reasons: to develop valuable legal skills, learn about legal academia and interesting debates, to help promote certain authors and scholarship, and much more.
However, few people outside of the organization have a deeper understanding of the different roles and duties on Law Review beyond its general mission of publishing articles. Putting out thoughtful and substantiated pieces of scholarship is a huge endeavor, so it is no surprise that students on Law Review take up specific roles and delegate (or are delegated) different tasks. Thus, there is no uniform experience for each journal member. You can pick your own adventure! Of course, each journal is organized differently, not to mention changes from year to year based on lessons learned and the leadership’s goals.
My objective here is to provide more transparency into the work and opportunities once you become a member of Law Review, especially for students who do not have lawyers in their family or have little understanding of how journals work. Law Review is a substantial undertaking, and it is important to know what the commitment will entail.
Based on my experience, here is an overview of opportunities on Law Review, or a comparable journal.
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Five Ways to Use Spreadsheets in Law School
Spreadsheets have been a good friend to me in law school. In my book, organization is key to success, and using a spreadsheet has been a great way to keep myself on track. Here are five ways to incorporate spreadsheets into your routine as a law student.
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Memes, Oral Arguments, Polls, and Breakout Rooms: How Professors Can Make Class More Engaging and Topical
Law school classes can be very predictable: cases, cold calls, policy discussions, and repeat. It is incredibly refreshing when the professor changes up the pace of the class or uses new tools to break the monotony.
During my time in virtual law school, I have observed many professors experiment with different ways of presenting and teaching the material. Their efforts have greatly enhanced my time learning legal doctrine behind a computer screen, without my fellow classmates seated around me.
In sharing these wonderful approaches, I hope that you will think about what tools would help you learn better, and maybe even suggest some of these things for your professor to adopt! [Read more…] about Memes, Oral Arguments, Polls, and Breakout Rooms: How Professors Can Make Class More Engaging and Topical
How to Fight Law School Imposter Syndrome
Imposter syndrome—feeling undeserving, doubting your accomplishments, and thinking you are a fraud—is common in law schools. Everyone wants to present their best selves, but do not tend to share their insecurities or vulnerabilities. Understandably, no one wants to be judged or criticized for their choices or feelings. Especially in law schools where there is a grading curve, students can act competitively, even if unconsciously so, toward one another.
It is easy to look around and observe smart, type-A personalities who are accomplished, driven, and bring a wealth of experience from their upbringing, jobs, internships, and fellowships. And it is also easy to look past the fact that these very students may also feel that they are not smart enough, not good enough, or are failing to keep up.
For female and minorities students, the lack of adequate representation in their student body or the law school faculty can create even more unease and pressure. [Read more…] about How to Fight Law School Imposter Syndrome