LAW SCHOOL SURVIVOR

It's almost that time of year when young, idealistic and greedy(?) college graduates embark on the challenge of a lifetime.....Law School! If you thought obtaining your college degree was tough, then you'll really need to work overtime in order to outplay, outwit and outlast four years of arduous and mind boggling work! So, as a part of our humanitarian effort, here are a few tips to get you through:

1. Be prepared for recitation.

    If you thought oral exams in college were tough, wait till you encounter the socratic method of teaching! Imagine everyday, and every class, you will be required to answer tough questions by arrogant law professors on topics you hardly know anything about. Of course, everything hinges on the luck of the draw, so always hope that your class card is the one at the bottom of the pile, but of course, even if you might get a reprieve for a day, gnawing at the back of your mind is the harsh reality that you will be on deck for the next meeting.

2. Organize a study group immediately.

    Forget about studying alone. Law school entails a lot of paperwork and preparation. Teamwork counts! With dozens of cases to digest daily, you will need all the warm bodies you can find.  Not only that, having a group to study with can always prepare you for the potential questions that will be asked by your professors, so try to think of the toughest questions and practice on each other. Also, be sure to sit beside your study group in class so that you can help each other during recitation, of course you need to master the art of prompting, which is basically speaking low enough to be heard by the person reciting but not loud enough for the professor to hear!

3. Try to read cases in their original form.

    With the technological advances today, getting a copy of a case is only a mouse click away. Yes, during my law school days we had to carry all those voluminous SCRA to the xerox center, have them copied and then leaf through our one peso version of the case with the complimentary smudges of the xerox machine marked on our fingertips. Nowadays, the lucky law student has different legal software to aid them in research. Not only that, websites like abogadomo.com offer today's law student legal education and on-line legal resources to complement their studies.

4. Invest in law books and get codal copies.

    Invest early in law books, not only will you use them for your laws classes but they are also a must for the bar exams and your law practice later on.   Don't rely on the 1st edition by Atty. So and So which still talks about the 1935 Constitution, get the latest copy by the best author. You will also need codal copies of the basic laws such as the 1987 Consitution, Civil Code, Penal Code and Labor Code, these will prove invaluable when you need to glance once in a while during recitation. 

5. Attend classes and budget your cuts.

    The most important thing is showing up and learning, after all you paid the tuition fee already! However, if you're really not prepared go ahead and absent yourself but be sure that the rule of the professor is that those who are absent are not called for recitation, otherwise, you might end up losing twice over.

6. Pray.

    Nothing beats Divine Intervention!