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(More customer reviews)I just finished my 1L semester, and my grades are starting to trickle in. So far, not so good. But I'm vowing to do better next semester, and I felt this book was very helpful in helping me see what exactly my mistakes were this semester. I bought this book a few days ago, on the recommendation of some 1Ls in my class, because unlike some of these other reviewers, my school's professors do not take the time to explain how to succeed in law school or how to study. Nor am I very friendly with any 2 or 3Ls who could provide me with this information. The reason I picked up this book is because I wanted a thorough and well-spelled out discussion of what exactly law school is all about, since I didn't do much reading on the topic before I started school in the fall. I've read other Dummies books, and felt this one was overall better organized and more thorough than those I've read in the past. I'm making up for lost time now on my winter break by learning more about how to be a better 1L, and I was very satisfied and pleased with this book. I strongly feel I'll be a better student because of it.
I recommend this book highly because I got a great overview of what I need to do better next semester in order to boost my law school GPA (which right now is hovering close to a 2.7). The chapter on "Making the Most of Your Study Time" helped me realize what really should go in an outline and what should not--after reading this chapter I realized I went about my outline all wrong--again, because no one really took the time to sit down with me and explain it all. And the chapter on "Thinking and Talking Like a Lawyer" summed up into words what I couldn't quite put my finger on about law school over the past three and a half months: what exactly the new method of thinking that you're supposed to learn in law school is all about. Up until this book helped elucidate this concept for me, I realized that I really wasn't "getting" what I was supposed to out of the Socratic Method. Now I feel a little more clued in.
This book was full of good tips, such as making me realize that in order to be competitive for summer clerkships, you need to get your cover letters in to the largest and most competitive firms by Christmastime. If it weren't for this book, I wouldn't have known that, because my career services office really doesn't do a good job of letting students know important facts like this. I also appreciated the chapter on "landing your perfect summer job" because it explained what exactly the monetary and prestige differences, among others, are between the large firms and small firms. Perhaps most of all, this book made me feel appreciated.More specifically, I liked the way this book, unlike others I've read, didn't try to sell you on the large firm as the only option for your summer job (or career.) Similarly, this book also did a great job of not trying to sell you on the idea that the law review is a make-or-break-your-legal-career move. See the "Getting Involved in Law School" chapter for reassurance that it's perfectly okay not to end up making the law review, or even wanting to, because there are other valuable EC's out there. I also learned from this chapter that it can be more important to find EC's that are a good fit for your future career plans than to just blindly assume that the law review is the end-all-be-all. That's one aspect that really annoyed me about other law school guidebooks I read--the subtle or not-so-subtle theme that you must be in the top 10% of your class, on law review, and a summer associate at a big-name firm to "make it" as a lawyer. I appreciated the fact that Greene's book didn't make these assumptions, and liked the way non-traditional uses of the J.D. were thoroughly explored (see the Considering Alternative Legal Careers chapter) unlike other books, which just gives a nod to this equally valid way of using your J.D.
As per the Dummies tradition, this book spells things out for you, and many intelligent and hard-working students, like myself, need that. My recommendation for other law students is to read this book to get a good overview of law school and to help you better find your place when you're lost. I think other law school guidebooks can also valuable, but if you're looking for a more user-friendly guide, and one that has a more liberal tone than the other much more conservative law school books I've read, then look to this book to once and for all finally understand what law school is all about and your place in it.
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Law School For DummiesThe straightforward guide to surviving and thriving in law school
Every year more than 40,000 students enter law school and at any given moment there are over 125,000 law school students in the United States. Law school's highly pressurized, super-competitive atmosphere often leaves students stressed out and confused, especially in their first year. Balancing life and schoolwork, passing the bar, and landing a job are challenges that students often need help facing. In Law School For Dummies, former law school student Rebecca Fae Greene uses straight talk, sound advice, and gentle humor to help students sort through the swamp of coursework and focus on what's important–all while maintaining a life. She also offers rare insight on the law school experience for women, minorities, non-traditional, and non-Ivy League students.
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