Hello, reader. It seems like it has been a long time since my last post, but I'm averaging one every 2 months, so now's a good time to check in with you and update you on my evening law student life. One year down - now I'm a 2LE!!
At the end of the spring semester I had gotten involved in a few student organizations, mostly to ensure that evening students aren't forgotten. I am the Vice-President (Evening) of the Student Bar Association, as well as the President of the Evening Student Association. Since I'm a sucker for a good acronym, you can say I'm the VP-E of the SBA and Pres of the ESA. Your second year of law school is a great time to get involved in on-campus organizations. You will be done with your legal research and writing class, and your course load will probably be more like it was in your first semester - only 2 classes. The difference is now that after a year into the game, you know how to work the system, so you don't have to be as crazy about briefing and reading; things will come more naturally after a year. You will want to focus on major activities your third year (such as law review/journals, moot court, or an internship - the holy trinity of resume builders), so if you really want to join a club or organization I highly recommend that you do it your second year.
I'm very excited about the ESA. When I first started at Rutgers, I was very happy to see that they even had an organization for evening students. The reality, though, was that there wasn't a real organization to speak of the whole year. There was one meeting at the beginning of the year, and then that was the last we heard from the ESA until late April. I am determined that henceforth the ESA be a great resource for all evening students - a one-stop shopping center if you will for questions and problems. We have a great board of really sharp, hard-working people and we have already gotten a calendar of events and some scheduling off the ground. The ESA is up and running already, and school doesn't start for 2 more weeks!! Go team!! (I even made a logo, which I'll upload later).
As for an annual wrap-up, my grades for the spring were EXACTLY the same as they were for the fall. Yes, that's a good thing, but I'm still unhappy about it, because I expected to do better in Criminal Law. I'm not going to be one of those people that complains about a B+, so I won't, but it was personally disappointing.
Otherwise, work has gotten even more demanding, which is a concern. A number of new major projects are on the table right now, and we aren't increasing staffing at all, so it just means more work for our little team. Basically, it means I'll be working late most Friday nights so that I can stick to my study schedule (this semester will be Property on Saturdays; Constitutional Law on Sundays). By the end of your first year, you will be expert at seeing the tornadoes in your life and figuring out early on how to maneuver around them.
I'm hoping to create a timeline of the evening student 4 year experience, which of course I will share with you, faithful reader. Looking back on this last year (which I know is a cliche but I swear it has flown by), I realize that I did learn alot about navigating the waters, but the information came piecemeal, and seemed disjointed. So, I'll be posting more this semester about things you need to know and when you need to know them, and also about the general activities that I'm going to be involved in this semester. I'm really looking forward to it (except for Property, I'm not going to lie to you), and I can't wait to pass along any helpful info.
If you have applied to and gotten into law school as an evening student, congratulations! You're in for a lot of fun. If you're in the same boat as me - getting through the evening student experience as best you can - cheers, comrade, on one year down! This time next year, I'll be halfway done! Catch you again in a few weeks!
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