Law School Discussion

you should be looking at private lenders that offer graduate-level or law school loans.  i, personally, went with citibank.

i wouldn't worry too much about timing; to apply, you'll have to tell the lender where you're going to school, how much you need, whether you're using a co-signor, etc.  if approved, they'll send you a promissory note that you have to sign and return to them.  when they get that back, they'll contact your school's financial aid department to confirm that you're requesting an approved amount.  at my school, once that amount was approved by the financial aid dept, the lender sent the check directly to them, who then cut me a 'refund' for the amount that i had coming to me (total amount of loan - school fees).

start shopping around for interest rates, you may be surprised at differences between lenders.

no problems here.  and if you're worried, stop... the benefits of having one with you in class will far outweigh any inconveniences.  and i wouldn't bother grabbing a new (smaller) laptop until you get started in the fall.  if you feel you need the room at that point, then get one.

thanks for the clarification, king.

also, don't underestimate the importance and value of the "upperclassmen" outlines that will inevitably be floating around.  i don't want to start a 'make your own outline vs. modify another's' war, but pre-made outlines really helped clear things up for me as i was sitting in class trying to get a handle on new material.

1. they'll be your bible(s).  you might want to consider taking them to kinko's (or somewhere else that offers the service) and having their stock binding replaced with a spiral-type heavy binding.  you'll understand why when you're trying to lay those suckers flat in order to outline/take notes all year.

2. try to get them from elsewhere, if possible.  buy used ones, use the library copies, etc.  commercial flash cards are more useful and productive, imho.

3. if you're referring to the reporters within the library, they are volumes of case law.  you'll learn about them in a legal research class/seminar.  lexis and westlaw are preferred substitutes most of the time.

4. hornbooks usually sum up legal concepts in 'plain english,' from what i've encountered.  that being said, i didn't use them much.

5. i used a nutshell book in property that i had borrowed from a friend that was a year ahead of me.  again, it broke things down into even more 'plain' language.  the nutshell book did help me understand future interests and the rule against perpetuities (you'll get there) slightly better.

There's certainly a comprehension element that is integral to success on issue spotters and other tests, but I wonder if succesfully absorbing the facts and content of a case initially may allow for comprehension in class, as time goes on.

you're going to want to try to 'comprehend' as much as possible while reading, not afterwards.  this will become evident the first time you're called on to present a case in class

that being said, you won't be very good at absorbing the facts/content while concurrently comprehending the information at first.  this is a major reason as to why it takes new law students such a long time to read the assigned material.  you will find yourself re-reading sentences and paragraphs 3 or 4 times before you get a handle on what is being said.

i began noticing an increased ease in 'comprehension while reading' about a month or two into my first semester.  after that, progression comes pretty quickly