Class of 2010?

[sladkaya]

anyone?

[Jumus]

You have to re-register for the student board? That's weird. 0L reporting as ordered. Still haven't gotten an apartment, I was holding out in case one of my other waitlists rang me up. Just got my last rejections in this week, though, so a trip to Austin is definitely in the cards next weekend. A lot of my old undergrad friends from Texas A&M ended up there for grad school or jobs, so I won't be quite as uprooted as I would've been going out of state. And after four years in College Station, Austin looks an awful lot like paradise.

[Felsen]

I don't know any words that wouldn't just be words of obviousness.  If you've got specific questions, I pop my head in here from time to time still.

If you've not gotten an apartment yet, get working on that.  The closer it gets to semester start, the more likely it is you'll get stuck with a crappy place.  If you are willing to commute to school, this is much less of an issue.

Your apartment choice can determing whether you'll be able to sneak home for lunch, or if you'll be bringing sack lunches every day (though there is now a food place in the basement: George's).

If you're buying used books, get to the bookstore as soon as you get the list.  You'll have your pick of used books, and they can sell out of them before everyone has a chance at them.

Don't bother starting to read the books till you get your first day's assignment.  Most of the professor's don't start on page 1.  They'll also skip around a lot.

Do read your assignments for the first day, and all subsequent days before they are discussed.

Go to the pre-start Mentor group activities, and get to know that small group of people.  You'll be with them for all but one class the rest of the year.  Get to know a few of them well enough that you can ask for notes on the days you miss class (almost everyone will sleep in late or have some other problem some time during the semester).


My first semester started off slower than I thought.  Mid-way through October was when professors picked things up, as they realized they were running out of time, and as I started formally studying for the finals.

If you'll be sending out resumes for summer jobs, you can actually write your cover letters now.  If you personalize the cover letters, it takes more time than you think.  Since the resumes can first be sent out as you are hectically studying for finals, I should have just written them all up way ahead of time.  You should basically know now everything you'll put in initial mailers, since grades won't come out till mid-January to mid-February.  If you wait that long, you'll miss out on some job possibilities.  So those who have great undergraduate GPAs end up with a bit of an advantage.

Don't expect to get a paying job first summer, though.  Supposedly almost everyone is able to get paid for their second summer, though.  Consider alternatives such as summer school or a semester abroad over the summer your first year.

That's enough rambling for now.  Ask questions if you have them.  Otherwise I'll see y'all in the hallways in a few months.

[Jumus]

If you'll be sending out resumes for summer jobs, you can actually write your cover letters now.  If you personalize the cover letters, it takes more time than you think.  Since the resumes can first be sent out as you are hectically studying for finals, I should have just written them all up way ahead of time.  You should basically know now everything you'll put in initial mailers, since grades won't come out till mid-January to mid-February.  If you wait that long, you'll miss out on some job possibilities.  So those who have great undergraduate GPAs end up with a bit of an advantage.

Don't expect to get a paying job first summer, though.  Supposedly almost everyone is able to get paid for their second summer, though.  Consider alternatives such as summer school or a semester abroad over the summer your first year.

Sounds like I might already be falling behind in the first summer rat race. I'm a traditional applicant, so I don't have a much relevant work experience, and I'm also a splitter, so my undergraduate GPA is not exactly going to recommend me. I think I won't have much of a choice but to wait on first semester grades.

[Felsen]

Wow, Felsen, great advice!  Especially to get started on cover letter writing.  I have to admit that I've reformatted my resume already for law school jobs, but hadn't thought about cover letters.  Since I'll be applying in a very limited Dallas-Austin-Houston area (family in Austin and all that), I really have my work cut out for me.

Here's a stupid question (but it's Sunday and I've somehow managed to start worrying about this) - do you think it's better to sit towards the front or the back of the room in class.  Why?  The thought of having the same seat for the whole semester is sort of weird - it's been a while, if ever, since I've had a class with assigned seating.

Half the time, you won't have the choice of where to sit.  Many professors create a seating chart before the first day of class.

Most people prefer to sit towards the back, as they want to blend in and not get called on in class.

I'd suggest either the second or third row if you'll be paying attention and want to be called on.  Some classes have a front row of like two seats, I'd suggest not sitting there.  I'd also not suggest sitting in the next row after that.  One of the problems with sitting way up front is that the seating is tiered so everyone can see.  The professor's area is a little raised above the first row of seats.  So sitting in the front rows, you have to look up to see the professor.  If you're up a couple of steps, you are actually around eye level with the professor, which makes it easier to pay attention and switch focus between him and whatever you are typing for notes.

I prefer a seat that is three or four from the top row.  I did choose one of the frontmost seats for one class.  Unfortunately, it was on the side of the document projector, so whenever it was used, I had lights shining in my eyes.  That's the only thing I'd say to absolutely avoid.

I would also suggest sitting along one of the two sides rather than the middle.  From there, you can see more of the classroom without having to turn your head as much.  That way you can actually see who is asking or answering what questions during class.

There is one very good reason to choose the back row, though.  If you're going to be playing computer games, browsing the web, or IMing throughout class, sit to the back.  Otherwise all the people behind you will see what you're doing.

[Felsen]

I really enjoyed my first year.  It was fairly close to what I was expecting.  I didn't end up doing as much extra-curricular or campus related stuff as I was expecting.  The rec. centers are a bit too long of a walk for me to head there much.  When I'm on campus, I'm at the law center, so I don't really know much of anything going on elsewhere on campus.

Right now over the summer, I'm less excited.  I've gotten a taste of working again, and am starting to look a little too far ahead to what's going to happen when I graduate.  That will probably change once I get back to classes.  This year I'll finally be allowed to start participating in the moot court and mock trial events, and that should start getting me fired up again too.

[Jumus]

You got that email too, huh? I signed up for the Levinson book because it seems like it might spark some interesting debate.

Also, I'm going to spend this Saturday and Sunday looking for a place in Austin. What should I expect to pay in Hyde Park for a studio or 1-bedroom? (It doesn't have to be pretty, I could live in a pool shed as long as it has Internet access and a campus bus stop.)

[The Village Idiot]

You got that email too, huh? I signed up for the Levinson book because it seems like it might spark some interesting debate.

Also, I'm going to spend this Saturday and Sunday looking for a place in Austin. What should I expect to pay in Hyde Park for a studio or 1-bedroom? (It doesn't have to be pretty, I could live in a pool shed as long as it has Internet access and a campus bus stop.)

Yeah, I did.  Not sure if I want to sign up or not yet - it might be nice to have a break in the middle of the day instead.

I'd say a nice 1-br in Hyde Park will run you about $800/month, and could be more or less depending on proximity to campus, bus route, etc.  I'd drive around Hyde Park if I were you and call numbers on those little "for lease" signs - a lot of times residents may have a studio outback they're renting.  And those will be cheaper than what you can find with apt locators.  Also brouse Craigslist, though most of that stuff is probably gone - it's very active in late May through June, when people's leases run out.

If you want to look further in town, but still on the bus route, price will go down to 600 or so and commute will go up significantly.

The book discussion is optional? 

[Felsen]

The book discussion is optional.  I didn't do it.  I heard only from a couple people who did it, neither of whom particularly liked it.  It isn't enough time to get to know the professors, and you won't even be able to take classes from most of them for another year.

I got a summer associate job in Houston for the first 6 weeks of the summer, but nothing this second half.  So I've been pursuing my hobbies and taking trips to visit a few family members.  I figure getting a job for part of the summer qualifies as having done something for when I start OCIs this Fall.

[leostrauss]

Extremely excited and even more scared 0L here. Where can I get information about general schedule for mailing out these letters Felsen mentioned. I'd like to have an idea how OCI works before I get there. Good luck to everyone -- L. Strauss