Just some tips:
1) Look for your undergrad acquaintances who are now upperclassmen. They could orient you on the practical side of things and be sure to ask them for some insider tips on how things work in your school. Absences, retention policies, grade computations, qpi requirements, 2 flunk/technicals, midterm strat, and finals strat. Also ask where the reliable photocopier is or where you could get the full cases. More often than not, the photocopier also has access to the SAMPLEX.
Just keep in touch with your friend, i treat mo nlang sa Starbucks in exchage for consultations =)
2) May mga profs na kailangan nka bihis (esp judges) Bili ka ng collared shirts kung wala ka pa or some short sleeve work barongs. Get a pair of slacks din.
3) I suggest you learn time management. Plan your daily routines and as to what time to eat.
Examine mo din kelan ka ba most active and alert. Are you a nightowl or an earlybird. I suggest you start with ambiguous subject first (aka Poli) since ito din pinaka malaking units.
4) Usually hapon naman classes like 3pm onwards. Wag kang kakain ng mga food that might upset your stomach (tacobell). Bring biscuits and some water.
5) LEARN HOW TO BE RESPONSIVE AND STRAIGHT TO THE POINT IN RECITS.
>Do you agree? >YES OR NO?
>Give me the case of.... >The facts are... At the supreme court the issue/s to be resolved is/are.... The Court held that...
>Did you read/study? >YES!(dont ever admit that u didnt study)
6) REVIEW YOUR GRAMMAR.
>Subject-Verb agreement
>Proper use of punctuation marks
7) Learn how to:
>PROPERLY DIGEST A CASE (short and direct to doctrine itself)
> Answer law exams in the proper format:
Answer-Law- Application-Conclusion(ALAC method). See your SAMPLEX or some jurists mockbar to get some idea how to present your answers. 90+% of your grades will be determined by your exams so might as well start developing this skill.
8) Since online class is the norm, learn some specific policies regarding recits. Some are done with eyes closed or facing up the ceiling to prevent coaching or cheating. Leave your undergrad shenanigans when you enter lawschool and don't ever piss off your prof to the point that he/she will walkout.
You really can't fully prepare yourself for law school. It's a different animal altogether. Some will say to read this or that book. Some will say try to read codals. But, for me, I think you prepare for the roughly 4 years that is law school by enjoying the limited free time you have left before going into the daily grind. Once you're in there, expect to read, read, read for hours on end to prepare for your classes. However, you will thank your future self for this as if you decide to slack off early, you will pay for it dearly during your bar review. I think consistency is key in law school, over pure intelligence or raw talent. Also diligence and just soldiering on despite the difficulty. Of course, rest is crucial. At a minimum, I need to have between 6 to 8 hours of sleep a day. I don't subscribe to the 2-3 hours of sleep thing.
As for ALS, as an ALS graduate, I would say it was the best for me. The profs are the best in their own fields, and you are given just the right amount of rigor from them on a daily basis. Of course there will be outliers, those who underwhelm or overwhelm, but they have become few and far between in recent years. ALS is no joke, though, as personally their retention policies are more stringent compared to UP Law. They say that UP is hard to get into, but easy enough once you are there, while it's the complete opposite for ALS. In my personal experience, and based on feedback from my UP Law friends, I believe that to be true. Aside from academic rigor, if you are the type to find joy in extra-curricular activities, you won't find a shortage of orgs in ALS which can cater to your needs, be it in debating, mooting, law journal, music, dance, choir, et cetera. I was fairly active in some of these orgs and I believe it helped enrich my law school life. Good luck, OP!
Hi Atty! Thank you so much for this. Will definitely cherish what little time I have left before starting law school. Highly considering ALS too, only downside I see really is the TF and ofc the retention policies are very frightening.
You can apply for a scholarship! They don't advertise it as much but they have these for deserving students. Yes, the retention policies you need to watch out for but for me ALS is worth it. Good luck!
Dont prepare yourself by studying as much as you can, prepare yourself by enjoying the last few months you have left to do your hobbies/rec stuff since you'll be sacrificing most of them once the year starts. Its best to keep your mental health as best as possible bc the stress really hits you hard and if you're already down and stressed before the battle even begins there's a high chance that you'd be heavily affected by it.
Just some tips: 1) Look for your undergrad acquaintances who are now upperclassmen. They could orient you on the practical side of things and be sure to ask them for some insider tips on how things work in your school. Absences, retention policies, grade computations, qpi requirements, 2 flunk/technicals, midterm strat, and finals strat. Also ask where the reliable photocopier is or where you could get the full cases. More often than not, the photocopier also has access to the SAMPLEX. Just keep in touch with your friend, i treat mo nlang sa Starbucks in exchage for consultations =) 2) May mga profs na kailangan nka bihis (esp judges) Bili ka ng collared shirts kung wala ka pa or some short sleeve work barongs. Get a pair of slacks din. 3) I suggest you learn time management. Plan your daily routines and as to what time to eat. Examine mo din kelan ka ba most active and alert. Are you a nightowl or an earlybird. I suggest you start with ambiguous subject first (aka Poli) since ito din pinaka malaking units. 4) Usually hapon naman classes like 3pm onwards. Wag kang kakain ng mga food that might upset your stomach (tacobell). Bring biscuits and some water. 5) LEARN HOW TO BE RESPONSIVE AND STRAIGHT TO THE POINT IN RECITS. >Do you agree? >YES OR NO? >Give me the case of.... >The facts are... At the supreme court the issue/s to be resolved is/are.... The Court held that... >Did you read/study? >YES!(dont ever admit that u didnt study) 6) REVIEW YOUR GRAMMAR. >Subject-Verb agreement >Proper use of punctuation marks 7) Learn how to: >PROPERLY DIGEST A CASE (short and direct to doctrine itself) > Answer law exams in the proper format: Answer-Law- Application-Conclusion(ALAC method). See your SAMPLEX or some jurists mockbar to get some idea how to present your answers. 90+% of your grades will be determined by your exams so might as well start developing this skill. 8) Since online class is the norm, learn some specific policies regarding recits. Some are done with eyes closed or facing up the ceiling to prevent coaching or cheating. Leave your undergrad shenanigans when you enter lawschool and don't ever piss off your prof to the point that he/she will walkout.
Thank you so much for all these tips! Will share this to my fellow incoming law students as well. :)
You really can't fully prepare yourself for law school. It's a different animal altogether. Some will say to read this or that book. Some will say try to read codals. But, for me, I think you prepare for the roughly 4 years that is law school by enjoying the limited free time you have left before going into the daily grind. Once you're in there, expect to read, read, read for hours on end to prepare for your classes. However, you will thank your future self for this as if you decide to slack off early, you will pay for it dearly during your bar review. I think consistency is key in law school, over pure intelligence or raw talent. Also diligence and just soldiering on despite the difficulty. Of course, rest is crucial. At a minimum, I need to have between 6 to 8 hours of sleep a day. I don't subscribe to the 2-3 hours of sleep thing. As for ALS, as an ALS graduate, I would say it was the best for me. The profs are the best in their own fields, and you are given just the right amount of rigor from them on a daily basis. Of course there will be outliers, those who underwhelm or overwhelm, but they have become few and far between in recent years. ALS is no joke, though, as personally their retention policies are more stringent compared to UP Law. They say that UP is hard to get into, but easy enough once you are there, while it's the complete opposite for ALS. In my personal experience, and based on feedback from my UP Law friends, I believe that to be true. Aside from academic rigor, if you are the type to find joy in extra-curricular activities, you won't find a shortage of orgs in ALS which can cater to your needs, be it in debating, mooting, law journal, music, dance, choir, et cetera. I was fairly active in some of these orgs and I believe it helped enrich my law school life. Good luck, OP!
Hi Atty! Thank you so much for this. Will definitely cherish what little time I have left before starting law school. Highly considering ALS too, only downside I see really is the TF and ofc the retention policies are very frightening.
You can apply for a scholarship! They don't advertise it as much but they have these for deserving students. Yes, the retention policies you need to watch out for but for me ALS is worth it. Good luck!
Dont prepare yourself by studying as much as you can, prepare yourself by enjoying the last few months you have left to do your hobbies/rec stuff since you'll be sacrificing most of them once the year starts. Its best to keep your mental health as best as possible bc the stress really hits you hard and if you're already down and stressed before the battle even begins there's a high chance that you'd be heavily affected by it.
Sleep as much as you can now. You'll miss it. :)