A final ranking of law school classes
Torts: The cases are hilarious, the professor is hilarious in a dry way, the material is completely understandable, and the professor gives out handouts summarizing everything discussed at the end of class. The only problem with this class is that everyone does so well on the exam that the bar for an A is set pretty goddamned high. Without question, this is the greatest class, both substantively and procedurally, of all time. Also, the professor's wife, another professor who teaches something I have forgotten, makes the best hot cider that I have ever had in my life.
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Civ Pro: after the first horrific weeks of discussing procedural due process (con law sucks), the class became a super-awesome law and economics class. The professor is fun to listen to and to watch, can explain things clearly, and sends out massive emails to clarify anything people seem to have problems getting.
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Contracts: The material is interesting and enjoyable, and the professor is highly competent at teaching. This class is not exciting, but it is consistently high quality and you always feel like you actually learned something. If you take into account the first month of me hating civ pro, these classes probably average to the same ranking
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Con Law: The material is terrible and arbitrary, the professor does not explain anything, class is constantly getting derailed by idiots espousing idiotic positions, and it is taught using the vilest type of Socratic Method wherein you are not coaxed toward an answer or an understanding of the material, but are instead pressured to quote some specific phrase that is hidden in the text of a dissent or something. You never learn anything and it is at 9 AM so people are barely conscious.
I am probably going to do worst on my Con Law exam because I really have no idea what she is looking for and her past exam questions are not helpful without a model answer. (Ex. Excerpt of case is copied from Westlaw. Exam question = "Analyze this case."). Thankfully, this exam is only worth 20% of your grade, and everyone else I have talked to seems to be at least as uncertain as I am.
In other news, I have updated my resume, and it implies strongly that I am black, which is basically the only thing that could help an inexperienced 1L get a firm job IN THIS ECONOMY. I'll do the NALP mail merge thing, but I have no expectations of it working out, so whatever. Also, the government job fair is in Jan, so I will apply for gov't jobs, as well.
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Civ Pro: after the first horrific weeks of discussing procedural due process (con law sucks), the class became a super-awesome law and economics class. The professor is fun to listen to and to watch, can explain things clearly, and sends out massive emails to clarify anything people seem to have problems getting.
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Contracts: The material is interesting and enjoyable, and the professor is highly competent at teaching. This class is not exciting, but it is consistently high quality and you always feel like you actually learned something. If you take into account the first month of me hating civ pro, these classes probably average to the same ranking
>>>>>>>>>>
Con Law: The material is terrible and arbitrary, the professor does not explain anything, class is constantly getting derailed by idiots espousing idiotic positions, and it is taught using the vilest type of Socratic Method wherein you are not coaxed toward an answer or an understanding of the material, but are instead pressured to quote some specific phrase that is hidden in the text of a dissent or something. You never learn anything and it is at 9 AM so people are barely conscious.
I am probably going to do worst on my Con Law exam because I really have no idea what she is looking for and her past exam questions are not helpful without a model answer. (Ex. Excerpt of case is copied from Westlaw. Exam question = "Analyze this case."). Thankfully, this exam is only worth 20% of your grade, and everyone else I have talked to seems to be at least as uncertain as I am.
In other news, I have updated my resume, and it implies strongly that I am black, which is basically the only thing that could help an inexperienced 1L get a firm job IN THIS ECONOMY. I'll do the NALP mail merge thing, but I have no expectations of it working out, so whatever. Also, the government job fair is in Jan, so I will apply for gov't jobs, as well.