Whose starting law school in the fall?

[wstaffor]

I don't think I'm coming across well so I'm just going to shut up. I'm probably the least douchey person in my incoming class that I know....yes I realize that doesn't mean much.

[SackUp]

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Typing fast is, simply, a ridiculous assertion for a top skill entering law school. If you disagree, I would suggest taking many typing tutorials over the summer. Your grades will show the hard work that you've done.

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You're entitled to your opinion but I have a handful of friends who we're 1Ls last year at top 10 law schools, and the common thing all of them have told me is that they wished they could type faster. Often they weren't able to get everything in their finals that they wanted to just because they could only knock out 8 or 9 pages in 3 hrs instead of 11 or 12.

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how did they do in classes? I'm curious b/c while typing fast surely does not hurt and being able to type a complete answer is great, I don't know that it is imperative to receiving a high grade.

I definitely scored very high on tests where I did not write as much but hit all of the issues and was very succint in my writing. However, essay grading is very subjective so that may just have been what those particular profs wanted.

The need for typing fast also varies by test as well. Some tests are racehorses which require you to manage your time very well and obviously typing fast does not hurt and can help - though I would not say determanitive or even imperative. However, in longer essay exams, time is often not as big of an issue and the impact of typing faster will be much less and possibly wholly irrelevant (assuming you can type at a normal speed).

[SackUp]

also, if writing well encompasses the ability to issue spot, be well organized, and analyze facts and apply them to the law then your top 2 is closer to being complete. However, I'm not sure if I would necessarily say "writing well" includes all of the preceding.

You can "write well" and type fast, but if you do not talk about the correct issues or discuss the correct law then it doesn't really matter if you have the greatest prose in the history of man.

So I agree that typing fast and writing well without editing are helpful and at times necessary, they are not guarantors of success or enough to have top scores.

I would think that if you could type at a solid rate, had a great command of the law, can issue spot very well, can apply the facts to the law, and write a fairly coherent statement you would be much better off than someone who can type fast and write well, but does not know the law or cannot apply the facts to the law very well.

BTW - name dropping of people from top 10 schools, especially 1Ls is really unnecessary and doesn't help prove your point. Mostly people just get turned off by it.

Further, most people can drop some names if they want to - it lends little support unless you are quoting a large poll from various professors that indicates what they look for most in a paper. Saying what students think profs want or look for means dick b/c students don't do the grading. Sure, those that did better than others have a better idea what profs are looking for, but I would bet a large sum that those kids had more than typing speed and writing well going for them - I bet they are very smart and have a great understanding of the law.

And to humor you, I talked to a buddy of mine I went to undergrad with who graduated #2 in his class from Stanford and is currently a clerk for Stevens and he said he cannot type very fast.

[DrewDevil]

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I'm starting at Penn in a couple of weeks. From what I can gather the 2 most important skills needed for law school are: typing fast and writing well without editing (ie. first drafts that look like final drafts).

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Sir, with all due respect, this is one of the most absurd things I have ever read.

Please go back and read my post about how to do well in 1L. Refuse to do this at your own peril.

And by the way, if you are seriously on track to have 400K in loans by the time you get out, please change something. Take out fewer loans, get a job, reduce lifestyle spending, something.

[wstaffor]

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Typing fast is, simply, a ridiculous assertion for a top skill entering law school. If you disagree, I would suggest taking many typing tutorials over the summer. Your grades will show the hard work that you've done.

[/ QUOTE ]

You're entitled to your opinion but I have a handful of friends who we're 1Ls last year at top 10 law schools, and the common thing all of them have told me is that they wished they could type faster. Often they weren't able to get everything in their finals that they wanted to just because they could only knock out 8 or 9 pages in 3 hrs instead of 11 or 12.

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how did they do in classes? I'm curious b/c while typing fast surely does not hurt and being able to type a complete answer is great, I don't know that it is imperative to receiving a high grade.

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The person I'm mostly talking about is right around top 10% at UVA.

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And by the way, if you are seriously on track to have 400K in loans by the time you get out, please change something. Take out fewer loans, get a job, reduce lifestyle spending, something.

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I think you missed an important part of the post. At least half of that is from my wife, who is in med school. I think between the two of us we'll be ok.

[DrewDevil]

Just because a person did well in 1L does not mean he knows why he did well. Your friend(s) who did well may tell you that their fast typing / writing skills were the keys to their high grades, but verily I say unto you,<u> it is the mastery of the material and the process of legal argumentation</u> that determines the top grades on law school exams.

[Bulbarainey]

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oh also, you can be one of those friendly attornies on westlaw's support hotline

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And have to still talk to other a$$hole lawyers who can't figure out how to find what they want? Pass :P

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at least you dont gotta seem face to face at your mandatory settlement conferences!

[lippy]

This post is great, I read all of it and value the information you all have given.

A quick question (hopefully this doesn't hijack the thread or anything...), are there any particular classes I can take as an undergrad (needing some elective credits to go along with my major; Polisci) that would be very adventageous for Law School? Logic maybe?

[wstaffor]

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This post is great, I read all of it and value the information you all have given.

A quick question (hopefully this doesn't hijack the thread or anything...), are there any particular classes I can take as an undergrad (needing some elective credits to go along with my major; Polisci) that would be very adventageous for Law School? Logic maybe?

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A formal logic class would be VERY helpful for the LSAT, dunno how helpful it is for law school itself. If you havent taken any Econ you might want to, a lot of people have told me it comes up pretty often.

[Jdanz]

everyone is talking about really crappy law jobs, i just want to know what people think is available to someone who gets in to a top five school and busts their ass being in the top 10-25% maybe some other stuff like mock trial/law review.

Everyone is saying how hard it is to get good jobs, does anyone know how that changes as you become a more and more attractive applicant?

Everyone is saying how important it is to go to a top tier law school and get great grades, so i'd like to hear the board's thoughts on what's available if someone actually completes such a difficult task.