Though I am enjoying myself at FSU College of Law, there is a sharper, more callous side to law school that I see, though by no means do I think it is unique to this place.
I learned from one of my fellow students that a game of " Gunner Bingo" is going on in a section different from mine. Evidently, about half the class is either playing it or aware of it. They fashioned bingo cards on their laptops with the names of the students who talk the most in class on the cards. When one of these students speak, they mark off a spot on the card (I've not seen the cards and so I'm not exactly sure how they're set up).
According to a couple of students I spoke with, somebody won the first game this week. The winner called it with perfect timing... One of the talkative students spoke, and the professor said that the information the student referred to was on page 293.
"Bingo!" the winner called. Half the class turned around and smiled or laughed, the other half didn't know what was going on.
I've been told other law schools play this same game...
Also, I learned this week that not everyone is enjoying law school as much as me. I spoke with one female colleague who said she goes home and cries many nights because of the stress. She has lost 10 pounds since school began, and only eats crackers during the day because she feels like she needs to be studying rather than taking too much time to eat. She also said she was considering seeing a doctor to get anti-anxiety medication.
I tried to give her some advice, though I think she just wanted someone to listen to her. I told her that one can study 24 hours a day, 7 days a week in law school if you want. But as for myself, I deliberately stop to go eat a nice meal or go for a run. These are two things I look forward to every day and are essential to maintaining a good mood. Before you go to the doctor, I said, try eating balanced meals and exercising.
I spoke with a 2L about this, and the 2L told me it will get even worse around exams. No one will speak with each other, she said. Last year, some of her classmates threw up before their first exam.
Honestly, I was sort of oblivious to all this until this week. I see people who are as smart and probably smarter than me showing signs of stress, and I guess the anxiety is a little contagious.
I trust that I'm doing things right. Everyone is obsessed with "outlines." They think every course has to have an outline, and most of my professors mention it. I really don't think in terms of outlines, though. I review the cases and try to think of what rules or precedents have been set.
Students have also warned me that I will need to write some of my final exam essays in "IRAC" format, which stands for Issue, Rule, Analysis, Conclusion. I think we will go over this later in the semester in Legal Writing and Research I, but if not I'll have to become familiar with it before exams start.
So, my antennae is alert for possible stumbling blocks at law school. The material is becoming more difficult and beginning to pile up, but I know that I am doing the best I can. When exams come, I will be as prepared as I know how to be. So I really don't feel too stressed-- at least right now.
Until Next Time,
Nathan Marshburn
Saturday, September 27, 2008
Saturday, September 20, 2008
Boasting on FSU
I just finished writing my rough draft of a "closed memo" for Legal Writing and Research I, and thought I'd take a break to post a blog.
It's official-- I'm the only person in my section of about 80 students that does not use a laptop computer in class now. One person made the comment that it just looks more professional to use a computer, but I hope that is not the trend of belief. I like my system just fine, and you won't ever catch me on facebook or checking baseball box scores during class like I've seen some of my colleagues do. My three ring binder never crashes, and I guarantee you I can draw the professor's chart from the whiteboard faster than you can hit the keys to make it look right on your laptop.
It feels good to be a student here. Yesterday was open house for the law school, and I saw some young visitors as I headed down the hallway to the library. They gave me an envious look as if to say, "There's one of them. He's actually a student here. Neat."
While I know where a person graduates should make less difference the longer we practice law, it is nice to be at a school where a lot of people would like to go. I talk to transfer students who came here from other schools that I considered attending. They had to be near the top of their class for FSU to let them in, so I feel fortunate to have gotten in as a 1L. Despite our class size being around 235, we are still small compared to a lot of other schools. One transfer student from Florida Coastal told me that the usual entering class there is over 600.
So, tonight I'll go to the football game and cheer for the Seminoles against Wake Forest. The game should be on ESPN2. After the game, I'll get back to reading for my torts class.
This existence is pretty good.
Until Next Time,
Nathan Marshburn
It's official-- I'm the only person in my section of about 80 students that does not use a laptop computer in class now. One person made the comment that it just looks more professional to use a computer, but I hope that is not the trend of belief. I like my system just fine, and you won't ever catch me on facebook or checking baseball box scores during class like I've seen some of my colleagues do. My three ring binder never crashes, and I guarantee you I can draw the professor's chart from the whiteboard faster than you can hit the keys to make it look right on your laptop.
It feels good to be a student here. Yesterday was open house for the law school, and I saw some young visitors as I headed down the hallway to the library. They gave me an envious look as if to say, "There's one of them. He's actually a student here. Neat."
While I know where a person graduates should make less difference the longer we practice law, it is nice to be at a school where a lot of people would like to go. I talk to transfer students who came here from other schools that I considered attending. They had to be near the top of their class for FSU to let them in, so I feel fortunate to have gotten in as a 1L. Despite our class size being around 235, we are still small compared to a lot of other schools. One transfer student from Florida Coastal told me that the usual entering class there is over 600.
So, tonight I'll go to the football game and cheer for the Seminoles against Wake Forest. The game should be on ESPN2. After the game, I'll get back to reading for my torts class.
This existence is pretty good.
Until Next Time,
Nathan Marshburn
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
"The Talk"
One of my professors found out that our section had not been given "the talk" yet, and so yesterday she performed that service.
Right now, my classmates are running for student government positions such as "1L representative," "Transfer representative," etc. Posters are up all over the law school, and one student has even draped a tarp from the stairwell with a life sized photo of himself.
In all my classes, I've made a point to sit on the front row and take an active part in the class discussions.
"The talk" related to these things.
You as students need to be careful, my professor said. Your legal career does not begin in three years. It began one month ago when you showed up for orientation.
You will remember some of the people in your 1L class for the rest of your life, she said, whether the memory is a fond one or not. Some of you may also work together for the rest of your professional lives.
She used her own experiences as a 1L to illustrate. One lady in her class was always fighting for seats at the front of the class, always had her hand in the air to ask a question. This lady ran for a position as a 1L representative, and one day went to the front of the class and asked who else was running. When she saw who raised their hands, she turned to her friend and said, "I'm all right."
During the second semester, everyone noticed that this classmate had lost a considerable amount of weight. Our professor heard her say in a conversation, "I don't know why my boyfriend was so upset. I mean, I was just doing a little blow in the bathroom."
Our class sort of gasped and laughed. The professor said this classmate of hers is now a lawyer in a specialized field. But if someone asks the professor for a recommendation of a lawyer in that field,
"Guess whose name I am not saying."
The point is that we are making an impression with our professors and our cohorts, and we don't always get to choose what professor talks about us to a prospective employer.
"The talk" is something I well certainly keep in mind.
Until Next Time,
Nathan Marshburn
Right now, my classmates are running for student government positions such as "1L representative," "Transfer representative," etc. Posters are up all over the law school, and one student has even draped a tarp from the stairwell with a life sized photo of himself.
In all my classes, I've made a point to sit on the front row and take an active part in the class discussions.
"The talk" related to these things.
You as students need to be careful, my professor said. Your legal career does not begin in three years. It began one month ago when you showed up for orientation.
You will remember some of the people in your 1L class for the rest of your life, she said, whether the memory is a fond one or not. Some of you may also work together for the rest of your professional lives.
She used her own experiences as a 1L to illustrate. One lady in her class was always fighting for seats at the front of the class, always had her hand in the air to ask a question. This lady ran for a position as a 1L representative, and one day went to the front of the class and asked who else was running. When she saw who raised their hands, she turned to her friend and said, "I'm all right."
During the second semester, everyone noticed that this classmate had lost a considerable amount of weight. Our professor heard her say in a conversation, "I don't know why my boyfriend was so upset. I mean, I was just doing a little blow in the bathroom."
Our class sort of gasped and laughed. The professor said this classmate of hers is now a lawyer in a specialized field. But if someone asks the professor for a recommendation of a lawyer in that field,
"Guess whose name I am not saying."
The point is that we are making an impression with our professors and our cohorts, and we don't always get to choose what professor talks about us to a prospective employer.
"The talk" is something I well certainly keep in mind.
Until Next Time,
Nathan Marshburn
Saturday, September 6, 2008
Getting Involved
After two weeks here at FSU College of Law, I've found that there are many organizations which one may join. Thus far, I've only signed up with the Student Bar Association.
More than at any time in school, however, I have to be careful not to overextend myself. It is easy to tell that what I am learning in my classes right now is by far the most important thing. I'm being taught the nuts and bolts of how and why the law works as it does, and it is essential that I master the principles in these classes...
I have a favorite quotation from week two. Again, it comes from my Contracts I professor:
We were discussing a case in class when a student raised his hand and asked a question about some principle of the law of which I was not familiar.
"That's a great question," the professor said, "just not for today. We'll get into that principle next semester."
The student talked a little more about it, and then the professor said something like, "Yeah, I can tell you know a little bit about it, but hold off. It's like karate. If you only know a little bit, then you'll get your butt kicked even worse."
The class broke up laughing...
My brother is here with me right now. He flew into Tallahassee yesterday to watch the football game against Western Carolina University, our Alma Mater. It's good to see him, and he certainly is impressed with the campus and the football stadium.
As always, time is pressing. There are some pages in Civil Procedure that I need to read before the game tonight.
Until Next Time,
Nathan Marshburn
More than at any time in school, however, I have to be careful not to overextend myself. It is easy to tell that what I am learning in my classes right now is by far the most important thing. I'm being taught the nuts and bolts of how and why the law works as it does, and it is essential that I master the principles in these classes...
I have a favorite quotation from week two. Again, it comes from my Contracts I professor:
We were discussing a case in class when a student raised his hand and asked a question about some principle of the law of which I was not familiar.
"That's a great question," the professor said, "just not for today. We'll get into that principle next semester."
The student talked a little more about it, and then the professor said something like, "Yeah, I can tell you know a little bit about it, but hold off. It's like karate. If you only know a little bit, then you'll get your butt kicked even worse."
The class broke up laughing...
My brother is here with me right now. He flew into Tallahassee yesterday to watch the football game against Western Carolina University, our Alma Mater. It's good to see him, and he certainly is impressed with the campus and the football stadium.
As always, time is pressing. There are some pages in Civil Procedure that I need to read before the game tonight.
Until Next Time,
Nathan Marshburn
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