Parking can be a pain if you're the kind of student that likes to come in the second class starts because we share all of our parking lots with the undergraduates. There are, however, ways to avoid having to walk all the way from the soccer fields!
First, you can always get here early. The parking lot immediately to the right of the entrance (between the security booth and the carpool lot) is very convenient, but it fills up by about 7:30. Always keep an eye to the right to see if someone has left an empty space there.
Second, carpooling is an excellent way to get a close space and save gas. Just make friends and find someone who lives close to you... I"m sure they'll be amped about gassing up 1/2 as often.
Third, we do have the HOGAN LOT. If you're coming from Whitney Ave, go past the main entrance and take the next road on your right... it's just past the main lot. This is convenient because the bus will take you directly to the law school (I do this any day it rains that way I can stay dry). The downside is that the bus can take a while if you like to stay after class for a while: normally the buses come by once every 5 minutes, but after around 3:00, they come about every 10 minutes or so.
Fourth, although I do not endorse this in any way, I've seen people drive through the main lot searching for classmates to pick up and slide right into the carpool lot! I think campus security is catching on though... they usually have a white patrol SUV stationed at the far end of the lot now (the guard is probably sleeping though haha).
We're still trying to get dedicated law student parking, but it's not going to happen because, well, the University doesn't think we're as special as we know we are! lol
Next, know that there is NO dress code. The first couple of weeks, everybody overdresses a bit because, well, we all want to impress each other (and we're all proud peacocks when we first get here lol). After a couple of weeks, that wears down quickly, and you'll probably see most people wearing roughly what we all wore in college.
That being said, you shouldn't show up to class in pajamas or sweats… you’re not in college anymore, but hey... we're all adults, so you should make that call! I’m not saying dress like a prep all the time... I still wear flannel and jeans to class (hey, I’m from Maine… I need to represent lol), but have a bit of respect for yourself and keep in mind that you're constantly representing this institution. Let's put it this way... what happens when you meet, say, an attorney who simply drops by campus to talk to an old professor. If they stop and talk to you by chance, they won't have to look at bedhead/PJs and second guess where this institution is going!
Social events are always a great idea to branch out and meet some people, and QU Law is known for throwing some pretty good ones!
The main event, which is comparable to a high school prom, is the Barrister's Ball. It's a chance for girls to get glitzed-up, and guys to get spiffed out, and there is an OPEN BAR! Of course, I would highly suggest using a bit of self restraint so you don't get blitzed in front of your classmates, but again, you're an adult... make the call! Many people that went got a hotel room (or pooled together and bought one), and many people also pooled their money together and got a van-pool going so that no one had to take taxis back or suffer the fate of being the DD! If this is your type of event, save up some money (I think it was about $120 for 2 people) and have a good time!
Then there's the Public Interest Law Project Auction (PILP Auction). This is where professors, classmates, and alums come in and auction off services, goods, and other items. This past year, the Meyers hosted a hike up Sleeping Giant, Professor Farrel hosted his Irish sing-along at his house (dinner and drinks included), and we even had a NY Giants football autographed by all the players. Unfortunately, I could not attend... but I heard it was a great time. This is the one that you can't miss, so try and save up a bit of money. My classmates came up with a good trick though (although I'm sure it's not a novel idea): pool your money together for an item and share it. A couple of my friends purchased dinner with one of my professors and all had a great time at only $20 a piece. The key to this event is simple: socialization! The professors like getting to know us, so if there's one professor that you think you want to get to know a little better, purchase whatever item they have up for auction (alone or with friends).
Informational meetings are very common throughout the year and are a great way to learn a bit more about different areas of the law. Some that I can think of off the top of my head: health law, solo-practice, family law, environmental law, "what I wish I had known", and many others. These meetings are usually hosted by at least 3 attorneys or judges in the topic field, and are normally done by QU Law grads as well. Most of them practice right locally, so it's a good chance to see how the market is before you're even looking for a job. Make sure you ask questions and get email addresses... you'll probably have questions after the meeting as well. Most of the time the school provides free pizza too, which is always good bait for broke law students!
The last type of event I can think of is the networking event. QU Law hosts a lot of networking events where they bring in alumni and attorneys who live locally to either talk about the field that they're in or search for potential interns. Whenever you go (which you should), here's a few tips:
1) Always dress to the 9's! This is where you get to dress like you're a lawyer, so make sure you take the opportunity to look your best. Guys: no scruff! Either fully grow out a beard/mustache or shave that morning... the 5-o'clock thing looks cool when you're our age, but not to professionals. Girls: no crazy colors! We're in a fairly conservative field now, and bold colors will do well to draw attention, but may do so too well. These are NOT my tips, these come from our professors and alumni... I just remember them from orientation.
2) Bring current copies (about 10) of your resume. Get card-stock quality paper (either white or cream colored), and make sure it's up-to-date and looking good. You'll get lots of advise on resumes this upcoming year, so I'll leave resume-building to the pros!
3) Get BUSINESS CARDS! This is one of the best investments you'll make your first year... they make you look professional, dedicated, and motivated to network and socialize. The school offers some, but they're a bit plain for my taste. I went to www.vistaprint.com, ordered I think 250 (which is plenty), and they came out great. Here's what you should put on them: Name, address, phone number, email, "Law Student", "Quinnipiac University School of Law". Here's what mine looks like:
It's also a good idea to get a business folder with a legal pad inside. The one that I have has a pocket on one side for holding my resume, a small pocket for an I.D. which I use for a business card holder, a pen holder in the middle, and a legal pad on the other side. I usually bring this to interviews and networking events... why, you ask? Well think of it this way: if you're holding 10 resumes, some business cards, a pen, and something to write on... you look like you're looking for any job, not THAT job. Having all of this concealed in a folder is much more discrete, and looks very professional.
In that same vein, it's a good idea to get a briefcase. I never though I'd use one, but working in an actual law office means that you can't use a backpack and not feel ridiculous! Make sure you get one that will fit your laptop though... you'll probably use it in your 3rd year (although I don't see many students with briefcases, we do have days where we need to dress up and you won't want to wrinkle your suit).
Next, there are a few points that are easily overlooked when you're entering into such a new environment... but don't lose sight of the big picture:
Make sure you’re DOING THINGS EFFICIENTLY. There’s a right way to do things and a wrong way to do things… unfortunately it’s impossible to know if you’re wasting your time when you’re in the thick of it all. Make sure you see the “forest” as you progress through the semester. Getting the big picture is key to understanding, so here’s what I suggest:
Look at where you are in accordance with the table of contents of your book. As you read a case, keep in mind what section of the book you’re in. So, for example, if you’re currently in the remedies section in your Contracts class, you probably don’t have to worry too much about offer and acceptance as a case in the remedies section will have to do with… you guessed it, remedies! I know that is very obvious to some, but it’s not to everyone.
There is a right way to outline and a wrong way to outline. Putting every single piece of information from the entire semester in your outline definitely won’t be beneficial when you’re trying to study for finals, so you have to learn to condense the information. With that in mind, I should point out that everyone is of a different ability level. If you know the major concepts, it might be beneficial to make sure you understand the minute details, and thus your outline might be a bit long compared to some of your classmates' outlines.
You have to know when to take notes and when to just listen in class. This has to be judged according to each class and with each professor - you can’t take down everything said in class (especially when your classmates provide the answers). The best thing you can do is to take notes when the professor emphasizes some fact or opinion in the case. You’ll be able to tell exactly when this is after a week or two, and you should always bear in mind what topics you’ll be talking about that day as the professor is likely to highlight the important parts of that topic.
While we’re talking about notes, there is also a way to take notes so that they’ll actually be useful to you at the end of the semester. Here’s what happened to me and why you should avoid it:
What happens when you take notes for the day in one document file, your brief is in another, and your outline is in another? You’ve got a lot of different documents to look at by the end of the semester! It’s a huge pain to have to go back and consolidate everything, so here’s what I did (but there are different ways to do it which you might consider):
Option #1: Organize your notes by topic, one word document per topic. This “topic” is usually one of the sections in the table of contents in the book. This keeps things separate enough so that you’re not going to have to scroll through 500 pages to find something, but long enough where you can see the whole picture as to that topic. If you decide to do briefs (which you should), I would advise doing them SEPARATELY (one word document for each brief) only because the document will be gigantic if you have 15 briefs and all of your notes in the same place. Your class notes should go in the topic document, and then you should reference where each case comes into play. As you discuss the cases, change things in your brief and put things in the topic document. UPDATE: After completing my 3 years at QU Law, I have come to realize that this is the best way to take notes. Some, including myself 2 years ago, might disagree and argue that either of the options below is better b/c it helps you organize your thoughts for each class, the problem is that you can easily lose the big picture. Furthermore, when it comes time to create your outline, you'll pretty much be done b/c you'll just have to trim down your notes!
Option #2: Organize your notes in your briefs, each brief being its own document. This works well for a class like Torts or Contracts, and maybe even Criminal Law, but it will NOT work for a class like Constitutional law (only because Con Law isn’t about the cases individually per se, it’s about the cases and how the law is evolving). The nice part about doing it this way is that your notes will be right with the cases, and you won’t have to go back and forth between documents at all. Then, when the semester is over, you just have to print out your briefs in order and you’ve got a master copy to look at. The downside to this option is that each case becomes its own tree, if you will, and you're not getting the big picture.
Option #3: Use a program like Microsoft One Note and organize everything like a book. I’ve never personally done this, but I’ve seen it work well for others. If you know how to use One Note, it’s nice because you can record audio files for lectures (which really isn’t necessary) and basically have a book at the end of the semester.
IT'S IMPORTANT TO ALWAYS BACK UP YOUR FILES! My computer crashed 2 months into my first semester, but fortunately for me, I use an external hard drive on a weekly basis. One of my classmates wasn’t so lucky… she lost everything 2 weeks before finals (fortunately she had good friends that gave her all their notes).
Realize that you’re a professional now:
Treat others the way you want to be treated… it does no good to make enemies now when you’ll probably be working with your peers soon. That being said, offer your notes to peers that miss class every now and again, get to know people, form friendships…etc. I know we've all got big egos here, and I know it's difficult to want others to succeed with you... but we will all be QU Law graduates eventually, and we should all make sure that every student coming out of this place upholds the reputation.
Don’t show up to class late! Would you show up to a job interview 15 minutes late and expect your interviewer not to be at least mildly upset? No! Respect your professors enough to show up on time… they’re on time for you. It’s really not hard to get a routine down, and if you can’t, then just plan on always getting to school an hour early or so (I know, this means sacrificing some sleep… sorry).
Clean up your facebook, myspace, twitter, or whatever other page you might have out there for the world to see. Employers, classmates, and professors can all see things on your profile. If you have pictures of that night in Mexico that you don’t remember… probably time to take those down! By that same token, be careful what you post, and be careful what people post on your profile. You can lose a lot of respect fairly quickly and with little effort on your part, so keep an eye on how the world sees you. I cannot stress this point enough... please be careful with Facebook!
Get to know your professors, they’re a valuable resource. Our professors take a tremendous amount of pride in our school, and they want to make sure that they’re conveying concepts clearly and that everyone understands the material. If you’re struggling, at least e-mail them and ask questions. The best thing you can do, however, is to meet with them in person every now and again. Believe me, they will take the time to explain those difficult concepts to you, and you’ll be thankful you took the time when finals come around! Many professors will even go out of their way to review your outline for the semester or review your class notes from a lecture or two just so you can be sure that you're taking down the right information. They're here to help us, and they really want to make sure we succeed!
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