One month in the College of Law

Exactly a month has gone by since I started my law studies. Many things can be said of law school. Only two points will I make:

1. Raw intellect is not enough

It pays, of course, to have a high level of intelligence and common sense in law school. Professors assign so much reading assignment. Usually these materials include statutes, EOs, memoranda, and Presidential Decrees. And the standard fare in law school---kilometric Supreme Court decisions that are most often than not written in a circumlocutory manner.

Intelligence is therefore needed in reading and understanding those materials. But reading and understanding those materials is one thing. Securing copies and finding time to actually read them is another.

In this case, intelligence can be of little help. Diskarte can be of great help. For example, Supreme Court cases are found either in the internet, in the voluminous Supreme Court Reports Annotated (SCRA). If you are a working student like me, how on earth will you find time in looking for the cases assigned and read them afterwards?

Which leads me to point number two.

2. Selfishness has no place

I find that making friends---especially full-time students---who can share materials with you is key. It must be noted, though, that a mutualistic relationship must be cultivated, not a parasitic one. One must also be ready to share what one has. Otherwise, your friends will soon realize that you're just using them.

And it might spell the end of one's career, even before one has not made such.