ftp.pasteur.org/FAQ/

home *** CD-ROM | disk | FTP | other *** search

/ ftp.pasteur.org/FAQ/ / ftp-pasteur-org-FAQ.zip / FAQ / ucdavis / king-hall-faq / part2 < prev next >

Wrap

Internet Message Format | 2004-05-09 | 29.5 KB

Path: senator-bedfellow.mit.edu!dreaderd!not-for-mail Message-ID: <ucdavis/king-hall-faq/part2_1084010824@rtfm.mit.edu> Supersedes: <ucdavis/king-hall-faq/part2_1081511793@rtfm.mit.edu> Expires: 19 Jun 2004 10:07:04 GMT References: <ucdavis/king-hall-faq/part1_1084010824@rtfm.mit.edu> X-Last-Updated: 1996/06/22 From: Internet Esquire <netesq@dcn.davis.ca.us> Organization: Internet Esquire(SM) Newsgroups: ucd.king-hall,news.answers Subject: King Hall Law School USENET FAQ Part 2 of 9 Followup-To: poster Summary: This article is Part Two of a Multipart compilation of information on subjects of interest to the readers of the ucd.king-hall USENET newsgroup and other members and would-be members of the King Hall Law School community. Approved: news-answers-request@MIT.EDU Originator: faqserv@penguin-lust.MIT.EDU Date: 08 May 2004 10:08:05 GMT Lines: 582 NNTP-Posting-Host: penguin-lust.mit.edu X-Trace: 1084010885 senator-bedfellow.mit.edu 574 18.181.0.29 Xref: senator-bedfellow.mit.edu ucd.king-hall:1287 news.answers:270995 Archive-name: ucdavis/king-hall-faq/part2 Posting-Frequency: monthly Last-modified: Jun. 22, 1996 Version: 21Jun96 [ASCII/Multipart] URL: <http://www.cis.ohio-state.edu/hypertext/faq/usenet/ucdavis/ king-hall-faq/part2/faq.html > Ebb: <http://www.dcn.davis.ca.us/~netesq/USENET-FAQs/king-hall/part1.html > The King Hall Law School USENET FAQ Part 2 of 9 Frequently Asked Questions at and about King Hall (c) Copyright 1995 & 1996 by David F. Prenatt, Jr. King Hall, 1995 Alumnus U.C. Davis School of Law University of California Davis, CA 95616-5210 <mailto:NetEsq@dcn.davis.ca.us > The King Hall Law School USENET FAQ (King Hall USENET FAQ) may be comprised of more than one part. If it is, please see the TABLE OF CONTENTS in Part One for a complete list of the questions that I have attempted to answer and for other important legal information. Caveat emptor: I assume no obligation to anyone through the publication of the King Hall USENET FAQ. Furthermore, all versions of the King Hall USENET FAQ are my personal property and are protected by applicable copyright laws. All rights are reserved except as follows: I hereby give my permission to anyone who has access to this version of the King Hall USENET FAQ to reproduce the information contained herein for non-profit purposes, provided that proper credit is given to me as the author of this FAQ and that I am promptly notified of any use other than personal use. I may revoke permission to reproduce any version of this FAQ at any time. - - - - - The King Hall Law School USENET FAQ Part 2 of 9 Frequently Asked Questions at and about King Hall (c) Copyright 1995 & 1996 by David F. Prenatt, Jr. 1) ABOUT THIS FAQ. 1.1) Who wrote this FAQ and how can I reach him?[Rev] This FAQ was written by me, David F. Prenatt, Jr., 1995 alumnus of the University of California, Davis School of Law (King Hall). Until further notice, you can reach me by my e-mail through the Davis Community Network: NetEsq@dcn.davis.ca.us (<mailto:NetEsq@dcn.davis.ca.us >) or by snail-mail (i.e., U.S. Mail) through my Davis P.O. Box: David F. Prenatt, Jr. Internet Esquire(sm) P.O. Box 74632 Davis, CA 95617-5632 or on the World Wide Web: <http://www.dcn.davis.ca.us/~netesq/ > 1.2) What information is contained in this FAQ? Anything that I, as the author of this FAQ, decided would be of interest to members or would-be members of the King Hall community. See PREFATORY QUESTIONS (Section 0) for more information. 1.3) How is this FAQ organized? This version of this FAQ may be arbitrarily divided into unequal parts where I felt it was convenient to do so. I did this for two reasons. First, some readers of this FAQ may have specific questions and may not want to read the entire FAQ. If this version of this FAQ is comprised of more than one part, the first part will contain the complete TABLE OF CONTENTS. Thus, readers of this FAQ may refer to the TABLE OF CONTENTS to find out where to look for the specific questions that they want answered. Second, some computer services are unable to handle extremely large computer files. Thus, if this version of this FAQ is comprised of more than one part, no one part will exceed 32k. See the TABLE OF CONTENTS in this FAQ more detailed information about how the contents of this version of this FAQ are organized. This FAQ uses standard Uniform Resource Locator (URL) references to accomodate readers with a web browser: <ftp://[ftp_site]/[directory]/[archive] > (file transfer protocol) <gopher://[gopher_address] > (gopher protocol) <http://[World_Wide_Web_address] > (hypertext transfer protocol) <mailto:[e-mail_account]@[domain] > (SMTP: Simple Mail Transfer Protocol) <news:[newsgroup_or_article-number@newserver] > (NNTP: Network News Tranfer Protocol) <telnet:[telnet_site] > (IP: Internet protocol) These URL references will act as hyptertext links for those using Netscape to read this FAQ on the USENET. 1.4) How can I obtain this FAQ? This FAQ is archived at rtfm.mit.edu in the pub/usenet/news.answers directory under the archive name ucdavis/king-hall-faq/part* (where * = 1 through 9), where it is available by anonymous ftp and e-mail request. See Section 11.3.3.1 for more information about ftp and e- mail request. This FAQ is updated once a month and posted to the USENET newsgroups ucd.king-hall (<news:ucd.king-hall >) and news.answers (<news:news.answers >). Snail-mail requests to me for the King Hall USENET FAQ [Offline] (Version 21Jun96) will be honored within the United States (U.S.), if those requests are accompanied by $5.00 U.S. currency in the form of a check or money order for each copy ordered to cover the cost of printing, shipping, and handling; volume discounts and licensing agreements are available. At my discretion, I may ship a more recent version of this FAQ unless you specify otherwise. A hypertext version of this FAQ is currently available from the USENET FAQ Project: <http://www.cis.ohio-state.edu/hypertext/faq/usenet/ucdavis/king-hall-faq/ top.html > 1.5) Are there any other FAQs available by the author of this FAQ? [Rev 7:01am Wednesday January 3, 1996] Yes. I have published five other FAQS: The U.C. Davis USENET FAQ, appearing on ucd.general <news:ucd.general >, and available by anonymous ftp and e-mail request at the rtmf.mit.edu ftp server: <ftp://rtfm.mit.edu/pub/usenet/news.answers/ucdavis/faq/part1 > . . . [through]. . . <ftp://rtfm.mit.edu/pub/usenet/news.answers/ucdavis/faq/part6 > (see part 1 for a complete list of the TABLE OF CONTENTS) with a hypertext version available at the USENET FAQ Project: <http://www.cis.ohio-state.edu/hypertext/faq/usenet/ucdavis/faq/top.html > The Davis, California USENET FAQ (Davis USENET FAQ), appearing on davis.general (<news:davis.general >), and available by anonymous ftp an e-mail request at the rtfm.mit.edu ftp server: <ftp://rtfm.mit.edu/pub/usenet/news.answers/davis/faq/part1 > . . . [through] . . . <ftp://rtfm.mit.edu/pub/usenet/news.answers/davis/faq/part6 > (see part 1 for a complete list of the TABLE OF CONTENTS) with a hypertext version available at the USENET FAQ Project: <http://www.cis.ohio-state.edu/hypertext/faq/usenet/davis/faq/top.html > The Yolo County, California USENET FAQ (Yolo County USENET FAQ), appearing on yolo.general (<news:yolo.general >) and available by anonymous ftp an e-mail request at the rtfm.mit.edu server: <ftp://rtfm.mit.edu/pub/usenet/news.answers/yolo/faq/part1 > <ftp://rtfm.mit.edu/pub/usenet/news.answers/yolo/faq/part2 > <ftp://rtfm.mit.edu/pub/usenet/news.answers/yolo/faq/part3 > (see part 1 for a complete list of the TABLE OF CONTENTS) with a hypertext version available at the USENET FAQ Project: <http://www.cis.ohio-state.edu/hypertext/faq/usenet/yolo/faq/top.html > The Sacramento, California USENET FAQ (Sacramento USENET FAQ), appearing on sac.general (<news:sac.general >)and available by anonymous ftp and e-mail request at the rtfm.mit.edu server: <ftp://rtfm.mit.edu/pub/usenet/news.answers/sac/faq/part1 > . . . [through] . . . <ftp://rtfm.mit.edu/pub/usenet/news.answers/sac/faq/part6 > (see part 1 for a complete list of the TABLE OF CONTENTS) with a hypertext version available at the USENET FAQ Project: <http://www.cis.ohio-state.edu/hypertext/faq/usenet/sac/faq/top.html > The San Francisco Bay Area USENET FAQ (Bay Area USENET FAQ), appearing on ba.general (<news:ba.general >)and available by anonymous ftp and e-mail request at the rtfm.mit.edu server: <ftp://rtfm.mit.edu/pub/usenet/news.answers/sf-ba/faq/part1 > . . . [through] . . . <ftp://rtfm.mit.edu/pub/usenet/news.answers/sf-ba/faq/part9 > (see part 1 for a complete list of the TABLE OF CONTENTS) with a hypertext version available at the USENET FAQ Project: <http://www.cis.ohio-state.edu/hypertext/faq/usenet/sf-ba/faq/top.html > These FAQs are updated once a month and the most current versions are posted on news.answers (<news:news.answers >) and the appropriate designated USENET newsgroup. Offline versions of the 21Jun96 releases of these FAQs are available within the U.S. by snail-mail request, if your request is accompanied by $5.00 U.S. currency in the form of a check or money order for each copy of each FAQ that you order, to cover the cost of printing, shipping, and handling; volume discounts and licensing agreements are available. Including the FAQs that are listed here, I have about a dozen FAQS currently under construction and/or pending approval of the *.answers team. 2) PREPARING FOR LAW SCHOOL. 2.1) What should I do to prepare for law school? There is no right way to prepare for law school, academically or otherwise. However, there are ways to maximize your chances of getting admitted to the law school of your choice. In most instances, what prepares you for law school is just living. 2.1.1) What sort of academic preparation is required for law school? An undergraduate degree from a prestigious university is by far the best way to maximize your appeal as a law school candidate. However, many law schools do not even require that you have a four year degree. In any event, other than the undergraduate education that most law schools require, no scholastic preparation is necessary for success once you are in law school. While no scholastic preparation is necessary for law school, many law students have advanced degrees in various disciplines. In fact, many of them have already achieved remarkable success in careers other than the law. In other words, people who are among the best and brightest apply to law school. As such, most law schools can pick and choose from whomever they want to have as incoming students. Rather than simply pick the elite of the best and brightest, however, law schools try to find people with unique and interesting backgrounds to achieve diversity in the law school student body. Thus, no student is guaranteed admission to any law school, regardless of his or her credentials. This comes as quite a shock to many applicants with impeccable credentials who are rejected by the law school of their choice. 2.1.1.1) What undergraduate program should someone pursue if he or she plans to go to law school? An unusual undergraduate major typically maximizes your chances of admission to law school. However, your class ranking as an undergraduate is also very important because many other applicants will probably have a scholastic background that is similar to yours, so study something that you will enjoy and at which you will do well. 2.1.1.2) Aren't political science majors better prepared for law school than other college graduates? As a rule, no. Political science is a distinct and different discipline than the law. Even so, many people who go to law school have studied political science as an undergraduate. Other things being equal, they are no better qualified to study the law than anyone else is. They are also at a distinct disadvantage in the law school application process, which favors diversity. The number of political science majors who apply to law school and get accepted by the law school of their choice is proportionately small when compared to other undergraduate majors. 2.1.1.3) Wouldn't someone who studied a challenging undergraduate major be better qualified to study the law than someone who studied underwater basket weaving? Not necessarily. No matter how challenging an undergraduate major is, it does not qualify you to study law. It merely demonstrates your ability in that undergraduate major and/or your commitment to that major. Someone who excels at underwater basket weaving may be just as qualified to study the law as someone who excels at the most challenging undergraduate major. More important is the fact that someone who has studied underwater basket weaving is more likely to get admitted to the law school of his or her choice based on diversity. 2.1.2) What else should I do to prepare for law school? Whatever appeals to you. Some sort of work experience is usually your best option. 2.1.2.1) What type of work experience best prepares someone for law school? With the possible exception of legal work experience, no particular type of work experience prepares you for law school better than any other. On the other hand, there is no work experience that does not prepare you for law school. The law affects every aspect of modern living, including virtually every type of job, so every type of work experience prepares you for law school. 2.1.2.2) What other kinds of experience prepare someone for law school? The best kind of experience to prepare someone for law school is overcoming some sort of personal hardship. Law school can be a humbling experience, even for the best and brightest. In my humble opinion, those who get the most out of the law school experience are those who know how to cope with both success and failure. 2.2) How do I know if I'm ready for law school? Objectively speaking, no one is ever ready for law school. No one leaves law school as the same person that he or she was when he or she entered. Subjectively speaking, you are ready for law school whenever you make the decision to apply. 2.2.1) What if I don't know why I want to go to law school? Join the club. It is a rare individual who knows why he or she wants to go to law school. Those who think that they know why they want to go to law school typically discover opportunities in law school that they had never considered before. Some people stick with their original goals, but the odds are stacked against it. 2.2.2) What if I am too old to go to law school? Nonsense. If you are young enough to think about going to law school, then you are young enough to go. There is no such thing as a good excuse for choosing not to do something that you want to do, and there is no time like the present to start making up for lost time. 3) APPLYING TO LAW SCHOOL. In the United States and elsewhere, the law school application process feeds a cottage industry that is more or less controlled and directed by the benevolent leadership of Law Services. For more information on the ins-and-outs of applying to law school, contact Law Services at: Law Services Box 2000 661 Penn St Newtown, PA 18940-0998 or visit the Law School Admissions Council Online Home Page on the World Wide Web (<http://www.lsas.org/ >). 3.1) To which law school(s) should I submit (an) application(s)? You should submit applications to as many law schools as possible, covering a spectrum from the schools that you really want to attend to the schools that you would attend if you had no other choice (regardless of cost--the higher the tuition at a particular school, the greater the financial aid awards are that they will offer). I strongly recommend that you apply to my alma mater, King Hall, the smallest (total enrollment approx. 500) and youngest (established 1969) of the four U.C. law schools. U.C. Davis Law School is approved by the American Bar Association (ABA), it is highly ranked (both by academics and professionals), and it is very affordable to California residents (although tuition continues to rise). Also noteworthy is the fact that graduates of King Hall have traditionally had the number one passage rate on the California Bar Exam (arguably the hardest bar exam in the nation), more consistently than any other law school in California. 3.2) What do I need to do to apply to law school? Every law school's application requirements are different, so contact the law schools that you are interested in attending. Most law schools require that you complete an application form and submit other information with your application, such as personal references, a personal statement, and the compilation of scholastic records that is provided by the Law School Data Assembly Service (LSDAS). The LSDAS reports your score(s) on the Law School Admission Test (LSAT), which you should take as early as possible. It is also important to apply for financial aid and scholarships as early as possible. For more information on the LSAT, the LSDAS, and appplying to law school, contact Law Services (see Section 3 for information on how to contact Law Services). 3.2.1) Who should I get to give me references for law school? The identity of the people that provide your references is not as important as their relationship to you. Some law schools specifically request that you provide references from former professors or employers. Whatever your relationship to the people whom you ask to provide as a reference, pick people who will lavish praise upon you. 3.2.2) What should I include in my personal statement for my law school application? Be as honest as possible. Explain why you want to go to law school and what you have to offer the legal profession and the particular law school to which you are applying. Your personal statement is also your only opportunity to highlight the many achievements that do not fit on your application and to put your shortcomings into perspective. 3.2.3) How does the LSDAS work? The LSDAS collects and standardizes your academic records to make it easier for admissions personnel at various law schools to compare you with other law school candidates. 3.2.4) How do I increase my chances of doing well on the LSAT? There are many commercial LSAT preparation courses on the market, and you should most certainly take one. The structure that such a course imposes upon you will force you to prepare for the LSAT. Virtually all LSAT courses offer good study materials and basic test taking strategies. However, there is no substitute for practicing sample LSAT questions under actual test conditions. 3.2.5) How do I apply for financial aid in law school? Every law school is different. Contact the financial aid office at the law school to which you plan to apply for this information. At the very least, you will have to fill out a financial aid application and forward Financial Aid Transcripts (FATs) from every college you have ever attended (whether or not you have ever been on financial aid before). 3.2.6) How do I decide upon which law school to attend if I am admitted to more than one? UC Berkeley (Boalt; <gopher://law164.law.berkeley.edu:70/1 >) is the undisputed number one choice of the four UC law schools among law school applicants, with UCLA (<http://www.law.ucla.edu/ >) a strong second; some people prefer to attend UC Hastings College of the Law (<http://www.uchastings.edu/ >), because of its strong emphasis on business. While King Hall stands in the shadow of its three older and more established sister law schools, the only U.C. law school to give King Hall a run for its money, IMHO, is Boalt Hall, primarily because Boalt Hall has such a high national ranking and thus attracts a highly distinguished faculty (some of which it occasionally borrows from King Hall). UCLA has very good name recognition, and is an excellent choice if you intend to remain in the Southern California area. Because of its local name recognition and downtown San Francisco location, Hastings is a good choice for those who intend to work in the San Francisco Bay area. I could brag about the King Hall tradition of having the number one bar passage rate, the commitment of King Hall alumni/alumnae to public interest law, or the distinguished faculty and outstanding clinical programs that King Hall has to offer, but if you are having trouble making up your mind between King Hall and another UC law school, I suggest that you visit King Hall and see for yourself what my alma mater has to offer. You can contact Sharon L. Pinkney (<mailto:slpinkney@ucdavis.edu >) at the King Hall Admissions Office at (916)752-6477 to arrange a visit. She can arrange for you to spend the day with a current law student and attend some actual classes. You will then be able to make an informed choice. Outside of the UC system, it is hard to beat King Hall. If I were you, I would not give serious consideration to another law school over King Hall unless it places within the top 10 law schools found in the U.S. News and World Report rankings. I applied to Harvard, Yale, and Columbia as well as all the UC law schools just in case I did not get admitted to King Hall, but I had made my choice to attend King Hall long before I sent out any of my law school applications (or received any of my inevitable rejection letters). 3.3) How do I apply for admission to King Hall? Contact Sharon Pinkney (<mailto:slpinkney@ucdavis.edu >) at the King Hall Admissions Office (916)752-6477 for this information; readers with a web browser may visit the King Hall Admissions Web Page on the World Wide Web (<http://kinghall.ucdavis.edu/pages/admiss.htm >). 3.4) How do I apply for financial aid at King Hall? Contact Lu Bastian (<mailto:lrbastian@ucdavis.edu >), the Director of Financial Aid at King Hall, at (916)752-6573 for this information; readers with a web browser may visit the King Hall Financial Aid Web Page (<http://kinghall.ucdavis.edu/pages/financ.htm >). If I were to pick one reason why I chose to attend King Hall rather than some other law school, it would have to be the Financial Aid Department. I cannot speak to the horror stories that I have heard about financial aid at other schools because Lu Bastian is a saint. The members of her support staff, currently one Cyndie Alvarez Necoechea (<mailto:calvarez@ucdavis.edu >), have always been of similar character. They protected me from the harsh realities of the real world of financial aid. I had never been on financial aid before I attended King Hall, and I found the financial aid process at most law schools to be unnecessarily intrusive, degrading, problematic, and bureaucratic. The only place that I encountered any problems of my own making was at King Hall, yet the financial aid process at King Hall was by far the smoothest one (so smooth that I stopped entertaining any serious thoughts that I may have had of attending any other law school). I cannot emphasize how important it is to listen to what Lu Bastian and her staff tell you to do. When it comes to matters of financial aid, their word should be heeded as though it were gospel. They will do their level best to pull your fat out of the fire, but they can't always do so. And if they can't help you, no one else can. 3.5) Where can I get more information about law school? Law School Services sponsors a number of Law School forums in different areas of the country to which virtually all law schools send a representative. Contact Law Services for more information (see Section 3 for information on how to reach Law Services). The bit.listserv.lawsch-l USENET newsgroup (<news:bit.listserv.lawsch-l >) also provides a forum for the discussion of issues related to law school. 3.6) What sort of educational programs do law schools offer? [Rev] Most law schools offer a Juris Doctor (JD) program. This is usually a three year program that begins after you receive a four year undergraduate degree. Some law schools also offer the JD program spread out over four years (for instance, in a night school program). A few people continue their legal education after they have received a JD (for instance, in an LLM program), but this is extremely rare. A JD is typically a terminal degree. There are 175 or 176 law schools accredited by the American Bar Association (ABA) [at least one keeps losing its accreditation]. These law schools are much more prestigious than schools that have some other form of accreditation, and most people think that ABA accredited law schools are much better than other law schools. This is generally true, and if you have the option, you should attend an ABA accredited law school. However, not everyone can attend an ABA accredited law school, and many fine law schools do not receive ABA accreditation. For that matter, many fine lawyers never even attend law school. Check with the bar association in the jurisdiction in which you intend to practice to find out about other options for studying the law. 3.7) Can I transfer to King Hall from another law school? Yes, and in recent years, an increasingly large number of students have done so. During my first year as a law student in 1992-93, approximately five students transferred to King Hall with advanced standing in the Two L class that was one year ahead of me. The year after I graduated (1995-96), approximately *thirty-five* students transferred into the Two L class. While some of these tranfer students come from law schools that do not enjoy as good a reputation as King Hall or are not as affordable as King Hall, a surprisingly larger number of these students come from law schools that are neck and neck with King Hall in terms of both reputation and price. King Hall transfer students tend to be exceptionally good law students, before and after they transfer to King Hall. Moreover, the King Hall transfer students whom I knew seemed to experience a form of stress relief after they transferred to King Hall. That is, a sense of euphoria overtook them as they settled into the law school culture at King Hall, and they found their King Hall experience more enjoyable and rewarding than their experiences at the law schools from which they transferred. I would normally take these glowing reviews of King Hall with a grain of salt. It's possible that King Hall is a Shangri-la, but it's also possible that the first year of law school just plain sucks for most everyone. Thus, no matter where someone attends his or her first year of law school, when he or she transfers to another school, things might seem much better than they really are. At the same time, I have not heard picturesque accounts of other law schools from people who have transferred to those other law schools from King Hall, so I am inclined to accept the notion that King Hall transfer students are somewhat unique in their affection for King Hall. - - - - - End of document: The King Hall Law School USENET FAQ Part 2 of 9 Frequently Asked Questions at and about King Hall (c) Copyright 1995 & 1996 by David F. Prenatt, Jr. King Hall, 1995 Alumnus U.C. Davis School of Law University of California Davis, CA 95616-5210 <mailto:NetEsq@dcn.davis.ca.us > Link to next document: <http://www.dcn.davis.ca.us/~netesq/USENET-FAQs/king-hall/part3.html > - - - - -