July 25, 2007
How to get into Michigan Law School
There are only three reasons that I could contemplate why a person would read these blogs. The first and most obvious is that you want to go to Michigan for the Law School. The second being that you are accepted to Michigan for Law School and want to know if it is right for you. The final reason being that you are at Michigan Law School and have nothing better to do during class today. Based on the fact it is July, and that we are down to one class a day after tomorrow I will assume that everyone reading this falls into the first group and wants to go to Michigan this fall. Therefore, you would probably like insight on how to get that exciting blue folder and a hand written note from Sarah Zearfoss (Director of Admissions) saying there is a spot for you.
A few weeks ago Dean Zearfoss invited me out to lunch in order to see if I was still as excited after arriving here as I was when I applied. Due to my immediate intimidation of having to talk to the person who gave me an acceptance letter last fall I invited my friends Adriane and John along. Needless to say my fear was unfounded, and if anything the lunch gave me new insight into the Michigan Admissions process.
So how do you get into Michigan Law School????? Honestly, from what I understood be yourself and show the admissions office who you are and what makes you different from the rest of the group. I know, lame factory answer. However, if you have found this blog then you have probably done well enough academically to have a fighting chance in the admission pool. Sure Lawschoolnumbers.com probably has about a 3:1 accept to reject ration by now but in the end can you really trust someone named WolverineLover98??? Your numbers will get your application read, but so will a lot of other people’s numbers. Be yourself.
Every year Dean Zearfoss and the rest of the admissions staff have to sit in a hot (no decent air conditioning in the Midwest) office and try to figure out how to make a group of smart people be a class that Michigan can be proud of. There are no perfect candidates so it becomes a balancing act. My class is amazing, but it is because everyone brings something different to the class.
So how did I get in? Clerical error is what I am thinking. However, in the end I am here and I would like to think it is because Dean Zearfoss thought that I would be an interesting voice to be heard. I will leave you with something Dean Zearfoss said after I sent her an e-mail thanking her for the nice lunch we had, “I admit all these people to law school b/c I think they'd be great to be around, so I have to make some effort to get to know them once they arrive! “ Yup, clerical error.
July 10, 2007
Another Day, Another Blog
All right, so blog two and this one will try to be more informative. I decided that after saying how great the people are here I owe you an explanation. Adriane did a good job in her blog of talking about how great the professors are (Omri’s cookout was def. up to par), so I will talk about the friends I have made here.
My social life is pretty much run by a guy named Joe. (My disclaimer on this is that Bekah Lewis is clearly better in every way when compared to Joe). Joe is that guy in the class who has taken on the responsibility to make sure that everyone here does not take law school too seriously. This includes renaming law school "college 2." If there is one thing I can expect, it is that any night when something is going on I will receive some communication from Joe informing me of it, and another chastising me on the nights I fail to go out.
I live in the PHID house, which is a big communal “fraternity” house. We run under the motto of “Low Prices, Low Standards,” and the house’s condition lives up to it. The people in the house are diverse and some of the most impressive people I have ever met. By living here for only a few months I have all ready been exposed to a variety of views, and involved in debates on everything from cases that we have read for class, to whether or not all the dogs of the world spontaneously combusting would be a positive (I am going to go against Amanda and support the rights of puppies everywhere). We mix well, though, and in the end you do feel like you are part of your own little family at law school.
Finally, I will mention my friend Chris. Chris is, I believe , the youngest person in our class, but is in a more mature stage of his life than most of my friends. He is engaged to Vicky, his girlfriend of 5 years, who just moved out here. He lives a decent distant from campus in what I would consider a more “adult” apartment complex. However, he is still out and about most nights --- proving that no matter where you are in your life when you come to law school, you will still be able find things to do outside of the classroom.
I will not force you to read anymore and my respects to those people who I left out, but I just wanted to try to give you a look at the variety of people I have met here. The admissions office will provide you with plenty of materials about the law school and the types of people who go here. My hope is that this blog might let you see the more personal side of those people, and also understand that law school is not a giant “work fest” that The Paper Chase (watched it a few weeks ago) would like you to believe.
July 02, 2007
Law School has begun and I am officially tired of getting up at 8:35 every morning, despite the Sherminator's (Professor Sherman Clark) energetic performance. I will say that he all ready has me ready to sign up for Evidence and Sports Law and I came here as an International Law person. However, enough about things that actually matter because this is a blog and I will instead tell you why I could not be happier with coming here. A week ago my Dell decided that a year was old enough and the hard drive broke. This meant that my first 2 weeks of law school.notes were forever lost, but rather than freak out I went downstairs where within five mins both Adriane and John had sworn to give me their notes. That's right, my friends rule. So that is what it comes down to. My school is great; the people are better.