FIRST DAY FUNK...

After a grueling first semester in Law School, I am now enjoying my first "sembreak" as a bonafide Law student...


First and foremost, the ORIENTATION...

This is where all the freshman Law students are gathered in the Abbot Lopez Hall in order be formally welcomed by the Faculty and the higher/older batches of Law Students (primarily the Law Student Government)

Some of the faculty members gave us tips on how to survive law school while some of them just intimidated us for their delight...One quote stuck to my mind...

"If you love reading books, you haven't read anything yet unless you enroll in Law School..."
-Vice Dean

Anyway, after the orientation program proper, we were served with a sumptuous dinner and a photo booth was set-up to capture the moments... we were all smiles, unknowing or unmindful of the challenges and hardships we are about to endure for the rest of the semester...

Second is the CLASS PROPER (recitations!!!)

This is where the law professors will test if you really understood all the codal provisions, annotations and cases they assigned.

This is stressful specially if your prof is an impatient one. The one who only gives his/her students 3 seconds to answer his/her questions.

Note: When the prof shuffles the class cards, your heart beat skips a little.

There is a term in law school called "shotgun" wherein the the prof would call almost the entire class because someone could not answer the question or has not read the case. This is really frightening specially if you are grade conscious. One failing recitation grade can spell the difference between passing and failing the subject.

Third is the EXAMS....

One of our professors said that "exams are the greatest equalizers"

Unlike during the recitations wherein one student would be luck enough to be asked fairly simple questions or he/she is asked on the part wherein he/she has read, the exams will ask all the students the same set of questions. The professor will now grade it according to the merits of their answer. This will test how well the students has understood the subject.

NOTE: Not all questions in the exams are found in the textbooks or memory aid. Some professors have a knack of making the life of the law students miserable haha...

Fourth is the BONDING TIME with blocmates

Foster friendship with your blocmates.

This will go a long way because studying will not be much of burden if you have a study buddies to help you understand the difficult provisions and they will also help you by narrating the cases in order for you to easily understand them.

Bonding time is not limited to 'inuman sessions' but I really love it when my law school friends take a break from studying and grab a cold beer.

NOTE: Ideally, inuman sessions should be taken after the exams. In law school, your goal is to be lawyer and not to be party animal.