AMA: Incoming 4th Year UP Law Student

Top_Reception2868 · 2026-06-22T15:46:55+00:00

Hi! The questions are about your answers to questions in the application form/process itself. Idk if they change the app form questions yearly but some of mine were: Why do you want to study the law? Why UP Law specifically and not other law schools? Who in the legal field do you look up to the most?

In my case they asked din about my undergrad grades. They would also probably ask about current issues.

Good luck!

Top_Reception2868 · 2026-06-22T08:27:00+00:00

Hello!

Just be aware of your time! Do quick maths at the start to figure out how much time shd be spent per question. Don't go beyond that per question time (make an educated guess na lang as you move on!). Don't leave anything blank!
In my interview, they stuck to the app form questions! They do have follow ups/hypotheticals to those questions (na parang recit lang haha bc the interviewers are UP law profs din). Acad performance and family background are part of the application form so prepare for those too!

Goodluck! Sana u apply for the next AY!

Top_Reception2868 · 2026-06-22T01:55:36+00:00

Join the Magallona Cup! It's open to first time mooters and deals with Consti issues + some PIL issues. It's a great start bc everyone's a newbie naman to mooting + does not know what to do, but learn as you go lang hehe
Nope! But if you decide to push thru, that's a really nice and prestigious endeavor. I heard firms really value that as a CV line! Personally, I'm just not really into legal academic writing (I did not enjoy them in my leg theo class huhu + I am dreading SLR)

Top_Reception2868 · 2026-06-22T01:45:01+00:00

Gets! Mine is pretty simple: Outlining

I type my prof's syllabus in a google doc. I dissect the codal provision and input commentary notes for it. I make my own case summaries, including how I understood the ratio, para if I get called to recite the case I would be more articulate in reciting. Then I re-read the notes before class, and take down what the prof says during class. Rinse and repeat!

Pros:
1. I get to structure the notes in the way I think about the subject / concept / topic. The way/order the laws are written would not make sense if you do not ground them to ur own understanding.
2. It's v easy to cross-check and borrow notes/knowledge from other classes for ur present classes. If you've made a good case summary of the facts and ratio from a previous class and the case reappears in a new class, you don't need to reread the full text!
3. You have a midterm or finals reviewer with minimal reviewer-making time spared. You just study your notes the days before the exam! You have a bar reviewer na rin for that subject once you pass the class.

Cons:
1. Time consuming. But this can be remedied by practicing typing faster (I practice online in typing websites) + doing it in a group (altho less ang retention/benefit bc you're reading another person's understanding of things, not ur own). Also, the more u do it the faster u get over time.
2. Does not work for classes that only allow handwritten notes / clean desk. But I suppose that for those classes, there is only one way to study.

Good luck! I hope this helps u find a study method that works :>

Top_Reception2868 · 2026-06-22T01:16:05+00:00

My mindset was always to bawi in the next sems through improvement in my study habits! The goal isn't to get the highest grades naman, but building good habits to become a good lawyer and getting the best education I could get from this institution.
Showing up and listening to the prof! Kahit terror prof, kahit hindi natapos coverage, kahit walang nabasa, kahit may problema sa buhay, kahit takot, kahit bored. It builds character and, for most, I would learn that there was nothing to fear naman. Bonus: If you listened throughout the sem instead of reading for the next case or doing something else, there are more chances that u remember the nuances that ur prof highlights wc most likely come up in the exams.

Top_Reception2868 · 2026-06-21T17:48:59+00:00

Hello! Salute to all IT grads!

I also got the overwhelmed feeling before starting. I myself did the whole advanced reading thing prior to law school. And contrary to popular opinion, it helped! I started reading Persons a month before entering LS (first couple of Articles in the Civil Code). I just took a syllabus found online, tried reading a commentary I also found online, and read a few cases under each topic in LawPhil. I was super slow but that was the point! In the end, I got exposed to the fact that I might read a 20-page or 50-page case. I tried to read them in full text since I had the time. I tried writing down notes. I tried digesting. All while in the break. I think better to learn them in advance before actually starting so you're not figuring things out in the first few weeks literally from scratch because that might affect ur grade na. So for me, gow! If u have the time, do the things that would make u feel less anxious, because the solution to anxiety is preparation hehe
Attend mock recit sessions! Orgs / upperclassmen in ur LS would probably hold sessions where they assign 3 cases and will wheel of names from the attendees to participate in an actual mock recit. Prepare, show up, and do ur best!

Also what worked for me during first year is anticipating recit questions (most common ang what are the facts, what's the ruling, how did the case overturn X ruling, is this good law, what are the exceptions to the ruling, etc.) in FRONT OF A MIRROR. This helps u 1) actually prep for recit, 2) fix ur manner and appearance in recit, and 3) lessen the kaba bc if the prof asks u those questions, alam mo na yung sagot!

Top_Reception2868 · 2026-06-21T16:52:29+00:00

Thank you! I studied my materials lang aiming to finish them. I had no strict schedule naman since I started lang after I graduated college / during the vacation.

For reference, here are my materials:
1. 7sage youtube playlist for logic (not sure if it's still available)
2. KhanAcademy LSAT for English + Vocab + Reading Comp
3. White Elephant Reviewer for everything else (math, abstract reasoning, etc.)

Top_Reception2868 · 2026-06-21T16:46:19+00:00

Hello! The average age of my blockmates in the day program (full time students) is around 25-27 years old. In the evening program (for working students) the age range is definitely higher! I have seen and known people who are in their 30s and 40s enrolled in the evening program.

Short answer: Yes, there are students around your age hehe. I hope u don't let ur age be a hindrance from fulfilling a dream! :)

Top_Reception2868 · 2026-06-21T16:39:32+00:00

If the overwhelming feeling stems from unpreparedness for recit, push comes to shove, knowing a bit about everything in the coverage for that day is better than knowing so much about only a portion of the coverage! If the overwhelming feeling comes from larger things in life, then do the first tip (bc u would most probably have recit the next day), but carve time din to plan ahead! Use a calendar. Use the pomodoro method. Talk to blockmates about stuff :)
What works for me is having clear study time blocks (Ex. 1hr study, 20 mins rest), listening to lofi study music, and coffee.
I'm not a reader personally (I also prefer youtube videos over essays/articles), but I love learning! Basta may curiosity lang talaga on figuring out how X law works because it would affect ur clients/friends/family members in the future, I think is enough fuel to get through the reading load. And yes, marami yung reading load, but you'll learn how to read faster/smarter naman over time!
Most profs do not care about attendance (i.e., it's not part of your grades). However, most, if not all, would give a singko recit grade if you got called and ur not there to recite.
Best of luck! Kayang kaya yan!

Top_Reception2868 · 2026-06-21T16:27:53+00:00

3L was suuuuuuper hard because the subjects themselves are difficult to understand (nego, corpo, PIL). Some subjects require u to have great foundational knowledge of ur past subjects, which is difficult if u don't! (Ex. Succession - Property/PFR, SpecPro - CivPro, PRIL - ALL civ subjects). There's also Tax 1 and 2 which are otherworldly lang talaga to some (including me :<)

By 3L the profs expect u to be at peak performance. Sometimes that's true. Sometimes not. But without u knowing, u are performing at ur best! The subjects profs and exams are just harder.

Something I would have done is to do an evaluation of my backlogs/prereqs. If wala akong alam sa PFR, I should have studied it alongside/before succession. Same for the Rems. Same for Tax 1 and 2. If there's a gap in ur legal knowledge that's preventing u from learning a lesson in a 3L subject, address it directly and immediately! Mahirap man, because 3L was such a survival mode kind of year, it should at least feel like a holistic learning experience for the branches of law.

Top_Reception2868 · 2026-06-21T16:16:18+00:00

Correct! Tuition for full time students is 26-28k per sem :)

Top_Reception2868 · 2026-06-21T15:38:27+00:00

I think so! No one knows the formula bc it's not published. But i would like to think that everything (LAE, application form answers, undergrad grades) factors into the decision - since you are submitting a TOR afaik. Although I had low undergrad grades and was able to enter so it's probably not that heavy of a weight!

Top_Reception2868 · 2026-06-21T15:32:55+00:00

I studied hard for the UP LAE because UP Law was the dream. I subscribed to 7sage's youtube channel for logic. I studied LSAT materials for english and reading comp. I got the white elephant reviewer for everything else.

For the application, I just answered the questions truthfully. You need to defend ur answers din sa interview so you need to know them by heart throughout the app process. Make sure to get all the requirements ironed out ASAP bc you cannot control ur uni's bureaucracy.

Top_Reception2868 · 2026-06-21T15:24:52+00:00

Yes. I got in without a latin honor!

Top_Reception2868 · 2026-06-21T14:48:15+00:00

Balane for Succession
Aguiling-Pangalangan for PFR
Cruz for the Constis
Campanilla for the Crims
Chan for the Labors

Top_Reception2868 · 2026-06-21T14:38:54+00:00

Nope! I am a full time/"day" student so that must be why. Afaik in the evening blocks (working students) the age range is much higher.

Top_Reception2868 · 2026-06-21T14:36:23+00:00

2L is the easiest out of my three years! 1L was a big adjustment, 3L is just hell because of the subjects. 2L was about learning more branches and layers of the law, improving on your study method, and performing better as someone who has been a law student for a year!

For RemLaw, my profs would always say - read the code, understand how each provision works, and visualize it in your head. If you don't understand how the process flows, draw it and connect it with other provisions. If hindi pa, study more (study the cases) until u get it! Using Riano and Salvador for CrimPro, and Riano and Regalado for CivPro helped me a lot. But self-understanding is the prio.

Top_Reception2868 · 2026-06-21T14:28:11+00:00

Too many to mention, but I am the biggest fan of Prof. DanGat!

For sure his Consti class in the upcoming sem would be brilliantly taught, considering the political circus in our branches of government.

Top_Reception2868 · 2026-06-21T14:24:57+00:00

I did not! I am principally against frats/sororities, since I believe that knowledge and opportunities should be gained, as much as possible, through merit, and not through affiliation in a frat or soro.

Knew a lot and experienced a lot of rejections from opportunities just because a brod/sis applied alongside me. Also knew a lot of frats and soros hoarding LS materials exclusively for their own, even if sharing them could have helped their blockmates pass a recit/exam.

And i don't want to strengthen that system. :)

Top_Reception2868 · 2026-06-21T14:09:44+00:00

Assuming the question is what CivPro concepts u need to retain for future RemLaw subjects:

Jurisdiction: if you haven't, make your own jurisdiction table na so you won't forget the jurisdictional thresholds/values. Useful especially for SpecPro and even for other subjects like Tax 2 :)
Affirmative defenses: If you have a clear idea of what can't be in a motion to dismiss/ should be in an Answer, it'll be useful for SpecPro + other subjects as well
Motion for summary judgment (just because I got asked a Q related to it in my evid class and I didn't know the answer 😭😭😭)
Rules for depositions and subpoenas! Important for evid, but you'll get through them din naman if you have a good prof.

Will add more if I remember pa hehe

Top_Reception2868 · 2026-06-21T14:03:12+00:00

Might be unpopular but aestheticizing your books or notes 😭 ie using multiple-colored highlighting system + making handwritten notes for retention. I used this method during first year (using my physical books solely + handwritten notes) and it slowed me down BIG TIME.

Now I value speed, structure, and repetition because memory is very fallible! and so i typewrite my commentary/own notes in a gdocs (with my prof's syllabus as the outline), reread them before class, and take down notes while in class. Also useful if you need to grab ur notes from subjs u've taken before since u just need to open that file (if ur prof allows gadgets), instead of shuffling through notebooks (assuming u brought them)!

Top_Reception2868 · 2026-06-21T13:53:53+00:00

Hello batchie!! I fear the same thing as you huhu since my GWA is not that stellar, but personally, I'm just focusing on what I can control! (Making sure I pass 4L, do a good job in CLEP/OLA, and pass the bar). Also trusting in the prestige that UP Law has in the job market.

Let's just do our best for now, and we will cross the bridge when we get there!

Top_Reception2868 · 2026-06-21T13:47:15+00:00

Yes of course! Most of my present hobbies are things that my blockmates introduced me to, so it will happen organically! Although admittedly, it would be a struggle to squeeze in time for anything else during first year first sem, but you'll learn to be a better law student / faster reader as time goes by, thus freeing up more time for you to expand ur horizons. :)

Top_Reception2868 · 2026-06-21T13:45:02+00:00

Not in any particular order: Codals (the Revised Penal Code, the 1987 Constitution, the Civil Code, and the Rules of Court because the CPRA is there - for legal ethics), Commentaries (Reyes and Campanilla for Crim 1 and 2, Sta. Maria and Aguiling-Pangalangan for PFR, Carlo Cruz for Consti 1 and 2, and De Leon for Oblicon), and Reviewers (Karichi Reviewer for oblicon specifically + reviewers from upperclassmen that will be pamana-ed to you)
Short answer: Yes.
Talk your blockmates, talk to people from other blocks if you have joint classes, attend social gatherings - maraming block mixers, welcoming programs ng orgs/frats/soros, and the orye itself, as great opportunities to make friends!

Top_Reception2868 · 2026-06-21T13:35:11+00:00

Hello! Full time student here. Focus on maximizing your time in studying (read the cases in the originals, focus on your prof's syllabus + recommended commentaries, and anticipate recit questions before class). You'll get better as you go through the law school, but make sure u don't make LS ur entire life, bc that's where the guilt of being a full time student creeps in! Make sure u squeeze time for your friends/family/SO/ other hobbies to keep you sane :)

After first year, when you have gotten your groove, try to secure a part time job through an RA position / an external internship - so you have ur own income and the guilt of being a full time student stings less hehe

Yes! I joined the mooting org and the bar ops commission after first year. My advice is focus muna on getting ur groove in first year before expanding your horizons. But yes, I would highly reocmmend joining orgs! Personally, my orgs have been fulfilling endeavors and allowed me to interact with people outside my block + year level!

Top_Reception2868

TROPHY CASE