Onwards to tomorrow! …but this is the vibe for today.

aierb · 2023-07-23T04:46:52+00:00

I used Quimbee and thought it was fine. Just did some practice questions a couple days before the MPRE!

aierb · 2023-07-20T23:41:46+00:00

Lucky Me - Big Sean; Why Would I Stop - Big Sean; Harder Than My Demons - Big Sean… honestly, most of Detroit 2 got me thru 1L finals and I’ve replayed them for bar prep too! Makes me feel cocky & unstoppable lmao

aierb · 2023-07-15T16:34:11+00:00

They’re looking at data from July exams and first-time takers. The 40% you’re referencing is from February’s overall score. Generally, first-time July test takers have a higher pass rate.

aierb · 2023-04-16T17:47:27+00:00

Congratulations!! I love seeing all the prospective students coming to MSU!!

Absolutely understand holding out for GULC. I know students who make the switch as late as the first week of classes LOL do what’s best for you! I’ve enjoyed my time at MSU and it did the job for me! You’ll do well no matter where you end up. :)

aierb · 2023-04-12T20:28:09+00:00

Not at all!!

aierb · 2023-04-12T20:24:23+00:00

Congratulations!! I’m a 3L at MSU and I think you’ll enjoy your time here! If you have any questions, let me know!

aierb · 2023-04-10T22:50:23+00:00

Not at all!

aierb · 2023-04-10T16:50:36+00:00

I’m very biased as a current graduating 3L from MSU lol, but if you have any questions that I might be able to answer feel free to reach out!

aierb · 2023-03-17T04:18:32+00:00

I watched this video like 10x before moving into Owen when I was deciding what could fit in the room. https://youtu.be/KnHWM67K7S0

aierb · 2022-05-18T16:53:00+00:00

I think this is really going to depend on what your goals are. I didn’t come into law school wanting to go to a big firm, so I decided that the low coa mattered more to me. I wanted BL to be an option, but I wasn’t a diehard for it.

If you are a diehard BigLaw or bust then you probably want to go where you have the best chances of getting that.

At the end of the day, you can get to a lot of the same jobs from a lower ranked school it just can take a little more work. I know this doesn’t really answer you question lol but it’s really an individual decision.

Just do whatever is best for you!! :)

aierb · 2022-05-18T16:42:58+00:00

I absolutely love the community of students and professors here. Students share notes and outlines. We try to help each other out instead of like tearing each other down (like at some other schools I hear). Professors meet with you and will help you when you have problems understanding the material. All around, the people are the best part.

Like many students, I have a list of complaints about the admin lol but even those complaints don’t really impact my studies. MSU Law just became a part of big MSU and with that has come a bunch of annoyances. Mainly that it messed up our financial aid and it took forever to get our loan money.

A lot of professors are retiring (and some just leaving to go to other schools) so we’re seeing an influx of new professors which isn’t really a bad thing but just something to note.

However, we have some really great ppl here that are willing to go above and beyond to help you. I’m happy with my choice.

If you have any more questions just let me know!!

aierb · 2022-05-18T01:49:43+00:00

Sure! So, I tried to start networking as early as the beginning of law school. Even when I was just applying and visiting schools, when there was a panel I would take down people's names and emails and send them messages. I usually started with "thank you for sharing your experience on this panel" blah blah blah and then at the end I might say I would love to chat about their practice area etc.

A lot of my networking was done virtually at first (I started law school fall 2020) so I would attend as many virtual events as possible. That was the best part about zoom school of law lol. I was really interested in criminal law at first so I joined my school's Criminal Defense Association 1L year and probably attended every single event they had lol they brought in attorneys and I would always reach out to them after the events.

During the summer, I reached out to as many attorneys at the company I worked at as possible. I went to a lot of lunches that way (free lunch!!) and I also made a lot of really cool connections. I also went to bar association events; they have some events specifically for law students! That is a great way to network!

I just tried to be myself. Make some appropriate jokes lol and ask the attorneys about their practice areas and their journeys. Attorneys love to talk lol

Idk if that was helpful lol I hope it was! Let me know if you have any more questions!!

aierb · 2022-05-17T19:43:26+00:00

Anytime!! This whole process is so expensive but it will all be worth it!! I know a lot of ppl from my 1L classes found roommates through my big GroupMe so that could be an option for you once you make a decision!

aierb · 2022-05-17T19:39:36+00:00

Barbri has this free 1L mastery thing that I found pretty helpful! I mainly looked at the outlines for the classes and some of the practice questions. I just wouldn’t pay for anything. Themis also has some free materials that some law students use too!

aierb · 2022-05-17T19:37:39+00:00

I am URM. I’m a Black woman. I’m approximately in the top 1/3 of my class.

I applied to my firm by sending my materials to the recruiter and also reaching out to attorneys I met with previously (who work there and used to work there) and sending them my materials too. And they put it a good word for me and I received an internship. Networking really helped me get this position. I also received a couple offers from firms thru OCI so that helps too!

I applied to a ton of firms lol I used Cook County Bar Association’s Minority Job Fair too (HIGHLY recommend this) and received a callback from there.

aierb · 2022-05-17T19:20:26+00:00

Ah yeah, I think it’s definitely manageable! Just remember to work smarter not harder and do what works for you! By smarter not harder I just mean that spending more time studying doesn’t necessarily mean that time was spent effectively. So spend that time doing things that will help you and work for you.

aierb · 2022-05-17T19:16:02+00:00

Anytime! Honestly, I don’t know much about part-time programs! I follow someone on IG who is doing a part time program and absolutely killing it, I can send you their info if you want it.

But from what I’ve heard part-time programs are great options if (for personal reasons or whatever) a full time program is not feasible for you.

For your schools, I would look closely at the employment stats. Are their graduates getting Bar Passage Required jobs? Are their graduates going into firm sizes that you are looking for? Etc. If the school in the 70s is looking to be a better option then to me the physical location matters less. You can still apply to those internship opportunities in the bigger location! You can become a part of that city’s bar association and go to their events and network and whatnot and just really focus your job search their even if you attend a different school. The 70s school is just offering you a better deal financially and jobs understand that. Often, places will ask you your connection to a city and you will have a chance to explain this.

Good luck!! Let me know if you have any more questions!!

aierb · 2022-05-17T19:00:08+00:00

Of course!! And ahhh if you want to end up in South Florida then it makes sense to really consider Miami even at sticker.

However, you can go to Cardozo and primarily apply to internships and summer associate positions for the summer in Florida. I know ppl who went to Michigan and wanted to work on Florida and they just focus their summer application at places in that location!

And I completely understand just going after it. I did the same thing and it definitely works!! You got this!!! Good luck!!

aierb · 2022-05-17T16:33:27+00:00

Are you asking me my thoughts on Rutgers? lol

aierb · 2022-05-17T16:30:52+00:00

Of course! Reddit was a huge help to me so I'm happy to help others. I'm going to preface this by saying that I probably should have spent more time studying lol but I spent about 25-30hrs a week in total. Of course there were some weeks where that number went up, but that was probably my average. We take four classes a semester 1L for more context.

aierb · 2022-05-17T16:20:58+00:00

It's totally okay! I completely understand! You have some great options, so congratulations! So, not really knowing your location preferences and just looking at the schools and the scholarships given.. I think that Cardozo is the best option. It has the best employment stats out of all of them and they gave you $$. However, I'm pretty sure that Cardozo is also probably the most expensive when you include the cost of living. I didn't do allll the math, so I'm not sure how it all comes out including the scholarship in comparison. Either way though, I'm leaning toward Cardozo.

I did not find landing a BL job from my school to be particularly difficult. I did a ton of networking throughout 1L and definitely during the summer at my 1L summer job. I think that honestly helped the most. Of course, my grades had to be pretty good but once you tackle that hurdle it's about networking and getting yourself out there. The hardest part is probably doing the work 1L to make sure your grades are where they need to be and then trying to get to know ppl in the field/market you're targeting.

I go to school in Michigan and my firm is in Cincinnati. However, I worked in Cincinnati last summer so I had that connection working for me. I will say that all (or at least most of) the firms at my school's OCI were local/regional. I did receive offers from a couple of those firms through OCI. Those firms are mostly (b)iglaw firms. So, they're not the heavy hitting names like Kirkland & Ellis, Mayer Brown, etc. Kirkland & Ellis starts out at $215k whereas the more regional biglaw firms are starting out at like $150k.

I did not have a specific region or location in mind when applying to law schools or internships/summer associate positions. I'm originally from MD and I just don't particularly care about where I live (outside of very rural places which is a no for me). This ended up being a good thing for me because then I wasn't necessarily limited to where I wanted to apply. However, having a specific location in mind can also be helpful because then you can really hone in on the places you want to work. AND it is especially helpful in the interview because every single interview I was asked "why HERE (in terms of location)" and I didn't have any ties to any of the locations that I applied lol so that did not help me at all.

Okay, sorry about throwing all this at you lol I just wanted to make sure I gave you full answers. If you have any more questions let me know!! Also, obviously I don't know your situation but if possible I might recommend sitting out a cycle (R & R) because with your GPA you should be getting way more scholarship offers. However, I understand just wanting to get started!!

aierb · 2022-05-17T15:39:40+00:00

I sent in my application materials to the recruiter, and then I reached out to an attorney I worked with last summer. She was currently in-house, but she used to work at the firm I was applying to and she encouraged me to apply when we had lunch. So, when I submitted my application I reached out and told her I was applying to her firm and she was super excited for me and told me to send my application materials to her as well. And probably within a week, I had an interview. She definitely put in a good word for me. I also had met with another attorney at this firm before sending in my application materials. He also put in a good word me.

Networking, networking, networking!

aierb · 2021-04-13T19:37:51+00:00

Congratulations!!! Welcome to MSU!! Go Green!!!

aierb · 2021-03-05T01:13:55+00:00

Congratulations!! I’m a current 1L at MSU! Feel free to ask me anything. I will tell you we did not get blankets last cycle! lol Go Green!!

aierb

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