Getting the most out of law school
USC Gould is gearing up for another year with resources in place to ensure first-year students get the most out of the social and academic experiences they will have over the course of their three years at law school. And some of the most valuable resources for first-year students are their upper division classmates.
Christian Briggs ‘15, a Peer Mentor, says that first years should take advantage of the student resources available to “help overcome anxiety.
“One of the best things you can do as a 1L is find a mentor or two,” he said. “There are lots of USC students who are willing to serve as a mentor. Everybody wants to help you, and since you are going through such a new experience as a 1L, it's important to be humble enough to ask for help. Nobody will be able to outline for you or take an exam for you, of course, but they will be able to help you along the way so that you can feel comfortable with what you're doing and succeed.” Mr. Briggs is one of 30 second-year students who will support and help first-year students acclimate, as part of the Student Services Office’s Peer Mentor program. The program assigns 2 upper division students to each small section to help new students find helpful resources in the law school and connect with other peers who have volunteered to support these new students.
Social activities aside, if the academic life gets challenging for students, USC Gould offers a Peer Tutor Program to assist first year students with tackling the work load. Catherine Coleman, director of academic support says the Peer Tutor Program can be a great resource to 1L students if they take advantage of it early on in the year.
“All the tutors have done well in the first-year program and can provide advice on study skills and time management," Coleman said. “If students feel overwhelmed, they should seek help early because there are resources there to help.”
There are four upper-division students chosen to be tutors; each of them host workshops and one-on-one sessions to help 1L students hone their writing skills and prepare for exams. There are five workshops available during the year and additional exam workshops for students; Coleman says students should attend the workshops to get the full benefit of the Peer Tutor Program.
To supplement tutoring resources, the legal writing fellows program can also help students transition from academic writing to legal writing. Elizabeth Carroll, the director of the legal writing and advocacy program says that first-year students should ask the fellows for assistance because legal writing requires time and effort.
“Pay attention, ask questions and do not procrastinate on your legal writing assignments,” she said. “Because this is a different type of writing, everyone will be learning a new skill but that is the exciting challenge of it. It is important that students realize that it takes a lot of time and practice; it is something you have to learn by doing, but we have a lot of resources available to give students whatever they need.”
Carroll says that the small class sizes and the dedication of helpful student fellows and adjunct professors who are eager to help can make approaching legal writing a lot easier. Christian Briggs says he took advantage of the legal writing fellows program during his first year and their assistance went beyond helping him succeed in class.
“Writing fellows are a great resource in terms of advice on legal writing, style, mechanics, and doing well on memos and briefs,” he said. “They are also another source to go to for general mentoring and advice. In my experience, each writing fellow is very willing to share information and impart any wisdom they have from having gone through the 1L experience. I am still in touch with my writing fellow and have asked him questions about OCI, law firms, and life.”
Previous Article
