I thought summer was busy...

What they say about law school:
The first year, they scare you to death.
The second year, they work you to death.
The third year, they bore you to death.

During this past summer, working 3 part time jobs, I thought the school year couldn't possibly be any worse.

I'm not sure if it is or not. There's still lots of studying to do for school, plus activities to do as a 2L, and looking for a summer internship (for this coming summer--yes, that early).


My classes:

Constitutional Law II (focusing on topics we didn't cover in part I, namely, Free Speech and Equal Protection)
My professor is the same one I'm working for as a research assistant (until November, when he plans to publish an article). Good professor, interesting subject matter, and the pressure of the fact that I'm personally working for him.

Copyright
Interesting in a more abstract way. Pace of the class has been somewhat slow so far. And I wonder how we'll be tested on the material.

Law and Mental Health
Very interesting class, taught by a law professor who used to do criminal defense, a medical school psychiatry professor (JD/MD), and a psychiatrist. (What might indicate that your client has a mental illness?, competency to stand trial, the insanity defense, and more)

Jewish Law Seminar
Introduction to another legal system that is much older than the American one. Where taking a Bible to class is expected for everyone.

Appellate Advocacy (moot court)
For this semester, it's pretending you have a case on appeal that you're arguing in front of a judge. Stressful and fun at the same time. Thankfully, a pass/not pass class, which is good. On the other hand, many in the class (including me) want to do well enough to sit on the moot court board next year.

Asian American Community Lawyering
I'm auditing this class. 1 hr a week discussing legal issues concerning Asian Americans.

That's it for classes. They're all pretty good classes. And I don't have any on Fridays, but I still come to school because I'm continuing the constitutional law research I started this past summer.

And there's also Christian Legal Society and the Asian Pacific American Law Students' Association.

And many of my classmates are doing more than me. I've now a total of 14 units, 2 of which are P/NP. A number of classmates are taking more (15-17). Some are doing Law Review, which involves publishing the school journal, and writing a "note" or "comment" (of many pages). Almost all the 2L's are actively looking for a summer internship. Some are doing clinicals (essentially, working as apprentice lawyers under an attorney/professor's supervision). One 2L I know is taking the Patent Bar exam this October (a test that takes a long long time to prepare for).

I'm tired. And I'm surrounded by tired people. Being a lawyer is supposed to be worse. And it's kind of hard to imagine. I don't try.

I hope next year will be better. Some 3L's say they don't care as much, because they're almost done, and often doing full time externships or other work. But some are stressing about whether they'll have a job when they graduate. Graduating with large amounts of school loans and no job would be a bad place to be in.

I'm considering whether or not to apply for a Master's in Public Health program for next year at Berkeley, and then coming back to Davis the year after that to finish law school. I don't know whether it would be helpful, interesting, worthwhile. Perhaps it's me trying to put off working for another year. (I also would like to do a judicial clerkship after law school for at least a year.)

Need to decide soon. And stay on top of the work now. Or at least, if perhaps not on top, at least not buried underneath.