Last month, 3L daytime students and 4L evening students prepared for the end. Registration for the Spring semester occurred on October 27th and 28th. They made the their final decisions on how their final set of classes would be organized. Some students based their decisions on scheduling, some focused on taking particular classes, and some attempted to balance the two.

I spoke to the Class of 2011 to get their feedback on how they feel going into their final semester.

When I was picking my schedule, I experienced a “lunchbox letdown.” You know, in elementary school, at lunchtime, when you went to open your lunchbox and realize that you got packed something you hate and WITH the crusts!
Not only were a number of classes typically offered Spring semester not offered, but like Anne Sidwell, I was upset by the lack of classes worth more than two credits. Anne said when finals come around, the amount of work put into two credit classes is the same as that put into the three credit ones.

Another problem students had with the selection of classes is that classes from a similar area of law, or ones that Bonnie Chen calls “the popular classes,” are at the same times. This forces students to have to choose which class they prefer and lose out on their last chance to take one they might really want to take.

I asked the graduating class which classes they would have liked to take while at the Law School, but couldn’t schedule. For Chen it was Privacy with Professor Solove and Race, Racism and the Law. For Jon Knight, Federal Income Tax was the class that he could not work into his schedule.

Pierre Sylvestre may not be the only one thinking this, but the class he wishes he took was the Criminal Procedure Seminar on The Wire, which was taught by Professor Fairfax. I for one, agree with Michael Schulman in wishing that he could have taken Sports and the Law.

After asking the Class of 2011 what classes they wished they had taken, I asked them about how they chose the classes they will be taking as they end their law school career. I was curious to know if they focused their choices on subject matter, professors, or the schedule with the least restrictive means. Surprisingly, I found a happy mix.

On the one hand, you have people like Sylvestre who chose classes based on a good final exam schedule. On the other hand, you have people like Josh Weiss and Hannah Geyer who focused more on the substance taught in their classes.
Weiss chose “a traditional bar course, a skills course, and a few related to an area of law [he is] particularly interested in.” Geyer made sure to balance her desire to take classes that let her think about “equality and people and happiness and bodily autonomy” with three classes she is indifferent to, but feels like she should take for the bar.

In the middle, you have people like Chen and Knight who chose classes both for subject matter purposes and scheduling purposes combined. Chen based her choices on her desired practice are, but felt “restricted due to scheduling reasons rather than genuine interest.” Knight created a compilation of the classes he wanted and the best schedule he could make.

Finally, I asked the 3Ls and 4Ls on their way out how excited they were about graduation and I was shocked with the responses. I for one am very excited to reach a goal and after two and a half years of staring at casebooks – I am dying to practice.

While Chen agrees with me and is “super duper excited” for graduation, other graduates have not yet reached that point. Weiss cannot think about that point just yet and would like to be asked the question in April.

Schulman’s excitement is at a level of approximately five out of ten. Geyer is indifferent as she really likes “academia and learning, books, and stuff.” Finally, you have Robert Morris, who after working for six years before law school, when asked about his final semester and graduation simply stated that he was “not looking forward to having a boss again.”

I wish every graduate the best of luck. No matter what classes you are taking, no matter if you are just biding your time until May, nothing will change the fact that registration really was the beginning of the end. To the classes of 2012, 2013, and 2014, do not repeat mistakes and make sure to take the classes you want now, before they are no longer offered. To the Class of 2011, Good Luck!