Duke Law Life

Two main factors drew me to Duke Law: the community and the strong variety of academic opportunities. I liked that Duke had a smaller student body and was located outside of a major city. From my experience, these factors have created a unique law school environment, where students become close friends very fast! Also, I chose Duke Law because it had academic courses, experiential opportunities, and extracirricular activities across all my interest areas, and even into areas I was unfamiliar with. I knew that I would be able to pursue any of my interests to a high degree at Duke. 

How to write! My Legal Analysis, Research & Writing (LARW) course at Duke Law helped me develop the key factors to become an effective writer. My LARW professor always had his door open for his students. Whenever I had a question or a confusion, I was able to get individualized feedback. I have found that the faculty at Duke Law are dedicated to their students and their legal career. For a future in litigation, being a clear writer is important, and I will take the skills I learned from LARW into my future career. 

• Treat it like a 9-5, maybe some days it stretches into longer hours. But being able to take a break from the course material and do activities you enjoy, makes the time you spend studying or in class more beneficial to you as a student. 
• Do not wait until the last minute (to read, write a paper, or study). If you can, it may be helpful to tackle things in increments. But if you know yourself and you thrive in the “last-minute rush,” stick to what you know works for you. 
• Try to engage in class. This does not mean you have to always answer or ask questions, instead you can engage by really listening to what your peers and professors are saying and digesting the information. Unlike most other academic settings, there are not many check-in points in law school, and sometimes simply paying attention in class can help you when it comes time to study for your exam.