Ateneo law school

[El Supremo]

Onfire anung date ka? Ako tuesday..

[lgdv12]

Kita-kits sa interview! I'm scheduled on tuesday. Good luck sa atin and hopefully we can get through.

[bittersweet1024]

congrats sa lahat ng nakapasa sa ateneo law school!

question lang po. i plan to take the ateneo law aptitude exam, but i haven't completed the required units for admission. like yung 18 units of social sciences, etc. is it still possible to take the exam and anong magagawa for that? thank you!

[El Supremo]

I heard that you could take it up during summer of your first year.. : )

[lebronjames6]

incoming freshmen here(well hopefully makaya tuition), upperclassmen tips naman diyan on 1st semester!

[cookiedip]

Any tips for Intro To Law?

[oshiawaseni]

Hello! I am a Polsci major graduate from Ateneo. I graduate years ago and I am an incoming freshman in ALS.

Apparently, I lacks 3 units of English.

Are there pol sci subjects that can be credited as English (well, to those who are pol sci majors here)?

If not, then I have to take yet another regular english class this summer?



Thank you!

[sh_knight]

ADMU/ UP/ UST law school teaches how to become corrupt....tired of this...anong ipagmamalaki natin if those people in the position suck blood money from our businessmen

[sh_knight]

or simply hard earned money...

[christian5327]

Sino naman nagsabi sayo niyan? Everyone is given the same opportunity to excel.

The reality is, there are average students who excel, there are average students who study to the extreme but get kicked out. There are smart students who excel, there are also smart students who get kicked out.

Circumstances are different for each person, because we are all different in the first place. We have different IQs, different study habits, different degrees of interest in the subject matter etc.


Stop getting paranoid because you really won't know your capabilities until you enroll in law school.

This is a very astute observation concerning the nature of law school. Indeed, nobody knows where they stand until the first semester grades are released. In most American law schools, there is a curve with the median being set at a C+/C in most courses. So, the harsh reality is that some students will consistently be below the curve in every class. I have seen some heartbreaking circumstances in law school. One student flunked out even though he was within a small fraction in his averages to stay as a student.

Law school is a gamble, wherever it is. As one of my classmates said to me, "All you can just do is hope that the one D+(A is the highest, E is flunking) in the class isn't you."

[christian5327]

Hello! I am a Polsci major graduate from Ateneo. I graduate years ago and I am an incoming freshman in ALS.

Apparently, I lacks 3 units of English.

Are there pol sci subjects that can be credited as English (well, to those who are pol sci majors here)?

If not, then I have to take yet another regular english class this summer?



Thank you!

The Philippine system of education is patterned after the United States. A political science class is a social science class. English is strictly writing and literature classes. So, you would have to take an upper level writing class which could be expositive(essays) or creative(stories) writing. Besides, the more English classes that you take in literature and writing the stronger your speaking and writing skills will become. You must always prepare for the possibility that you will be in an English speaking country someday. For example, my father never wanted to come to America. One minute he is a UP Law graduate and practicing with another lawyer for five years in Manila, the next minute he is taking a ride up the Space Needle. So, you never know what you're going to get, as Forrest Gump would say.

[dashingdevonair]

This is a very astute observation concerning the nature of law school. Indeed, nobody knows where they stand until the first semester grades are released. In most American law schools, there is a curve with the median being set at a C+/C in most courses. So, the harsh reality is that some students will consistently be below the curve in every class. I have seen some heartbreaking circumstances in law school. One student flunked out even though he was within a small fraction in his averages to stay as a student.

Law school is a gamble, wherever it is. As one of my classmates said to me, "All you can just do is hope that the one D+(A is the highest, E is flunking) in the class isn't you."

If I'm not mistaken in many American law schools your grade depends on the performance of your fellow classmates. A median grade is taken and the further you deviate from that median grade, the lower grade you will receive. Fortunately law schools here in the Philippines aren't that harsh (but they're harsher in other ways).

Anyway the phrase "Law school is a gamble" sufficiently summarizes its nature. As with any gambling activity, a degree of luck in involved. Some sections would simply get stricter professors and whether you pass or fail the subject might simply rely on a single superficial question you forgot to take note of.

The advice I always give to freshmen is to "make your relationship with law school a professional and not a personal one" right from the very start. If you see law school as a personal journey and not a professional one, every little disappointment you'll experience will turn into a gigantic pithole inside of you. I'm sure many of the law students here had classmates who left simply because of a single failing mark, or because he/she was scolded by a professor. Stay professional and work to the best of your abilities but keep your personal emotions out of it.

[christian5327]

If I'm not mistaken in many American law schools your grade depends on the performance of your fellow classmates. A median grade is taken and the further you deviate from that median grade, the lower grade you will receive. Fortunately law schools here in the Philippines aren't that harsh (but they're harsher in other ways).

Anyway the phrase "Law school is a gamble" sufficiently summarizes its nature. As with any gambling activity, a degree of luck in involved. Some sections would simply get stricter professors and whether you pass or fail the subject might simply rely on a single superficial question you forgot to take note of.

The advice I always give to freshmen is to "make your relationship with law school a professional and not a personal one" right from the very start. If you see law school as a personal journey and not a professional one, every little disappointment you'll experience will turn into a gigantic pithole inside of you. I'm sure many of the law students here had classmates who left simply because of a single failing mark, or because he/she was scolded by a professor. Stay professional and work to the best of your abilities but keep your personal emotions out of it.

The irony of it all is that it takes personal qualities to survive law school and then succeed in the legal profession yet it takes an impersonal and objective approach as a modus operandi for both law school and the legal profession in order to succeed. Time after time students and even lawyers themselves confuse a personal journey with what it actually takes to survive and thrive: professional objectivity. People can become mesmerized with PASSION for the law but really the nuts and bolts of the legal profession requires you to check your feelings at the door.

[dashingdevonair]

That is the reason why most working law students actually experience less stress and anxiety compared to full-time law students. With a simultaneous career, one will be compelled to look at law school simply as a step for career advancement. On the other hand, full-time law students mostly feel like they're putting all of their eggs in one basket. Many would feel that their entire life is at stake, hence every little problem they encounter in law school causes sever anxiety.

Law school is starkly different from medical school. Not only do law schools kick out a lot of students, your general chances of passing the bar is only at a measly 25%. Having spent quite some time in law school already, I can say that half the battle consists of suppressing and controlling stress and anxiety.

From an economic point of view law school is actually a terrible investment. It requires epic proportions of time and energy and the risks are high. In the event that one successfully gets past law school, pay is measly compared to other careers which requires less academic requisites. The starting salary of a fresh lawyer out of a top-tier law school is usually at par or even less than what entry level accountants and engineers earn.

If you are interested in law school then I highly encourage everyone to try it. However if during the first semester you're not enjoying it or you have a better career in mind, by all means pursue the latter. After staying in law school for a year, it's already difficult to leave even if you already hate it, considering the investments that you have made.

In my case, I find the materials highly interesting but I honestly dislike how law school is being conducted. If I had an alternative career in mind I would have left early on, but I don't so I'm just sticking it out. Hopefully if all goes well, after graduation I am hoping to just find a field of practice I'm comfortable with.

[christian5327]

That is the reason why most working law students actually experience less stress and anxiety compared to full-time law students. With a simultaneous career, one will be compelled to look at law school simply as a step for career advancement. On the other hand, full-time law students mostly feel like they're putting all of their eggs in one basket. Many would feel that their entire life is at stake, hence every little problem they encounter in law school causes sever anxiety.

Law school is starkly different from medical school. Not only do law schools kick out a lot of students, your general chances of passing the bar is only at a measly 25%. Having spent quite some time in law school already, I can say that half the battle consists of suppressing and controlling stress and anxiety.

From an economic point of view law school is actually a terrible investment. It requires epic proportions of time and energy and the risks are high. In the event that one successfully gets past law school, pay is measly compared to other careers which requires less academic requisites. The starting salary of a fresh lawyer out of a top-tier law school is usually at par or even less than what entry level accountants and engineers earn.

If you are interested in law school then I highly encourage everyone to try it. However if during the first semester you're not enjoying it or you have a better career in mind, by all means pursue the latter. After staying in law school for a year, it's already difficult to leave even if you already hate it, considering the investments that you have made.

In my case, I find the materials highly interesting but I honestly dislike how law school is being conducted. If I had an alternative career in mind I would have left early on, but I don't so I'm just sticking it out. Hopefully if all goes well, after graduation I am hoping to just find a field of practice I'm comfortable with.

You would be a good fit for my Timex 7 social experiment. Look up this post on family, friends and society. Everything that you have stated here actually holds true in the United States as well. There are so many part-time programs here though it is ironic how the Philippines especially the law schools in Manila mostly do not subscribe to the part-time bandwagon. It is ironic because UP law was developed by Americans. Indeed, part time night classes at one point were held at the local YMCA. Part-time programs fulfill a certain niche in law school culture.

As for law school being a bad investment, this is discussed so much in the United States. The consensus here is that one should not attend law school if they are only admitted to a 4th tier law school because these schools do not have very good job placement. Many argue that instead of attending a 4th tier law school they should just forgo the experience and seek something else. Private law schools here average about $30,000/year in tuition alone.

Personally, I wanted to attend regardless because I enjoy academic environments anyway, plus I plan on being self-employed for the most part. I am about $90,000 in debt but it is all federal loans so the payments are kept to a minimum and/or postponed. The federal government loans a lifetime maximum per student of $138,500. I have about $50,000 more that I can apply to other programs. The federal government has various loan forgiveness programs so I am not too worried about this balance. Otherwise, I had a mini-empire consisting of vending, cleaning franchise, wristwatch sales such as Omega and Cartier, etc. a few years ago. Now, I struggle in the aftermath of the downfall of my empire.

[dashingdevonair]

Law schools like UP, Ateneo and San Beda have evening programs. The problem is the prescribed law curriculum in the Philippines has a lot more subjects compared to the US law curriculum. Whereas subjects like Taxation and Labor are electives in the US, these are ALL mandatory in the Philippines. When you compress all these subjects into an evening program, it would be unrealistic for most professionals to enroll save those who are self employed or those who have a flexible work schedule.

The Philippine law curriculum is grossly inefficient. The fourth year subjects are all comprised of bar review subjects which shouldn't even be mandatory in the first place. Ideally courses like Taxation and Labor shouldn't even be included in the bar exam and these should only be an option to law graduates when they pursue specializations (similar to Medicine). Efforts are being made to make the law curriculum more efficient (3 year program, less subjects) but apparently it's being heard by deaf ears.

[christian5327]

Law schools like UP, Ateneo and San Beda have evening programs. The problem is the prescribed law curriculum in the Philippines has a lot more subjects compared to the US law curriculum. Whereas subjects like Taxation and Labor are electives in the US, these are ALL mandatory in the Philippines. When you compress all these subjects into an evening program, it would be unrealistic for most professionals to enroll save those who are self employed or those who have a flexible work schedule.

The Philippine law curriculum is grossly inefficient. The fourth year subjects are all comprised of bar review subjects which shouldn't even be mandatory in the first place. Ideally courses like Taxation and Labor shouldn't even be included in the bar exam and these should only be an option to law graduates when they pursue specializations (similar to Medicine). Efforts are being made to make the law curriculum more efficient (3 year program, less subjects) but apparently it's being heard by deaf ears.

One explanation is that the Philippines is a combination of Napoleonic influenced Spanish Civil Law with English influenced Common Law courtesy of the United States. In a civil law tradition, more subjects must be studied because codification of subject matter is emphasized. In a strictly common law system, law schools emphasize theory underlying common law principles because nothing is codified, except of course if you're in Louisiana, which has a similar situation with the Philippines. In Louisiana, it takes more credits to graduate from the law schools there than anywhere else because of French and Spanish influences, both of which are Napoleonically influenced.

[ScribblerGeek]

@sh_knight I am just politely curious. In what way/s do they teach these students on how to be corrupt?

[PhotoJoe]

Fellas, I plan to apply for the 2013 school year. I was wrapping up my online application when I came across this last item.



What exactly are they looking for here? A personal statement? I've already prepared a two-page personal statement that I've used for my applications to other law schools. Would that be an appropriate response for this part of the application? (To be edited for relevance, of course).

I'm currently in the U.S., so the date of my return to the Philippines will hinge upon Ateneo's deadlines. I assume that the list of important dates (e.g. application deadline, date of entrance exam, etc.) will be posted after I complete the online application. Is that correct?

Thanks!

[judge_ojo]

From an economic point of view law school is actually a terrible investment. It requires epic proportions of time and energy and the risks are high. In the event that one successfully gets past law school, pay is measly compared to other careers which requires less academic requisites. The starting salary of a fresh lawyer out of a top-tier law school is usually at par or even less than what entry level accountants and engineers earn.

Maybe you could support your statement with figures. AFAIK, entry-level accountants get 15,000 per month and that's in SGV. Meanwhile, entry-level lawyers get about 40,000 per month.