It's finally here - classes begin in earnest tomorrow. Orientation is done, books have arrived, new drivers licenses have been obtained, and I think we've even found a new church. But tomorrow morning prep work is done (or at least had better be), and the real work begins. It will be kind of nice to get back on some semblance of a schedule.
As I said, orientation has been complete, and I couldn't help but contrast it to what I went through seven years ago (at least insofar as I can remember orientation at PHC, which is to say, isn't much). It was striking just how much the school genuinely wants the students to succeed, and how much effort they are devoting to caring for the students (and how many offices there are devoted to it). The number of people who said "If you're struggling with anything, come talk to me" was so high that I wouldn't know who to turn to first.
The same seems to be true with the professors (although check back in a week). One class met twice during orientation, and the professor seems to balance very well both academic rigor and the willingness to gently teach her students how to get to that point (starting with the presumption that we're not there now). The school as a whole seems to want to turn all the students into good lawyers, rather than use the classes to weed out those who can't survive.
Also strongly (and I must confess rather surprisingly) emphasized was a focus on using our talents to help our community. Naturally, this involves pro bono work once we become licensed, but this orientation took it farther. Saturday morning was devoted to a community service event, where the entire 1L class was divided up among various projects in the Lansing area. At the short reception/debriefing following, the alumnus who spoke emphasized the need to, as attorneys, use our specialized skills to help those in need. However, he didn't stop there. He pointed out that everyone wants to contribute if it's a position of authority that needs filling, but where help is really needed is in volunteering time to do manual labor--and that as attorneys we shouldn't be above doing just that. Attorneys can pull weeds.
If I may pick on PHC for a minute, the primary application we received for "loving your neighbor" was "volunteer for a campaign." Other things may have gotten attention, but usually only in the abstract. While there is a time and place for that, in the long run it is rather self seeking (as its "our" candidate that is being helped), rather than truly motivated by a desire to help the community. Helping the community was usually just boiled down to political action.
That's not to say that political action was the only way PHC students contributed to their community (many devoted countless hours to volunteer rescue, for example), but it was by and large the only one promoted by the school. And I think the difference comes from the ends of the two schools: PHC is devoted to "taking back" the culture and political system, while MSU Law is simply devoted to training attorneys. One treats the students as a means, the other as an end. From the perspective of the student, the latter is preferable.
I have found a surprisingly high level of genuine care, both from the staff toward the students, and from the school toward the community, that, to be honest, is surpassing my experience at PHC. Not that I regret my time at PHC; I think I have an excellent education as a result of my four years there. But it will be nice to experience an established school.
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