Ripping out pages...

Many prospective students have asked both Jon and myself what the competition is like here at UBC Law. The big question seems to be, "So, do classmates really rip pages out of library books that you need?" Our answer, "No, we rarely use library books."

The rumours are rampant out here on the world wide web. I can't speak for anyone else's experience but my own, but what I can say is that use of library books aside, UBC Law students are a friendly bunch. I did my undergraduate degree at UBC and know all too well what it can be like being one of 60,000 students at a large campus, but I can assure you that at UBC Law you get to divide that number by a thousand and you instantly become part of the community of 600...or is it divided by 10,000?

People say that law school is actually akin to high school, but I personally think it's more like kindergarten. We're read stories all the time, we get recess (you will soon grow to love the half an hour break between the first two classes of the day), and our knowledge of the subject is definitely comparable to a group of kindergarteners learning how to read.

The great thing that comes with our prior education, whether it be high school or elementary school, is the community that forms. I came to law school uninformed and on a whim, and I have been nothing but shocked at how friendly my colleagues have been. Older students often go out of their way to make first years feel welcomed and informed. I was sitting in our interaction area one day a few months ago chatting with my friend about how I knew nothing about transnational law, and a second year student overheard, asked for my email and sent me his CAN from last year. Law school isn't just a program, it's an experience and those who are going through the experience together have a bond, as corny as it may seem. Recently I was traveling and whenever I met another law student, we instantly had twenty things to talk about and compare.

I owe my friends from my first year of law school much of my sanity, my marks and my memories. Without them, law school would have been a lot of scary hard work, but with them it was a lot of work that became pretty fun. So I can assure you, whether you find it closer to kindergarten, high school, your undergraduate program or none of the above, UBC law students won't be ripping pages out of books any time soon...or blocking important links to cases for that matter.

If you have any questions or comments about book theft or other things, give me a call or email at (604) 827-3552 or orientation@law.ubc.ca