It was a GOOD week for:
University of Southern California students, after the school announced a program that will allow them to get their undergraduate degree and their law degree in six years at the university. Known as 3+3, the program puts students on a fast track to law school, allowing them to apply to the USC Gould School of Law during their junior year. Candidates must be current USC students with stellar recommendations and writing samples, as well as a minimum 3.8 GPA to qualify for the program. And because their law school studies begin in what would be their senior year, students must complete their major requirements by their junior year. Despite the extra course load, the program offers some very good news for anyone interested in law school- students who participate in the program won’t have to take the LSAT. Applications will be available in September for the 2015 fall semester.
It was a BAD week for:
Law students’ brain cells, after a study showed that law school-related stress is damaging students’ cognitive capacities. According to Professor Debra Austin of the University of Denver Sturm College of Law, it is actually possible to study too much, and doing so can lead to depression, substance abuse and suicide. Her article in the Loyola Law Review argues that the stressed-out and sedentary lifestyle of most law students is hurting their health and their grades. Austin suggests regular exercise as an alternative to the popular methods of relaxation among law students, which often include binging on alcohol and TV-watching. The best part of regular exercise for law students? It significantly speeds up the process of regenerating some of those lost brain cells.
