Abandon All Hope, All Ye to Enter Malcolm Hall hahaha: The Jester-in-Exile Answers FC, UP Law Freshman-to-Be

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The thing with law school, especially in the evening class, is that the days are long but the semesters are short. Really, that's how I felt.

Now, I'm not going to pretend to be an expert in surviving the boot camp that is the evening program of the University of the Philippines College of Law (heck, I'm not going to even say that I've survived freshman year, not until the second semester's grades are out), but let's see how much information we can give FC, who wrote the email we're featuring in this post. The bloke FC writes:

I'm FC, an incoming freshman UP law student... I am employed on a full time basis and thus will enroll in the evening classes. I'll be supporting myself. I'd like to ask how much money will I prepare for the enrollment and for the books, photocopies, notes, etc? For the first year evening class, how many units will I take? I asked for a course syllabus from the secretary but they've ran out of copies. If you don't mind, which will be a great help, may I ask what the subjects that I will take for the first year are?

And I'd like to ask, if you're a full time working student, what did you do to prepare yourself for the ordeal?

I love reading your blogs, by the way! They're honest, brutal and crispy. It still amazes me how you can blog, work, and study LAW! hehe.

Thanks!

FC

See, FC, flattery with a blogger will get you a looong way haha. All right, let's answer your email as if we were having a conversation.

I work in a full time basis and thus will enroll in the evening classes. I'll be supporting myself.

Are you really sure? Like, REAALLY SURE about this? It's no picnic, let me tell you, being a member of the evening class. It is an apparent open secret (as I learned from Professor JJ Disini, head of the UP Internet and Society Program of the College of Law) that there are among the members of the evening class who claim to be employed on a full-time or part-time basis but upon closer scrutiny are supported by their folks or working for their families companies.

In other words, in the professor's terms, they are not quite "legitimate" evening students.

My personal experience, however, is that to the best of my knowledge none of my classmates are "parental scholars"; all of us are employed full-time and are pulling our own weight both at work and at school. I'm fairly certain that most, if not all, of the members of the class I belong to are pretty much paying their way through school.

And oh yes, it can get really tough.

I'd like to ask how much money will I prepare for the enrollment and for the books, photocopies, notes, etc?

First, let's talk about tuition and fees. Bottomline, get PhP16k ready for tuition, fees, and travel expenses, not to mention the income loss if you have to be absent without pay. Of course, if you have friends among the UP faculty, apparently you can go to the Student Loan Board and apply for a student loan, which takes care of apparently 80% of your fees (I'm not sure if this is tuition AND fees or just tuition). However, if you've been employed for quite a while, I'd suggest taking a salary loan out from the Pag-IBIG Fund instead, and then save something around PhP2K every payday starting June. This will ensure that you have tuition and fees for the succeeding semesters.

Second, regular costs. You will spend some amount on notebooks, highlighters, pens, staples, and suchlike... call it an even thousand for the year. However, this is just a floor figure; you see, even if you have the latest CD of Lex Libris (and if you do, get me a copy, won't you?), you cannot get around having to photocopy readings and cases, and that costs a pretty penny. Consider putting aside two hundred bucks each week, just to have a safe margin.

Third, non-regular costs. Being part of the student body, you are somehow expected to support student activities; there will be quite a number as the semesters will pass on. As we know, whether it be a party, a dinner for the profs, some event or other, one is expected to shell out something. This is where your personal pocket money preference comes in.

(Aside to my other readers -- see why I don't go out on dates? I'm dirt-poor. Haha.)

For the first year evening class, how many units will I take? My I ask what are the subjects that I will take for the first year?

Easy enough.

First semester:

Class Code	Subject	Units
Law 99	Legal Bibliography	1
Law 100	Persons and Family Relations	4
Law 109	Criminal Law 1	3
Law 115	Legal History	2
Law 121	Constitutional Law 1	4
	Total	14

Second semester:

Class Code	Subject	Units
Law 101	Obligations and Contracts	5
Law 110	Criminal Law 2	4
Law 116	Legal Method	2
Law 120	Legal Profession	2
	Total	13

One of the things that people comment on being a part of the evening class is that we often "get lucky" because we get assigned brilliant professors, even former deans of the college. That said, having brilliant professors adds a bit more pressure; nobody -- and I mean NOBODY -- wants to be a deer in headlights in front of the profs.

If you're a full time working student, what did you do to prepare yourself for the ordeal?

I didn't, and I paid the price for it. Heh heh.

Looking back to June last year, this is what I should've done:

• Set an inflexible schedule, which cannot be compromised; otherwise, look for alternative, lighter-load employment, preferably close to campus;
• Set an inflexible budget; otherwise, look for alternative and passive income to supplement your cashflow
• Look for housing and transportation that will enable you to be close to both campus and work
• Learn how to study effectively on the commute

There are no small advantages when entering law school as a full time student. Trust me on this.

I love reading your blogs, by the way! They're honest, brutal and crispy. It still amazes me how you can blog, work, and study LAW! hehe.

Naks. 'Nuff said haha. Just for that, feel free to send a couple more questions.

(Well, see, this wasn't so bad, was it?)

***

So there we go. Best of luck on entering UP Law, FC. Maybe we'll see each other on campus.

(Probably not... I doubt if anyone has seen a floppy hat prowling around Malcolm Hall. Haha.)

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