The experience of the first year at a law school is categorically subjective, however there are certain common elements regarding the characteristics of the academic year.
So, after deciding either long in advance or belatedly that you want to create a career in the field of law, you have begun to prepare for the entrance exam, regardless of the modality required by the faculty, you have applied and have been admitted, you begin to wonder what the twenty-eight weeks of teaching activity will look like for you and, especially, what will be the outcome of the two exams sessions you have undeniably heard about. In this regard, here are some of the characterizing aspects of the first year at a law school in Romania!
THE FIRST SEMESTER IS THE MOST DIFFICULT ONE
The first semester can seem really difficult; given the transition from high school to college, the information you will come into contact with is substantial both in quantity and content: although you have studied elements of the history of Romanian civilization, you have certainly not deepened yourself to the evolution of law in the Romanian countries and, although you probably recognize aspects related to the organization of the Romanian state, you do not expect to thoroughly resume the features and attributions of the three powers in Romania. Of course, besides new information overlapped on the general knowledge already acquired, so that certain disciplines will seem somehow known, such as the history of the Romanian state and law or constitutional law, some disciplines’ content is incomparable with any previous experience, such as the general theory of law or civil law.
That said, you may think that you don’t understand anything that’s going on and that your chosen field isn’t for you.
However, this is a period of adaptation and adjustment to new requirements, a period that must be treated with great patience.
TEACHING MATERIALS
Although teachers send teaching materials in the form of courses, in order to understand the subject matter now, especially the fundamental one, it is necessary to purchase courses by known practitioners or teachers. In addition to these courses, it is also necessary to buy legislation for the disciplines that you will deepen in the years to come. In your freshman year, you will definitely need the Civil Code and a Romanian Constitution. Of course, starting with the second semester you have the option to buy the Administrative Code, and from the first semester you can also buy international human rights protection documents, such as the European Convention on Human Rights that will help you with constitutional law in your first year.
All these materials are expensive, being likely that during the four years of study you will have to replace them, given that the field of law is alive, mutable and constantly updated.
THE FIRST EXAMS SESSION IS THE MOST DIFFICULT ONE
Evaluation during the semester is not decisive; The tests at the seminary, maybe even at the course, are meant to ensure a modest score, between two and three points, in some faculties this being an additional score (a bonus) conditioned by obtaining a passing grade in the exam. The real challenge is taking an exam. We have already talked about the volume of information at least comparable to a high school final exam, this only for one subject. The law student takes four or five high school final exams at the end of each semester, which shakes your ability to organize your study. Teachers, especially seminary teachers, will try to help you organize your study during the academic year, so they will schedule examinations for the seminar; However, nothing can prevent chaos if you let yourself be guided by the phrase “I have time”.
For this reason, the first exams session is perhaps the most stressful examination period of all years of study, being also an opportunity to improve your methods of approaching the new semesters.
THE TWO EXTREMES
If you have already heard or read a lot of opinions about law school, you can start learning assiduously from the first week of college and persist, which is beneficial as long as you find a balance between the period dedicated to study and the one dedicated to social life. Getting involved in extracurricular projects, such as conferences, scientific research sessions, students’ associations or volunteering is as necessary as learning. Some of the friendships, partnerships and subsequent collaborations can start from the academic environment itself, both between students and between them and teachers.
Thus, it can be said that it is not necessary to memorize incessantly – despite all the tips – but to be serious in your responsibilities, including social ones.
INTERNSHIPS
Most faculties, through students’ associations, facilitate finding a practice partner, so that the student completes the theory accumulated during the years of study with practical activity, the only one capable of demonstrating the legal reality. From the first year you should get involved in practice, even if it is an optional discipline. Moreover, you should choose, despite your career choice, a varied traineeship: try your internship in a public institution, such as a court, observe the activity of a lawyer in his office, follow the profession of notary public and, if the opportunity arises, choose a traineeship with a judicial executor. In addition to the experience recorded in the CV that it will give you, showing that you understand what is the procedure to follow in these legal professions, the internship will make you really understand what suits you, as there is nothing more dangerous than limiting yourself in your options.
CONCLUSION
Year one is probably one of the most difficult experiences to tackle. However, at the end of it, reviewing your notes and organizing the library you started creating with the works you read, you will realize that the Law School, regardless of the profession you choose, be it outside the field of law, has cognitively developed you as no other faculty could: you memorize differently, express yourself in a professional language, develop attitudes, train skills and shape yourself characteristically in the spirit of the principles of law whose essence you will never forget.
Aisha Mahmood
Legal Intern – R&R Partners
If you would like to address more questions or if you need a legal consultation, you can contact us at office@rrpb.ro or by accessing our site www.rrpb.ro for more information.
Don’t forget to subscribe to our YouTube Channel where new and updated content is posted monthly on various current topics!
Keep up to date with our latest articles!
- 5 things to do in Romania this summer
- How to obtain Romanian citizenship by naturalization
- 5 advantages of a Romanian passport
- How to register a Romanian Trademark?
