Dear Incoming Marquette Law Student,
It is my pleasure to welcome you to Marquette Law School! Enrolling in law school is a big accomplishment. Even if you haven’t already visited our new building, Eckstein Hall, to meet our friendly faculty, administrators, staff, and students , I can assure you that you made the right choice to attend MLS.
As an incoming student, I am sure you want to know one or two pieces of advice before you start your first year at Marquette Law. First, I want to disarm any fears or myths you have heard about your first year of law school: all of your basic needs will be met. You will find housing, you will be fed, you will find friends, and you will be able to watch football games on Sundays (you can thank Roger Goodell and DeMaurice Smith for that!).
All kidding aside, I am 99.9% certain that you will be challenged at some point this year. In addition to learning the substantive law and learning how to write in the legal style, you will also be asked to fundamentally change the way you think about the world – after all, in law school we learn how to ‘think like a lawyer.’
With that being said, Marquette Law School will provide you all of the resources you will need to succeed. You will find that the faculty, staff, and administrators are available during office hours and for coffee/lunch at the Tory Hill Café. The Zilber Forum is also a great place to meet your classmates, as well as seek advice from more experienced 2Ls and 3Ls and your Academic Success Program (ASP) leaders. If you feel some stress, the gym on the fourth floor is a great place to blow off steam in between classes as well.
In addition to what’s going on at Eckstein Hall, there are also opportunities to get involved outside of the Law School. I would personally recommend participating in one of our excellent pro bono programs. Pro bono is a great way to meet fellow students and hone your legal skills in a real-world setting. I have personally found that the key to success is finding a balance between school, work, family, and play. It is important to emphasize that this applies in life, as well as your first year of law school.
Inevitably, you will have more specific questions that pertain to issues outside the scope of a one page welcome letter. If and when you do, please do not hesitate to ask me or any of the other friendly people at Eckstein Hall. Again, welcome to Marquette and I look forward to seeing you soon!
Alex Hu-Kuebelbeck
“Rising 2L”
Marquette University Law School