New Beginnings
Yale Law School recently welcomed its 196th-ish class of
students. Before classes began on
September 5, the 189 members of the Class of 2010 enjoyed a weeklong
orientation program designed to introduce them to the study of law and help
acclimate them to New Haven and life at YLS.
Throughout the week incoming students enjoyed meeting each other, upperclassmen,
and their professors.
Orientation events included Dean Koh's convocation, a
reception at the Yale Center for British Art, Shakespeare in the Park, lectures by YLS faculty as part of the Dean's Introductory Lecture Series, a
carnival, and, capitalizing on New Haven's claim to the best pizza in the country, a pizza party in the courtyard which, sadly, did not feature the best
pizza in New Haven. Orientation wrapped
up with a hike and picnic with Dean Koh in Sleeping Giant State Park, a journey
that will be repeated at the end of these students' final term, book ending
their time at the Law School.
In his welcome Dean Koh enumerated some of the details about
this year's incoming class. The Class of 2010:
- has representatives from 72 undergraduate institutions
- lived or worked in 65 countries (1/3 of the world's countries)
- earned 35 Masters degrees, 13 doctoral degrees, and 14 foreign
academic fellowships
- speaks and reads 25 languages
During his speech Dean Koh emphasized that this is a community committed to excellence, humanity, and service, and that students here are committed to each other. He offered many pieces of advice to the class as they took their first steps into the legal profession, but one especially resonated with the students to whom I spoke: the people who will teach you the most during your time at YLS, the people who will get you through law school, are your classmates. You'll draw upon the personal, professional, and educational experiences of your fellow students to make the most of your time at YLS. Scanning through the backgrounds of the incoming class, it's not difficult to imagine how their skills can help you succeed in law school:
- eight marathon runners (wake up, dress, and make it to
class in under 10 minutes)
- a cartoonist (doodle professionally in class)
- a fingerpainter (doodle professionally in the Dining Hall)
- an Army Reservist, a competitive wrestler, and six martial artists (easily
obtain paper extensions)
- a competitive figure skater and a former member of the U.S. National Speedskating team (navigate New Haven winters)
- Miss Venezuela beauty pageant staffer (look your best for the winter formal)
- cryptanalyst (decipher professors' comments scrawled on your exams)
- an internationally ranked Minesweeper player (pass
time in class in a meaningful fashion)
- a professional gambler (ditto)
- a ballet dancer and a belly dancer (entertain the class when it's your day to be "on call")
- a pool inspector (??? If you have a suggestion for this one, email us at 203blog@yale.edu)
Dean Koh accurately summed up the entering class in his convocation:
"You are, quite simply, the finest
group of entering law students assembled anywhere on the planet this year. Each year, one school in the world gets to
say that, and this year, happily, it is us."
Dean Koh announces the winners of the raffle held during the orientation carnival
The Law School community enjoys traditional carnival fare during orientation