SMU JD 2019 Applications are OPEN!

So gorgeous, it almost doesn't matter that there aren't enough study spots in SOL :D

You ain't gonna be seeing ugly wood study-benches at SMU SOL.
The underpass and other schools in SMU have them though.
And SMU Labs is across this entrance <3

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The 2019 SMU Juris Doctor post-graduate applications are open and runs till 6 May 2019! 

SEE MORE INFORMATION HERElaw.smu.edu.sg/jd/apply

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A year ago I applied thinking the odds of of my getting in were about as high as buying a lottery ticket... come to think of it maybe I should try the TOTO sometime. 

I wrote a blog article ​a little less than a year ago, but it's super long and full of rants. So you probably shouldn't read it anyway. 

I remember searching frantically online for anything that would help me, and I did find one or two articles, and read over a hundred page of forum rants. To keep it short, here are tips for the 3 stages.

1. Application 

• Do not fake your transcripts (like the NUS girl who wants to join legal service). Bad idea. 
• The JD cohort has people from different backgrounds. And experience. And age. And schools. Just be yourself and send your best application package. There's generally around 30 students a batch... I've heard some people applied many years in a row and are still applying in 2019 (there're information sessions, but if you're only now reading this you've missed it already). Some of my classmates are in here after their third of fourth applications.
• Life hands you what it thinks you're ready for :) Take a chance, but take life as it comes as well. 

2. Written test 

• You really don't need legal knowledge. The hypothetical case is meant for you to display your reasoning and thinking. The background information you need to support your arguments are there and there's way more information than you need. Pick out just what you need to support your points, and there's no point in writing anything else either because it wouldn't be answering the point and will probably backfire. 
• I admit I did read more current affairs news, but you don't need it for this stage. It's really like a.. legal-oriented comprehension test like what the O levels used to be in the past. 

3. Group interview

• It's two applicants and two professors. 
• Dress nicely and be presentable :) There's no need to "penguin", but usually people at least go in office wear (you know.. like any normal job interview?). One of my classmates went for his interview on a Saturday in t-shirt and jeans, but he was working for a tech start-up then. He technically could have changed, but unless it's the truth... don't lie.
  
• Topics I've heard came out: (could be anything depending on which prof you get, this list is not the syllabus please.) 
• Current affairs (usually local) - COE, HDB, CPF, ERP, Healthcare, etc if you're an international applicant I'm very sure these people can come up with a relevant current affair. 
• Hypothetical: For example, what if you were sold a cow that had one leg missing/ was shorter than the other legs. This is a real issue, but at this stage they want to hear your reasoning and see the way you think, so it could be anything. 
• Many sets of interview couples made it in. Many sets of both interviewees didn't make it in. The interview is not a competition. So don't make it one for nothing.
• I suspect the group (of two) dynamic gives the selection committee a better glimpse into your personality for them to gauge who you are. Be nice.
  

Hit me up if you have questions :) 
But, it's not easy. And people have decided to drop out within the first few months after paying 5-figure school fees. So think about whether law is really what you want to do. They don't call it ​reading law for nothing.

Today we had our moot practice and the class wore black and white like it was the funeral of our social life, which technically died a year ago. 

Cheers <3