Andy Brummel '08

Hometown: Lee's Summit, MO

The Particulars

Scholarships/Honors: Judge Noah Weinstein Foundation Scholarship

Undergraduate degree: Bachelor of Science in Business Administration, Minor in Economics

The Details

Why Saint Louis University School of Law? I came to the School because of its reputation as a high quality institution. I came to law school because I have always wanted to combine a business degree with a juris doctorate and practice corporate law.

Your Best Experience at the School: Interacting with and getting to know my peers. Law school is a grind and it helps to have a great group of people who understand what you are going through.

Seeing the Future: I am one of those rare individuals who knew, from a young age, what I wanted to do with my life. While taking a Business Law class at the age of 14, I decided I would get a business degree, and supplement it with a law degree. Having already earned my business degree, I am now on my way toward earning a J.D. by way of the Evening Program. Working full-time and attending law school is a challenge, but once you become acclimated, you learn to keep the two separate. It’s all about balance, and I think it is definitely manageable.

Support from Others: It helps to have professors and classmates who understand where you're coming from. There's already a built-in support system. And because evening students come from so many diverse backgrounds, the discussions are enhanced, and the different perspectives my peers bring to the table really help open my eyes to things that I might not otherwise notice.

Favorite class? Constitutional Law

What has been your biggest challenge in adjusting to law school? The biggest challenge is finding what works best for you and settling into a study routine. Prior to commencing the first day of classes, I spoke with numerous people and read various publications about law school, all of which offered opinions as to how to study and succeed in law school. The truth is that everyone learns in different ways and what works best for some may be futile for others.

What advice would you give students preparing for their first year? Do some research on what law school is about, talk to people who are in law school and some that have graduated. Learning as much as possible prior to starting is key to setting realistic expectations of what law school will be like.

What do you need to do well in school? A really strong work ethic, a desire to succeed and a strong support system.

Advice

Advice on studying: Obviously studying is important, but how you go about it is even more important. Law school is not like college and requires a drastically increased amount of time. Often, especially in the first year, you will need to read cases more than one time to grasp the concepts. Therefore, you will need to spend the first couple of weeks defining the best way for you to learn and retain the material. This could be accomplished by reading every case twice, taking copious notes the second time; or you may learn best by reading a case and discussing it with a group. The key is to determine what will work best for you early in the first semester. This will lead to a much more efficient use of your time.

Balancing studying, friends, family and work: Balance is a big part of being successful in law school. It is important to block out chunks of time to get away from the books and spend quality time with friends and family. Also, working and going to law school requires keeping the two separate and distinct. That is, if you are thinking about work while in class, you are missing valuable information. Likewise, thinking about school while at work will diminish your ability to be effective.

Sound Bytes

One cool thing you've done: In October, I attended the final game of the 2006 World Series.

Fill in the blank: I couldn't imagine being successful in law school without the help and support of my wife.