My undergraduate experience was in a small major at a large undergraduate university, a combination that I found offered the best of both worlds. I was sure that I would have a difficult time finding a law school that offered a similar combination of a supportive academic environment and diverse experiences and opportunities. However, I was delighted to find that the academic community at the Law School and the availability of the social, cultural and legal resources of the City of Chicago provide such an environment.

The faculty-student interaction at Chicago was a wonderful surprise. Professors here know their students by name. Office doors are always open, and students are welcome to stop by (and frequently do). Faculty eat at the same places as students, attend the same lectures, auction items in the charity auction, make cameo appearances in the musical, and compete against students in the trivia contest finals. Many students (including myself) take advantage of the opportunity to pursue individual projects with professors as well. The accessibility of the faculty makes it easier to develop the close relationships which make law school interesting and exciting. As an example, as part of my work with the Mandel Legal Aid Clinic, I was working on a case in the Seventh Circuit which was relevant to my Constitutional Law course on Equal Protection. I discussed the case with my professor after class and he incorporated my description of the case into our class on the topic.

Chicago's small size also gives students a sense of ownership about the school, and the motivation to work to make it a better place. In the two and a half years I have been here, I have seen students start half a dozen groups including a group for older law students, a group to sponsor speakers on leadership and a new journal covering international law topics. Students feel free to update existing groups and institutions to tailor them to changing interests within the student body. For example, the new editors of the law school newspaper, the Phoenix, completely revamped its format this year. There are meetings to discuss student reactions to policy changes and students serve as liaisons to faculty committees on everything from academic rules to technology and every topic in between. Student advocacy has also helped improve the area around the Law School. A recent example of such advocacy is the successful petitioning of local government for a stop sign at a nearby intersection. In a small institution like the Law School, nobody can make the argument that "someone else will do it" or "nothing will happen anyway"; change is always possible, and people are encouraged to pursue it. On a practical note, professional success is easier when there are fewer of you. Employers like to hire students from a variety of law schools. With a relatively small number of students, and an amazing national reputation, Chicago students find themselves in real demand. Chicago students have also been remarkably successful in obtaining judicial clerkships. This is attributable in part to the small number of students and to the faculty members' ability to write knowledgeable recommendations. An additional benefit of the small student body is that the Office of Career Services has time to devote to helping each student ascertain her interests and find the job she wants, whether it is a position in a firm, in government, or in public interest.

Finally, a small law school makes the practical details of life a little easier. This is not a bureaucracy. Course scheduling, exam rescheduling, academic rules, registration, financial aid and loans, career counseling, all it takes is a walk down the hall to see someone who is willing to be flexible and help you. By way of an extreme example, the day I awoke to find that my alarm clock had not worked, and my tax final was already underway, the registrar calmed me down and arranged for me to take the test in the library, and what seemed like a major crisis was converted into a minor hassle. Importantly, the small size of the law school also allows both the administration and the student body to be sensitive, supportive and accommodating when students must deal with difficult personal situations.

To be fair, there are a few disadvantages to small schools. Some days, the Law School feels a little like a fishbowl. Those are the times I head elsewhere. It is easy to find diversions in a city like Chicago, whether it is a run by Lake Michigan, a trip to the Art Institute, shopping on the Magnificent Mile, a meal in Chinatown or a Cubs or White Sox game. All of these options are a short distance from the Law School. Our location in a major city offers not only opportunities for diversion, but also for legal education outside of the classroom. Students volunteer at public interest and government offices, observe cases at local courts, argue before these same courts, and establish mentoring relationships with area attorneys who have similar interests.

Chicago's small size means that it will not have the broad range of coursework of a larger school. Although the course offerings and faculty have expanded greatly in my time here, it is still impossible to spend three years here taking nothing but environmental law or international taxation. I have found, however, that there is always an amazing variety of courses, and the quarter system allows us to explore more areas in three years than we could under a semester system. In addition, law school is primarily an education in a core curriculum, rather than an opportunity to learn the intricacies of a particular legal field. Both faculty and prospective employers discourage specialization in a particular area. Experience shows that people are often not able to accurately anticipate their areas of interest in advance. At its best, law school is an opportunity to test out a broad range of subjects, discover preferences, and prepare oneself for a lifetime of learning, all in an environment that supports these endeavors. Such an experience is easily achievable-indeed, inevitable-at Chicago.