The Billionaire Boys Club (Billionaire Romance Series Book 1(11)

Kelsey removed her fleece jacket. Although it had been cool in the room earlier, the heat seemed to have kicked on. She noticed several others had done the same.

“I suspect that at least of few of you are not quite sure what to expect during your law school experience. Darrow is known for giving its first-year students a solid legal background that makes them well qualified for prestigious internships during their first summer.”



Kelsey knew this and was hoping to get a great, well-paying internship after final exams. It would help pay for her second year at Darrow.

“But before you start planning for that first summer, realize,” the dean paused, then continued, “that a third of you won’t finish the year.”



The room was completely quiet.

“At Darrow, our grading system is quite simple. The top twenty percent of the class gets an ‘A’, the next a ‘B’, the next a ‘C’. The bottom forty percent of the class fails. There are no pluses, no minuses. Two fails and you’re out. It’s as simple as that.”



Although Kelsey knew this as well, she really hadn’t thought of the starkness of this rule. Some law schools made the first year pass/fail or even gradeless. They wanted students to stay. Darrow wanted them out.

“This one simple system is the reason that Darrow graduates are so prized in the legal community. If you have the resume of a Darrow graduate, you know that you have one of the best.”



It was true. Kelsey knew that Darrow students often had their choice of internships and jobs, while other law graduates had to settle.

“Every 1L will take the following classes this fall: Civil Procedure, Property, and Torts. These are of course in addition to your Legal Writing class. Professor Weber is resting from the flu, so I’ve asked Professor Eliot to sit in. We’ll discuss a bit about the day-to-day process, then we’ll be happy to take some questions.”



Darrow used the Socratic method, where a professor calls on a student and asks questions until the professor decides to call on a different student. At Darrow, a student might find that they were answering questions all day, or even all week. Or they might never be called at all. It depended on the professor.

“Let’s demonstrate, shall we?” Professor Eliot said. “You, the blonde up front. I can’t see your name.”


Kelsey gulped. “Kelsey,” she replied.

“Fine, Kelsey,” Professor Eliot said dismissively. “Why did you want to attend Darrow?”



“It’s the best,” Kelsey said simply.

“Why?”



“It’s known for producing some of the best lawyers in the country.”



“So are a dozen schools, Kelsey. Why here?”



Kelsey paused. She knew why she wanted to attend Darrow, but she wasn’t sure which answer would satisfy Professor Eliot.

“Darrow graduates get some of the best jobs in the country.”



“And everyone else gets the rest. Go on.”



“It has an excellent reputation?”



“Says who? A bunch of non-lawyers who write ‘Best Law School’ books?”



This comment got a few quiet snickers. Kelsey was getting flustered.

“It just seemed like the right choice for me.”



This time Professor Eliot laughed.

“I’m sure you’ll change your mind after final exams,” she said unkindly. “Alright, you in the dark green shirt. Tyler. Why did you pick Darrow?”



The tall, good-looking boy smiled at Professor Eliot. “Because I want to have the best legal education that money can buy. I believe the recommendation of two Supreme Court Justices is reason enough for me.”



“Interesting,” replied Professor Eliot. “All right, that is an example of the Socratic method for you all, and what you can expect in most of your first-year classes at Darrow. Different professors use different means of calling on students. Sometimes alphabetically, sometimes just because they want to talk to you today. You may be on the hot seat for hours, minutes or days. It’s up to the professor. So make sure that you’re always prepared.” She glanced at Kelsey. “You don’t want to look stupid in front of your peers.”



Kelsey seethed.

For the next hour and a half, the Dean and three professors discussed some of the ends and outs of the Darrow experience. Some of the things that they mentioned were in the student guide which had been sent to everyone’s home over the summer, and which Kelsey had read cover to cover three times.

“If that’s all,” Dean Miller said, looking at the professors, “let’s get a few questions. We’ll get everyone out of here by three. Okay, you in the red. Sam? What would you like to know?”



“Can we ask questions in class? When the professor is questioning us, I mean?”



Professor Eliot spoke. “It depends on the professor. Some professors, like Professor Weber, encourage it in their classes. Others don’t. Often the professor is trying to get the class to understand a specific point in the law, and an irrelevant question can throw that off track. Personally, I don’t encourage it. But if you have a question, you can and should take advantage of your professor’s office hours. We all have them, and we all want to support students who care enough about their success to be proactive.”