Ashley's NEW Blog: Advice for the Upcoming Admissions Cycle Forum

RTR10

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Post by RTR10 » Thu Feb 22, 2007 12:27 am

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Post by RTR10 » Thu Feb 22, 2007 1:42 am

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Post by RTR10 » Thu Feb 22, 2007 4:18 pm

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Post by RTR10 » Thu Feb 22, 2007 8:18 pm

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Post by RTR10 » Fri Feb 23, 2007 12:58 am

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Post by RTR10 » Mon Feb 26, 2007 2:23 pm

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Post by RTR10 » Tue Feb 27, 2007 11:25 pm

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Post by RTR10 » Wed Feb 28, 2007 12:53 pm

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RTR10

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Post by RTR10 » Thu Mar 01, 2007 7:42 pm

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Post by RTR10 » Wed Mar 07, 2007 3:23 am

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Post by RTR10 » Wed Mar 07, 2007 11:37 am

So check this out...

I saw on LSN that the Dean of Alabama had called another full-ride scholarship recipient and asked what they could do to get her to come there and even offered to pay for a visit...

Well I didn't get that phone call...so I emailed the Dean...

They're paying for me to come visit... yay :D

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Post by RTR10 » Thu Mar 08, 2007 12:06 pm

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Post by RTR10 » Sat Mar 10, 2007 12:20 pm

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Post by RTR10 » Mon Mar 12, 2007 2:11 am

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Post by RTR10 » Tue Mar 13, 2007 1:14 pm

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Post by RTR10 » Wed Mar 14, 2007 12:25 am

It is going to be SO hard to withdraw from Pepperdine, but it just isn't logical for me to go there. But I'm going to post my report for all those who are thinking about Pepperdine:

-Very stingy with grades. Forced Median of 78. 15% get A's, 35% get Bs, etc. Top third to keep your scholarship rounds out to be an 81.1
-Cannot use Mac's for exams
-Christian influence is not imposed on you
-One of the journal editors was drinking in the library when we talked to him
-4 journals: top 10% at end of year invited to write for the journal of their choosing, also a 20-25 pg paper writing competition at end of 1L
-DO NOT work during 1L, or even during 2L and 3L unless it's an internship
-$700-800 for books first semester, then only need one book second semester 1L. Buy all the supplements you can get.
-Take the Law Preview course.
-Wireless works really well.
-All classes in the same building.
-Hidden third floor of the library.
-Library Hours: M-Tr 6am-Midnight, F 6am-8pm, Sat 8am-8pm, Sun noon-midnight
-Take about 4 pages typed notes per class period
-One thing they would change: their USNews Ranking
-Financial aid packages will be sent prior to April 1
-People do not rip out pages for common assigments/steal books
-Length of exams: typically three hours (1 hr MC, 2 hr Essay)...if MC & Essay you get a bathroom break
-Class Length: 1 hr periods (two or three times per week)
-Time spent studying: at least 9 hrs per day. Those in the top 10 percent study about 15 hrs per day. The guy that gave the tour said he gets up at 6:30, reads until 9, class til 12, library til dinner break at 7, study til midnight, bed. Repeat.
-Clinics: several including #1 Strauss Institute for Dispute Resolution and Public Interest Clinic
-Traffic: 20 minutes from Santa Monica, 45 minutes from West LA
-Food is great
-What do students do for fun: drink in Santa Monica
-Why did you choose Pepperdine: Staff is friendly, helpful, and have your best interest at heart
-Career services has a list of Pepperdine Alumni by region broken into type of law and will set you up with contact information for anywhere.
-Parking is FREEEEEEEEE! This is the best thing ever!
-All professors have an open door policy. Most professors stick around the law school and buy pizza for students in the library.
-Approx. 200 students in each entering class, 3 sections broken into groups of 70.
-Method of upper course class selection: easy to get into any class you want. If the room capacity is 95, there will be up to 95 people in the class.
-Study tips: read everything twice (night before and in the morning before class), stay on top of outlines. Divide your weekend into 6 sections and do outlines.
-$50 built in print credits.
-OCI: Fall 2nd year, 300 firms participate, top quarter-easy to get a job
-Forced to argue your appellate brief 2nd semester 1L (not for credit)
-Apply for federal clerkships 1L because it's based on writing sample, not grades
-Midterms 1st semester 1L. Don't count towards grade, but gives you an idea of how you're doing, and how to take a LS exam
-Hard to get into the Law School, but once you're in, you'll stay. They're super focused on keeping their students.
-6 courses 1L

-Random: There is a dodgeball tournament, professors against students in the atrium of the Law School. It's a big deal.

PICTURES:
Sunset between Malibu & Santa Monica
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Pepperdine Main Campus
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Law School Cafeteria
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Law School Bookstore
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Law School Atrium
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Professors' Homes
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Graduate Housing
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Law School Building
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Law School Library
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Inside the Library
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View from the Law School (lots of clouds today over the ocean)
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Lecture classroom
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Hope someone finds this useful. I wish it was feasible for me to go there, but I just can't justify it with the other offers I have received. Beautiful campus, and I loved my visit, but California just isn't for me.

Good news though...one of my residents from last year was on my flight out here, so we're going to go to Hollywood tomorrow before I leave to go back home! Finally, I won't be alone!!

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RTR10

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Post by RTR10 » Thu Mar 15, 2007 10:13 pm

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Post by RTR10 » Fri Mar 16, 2007 3:55 am

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Post by RTR10 » Fri Mar 16, 2007 1:11 pm

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Post by RTR10 » Sat Mar 17, 2007 12:05 am

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Post by RTR10 » Sun Mar 18, 2007 5:29 am

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Post by RTR10 » Sun Mar 18, 2007 5:21 pm

I got to Bama earlier this morning and then took a nap. Despite what most people say, I love it down here. If tomorrow goes well, this is definitely where I'll be next year.

On another note.

I'm so sick of people saying that 165ish isn't a good LSAT score. Just because you think that you could have done better does not mean that you should belittle others with the same score. Some of us aren't applying to H/Y/S...and some of us are and actually got in (TheRealMe). Everyone has a story, and some people just don't feel like disclosing amazing soft factors on the internet that would get them in to practically any school. 165 is still above the 90th percentile. When you say that 165 isn't a good LSAT score, think of how you make others feel with that score and lower scores. This is supposed to be a support system, not a place you come to make yourself feel better by making others feel worse...just because misery loves company doesn't mean others with your "terrible" score think, or should think, that their scores are "terrible."

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Post by RTR10 » Mon Mar 19, 2007 7:00 pm

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Post by RTR10 » Tue Mar 20, 2007 4:17 pm

Here's my report on Alabama, the story application to decision, and pictures (will post those next post after I download them).

But before I begin...I think I grew up in a cave. I don't know what Fraggle Rock is. People talk about it all the time, and I just don't remember it! Maybe it scared me so I blocked it out of my memory.

Ok so here goes.

Alabama Report:
Disclaimer: This report isn't very detailed because I didn't spend a lot of time writing, because I was talking so much. But if you want to know more, ask me, I'm sure I've got it stored in my head somewhere.
-Curve: no mandatory curve. The people that are given scholarships are those that the committee is certain will meet the requirements for maintaining the scholarship.
-Not supposed to work during 1L
-$$ for books: budget $500/semester if buying from the bookstore. However, they will send a book list out before school starts, and you'll be able to order online
-Can't use Macs for exams, but there are computer lounges.
-Whole building is wireless
-Library Hours: 7am-midnight, exams 7am-2am
-One thing you could change: southern politics (professor), career services (student) Note--a new person dedicated solely to outside of Alabama job placement was just hired
-How much writing assigned: Only required writing class is the legal research and writing class first year. There are several upper level drafting classes that you may take
-Financial aid packages will be sent out within the next two weeks.
-There is no hiding/stealing/defacing of books and personal items. Competitive, but not to the point of figuring out ways to sabatoge others.
-Length of exams correlate to how many hours the course is worth. You may take bathroom breaks on your own time. If you choose to take exams elsewhere, you must pick up the exam, take it, and bring it back within the alloted exam time.
-chairs in the lecture halls are really comfortable. There's also a plug at each seat as well as a speaker.
-Class length is either an hour three or four days a week (for 3 or 4 credit classes), or two hours once a week (2 credit class), or 1.5 hours twice a week (3 credit class), etc.
-Clinics: Civil, Domestic Violence, Criminal, Elder, Capital, and one other one that I can't remember!
-Traffic: 15 minutes max to get anywhere
-Food: Lots of great places surrounding campus. We ate at Newks (REALLY good). There is a cafeteria in the law school with decent food and a patio (the patio outside in the courtyard is wireless too)
-What do students do for fun: go to Birmingham, bars, movies, progressives, football games, movies, go out to eat, etc.
-There's a student committee that plans all sorts of free events for law students (with open bar and free food)
-Law Review Requirements: Top 5%-Law Review (or write on top 50%), Top 20% (or write on top 50%)-one of the journals, and top 50% (or write on) Psych and Law Journal
-Why did you choose Alabama: friendly people, money (cheap), best in the state, particular programs, football, etc.
-Where did you go to school? Dean-Hofstra JD, Student-Auburn
-Job placement in STL: new lady in Career Services is great
-Study tips: six weeks out, make a calendar for what you're going to study when, stay on top of outlines, get a study group together for finals
-Hours a day devoted to studying: 1L--from time class is out until 11 or so. 2L & 3L--treat it like an 8-5.
-Open Door Policy: Yep, all faculty offices are on the third floor
-Parking: around $100 for the year, but there are always plenty of spots by the law school.
-# of law students/attrition rate: 170 students per class. Nobody has failed out in two years. Almost everyone stays. If they leave its because they realized they don't want to be a lawyer, or they're homesick.
-Method of class selection: Can pick any class, some have caps.
-Law Preview Course: take it if you want to, but you'll be capable of starting in the fall with no problem without taking it
-What apartments do law students live in: a lot live in Rivermont. It's super nice (see pictures). The one student I had lunch with said they have dinner and drinks progressives all the time.
-What apartments to avoid (because there are a lot of UG students): anything right next to campus and the new University Village
-Will a UA education help me to pass the MO bar? Yes. They don't teach Alabama specific law, unless you take specific classes to learn the Alabama laws.
-Judicial Clerkships: Apply during 3rd year. About 20% of students secure these Clerkships, making between 40-60K with living expenses subsidized by scholarships
-Study Aids: Buy all that you can get your hands on
-Football Tickets: $50 for the season. Buy quick once you get the letter on how to do it!
-Order of Samaritan. This is interesting. It's a public service award (30 hours community service + 50 hours legal public service, spread out over six semesters). You get a medallion for graduation
-About two out of 100 people didn't have laptops in class
-Socratic Method: In the classes I sat in on, the professors assign each person one case for the entire semester, and you know which day is your day to present.
-Off-Campus Association: Join it! For $60, they'll pay your utilities deposits and schedule installation for you
-OCI: have to ask about this. It was one of my questions that I didn't get answered because I ran out of time
-Utilities per month run less than $300. Look at Comcast for Cable/Internet/Phone package
-Weather: spring/fall very tolerable, winters hardly ever see snow, and summers very hot. Too far north to regularly experience hurricanes.
-The classrooms are the perfect temperature (and I'm always either too hot or too cold)
-There's a brand new wing of the law school (opened in Sept 06), that has a cafeteria, space for all of the clinics, seven new classrooms, meeting rooms, etc.

My Alabama Story from Start to Finish
Alabama was never even on my radar. Then one day after the December LSAT, I got a random fee waiver with 25 free iTunes. Sure, might as well apply. A few weeks went by, and I called to see if I was complete. They had misplaced my application, but the lady in admissions kept in touch to make sure they had found it. About a week later in early February, I missed a call from the Asst. Director of Admissions with a voicemail that sounded like I had messed up my application. I called back, and he informed me that I had been admitted with a full-tuition scholarship. Within the following weeks, I received personal emails from several people in the law school, a binder filled with information, and a long sleeve Alabama Law t-shirt. After seeing that someone else had been invited to visit with a travel stipend, I emailed the Dean and expressed my interest in the school, desire to visit, and lack of financial resources to do so. He promptly responded, and I set up my visit (airfare and hotel paid). This past Sunday, I left to visit Bama, and fell in love. I stopped random people in the area to ask how they liked living in Tuscaloosa, asked random law students how they liked the law school, and I seriously did not meet a single person who was not super-friendly. I drove around looking at apartments, taking lots of pictures, and felt comfortable in the town. That's one thing that I haven't felt during other visits. Yesterday I got up and went to the Law School. I met with a professor who grew up in the same area as I did. She offered a lot of insight about the "transplant" process. Then I met with the Dean. Friendliest guy on the planet. I told him about the interview this weekend, and how I didn't really want to go. He asked what the terms were. Then I mentioned that I would have to buy a new computer (since Mac's aren't allowed for exams), and he offered a free laptop right there. I also told him that my only hesitation was the expenses associated with moving (about 1000 to rent a U-Haul, buying new furniture, security deposits, etc). He said he'd talk to some people to see what he could help with. Then I talked with the Dean of Admissions, who was also amazing. I got to take a tour with a 2L, who was very informative and friendly. I sat in on a Con Law class, and then had lunch with a 3L who is the VP of the student body. She was so helpful. After lunch I got to sit in on the Domestic Violence Clinic class which was AMAZING. Afterwards, I talked to a 3L who shares the same interests as I do, and then I wrapped things up talking to the Asst. Director of Admissions who offered me my scholarship. I informed them that after my visit, I was positive I would be enrolling at UA. I went back to the hotel and grabbed my letter of intent and wrote out a check. After, I went to visit Rivermont Apartments which hopefully will be where I live starting in July. I bought a ton of Bama stuff from the bookstore for my boyfriend, my mom, and I. I couldn't stop smiling all day yesterday, and had a strange sense of relief since I made my decision.

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