Current URM students taking Q's Forum

[You Gotta Have Faith]

What are your thoughts on this Harvard 3L e-mail situation (Crimson DNA, as ATL calls it)? How has your BLSA reacted?

Care to elaborate on what you're talking about? Genuinely curious. Maybe I just missed something elsewhere on the boards.

[Kohinoor]

What are your thoughts on this Harvard 3L e-mail situation (Crimson DNA, as ATL calls it)? How has your BLSA reacted?

I think that it's telling that this even became news. Things must be real nice/boring at Harvard Law School. I'm not authorized to speak for UVA BLSA.

[vanwinkle]

What surprised me the most was that Louisiana has the lowest bar passage rate overall (I know its off topic, but still).

This is incredibly off-topic but I've heard enough stories about Louisiana to not be surprised it has such a low bar passage rate. Beyond how unlike the rest of the country their legal system is (since it originally derives from French and not English law), there's also rampant corruption and bias in the process. I've heard the same story enough people to believe it's true, about how at one bar sitting, every single person who had been hired by a public defender office ended up failing. Every one of them, including some T14 kids. Louisiana is just f'ed up.

[Kohinoor]

6. How strong is the sense of covert racism from other students not of your race, on a scale of 1 weakest and 5 strongest? From the professors? I see both actual serious thought and simple ignorance of not knowing on this site...as well as blatant "I can't wait to prove [insert URM category here] doesn't deserve to be here with us" sentiment. Wondering how these students and future students' true colours they show here play out in law school.

Strong.

@ UVA?

Everyone I met at the PILA beer pong tourney seemed cool as hell and very welcoming.

Maybe I overstated things. Weak.

[D Brooks]

6. How strong is the sense of covert racism from other students not of your race, on a scale of 1 weakest and 5 strongest? From the professors? I see both actual serious thought and simple ignorance of not knowing on this site...as well as blatant "I can't wait to prove [insert URM category here] doesn't deserve to be here with us" sentiment. Wondering how these students and future students' true colours they show here play out in law school.

Strong.

@ UVA?

Everyone I met at the PILA beer pong tourney seemed cool as hell and very welcoming.

Maybe I overstated things. Weak.

Dude, be serious. Let me know. What's your real impression.

[Kohinoor]

Dude, be serious. Let me know. What's your real impression.

There is a pervasive undercurrent of racism in higher education generally.

[Aberzombie1892]

What surprised me the most was that Louisiana has the lowest bar passage rate overall (I know its off topic, but still).

This is incredibly off-topic but I've heard enough stories about Louisiana to not be surprised it has such a low bar passage rate. Beyond how unlike the rest of the country their legal system is (since it originally derives from French and not English law), there's also rampant corruption and bias in the process. I've heard the same story enough people to believe it's true, about how at one bar sitting, every single person who had been hired by a public defender office ended up failing. Every one of them, including some T14 kids. Louisiana is just f'ed up.

I honestly haven't heard anything about the corruption (except for the police - I'm not kidding).

But it's like, Tulane/Loyola/LSU all have bar passage rates higher than the state average.

So I'm thinking, who is failing it so badly here?

[20121109]

Hey Kohinoor...marry me?

<3

[You Gotta Have Faith]

I honestly haven't heard anything about the corruption (except for the police - I'm not kidding).

But it's like, Tulane/Loyola/LSU all have bar passage rates higher than the state average.

So I'm thinking, who is failing it so badly here?

I mean this with all due respect... but it is probably Southern Law Center that at least helps bring it down. Their first time passage rate is 39%, which is significantly lower than the 73% state average. This would explain why Tulane, Loyola NO, and LSU can all be a bit above the average. Also, there are people who come from OTHER law schools who try to pass the bar in LA... and most of them, even if it was a great school, are not aware of the ins and outs of the LA bar the way one might learn them at LSU, Tulane or Loyola NO.

http://southern.lawschoolnumbers.com/

[Kohinoor]

Dude, be serious. Let me know. What's your real impression.

There is a pervasive undercurrent of racism in higher education generally.

I would honestly love to hear your real answer to the original question. (1-5?)

The problem is that whatever I rated it, I would rate most other law schools similarly. Therefore, my rating doesn't help you distinguish between law schools. Moreover, since we may be coming from very different places in life, I could rate the law school experience a 5 and have you come here and say it's a 1 or vice versa. The answer would be meaningless.

[TheBigMediocre]

What are your thoughts on this Harvard 3L e-mail situation (Crimson DNA, as ATL calls it)? How has your BLSA reacted?

Care to elaborate on what you're talking about? Genuinely curious. Maybe I just missed something elsewhere on the boards.

Read through the last ~3 days of posts on ATL and you'll find a bunch of junk on it. It was even picked up by The Boston Globe.

[You Gotta Have Faith]

What are your thoughts on this Harvard 3L e-mail situation (Crimson DNA, as ATL calls it)? How has your BLSA reacted?

Care to elaborate on what you're talking about? Genuinely curious. Maybe I just missed something elsewhere on the boards.

Read through the last ~3 days of posts on ATL and you'll find a bunch of junk on it. It was even picked up by The Boston Globe.

Cool, thanks.

[Kohinoor]

Hey Kohinoor...marry me?

<3

let me know if you're still interested after your acceptance cycle!

[20121109]

Hey Kohinoor...marry me?

<3

let me know if you're still interested after your acceptance cycle!

If I do, would you convince me to come to UVA? <3

[Kohinoor]

Hey Kohinoor...marry me?

<3

let me know if you're still interested after your acceptance cycle!

If I do, would you convince me to come to UVA? <3

lol. I'd try but I hear that that HLS acceptance letter is hella persuasive.

[legalized]

6. How strong is the sense of covert racism from other students not of your race, on a scale of 1 weakest and 5 strongest? From the professors? I see both actual serious thought and simple ignorance of not knowing on this site...as well as blatant "I can't wait to prove [insert URM category here] doesn't deserve to be here with us" sentiment. Wondering how these students and future students' true colours they show here play out in law school.

Strong.

@ UVA?

Everyone I met at the PILA beer pong tourney seemed cool as hell and very welcoming.

That's why you have to, as they say in the movie I, Robot, ask the RIGHT question.

You said how everyone seemed. That is OVERT. Everyone always seems nice unless they make a living portraying an asshole a la Howard Stern. That's why I asked for the COVERT report.

And two completely different law schools answered me back with the same answer. Tells me plenty.

The grass is tall in these uncharted waters...beware of snakes.

Thank you to the URMs who answered. I was afraid I was asking too many at once but I don't recall ever seeing a thread like this before, only from xyz school's ?Ls...

Seems like I'm off to a great start though, I got on my professors about those LORs this semester... but glad I asked what else to do cause I wasn't thinking of going as far as more than ONE targeted letter. Go all out. Got it.

And ROFL @ Kohinoor's cuteness getting him (you are a him? right?) in the door.

[legalized]

Dude, be serious. Let me know. What's your real impression.

There is a pervasive undercurrent of racism in higher education generally.

I would honestly love to hear your real answer to the original question. (1-5?)

Two of them answered it the first time around. You seem to be in denial or hoping if you keep asking the answer will change. lol.

[creatinganalt]

To any Harvard 1ls:

Can you tell me what the day to day schedule is like? Do you have a lot of classes? Are they all day or just morning? How many hours do you study each day? Do you work in the library?

And how much were the first semester of books (trying to create a budget here)

Thanks!

[Aberzombie1892]

I honestly haven't heard anything about the corruption (except for the police - I'm not kidding).

But it's like, Tulane/Loyola/LSU all have bar passage rates higher than the state average.

So I'm thinking, who is failing it so badly here?

I mean this with all due respect... but it is probably Southern Law Center that at least helps bring it down. Their first time passage rate is 39%, which is significantly lower than the 73% state average. This would explain why Tulane, Loyola NO, and LSU can all be a bit above the average. Also, there are people who come from OTHER law schools who try to pass the bar in LA... and most of them, even if it was a great school, are not aware of the ins and outs of the LA bar the way one might learn them at LSU, Tulane or Loyola NO.

http://southern.lawschoolnumbers.com/

I know their passage rate is bad, but still...

The Louisiana February exam results:

Tulane 74%
LSU 76.2%
Loyola NO 72.8%
Southern 62.9%
Everyone else 61%

There are a lot more "everyone elses" than I realized. Of course I have no intention of taking the LA bar, but it's interesting. I also don't think it's fair to compare LA schools' bar passage rates to other schools' bar passage rates. But that is another discussion within itself.

--LinkRemoved--

[You Gotta Have Faith]

I honestly haven't heard anything about the corruption (except for the police - I'm not kidding).

But it's like, Tulane/Loyola/LSU all have bar passage rates higher than the state average.

So I'm thinking, who is failing it so badly here?

I mean this with all due respect... but it is probably Southern Law Center that at least helps bring it down. Their first time passage rate is 39%, which is significantly lower than the 73% state average. This would explain why Tulane, Loyola NO, and LSU can all be a bit above the average. Also, there are people who come from OTHER law schools who try to pass the bar in LA... and most of them, even if it was a great school, are not aware of the ins and outs of the LA bar the way one might learn them at LSU, Tulane or Loyola NO.

http://southern.lawschoolnumbers.com/

I know their passage rate is bad, but still...

The Louisiana February exam results:

Tulane 74%
LSU 76.2%
Loyola NO 72.8%
Southern 62.9%
Everyone else 61%

There are a lot more "everyone elses" than I realized. Of course I have no intention of taking the LA bar, but it's interesting. I also don't think it's fair to compare LA schools' bar passage rates to other schools' bar passage rates. But that is another discussion within itself.

--LinkRemoved--

I was never comparing LA bar passage rates to other schools' rates, fwiw. I think most people who halfway do their research are aware that LA has a tougher than average bar to pass (different way of practicing law altogether). The best way to look at schools and judge their bar passage rates, imo, is to first know roughly how hard the bar actually is to pass, know what other schools are trying to pass it, and then to get an idea of how that school compares against it.

(I mean, I think I'm agreeing with you, fwiw)

For example, although Pepperdine's bar passage rate is usually only around 80%, you should account for the fact that the CA bar is more difficult and that the state-wide passage rate is closer to 70%. Then again, it might sound a little less grand... because there are a lot of unaccredited law schools that are helping to bring the average down.

In any case, my understanding of the LA bar passage rate hierarchy is that it is almost always
LSU/Tulane > Loyola NO > Southern/Others. Usually LSU does the best, but sometimes Tulane pulls it off.

[Kohinoor]

*poke*

[D Brooks]

What's biglaw mecca for the UVa student body?

W&C? Sullivan & Cromwell?

[Kohinoor]

How well did you do after your first semester?

Well enough to not kill myself.

This is not really an answer. Median? Top 1/3? Top 10%?

This is stupid stupid dumb question. The lady says she is URM in first post. Bottom 1/3. Duh.

no u

[Kohinoor]

What's biglaw mecca for the UVa student body?

W&C? Sullivan & Cromwell?

biglaw mecca for everybody is W&C or one of the boutiques isn't it? Of course, a vanishingly small number actually get it.

[kk19131]

Yay for the Blacks.