This weather we are having right now blows... And I live 2.5 hours north of Minneapolis. By the way, in Minnesota we give distances by how long it takes to drive...

The ten day weather report looks like it won't be too bad over the weekend, cloudy and in the 50s. NOt having to bring big snow boots for the weekend is a plus.

Any one else flying in for the admitted students stuff?

ASW is this weekend? I'm going to have to make a trip out of the library to spy on you guys.

...

Yeah. Maybe in a rocket uncle Jesse.

Ever heard of Lake Kabetogama?

Yes I have, but I was making reference to the fact that Jesse lives in San Fransisco.

I'm flying in Friday morning and staying at the Holiday Inn. Are there any other TLS peeps staying at one of the hotels?

Yeah Ill be there.

When is (are?) the deposit deadline(s?). My file is in review and I would love a decision. Love me, UMN?

There's a deposit deadline in early May, but they have a later deposit deadline for people they let in this late. It's sometime in June, but I'm not sure when.


In Minneapolis now, I just checked into my hotel. I've looked at a few apartments around campus and I'm going to try to check out a few more before registration later this afternoon.

This evening was OK- in a lot of respects the reception could have been a bit better- it just seemed we were all crammed into a small space like cattle.
But, I did meet some cool people and figure out who UMDMike is. (Although initially I thought he was another guy named Mike who went to UMD for a couple years)

I like the city fairly well so far. Minnesota still looks like a good choice.

When is the deposit due again? Was it due on the 15th?

I JUST now received a letter dated on the 8th that they had increased my scholarship by a significant amount, so if I can still pay the deposit I will do so.

Edit: Never mind, I just read up. Can I pay the deposit online? I can't find anything about seat deposits on their website.

Hey Mike, fill us in on the details when you get back. I'm anxious to hear the details about the ASW.

I'm back in Michigan, and really was quite impressed.

I forgot to bring the camera with me so I didn't take pictures. (sorry- it was something I really wanted to do since there aren't many online)

I was really quite impressed overall.
First, The students as a whole seemed to really enjoy the school and were genuinely nice. This was true of both the students who were "student ambassadors" (likely quite biased since they've signed up to help sell the school to admitted students) and just normal students I met outside of official events. I was somewhat worried that as one of those schools just on the cusp of almost being a national school instead of a regional school students would be horribly competitive. That really seemed to not be the case. "Minnesota nice" seemed to be pretty close to reality. The natives of the state largely are really nice, and the school seems to attract students from out of state who want that kind of environment and are nice as well. I think the fact that so many of the people from Minnesota want to stay in the area keeps the competition down. The assistant dean said he was surprised and keeps being surprised at how well the students get along- that it was much friendlier than where he earned his JD, even though it had been fairly friendly and non competitive there.

Related to the competition would be the job opportunities. Everything I had looked at before seemed to indicate the top of the class can easily leave- while the rest of the class does well in the local market. The school sold a similar story- but it seamed to be borne out by all the 2Ls and 3Ls with whom I spoke. There are opportunities to leave the area if you place well in the class- but it's not as though everyone is gunning for biglaw in Chicago. The local market is decent and the school absolutely dominates the local market. 1st, you've got three regional schools in the area that get pretty solidly beat by UofM. 2nd, while it's a good market it's not a huge one and it's not drawing many grads from t14s. Market there is only 120, and the weather does scare people away. Add to that the fact that firms are somewhat suspicious of t14 grads who don't have ties to the area, and it means that Minnesota students are actually pretty competitive in the twin cities with grads anywhere.

The faculty all seemed good and sincerely interested in the students.
The facilities kind of explain why there aren't a lot of pictures. No, the buildings aren't run down, inadequate, old, ugly, etc. They were actually quite nice. It's just they weren't really anything to be super excited about either. Functional and attractive, but not gorgeous. It's not like at Michigan or Notre Dame where the new facilities were integrated into very old ivy league looking buildings. The new buildings built in the 80s and the expansion a few years ago look like they are from that time period. They don't look dated at all- they just look like modern buildings that don't look extreme and don't look bad. Just kind of vanilla.
The library is huge. There is less study space than I expected considering the size- but there was still plenty. The assigned carrels that can be locked up are nice- unfortunately there aren't enough of them for all 1Ls to get one. That said- most people who request one get one for their 1L, and all 2Ls and 3Ls who do get one. Plus, everyone who wants a locker gets one- so if you don't get a carrel you still have your locker which is next to the study area and cafeteria/snack bar area downstairs near the large classrooms where 1Ls spend most of their time.
The offices for law review and the journals are all right there at the library and seem pretty conveniently located.

I'm still not absolutely 100% sold- but I'm close. I will be emailing Julie Tigges in the morning with my scholarship offer from Illinois in hopes that Minnesota can come close.

I also went to ASW this weekend. I was impressed with the head of career placement and liked the current students I met. I really didn't care for the constitutional law lecture, but I don't know if you can read much from a fake class anyway. I am currently trying to decide between UMN and UIowa--I have in-state tuition from Iowa, but $8,000 per year from MN so the cost is pretty similar. I am 90% sure I want to practice law in the Twin Cities, so that is obviously pulling me heavily towards MN. On the other hand, my S.O. would be moving with me and we are both comfortable and settled where we are in Iowa right now. I will be making up my mind in the next week or so...

I completely agree about the mock class- largely because it didn't seem to really have a clear purpose or direction. It wasn't really run like a class- it was jut sort of another informational session about the school with some basic constitutional law thrown in at the end.

Amira- was your SO with you on the tour? (You can probably guess who I am since I mentioned being from Oklahoma when I asked Joseph Finley about how his firm views Minnesota students who are from out of state)

I think that if you want to practice in the twin cities there aren't any options outside of the t14 that come anywhere close to providing the opportunities Minnesota provides. Even then, most people who get into t14 schools will be getting money from Minnesota- which would still make it pretty attractive.

I was impressed with the ASW and it looks like I'll be joining you all at Minnesota. I tried to get more money out of them today so we'll see how that works out. It sounds like a lot of people stay in the Twin Cities so it must be pretty awesome to convince people to stay through 8 months of winter every year.

I requested some money today as well. I'm pretty set on Minnesota- but Illinois being quite a bit cheaper with the money they're offering has me on the fence. Even a small amount from Minnesota will seal the deal for me.

No, I went on the tour by myself. I do remember your question. I really liked Joseph Finley's presentation as well.

Good luck to everyone making decisions.

Thanks for writing up your thoughts on the ASW Mike, and all the rest. It's quite helpful for me since I am living in another country now and won't be able to visit before making a decision. Can I just ask, overall, what impressed you most about the school at the ASW? Were there a fair amount of out-of-staters there? Did people seem to feel that the school is on the rise, despite the US News ranking change? I read they made some pretty good hires last year and that their Biglaw placement numbers are increasing. Also, was the new Dean there, David Wippman? If so, did anyone get a feeling for the course U of MN is charting and what kind of future the Dean has envisioned? Thanks everyone.

Hello. After sending in my fee for Rutgers-Camden, I got a surprise last minute acceptance to UMN. They offered me a smaller scholarship, but after talking to the assistant dean, they matched my scholly from Rutgers. My fiancee and I are visiting next weekend, and it looks like we might very well end up at UMN. We're excited, as the Twin Cities offers more opportunities for her career and education than Jersey/Philly ever would.

We'll be there for only 1.5 days, and someone from the admissions office has been kind enough to come in on a Saturday to give us a tour. Any advice on what we should check out? For instance: housing areas?

Funny where fate takes us, I only applied as a flier after they extended their deadline. I know one shouldn't get worked up about rankings, but the idea of going to a 1st tier over Rutgers is really exiting. Not to mention, I've been to Minny before and really liked it.

Craigslist is a good spot to start looking for housing. This depends on when you want to move in though.. I have been looking for August 1st listings and they are few and far in between. As far as something to do, it depends what you are into. The Twins are playing at home against the Red Sox, if your into that. Also, I would check out the uptown area for resturants/bars. It really depends what your into.

OH...I'm a Red Sox fan, so that is interesting info, indeed!

I'm going to be at the Studios at Seven corners. They're absolutely tiny but are a block away from the law school. A lot of students live in uptown- it's about 4 miles away but is somewhat trendier and is cheaper than right next to school. I think you can get online and see the bus routes- that way you can look for a place on a bus line if you want somewhere a bit further from school. The stuff on the eastbank was a bit cheaper as well- but it's got a very frat/undergrad/party type feel to it. That may be worth it for being that close to school. I don't know if I will stay at the studios after my 1L- but being within easy walking distance is appealing for the first year.