George Mason Class of 2012 Forum

[AbsolutLax]

For those who wish to join: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?sid=0&gid=49471211756

[tchadwick]

Woohoo! In via phone call (about 20 minutes ago)!!!

It will be hard to turn down other schools that offered me scholarships -- but I'm pretty sure GMU is worth it, so I posted here on THIS thread, because I believe that I will now be part of GMU Class of 2012!!!

[AbsolutLax]

I suspect you will see a rise in Mason's rank over the upcoming years with its completion of Phase II and III of the law school. For information on the expansion of the Arlington Campus check out the following links:

http://www.arlingtonvirginiausa.com/index.cfm/12915
http://www.arlingtonvirginiausa.com/ind ... newsid=339
http://spirit.gmu.edu/fall08/coming_of_age.html

[screech]

Woohoo! In via phone call (about 20 minutes ago)!!!

It will be hard to turn down other schools that offered me scholarships -- but I'm pretty sure GMU is worth it, so I posted here on THIS thread, because I believe that I will now be part of GMU Class of 2012!!!

Congrats!

[KristaLyn]

Pretty sure I will be in the Mason class of 2012! The only school that could pull me away would be GWU and even then, it might be tough because I get instate tuition at Mason, which makes it 1/2 the cost of GW!

And I have been accepted to Catholic, and would never consider it over Mason, those people are insane.

[reidmacharg]

Hey, Guys:
Congratulations on getting into Mason. For all its weaknesses, Mason seems to put its efforts where they will be the most effective: quality teachers, small classes, and niche fields and bents like law and economics. I'm happy to go here, and I don't feel like a sucker for paying 40k/yr.
When you get your schedules and you want to save a lot of money on books, PM me, and I'll give you half of what they cost in the bookstore. I also have some good outlines that I'll throw in.
See you in the fall,
Reid

[pomona]

Hey, Guys:
Congratulations on getting into Mason. For all its weaknesses, Mason seems to put its efforts where they will be the most effective: quality teachers, small classes, and niche fields and bents like law and economics. I'm happy to go here, and I don't feel like a sucker for paying 40k/yr.
When you get your schedules and you want to save a lot of money on books, PM me, and I'll give you half of what they cost in the bookstore. I also have some good outlines that I'll throw in.
See you in the fall,
Reid

Thanks for the info. Could you comment more on the weaknesses you think there are at Mason?

[AbsolutLax]

Bump. I'm just curious about your overall opinion of the school as a student there, and how you feel it compares to the large number of schools in the DC area (As well as W&L, W&M, and Maryland). Thanks!

[reidmacharg]

Sure, I can comment. First, I haven't been a student at any other law school, so it's hard to make any sort of intelligent comparison. I can, however, talk about it in reference to UNC, where I went to undergrad. Mason is a very new school, and it shows... in both good and bad ways. For example, the endowment is meager, and sometimes things don't seem as organized or established as they could be because it's still a work in progress. On the other hand, the teachers are great and are happy to be there, and it's a niche school in a terrific location. There are tons of jobs around here.
Please don't look too far into the word niche. There is this widespread fear that GMUSL is a variant of Fox news, and if you're not into keeping Terri Schaivo drooling on herself and bombs exploding in Iraq, then you don't belong. This is a dangerous myth. I've actually found it to be a nice balance. If you come from a very liberal undergrad like I did, it's a good experience to learn from people who come from different ideological bents. It makes for more comprehensive debate.
Comparing it to other schools, I guess just look at the numbers. Our placement rates are phenomenal, and the school is so much cheaper than the other schools. I don't think GW is worth the extra money, Georgetown might be worth it if you want big law or to work in NY or on the West Coast, and there's no contest between GMU and the lower ranked law schools in the area. They're more expensive, and I would wager that they're less challenging based on our curve and the fact that I had the hardest teacher of my life last semester in torts (again, I haven't gone to other schools, but I can't imagine this teacher has an equivalent). All said and done, I'm grateful for the experience, though I was a nervous wreck a few months ago.
I find the faculty and career services here very approachable and kind. I feel like people here really believe in the program and are excited to watch the school rise further.

[reidmacharg]

Oh and in regard to W&M and WL: They are out in the middle of nowhere with little opportunities for experience, networking or fun. That's a pretty hefty thing to consider. Also, Justice Alito's coming to talk to my Crim law class next week. I don't think he's dropping by on Williamsburg or Lexington any time soon. The schools are higher ranked (although I think the numbers for admitted students are very similar), but I don't think the difference offsets what Mason has to offer. Now if you're talking about a school like UVa or Duke, that's a different story.

[screech]

Thanks Reid...

I am glad to hear what you posted. It's reassuring for sure.

[AbsolutLax]

Let me guess...Michael Krauss? I'm a 0L and I'm already quaking in my shoes. haha. Thank you for the information on GM. There are so many people who love to speak badly about GM on this site, its refreshing to hear another side.

[reidmacharg]

Wow, you've heard of Krauss already? What an intense class. Don't you feel like you should request him just to get the full experience? Somehow I feel like the other half of 2011 missed out.

[AbsolutLax]

Yeah I've heard of him already. I'm sure you went through a pretty interesting class with him. Can you request professors as an incoming 1L, or are you just assigned?

[screech]

Yeah I've heard of him already. I'm sure you went through a pretty interesting class with him. Can you request professors as an incoming 1L, or are you just assigned?

this

[dreman510]

Reid, thanks for all the useful info!
What are your career aspirations?

[reidmacharg]

They just assign you, but since Krauss is so notorious, I bet that if you told the admissions office that you have heard so much about his torts class and that you would welcome the opportunity to learn from him specifically, they would happily oblige.

My career aspirations: I'm pretty sure I don't want to do litigation at a big firm. Wills, trusts, and estates; government; in-house counsel all sound like good choices that would make for a suitable balance of challenging work with room to grow, money, and time with family.

[carlweathersstew]

I suspect you will see a rise in Mason's rank over the upcoming years with its completion of Phase II and III of the law school. For information on the expansion of the Arlington Campus check out the following links:

http://www.arlingtonvirginiausa.com/index.cfm/12915
http://www.arlingtonvirginiausa.com/ind ... newsid=339
http://spirit.gmu.edu/fall08/coming_of_age.html

Lax, I agree that GMU will probably rise a bit with the new expansion. Do you know of any other law schools that have seen a rise in the rankings following an expansion of this kind?

Thanks

[spartjdawg]

I know I stated this already, but I am damned excited to be going to GMU!!!

[tchadwick]

I know I stated this already, but I am damned excited to be going to GMU!!!

Ditto!! Although, as I've said before, worried about that darn out-of-state tuition. Please please PLEASE give me a scholarship, just to get me to in-state tuition!! That's all I want!! I'll take it!!

Anyway - Who else was super-psyched to get the e-mail with the agenda for the ASW?!??! Wow! They are doing a lot of stuff! Can't wait! Hope to see you all there!

[hamburgler]

GMU is one of my top choices when I start my cycle, although I do have a few questions. If you attend or have visited maybe you can help. I like thier focus on law and economics, but is it only one class or is it a continued thing? I mean I took econ in college as a business major, so can I expect similarities? Also, has anyone been to the campus/ city? I hear it's fairly expensive, but a nice place. What can you expect an average rent to be?

Oh, and CONGRATS to everyone accepted!!

[KristaLyn]

I know I stated this already, but I am damned excited to be going to GMU!!!

Ditto!! Although, as I've said before, worried about that darn out-of-state tuition. Please please PLEASE give me a scholarship, just to get me to in-state tuition!! That's all I want!! I'll take it!!

Anyway - Who else was super-psyched to get the e-mail with the agenda for the ASW?!??! Wow! They are doing a lot of stuff! Can't wait! Hope to see you all there!

When did you get that email? Is it for the one in March? If so can you copy and paste it to me in a private messege here? Im worried it went to my spam box. I got a flyer with my admissions packet, but that was it. Thanks!

[screech]

I'm going to DC in a couple of weeks to visit. I'm not sure if I will turn around for the ASW 2 weeks after that. But I want to!

[AbsolutLax]

I cannot give you a specific example of when a law school expansion increased their rank, however if you look into the various categories US News uses to rank schools, it would make sense that there would be some correlation.

As for seeing the school, I work at a DC firm and decided to metro out to NVA and check it out- I just walked in and looked around- they must have thought I was lost, haha. But yeah it looks nice, and the construction is underway for phase II to be complete in the spring of 2010 (so plenty of time for us to enjoy it).

After undergrad all my friends moved up to Arlington, so I have experienced the night life quite a bit. There are some great bars right in Arlington- Rock B, Car Pool, etc. and just hop on the metro and it takes 15 minutes or so to get to Dupont or Adams Morgan. The housing in Arlington is expensive, but less than dc costs by a little. Unless you had alot of money and wanted to live by yourself, you'll probably have roommates- one friend pays 1900 a month, another pays 1800, and the other lives in Clarendon and pays 2000 (for the whole place- their actual payments are much less when split with roommates). I'm sure you can find cheaper places though. For people really interested, go to Google books and search for Law school buzz book- you will be able to read most of the George Mason chapter composed of interviews from previous law students there.
Hope this helps

[hamburgler]

It does, thank you! I'm still very early in this whole process. I haven't scheduled my LSAT yet, but plan on doing so for the June test. Just trying to gather as much info as possible. Thanks again!