Duke Law Class of 2014 Forum

[dannyde7]

I went to ASW and the New York reception. Feel free to PM with any questions.

[kwais]

Just got back from Duke's ASW and I loved it. It was better than what I expected. Everyone was really nice, especially the students. They (students) went out of their way to makes us feel comfortable and to answer every question we had. I had a couple of students at the bar just come up to me out of nowhere and ask "Do you have any last minute questions? What is your biggest worry about Duke and how can I help?" They were great. They all love Duke, and you could tell it was genuine.

All the professors I met were really nice. One of them told the group of students I was with that if we had any questions or were having trouble deciding between schools to email him. They were all very approachable and seemed to enjoy their time at Duke. The mock class was pretty cool as well (they obvs showcase the best professors, but still, I was impressed).

The Law School building is really nice. It was renovated a couple of years ago so it looks brand new. Duke itself is a beautiful campus, with great weather.

Durham, for me at least, is a small town, but the law students make the most of it. Everyone is from somewhere else, and a lot of them come from big cities so they try to really make the most of it.

It was really nice. Loved it. And I'm definitely strongly considering Duke. If you have any specific questions PM me.

Fantastic, thanks for the write-up.

+1 Also, what was the general attitude about jobs, landing in major markets and competition? Thanks

[dannyde7]

Just got back from Duke's ASW and I loved it. It was better than what I expected. Everyone was really nice, especially the students. They (students) went out of their way to makes us feel comfortable and to answer every question we had. I had a couple of students at the bar just come up to me out of nowhere and ask "Do you have any last minute questions? What is your biggest worry about Duke and how can I help?" They were great. They all love Duke, and you could tell it was genuine.

All the professors I met were really nice. One of them told the group of students I was with that if we had any questions or were having trouble deciding between schools to email him. They were all very approachable and seemed to enjoy their time at Duke. The mock class was pretty cool as well (they obvs showcase the best professors, but still, I was impressed).

The Law School building is really nice. It was renovated a couple of years ago so it looks brand new. Duke itself is a beautiful campus, with great weather.

Durham, for me at least, is a small town, but the law students make the most of it. Everyone is from somewhere else, and a lot of them come from big cities so they try to really make the most of it.

It was really nice. Loved it. And I'm definitely strongly considering Duke. If you have any specific questions PM me.

Fantastic, thanks for the write-up.

+1 Also, what was the general attitude about jobs, landing in major markets and competition? Thanks

The general attitude from faculty, staff, and the career office (I'm neurotic and spoke to just about everyone I could) was that the market is getting better, that firms are becoming busier and busier. Duke beats it into your head that, because it's outside a major market, people are looking for jobs all over the country, so you don't have to compete with as many people for jobs in the market you want. Also, the message I got from some students was that basically, the classes of 2010 and 2011 had it really rough but things should be good again for 2014.

[kwais]

Just got back from Duke's ASW and I loved it. It was better than what I expected. Everyone was really nice, especially the students. They (students) went out of their way to makes us feel comfortable and to answer every question we had. I had a couple of students at the bar just come up to me out of nowhere and ask "Do you have any last minute questions? What is your biggest worry about Duke and how can I help?" They were great. They all love Duke, and you could tell it was genuine.

All the professors I met were really nice. One of them told the group of students I was with that if we had any questions or were having trouble deciding between schools to email him. They were all very approachable and seemed to enjoy their time at Duke. The mock class was pretty cool as well (they obvs showcase the best professors, but still, I was impressed).

The Law School building is really nice. It was renovated a couple of years ago so it looks brand new. Duke itself is a beautiful campus, with great weather.

Durham, for me at least, is a small town, but the law students make the most of it. Everyone is from somewhere else, and a lot of them come from big cities so they try to really make the most of it.


It was really nice. Loved it. And I'm definitely strongly considering Duke. If you have any specific questions PM me.

Fantastic, thanks for the write-up.

+1 Also, what was the general attitude about jobs, landing in major markets and competition? Thanks

The general attitude from faculty, staff, and the career office (I'm neurotic and spoke to just about everyone I could) was that the market is getting better, that firms are becoming busier and busier. Duke beats it into your head that, because it's outside a major market, people are looking for jobs all over the country, so you don't have to compete with as many people for jobs in the market you want. Also, the message I got from some students was that basically, the classes of 2010 and 2011 had it really rough but things should be good again for 2014.

Thanks. I get the "outside a major market thing" but to fair, aren't most students at Top schools looking at NY, DC and SF? How is that different at Duke?

[dannyde7]

Thanks. I get the "outside a major market thing" but to fair, aren't most students at Top schools looking at NY, DC and SF? How is that different at Duke?

It didn't seem to be so at Duke. Not everyone at Duke was looking for a NYC/DC BigLaw job, although many were. Many wanted to work in Georgia, Texas, LA or even places like St. Louis. Aside from the contingent of kids from New York/New Jersey (of which I'm one), I met kids from all over the country who wanted to do different types of things-- environmental law, public policy, etc. The students and faculty also consistently made the point that firms don't take all of their associates from three schools (e.g. Skadden in NY isn't going to take an entire class from NYU/Columbia), so when they come to Duke to look for associates, you're not competing with 200 students looking to work in NY, but rather 30-50.

[kwais]

Thanks. I get the "outside a major market thing" but to fair, aren't most students at Top schools looking at NY, DC and SF? How is that different at Duke?

It didn't seem to be so at Duke. Not everyone at Duke was looking for a NYC/DC BigLaw job, although many were. Many wanted to work in Georgia, Texas, LA or even places like St. Louis. Aside from the contingent of kids from New York/New Jersey (of which I'm one), I met kids from all over the country who wanted to do different types of things-- environmental law, public policy, etc. The students and faculty also consistently made the point that firms don't take all of their associates from three schools (e.g. Skadden in NY isn't going to take an entire class from NYU/Columbia), so when they come to Duke to look for associates, you're not competing with 200 students looking to work in NY, but rather 30-50.

very cool. thanks

[beachbum]

Thanks. I get the "outside a major market thing" but to fair, aren't most students at Top schools looking at NY, DC and SF? How is that different at Duke?

It didn't seem to be so at Duke. Not everyone at Duke was looking for a NYC/DC BigLaw job, although many were. Many wanted to work in Georgia, Texas, LA or even places like St. Louis. Aside from the contingent of kids from New York/New Jersey (of which I'm one), I met kids from all over the country who wanted to do different types of things-- environmental law, public policy, etc. The students and faculty also consistently made the point that firms don't take all of their associates from three schools (e.g. Skadden in NY isn't going to take an entire class from NYU/Columbia), so when they come to Duke to look for associates, you're not competing with 200 students looking to work in NY, but rather 30-50.

Great news all-around, thanks. And for whoever else was at the reception: feel free to add your thoughts and impressions. The more the merrier.

[lakerfanimal]

I went to the events and they were great. The students were really friendly, and I appreciated the candor with which they students answered my questions. You could tell the student body likes each other, even though there might be a few overly-competitive people (but this is anywhere). The professors are what I liked the most though, they were all incredibly friendly and you could tell that the smaller school and the southern attitude (maybe) breeds a very collaborative approach between students and professors. The facilities couldn't be better, and I think there may have been a study space for literally every student at the school. Employment wise, it looks like median and probably even a little below are fine. I personally didn't like the area (Durham/Raleigh/Chapel Hill) nearly as much as I thought I would and I did feel like its isolated. However, there is a tonnnn of fun stuff to do around. Nightlife in chapelhill was pretty baller. Hope that helps!

[jrose5]

Hey all,

I was wondering how long it took for Duke to send you a scholly offer after they received your scholly form?

Thanks!

[DallasCowboy]

Glad y'all enjoyed it. The bit about students wanting to go all over the country is absolutely true. Many of us want to return to a home market with a Duke degree.

[stewie27]

Hey all,

I was wondering how long it took for Duke to send you a scholly offer after they received your scholly form?

Thanks!

Mine was received 2/9 and they mailed me a letter 3/7

[jrose5]

Hey all,

I was wondering how long it took for Duke to send you a scholly offer after they received your scholly form?

Thanks!

Mine was received 2/9 and they mailed me a letter 3/7

Gotcha. Thank you.

[TheThreader]

when is the deposit due?

[nihilism is key]

when is the deposit due?

I believe April 1st for summer starters and April 29th for fall starters.

[r6_philly]

Has anyone been successful negotiating scholly amount up?

[beachbum]

So I just found out that one of my old buddies (from middle school!) is gonna be at Duke next year. What a crazy, small world.

[arism87]

Has anyone been successful negotiating scholly amount up?

I haven't been- Also I didn't realize the summer start deadline was yesterday so I'm officially not going to Duke :-/ lol

[etlien]

Has anyone been successful negotiating scholly amount up?

Yes.

[etlien]

On a different note...Fall 2011 class schedule is up. Not thrilled about the scheduling and kinda confused. I thought JD/LLMs take International Law in the 1L fall semester, but it seems to clash with one of the core classes.

[PharmDJD]

Also, small section 6 seems to be assigned to two Civil Procedure courses...but perhaps I'm not interpreting it correctly...?

[etlien]

Also, small section 6 seems to be assigned to two Civil Procedure courses...but perhaps I'm not interpreting it correctly...?

I think one of them should be section 2 rather than section 6, since section 2 is only down for 2 classes right now...

[nihilism is key]

Do we know which section is summer starters? Is there more than 1?

[etlien]

Do we know which section is summer starters? Is there more than 1?

Its generally been section 1. Section 1 only has 2 core classes in Fall/Spring, so its a bit of a give away.

[beachbum]

Tuition for the 2011-2012 school year is $48,800, a $1,870 (or ~4%) increase over last year's tuition. Total cost of attendance for this year is listed at $68,983. Tuition for the 2011 summer term is $16,750, with a total cost of attendance of $21,835.

(Well, nobody said it would be cheap).

This data was provided to everyone, but I thought it would be useful to have it posted ITT. A breakdown of the costs can be found here: http://www.law.duke.edu/admis/tuition

[Jericwithers]

My apt rent increased 6%, so I wouldn't complain about the tuition increase.

{wait, do I have to pay that rate too?!?! WTF}