Hi everyone!

Deferral from last year here. Congratulations to recently accepted Trojans! I haven't been following anything/ haven't touched TLS in about 8 months but I expect this thread will come alive sometime within the next month or so.

Woot! First! Admitted a few weeks ago and submitted for the Rothman. Any idea on what kind of stats you need to have any kind of chance at it? I think with my stats, I'm a 1% shot at best....

Yay! Congratulations!! :-D

I submitted for the Rothman, as well. I have no idea how important numbers are. I assumed that the stats would need to be very high because I'm sure they give the Rothman to people also considering T10 schools, yet last year's winner had "lower" numbers. I think it was around 168 LSAT; can't remember the GPA. I didn't apply to the Rothman last year (at that point I was convinced I was going to UT without having visited... now that was silly) but this year felt like I had accomplished a lot more and submitted. That having been said, if it's only a recruitment tool then I don't think I would be considered, seeing as I'm a deferral. :-) In any case, good luck!

I tried to research the Rothman a bit more - does everyone hear back whether they're a finalist or not/when does that happen, but wasn't able to see. Since interviews are early April I would think that finalists will hear back in early March.

Just checking in

Yay for this thread! Really happy at the idea of meeting everyone this fall =]

was reading through housing options...i'm from CA and LA still overwhelms me. yikes.

Same! And I'm from Southern CA too haha (although to be fair, Orange County is a hell of a lot less complicated than LA). I'm leaning towards living towards Culver City, it seems to be the biggest bang for my buck. I was considering living on campus for my first year, but the Terrace is wayyyyy overpriced for what is essentially a dorm room.

don't live anywhere NEAR USC...

Where are you thinking of living, cactuarx3?

I kind of want to get a loft in downtown...but i am terribly picky so no matter where i end up it's going to be tough to find a place. after living in isla vista during undergrad...i am SOOOO over shit holes.

I love silver lake but it seems a bit far...

On the small chance that I do go to USC, probably will live with a friend of mine who lives in Culver City and commute.

WHAT. I just graduated from UCSB this past June! And omg YES to shit holes in IV, although I lucked out and lived in some decent places.

PM'd. Ole!

Checking in. I graduated from USC undergrad last year so I'm not completely sold on attending the law school in the Fall if only to get a change of scenery. But, I can say that the Trojan Family network is no joke. It helped me land lots of internships and eventually a job after graduation. I can't speak to if it carries to other places than SoCal.

As for housing...I would recommend checking out the new buildings in downtown LA. The lofts/condos near the center of the business district (think Pegasus, Library Court, Milano) are going to be a bit cheaper than the ones near LA Live. And honestly, the bars and restaurants in the center of downtown are better than those near LA Live anyway.

Silver Lake is actually not too far but commuting in the morning will be terrible. Same for Echo Park but the area is hipster and trendy so if that's your thing then maybe you'll like it regardless.

Lots of my friends who are grad students at USC commute from the West Side...they prefer being able to "get away" from the shitty USC area and don't seem to mind the commute (though it could take up to 1 hr in traffic).

When you say "the west side" do you mean Culver City? I'm terrified about commuting in traffic. I'm capable of doing so, I might just go insane Can they open the damn metro already? I guess as of now, DT seems the most convenient.

I can't imagine it taking longer than 30 minutes to drive from Culver City to USC even with traffic. I used to drive from the Walnut/DB/Pomona area to my friend's place in Culver City a lot and that took only about 45 minutes. I vaguely remember that going from DT LA to Culver city probably took like 15 of those 45 minutes w/o traffic.

Hello everyone! Just got accepted and will be visiting at the end of march. Confession: I've never been to California before. I know a couple of people out there- in fact one is a grad student at USC now, so I'm hoping she can show me around a bit. Reading through this thread, it seems like people are pretty sold on Culver City and not living anywhere near USC. Are there any other areas I should be aware of or possibly check out in terms of future living?

I plan on going to explore Culver City & Downtown within the next few weeks, so I'll report back!

I'll be visiting in April to get my living situation nailed down. Excitement!

It seems like mid-city is very drivable.. I'll be looking there, mid-wilshire, and possibly Los Feliz. I visited last April before deciding to defer and stayed downtown. I really didn't like the thought of living downtown as a single female. One block would be cute, and then the next block I'd be trailed by people. I've been living in a shady area of NC for a few years and am ready for a change.

I'd love to live in a walkable neighborhood close to groceries or farmer's markets. Culver City seems a bit too far for 1L... Korea Town seems fine price-wise but I just wasn't a big fan.

I've found PadMapper very helpful to anyone with an iPad - they pull craigslist and other listings.

On an unrelated note, I can't wait to hear about scholarships! The daydreaming of finding the envelope in my mailbox has officially begun.

Yeah pending any scholarship offers (please) I should be at SC next year. I was in LA for undergrad but I'll have to live in a different part of town next year. I'll need to find an area and apartment from abroad which won't be fun, but I've heard from a few current students and my friends living in the area that downtown is convenient and relatively less expensive.

I've heard so many mixed comments about living downtown, so I'm still on the fence about that. I do love the idea of living so close to campus (convenience is a top concern of mine for my 1L) but it seems overpriced and kinda shady.

Has anyone considered living on campus? At first, I quickly scratched it off my list (didn't want to do the whole dorm thing again), but I haven't heard any bad experiences from reading through past USC threads and being able to walk to class sounds amazing.

i LOVE the padmapper app. I am on the fence about downtown as well, but i keep thinking...convenience is everything. i have a few friends who live dt and love it, but they are all boys and i feel like the safety issue is different for them.

i love the idea of living in a "real" neighborhood like los feliz & silverlake, but i also despise traffic.

is USC going to provide us with like a "meet a roomie" type of site? i like the idea of being on my own, but splitting a 2 bedroom might result in being able to afford a nicer place.

there's so much to think about!

I believe there is a roommate finder sort of section of the website once the class starts to solidify with seat deposits and all that

Checking in! If I get scholly money from USC, I will definitely be there!!! Does anyone know when we should hear about scholarship information?

I am currently thinking about housing and will look at your suggestions when I visit next week.

Hopefully and most likely within the next few weeks! Where else are you thinking of going, sdphill?

I sat in on a last class week and it was awesome seeing the students at SC engaged with the professor the whole time. No socratic method that I saw, but then again, whenever the prof asked a question, there were volunteers. Small class size/section size is a definite plus, everyone seemed really close to each other.