Top Law Schools

northwood wrote:i know this is an old thread. but anymore insights as to apartments and landlords to rent from/ or stay away from would be very helpful

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First of all, Pittsburgh is half as cheap to live in as DC, about a third cheaper than Philly, and I can only imagine that Pittsburgh's cost of living is entirely incomparable to NYC. Stay away from JJ Land and Lobos. Mozart is good. They don't allow undergrads in their buildings. Equity Real Estate, Forbes Management, and Meyers Management are good (they have some good and some crummy properties). Walnut Capital (mostly Shadyside) has some really nice properties. Franklin West Apartments is by far the nicest. If you're ok with spending a lot of money by Pittsburgh standards, there are some very very nice lofts and high-rise apartments downtown. My Favorite neighborhoods are Highland Park and Squirrel Hill. Shadyside is overpriced and crowded. Lastly, stay in the East Hills part of the city or downtown and avoid the Hill District and Oakland.

Rising 3L at Pitt, guess I'll vouch for it.

On the plus side:

Diverse/laid-back student body

For the most part, professors are very high-quality. Prof. Flechtner, in particular, is a legend. This link really says it all. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yo78MoyiDJY

Barco Law Building is in a great locale: right in the heart of the undergrad campus, down the street from dozens of great restaurants, bars, etc. The basement just underwent serious renovations and now features a deli, new lockers, and cozy seating arrangements.

The Assoc. Dean of Students, Kevin Deasy, might be the most approachable, compassionate faculty member I've ever met in my academic career. Very hands-on with the student body and genuinely cares about the students as individuals.

And most importantly,
The city of Pittsburgh is undergoing a period of consistent growth and development. The local economy is in solid condition, as is the local legal market, at least relative to the rest of the country.

Negatives:

Already been said, but bears repeating: Pitt's Career Services Office has been in continuous disarray since I arrived on campus. Still not a huge problem really, they do provide you with plenty of resources to help land internships, etc. Every student has access to an online job/externships database called Symplicity, which is where a substantial amount of my classmates landed their summer work.

Cost. Pitt's expensive, will run you between 25-35k a year in tuition depending on your residency status. The school does provide plenty of scholarships, however, which eases the pain a little bit.

As for the dip in ranking, honestly, who knows? Career Services aside, Pitt's done nothing but improved since I came here. Admissions competitiveness has increased, the Faculty continues to be high-caliber (last I checked, Pitt's Intellectual Property program was nationally ranked), and post-grad job prospects remain relatively strong.

Finally, and this is just a personal thing, I'd like to see Pitt's Environment Law program develop; Pittsburgh's suddenly become the premiere locale for Marcellus Shale drilling and looks to be a key provider of U.S. natural gas resources for years to come. From an Environmental Law standpoint, the local implications are enormous. Two of my friends in the EL Clinic spent all last semester working on cases where local citizens' water supplies became contaminated, allegedly due to nearby drilling. I'm hoping Pitt Law will seize the opportunity to expand its E.L. program accordingly.

Is the funding for public interest internships increasing, and does Pitt Law offer any public interest clinics? I didn't see public interest as one of the main programs.

Would you recommend commuting? I live 25 minutes from Pitt, which is, from what I hear, close to the time it takes for those who live off campus to bus to campus. I would save several thousand dollars if I commuted, but it would be difficult to go from living on my own for 3 1/2 years to living at home.

How is the social life? I don't know how similar it is to Pitt undergrad, but the undergrads are quite rowdy and obnoxious.

89vision wrote:Is the funding for public interest internships increasing, and does Pitt Law offer any public interest clinics? I didn't see public interest as one of the main programs.

Would you recommend commuting? I live 25 minutes from Pitt, which is, from what I hear, close to the time it takes for those who live off campus to bus to campus. I would save several thousand dollars if I commuted, but it would be difficult to go from living on my own for 3 1/2 years to living at home.

How is the social life? I don't know how similar it is to Pitt undergrad, but the undergrads are quite rowdy and obnoxious.

I dont know much about funding for public interest, but there is a PLISF group, who is in charge of distriubtion. The more active you are, the more likely your chances for getting public interest money over the summer. There is a clinic for public intrest, but i honestly am not that knowledgable about it.

As for commuting, traffic can be a bit of a pain, and parking is expensive. The one parking lot that you can getpaid for the semester costs $350, and is on the opposite side of campus ( away from the sports center), and it will most likely take you another 25-30 minutes to get from your parking spot to the law building. There are closer parking garages, but they are a bit expensive ( $200 a month or so, so you will want to do your due diligence on that). As for the social life, Pitt is a very friendly and social school. LIke anywhere, there are always a few pricks, but for the most part people will help you out, and you have to work hard to be that guy or girl who no one will want to get a beer with. I didnt go there for undergrad, but the students do realize that it is a professional school, and you are here to learn a profession, so they do take it seriously ( at least during the week). If you have ny specific questions, just send me a PM.