WUSTL Recent Grad (and others) Taking Questions Forum

[hoos89]

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[romothesavior]

Somehow, miraculously, the law school gods smiled kindly on me, or maybe DeGeest took pity on me, or more likely, he made a mistake in grading and that first number should have been a "7".

If I had to roll the dice on one professor in this situation, it'd be DeGeest. If I had to guess, he looked at your two sentences, nodded, and intoned "Ah, yes, brilliance!"

LOL

[dougfunny]

Can anyone provide an average cost of living number? I realize this may vary largely from person to person, but maybe just your own personal spending for a year while at WUSTL if there is no better way to put a number on it. Thanks.

[DoveBodyWash]

Can anyone provide an average cost of living number? I realize this may vary largely from person to person, but maybe just your own personal spending for a year while at WUSTL if there is no better way to put a number on it. Thanks.

+1

Also, any insight on how much people typically spend on food and beer per month would be appreciated.

[romothesavior]

I'll post a detailed budget in a couple days.

[hoos89]

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[DoveBodyWash]

Can anyone provide an average cost of living number? I realize this may vary largely from person to person, but maybe just your own personal spending for a year while at WUSTL if there is no better way to put a number on it. Thanks.

+1

Also, any insight on how much people typically spend on food and beer per month would be appreciated.

Depends whether you cook...and are an alcoholic.

Planning to cook dinner/breakfast at home and buying lunch since I'll most likely be on campus during the day. And I dunno how often students go out to bars on weekends. I'm really just trying to get a general sense of how much cheaper St. Louis is than East Coast metros like Boston.

[lukertin]

Can anyone provide an average cost of living number? I realize this may vary largely from person to person, but maybe just your own personal spending for a year while at WUSTL if there is no better way to put a number on it. Thanks.

200-400 on top of rent...which is usually something like 600-700...depends on your habits.

[hoos89]

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[romothesavior]

Can anyone provide an average cost of living number? I realize this may vary largely from person to person, but maybe just your own personal spending for a year while at WUSTL if there is no better way to put a number on it. Thanks.

200-400 on top of rent...which is usually something like 600-700...depends on your habits.

600-700 is on the expensive side for st louis rent. especially if that doesn't include utilities.

STL rent is cheap, but it's not THAT cheap. I'm sure you can go lower and many students do, but $600-700 is probably average for what a law student spends, especially for a 1BR. I spent $500, $600, and now $695 for my places, and my first two were absolute steals for amazing places. I think what I've got rented now is an average cost for an average neighborhood for a solid but not amazing apartment.

I do think $200-400 is way cheap on the living expenses though. $200 a month is less than $50 a week. Granted, I'm a pretty sociable guy who likes to eat out/go out, but as a 1L, I probably spent:

Groceries- $50/wk
Dining Out: $50/wk
Drinking/Entertainment: $100/wk on a busy week
Gas: $25/wk

So maybe $800-$1,000 a month as a 1L? I spend way more than that now, probably closer to $1,200 a month, but part of that is because 1) I have a job after law school and 2) both 2L year and 3L year, I've worked 15-20 hours a week so I could afford to party it up and eat out more often.

(As an aside: I strongly suggest working as a 2L and especially as a 3L. Not a lot of law students do it for some reason. I think there's this perception that it will keep you from your law school responsibilities, but I've never found that to be the case. I've taken a full course load, been on law review and participated in moot court competitions, maintained a healthy social life, and still had time to work on the side. I think it's a great way to keep your costs down, and if you get in with the right employer, it could be really helpful if you're still looking for a post-grad job as a 3L)

But back to budgeting, you should also build into your budget costs for things like miscellaneous random expenses, like your car breaking down and clothes for your wardrobe.

[kyle010723]

STL rent is cheap, but it's not THAT cheap. I'm sure you can go lower and many students do, but $600-700 is probably average for what a law student spends, especially for a 1BR. I spent $500, $600, and now $695 for my places, and my first two were absolute steals for amazing places. I think what I've got rented now is an average cost for an average neighborhood for a solid but not amazing apartment.

I do think $200-400 is way cheap on the living expenses though. $200 a month is less than $50 a week. Granted, I'm a pretty sociable guy who likes to eat out/go out, but as a 1L, I probably spent:

Groceries- $50/wk
Dining Out: $50/wk
Drinking/Entertainment: $100/wk on a busy week
Gas: $25/wk

So maybe $800-$1,000 a month as a 1L? I spend way more than that now, probably closer to $1,200 a month, but part of that is because 1) I have a job after law school and 2) both 2L year and 3L year, I've worked 15-20 hours a week so I could afford to party it up and eat out more often.

(As an aside: I strongly suggest working as a 2L and especially as a 3L. Not a lot of law students do it for some reason. I think there's this perception that it will keep you from your law school responsibilities, but I've never found that to be the case. I've taken a full course load, been on law review and participated in moot court competitions, maintained a healthy social life, and still had time to work on the side. I think it's a great way to keep your costs down, and if you get in with the right employer, it could be really helpful if you're still looking for a post-grad job as a 3L)

But back to budgeting, you should also build into your budget costs for things like miscellaneous random expenses, like your car breaking down and clothes for your wardrobe.

For a second I read 50k a week...

Deposited today, will most likely be in WUSTL this fall.

[goldeneye]

Tamanaha making the wsj law blog and attacking liberal professors for not taking pay cuts etc. subscription only though.

I can't tell if he's good or bad pub for our school.

Also what a terrible email they sent about people going over time on exam soft. An then sent a second saying it was a bcc because people thought they were being accuse of going over haha

[hoos89]

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[romothesavior]

Tamanaha making the wsj law blog and attacking liberal professors for not taking pay cuts etc. subscription only though.

I can't tell if he's good or bad pub for our school.

Also what a terrible email they sent about people going over time on exam soft. An then sent a second saying it was a bcc because people thought they were being accuse of going over haha

Tamanaha is a boss and is so spot on. It's not exactly a pay "cut," but our profs did forego their raises this year and put the money into a scholarship fund, so that's good. Now if they just do that for another 10-15 years maybe we'll have a somewhat fair situation. Not gonna hold my breath.

What was this email? I didn't get one, I don't think.

[Michael Bluth]

Also what a terrible email they sent about people going over time on exam soft. An then sent a second saying it was a bcc because people thought they were being accuse of going over haha

Yeah great subject line. "Your ExamSoft Clock" instead of, I don't know, "ExamSoft Clarification" or something.

[Michael Bluth]

Tamanaha making the wsj law blog and attacking liberal professors for not taking pay cuts etc. subscription only though.

I can't tell if he's good or bad pub for our school.

Also what a terrible email they sent about people going over time on exam soft. An then sent a second saying it was a bcc because people thought they were being accuse of going over haha

Tamanaha is a boss and is so spot on. It's not exactly a pay "cut," but our profs did forego their raises this year and put the money into a scholarship fund, so that's good. Now if they just do that for another 10-15 years maybe we'll have a somewhat fair situation. Not gonna hold my breath.

What was this email? I didn't get one, I don't think.

They sent an email out that from the subject line (see above) and the fact that it was bcc'd made it seem like YOU specifically were being accused of going over time on ExamSoft, when it was actually just a general email.

[DoveBodyWash]

but our profs did forego their raises this year and put the money into a scholarship fund

wow that's awesome

[goldeneye]

Yeah here's the email:

This message was sent with High importance.
I mentioned by earlier e-mail that ExamSoft runs a “clock” which records what you are typing and when you are typing it, among many other things. When exams are completed, I routinely review what this clock and other log files show, to ensure that all exam takers adhered to the exam rules. This is routine procedure for exam administration. Note that the additional 1 minute prior to the exam, when students are instructed to type “begin”, is not punitive in any way, so you don’t need to worry about that. We need that 1 minute to make sure that all laptops are fully functioning, right before the proctor begins the exam.

It is at the end of the exam where students sometimes assume that once they stop typing, the clock stops. Also, sometimes after typing for several hours, students are still in their “zone” when the proctor is talking, and they don’t hit Exit & Save, unaware that their clock is still running.

I am copying below some instructions, and pictures, from the Gold SofTest Exam Instructions Sheet which is in all exam rooms. I want all students to be aware of how to stop the clock when you end your exam. This information could be very helpful to you! So please keep reading….

And then it was followed by the instructions telling you that you need to end your exam right away. And it made it seem like it was targeting us specifically instead of a generic email, so presumably students responded worriedly and so she clarified it was sent to everyone.

[dietcoke0]

but our profs did forego their raises this year and put the money into a scholarship fund

wow that's awesome

Until they take it out on the 1Ls next year. Tamanaha is the man though, easily my fave prof/teacher ever. Anyone who gets him for Torts next year should feel blessed.

[dietcoke0]

Yeah here's the email:

This message was sent with High importance.
I mentioned by earlier e-mail that ExamSoft runs a “clock” which records what you are typing and when you are typing it, among many other things. When exams are completed, I routinely review what this clock and other log files show, to ensure that all exam takers adhered to the exam rules. This is routine procedure for exam administration. Note that the additional 1 minute prior to the exam, when students are instructed to type “begin”, is not punitive in any way, so you don’t need to worry about that. We need that 1 minute to make sure that all laptops are fully functioning, right before the proctor begins the exam.

It is at the end of the exam where students sometimes assume that once they stop typing, the clock stops. Also, sometimes after typing for several hours, students are still in their “zone” when the proctor is talking, and they don’t hit Exit & Save, unaware that their clock is still running.

I am copying below some instructions, and pictures, from the Gold SofTest Exam Instructions Sheet which is in all exam rooms. I want all students to be aware of how to stop the clock when you end your exam. This information could be very helpful to you! So please keep reading….

And then it was followed by the instructions telling you that you need to end your exam right away. And it made it seem like it was targeting us specifically instead of a generic email, so presumably students responded worriedly and so she clarified it was sent to everyone.

Well I had examsoft issues (I could access all my notes on a closed book exam, and brought it to the proctor's attention right away just to ensure there was no anomalies) and Sue made me Troubleshoot with Wash U people, then call up exam soft, while I spent an hour troubleshooting with them (sounded like just a fluke thing, and might have had a bad version, even though it said it was up-to-date). Anyway, Sue been sending me emails everyday for the last week, not really telling me much, then she dropped that doozy on me today. Thought shit was about to get real, since I usually close down my exam when they call minute left to ensure it's not late (paranoid).

[bouakedojo]

Yeah here's the email:

This message was sent with High importance.
I mentioned by earlier e-mail that ExamSoft runs a “clock” which records what you are typing and when you are typing it, among many other things. When exams are completed, I routinely review what this clock and other log files show, to ensure that all exam takers adhered to the exam rules. This is routine procedure for exam administration. Note that the additional 1 minute prior to the exam, when students are instructed to type “begin”, is not punitive in any way, so you don’t need to worry about that. We need that 1 minute to make sure that all laptops are fully functioning, right before the proctor begins the exam.

It is at the end of the exam where students sometimes assume that once they stop typing, the clock stops. Also, sometimes after typing for several hours, students are still in their “zone” when the proctor is talking, and they don’t hit Exit & Save, unaware that their clock is still running.

I am copying below some instructions, and pictures, from the Gold SofTest Exam Instructions Sheet which is in all exam rooms. I want all students to be aware of how to stop the clock when you end your exam. This information could be very helpful to you! So please keep reading….

And then it was followed by the instructions telling you that you need to end your exam right away. And it made it seem like it was targeting us specifically instead of a generic email, so presumably students responded worriedly and so she clarified it was sent to everyone.

Glad I wasn't the only one who at first interpreted it as calling me out for cheating.

[goldeneye]

@dietcoke, they didn't make you handwrite?

I've seen other computers where their backgrounds are still present when they're first about to click begin, which I'm confident is not the aim of the program.

[dietcoke0]

@dietcoke, they didn't make you handwrite?

I've seen other computers where their backgrounds are still present when they're first about to click begin, which I'm confident is not the aim of the program.

It was 20 minutes before exam, and I brought it their attention. I closed out of everything, so I couldn't see anything, but if I wanted to, I could probably startkey back to anything I wanted (I could alt-tab to other windows and all that) Obviously I wasn't about to cheat, but didn't want SoftTest to send some Red Flag that it wasn't working correctly, and my test was compromised.

[goldeneye]

@dietcoke, they didn't make you handwrite?

I've seen other computers where their backgrounds are still present when they're first about to click begin, which I'm confident is not the aim of the program.

It was 20 minutes before exam, and I brought it their attention. I closed out of everything, so I couldn't see anything, but if I wanted to, I could probably startkey back to anything I wanted (I could alt-tab to other windows and all that) Obviously I wasn't about to cheat, but didn't want SoftTest to send some Red Flag that it wasn't working correctly, and my test was compromised.

that would be terrible. there has to be other options out there. that program is a p.o.s., evidence by the presence of 3-4 computer helpers in each room at the start of exams to make sure shit hasn't hit the fan.

[hoos89]

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