UNC 1L taking questions Forum

[IhateFoxHunting]

If anyone has any questions related to UNC feel free to ask I know there are a few lurkers from UNC on here, so hopefully they will contribute also!

[pjo]

Hey thanks for taking some questions. I'm really interested in UNC. Maybe you could chance me (as an OOS applicant, LSN isn't very helpful - my stats are 162/3.94). Also, what made you decide on UNC? What city do most grads end up? How are the markets in Charlotte and Raleigh? Thanks!

[IhateFoxHunting]

Hey thanks for taking some questions. I'm really interested in UNC. Maybe you could chance me (as an OOS applicant, LSN isn't very helpful - my stats are 162/3.94). Also, what made you decide on UNC? What city do most grads end up? How are the markets in Charlotte and Raleigh? Thanks!

No problem I would say you have a good chance, but it really is a crap shoot, especially for OOS given the in state quota. Get your application in early, and do a great "Why UNC" essay. I chose UNC because of the financial aid I received, and for it's great reputation. Don't twist this, it's not a national law school, but it can provide you with great opportunities. As for the grads I'm not entirely sure. I want to stay in the south east, and I imagine that is the intention most of my fellow classmates have. A nice 3L I met yesterday just accepted a position in Alabama, so it can get you at least that far if you don't like NC

[pjo]

What's the social life like? How competitive are the students? How much is housing near the law school? What are the best/worst things about the school?

[ATR]

Do you know anything about UNC's dual-degree programs? Also, if you know any 2Ls, how difficult was it for them to secure summer employment opportunities? Thanks.

[IhateFoxHunting]

What's the social life like? How competitive are the students? How much is housing near the law school? What are the best/worst things about the school?

My social scene is different than most. I am pretty much the same age as everyone else, but I am married with children It seems that there are people doing pretty much everything, but for a large segment (not overall majority though), 1L appears to be an extension of undergrad.

I'm not sure about the single housing. On campus there is family housing for a little over a grand a month that includes pretty much everything.

Best thing about the school is everyone seems to get a long. We only have one gunner, and he really isn't that bad (maybe 1 gun per class). A bad part about the school is parking. 1l's generally don't get a parking permit, but I was fortunate to get a parking permit, however it is still easily a ten minute walk for me, and that's if I get a good spot. For everyone else they are relegated to public transportation. Also, we have no auditorium in the law school. So the school is simply not able to speak to the entire 1L class at a time, let alone the entire school. There were plans to build a new law school which was going to cost an obscene amount of money ($50 mil i think, but not certain on that number). However that plan has been put on hold indefinitely due to budget concerns.

Do you know anything about UNC's dual-degree programs? Also, if you know any 2Ls, how difficult was it for them to secure summer employment opportunities? Thanks.

All I know about the dual degree's is that usually you take your 1L year, the next year you spend at your dual degree site, then you come back and finish 2 and 3L. So you will not graduate with the class you entered with. I have heard that it is slightly easier to get into other programs if you are already at the law school, but I am not sure. I do know a few of my classmates are considering getting an MBA at UNC.
Summer employment.....we just had our first meeting with the career office. They were fairly straight forward that right now only about the top 10% of the class will get a big law gig through the school. The career fair they just hosted for 1Ls broke their record for the most attorneys they have had participate. I have yet to run into an upperclassmen who didn't have a job last summer, but I'm not sure how many Dook students they had to kill in order to get them j/k

[PDL]

.

[Capitalist]

Any tips on the personal statement?

[almostfamous]

I'm not a 1L at UNC Law, but I'm an undergrad here so I can speak at least to the housing/social scene at UNC in general. Parking on campus is a huge pain and pretty much impossible, but Chapel Hill has a fairly reliable, free bus system that runs all over the town and most major apartment complexes have bus lines that are close. Any university housing is going to be WAY more expensive than what you would find off campus, and regular apartments are much nicer. An apartment just off campus probably will run somewhere between $550-700/mo for a two bedroom, more for a one bedroom. I see lots of grad/law students at the undergrad bars, but there are a few "grad school" bars known for being an older crowd. I'm applying to UNC law this year as well!

[IhateFoxHunting]

Thanks for the answers!

Just sent in my application this morning (168, 3.44 at UNC, 2009 grad)

A. What would you say are my chances? UNC truly is my dream school, and don't worry, I let them know that in the "Why UNC?" essay
You say you are already at UNC, so I'm going to assume that you are also a NC resident. If that is the case, then I would guess you will most likely get in, unless you shoot yourself in the foot somehow.

B. Does graduating from UNC help or hurt my chances? I've heard conflicting ideas about this
I don't think it matters one way or the other. If I were a betting man I would say UNC is where the largest contingent of UNC Law Students got their undergrad degree. Pulling a statistic out of my ass, maybe 25%?

C. Does the law school/grad students in general have a seperate ticket lottery for basketball games????????????????? LOL
No Though they do get group seating for some games, and in that case you need not bother with the lottery. For the popular games all bets are off as I'm sure you already know lol When I looked on stubhub a few weeks ago they were selling tickets to the Dook game for almost $800!!!

[IhateFoxHunting]

Any tips on the personal statement?

Just the general advice: follow the instructions to the letter, have someone else check it for errors/flow problems that you may miss, and don't be generic. You don't need to at all, but I hired a third party for help, I think it was $15 review or something like that. I did it mainly because the lady I requested, she had been an adcom, so she had a pretty good idea what would stand out and what wouldn't. She pretty much told me to throw away my first essay and to start over. She said it sounded just like a standard statement that 90% of people send in. Over the years she still had a few essays that to this day stood out to her. Oh, and she didn't charge me for the first one because she just said to start over

[PDL]

.

[IhateFoxHunting]

I would only do it if you genuinely wanted a tour of the school. I doubt it would do much for you, but I've been wrong many times before The best advice I can give you is to submit your application and forget about it. UNC Law's admissions team does not have a reputation for quickness, nor politeness (not to say they are rude, just not jovial).My guess is if you submit everything by the end of next week you will get a nice Christmas/New Years gift from UNC, but don't hold me to it If you submit any time after that, you probably won't get an answer till February. Look into Wake Forest also, I can guarantee you will get a fat scholarship there, unless there is something extremely negative in your background.

[PDL]

.

[Merr]

If anyone has any questions related to UNC feel free to ask I know there are a few lurkers from UNC on here, so hopefully they will contribute also!

Another UNC 1L here. I will be happy to try and answer questions as well while I procrastinate err...take breaks from outlining.

[PDL]

.

[Merr]

Average day, how much time spent reading/studying outside of class?

Is UNC Law clique-ish?

In my case it depends on the day. It can be anywhere from 3 to 7 hours reading, doing practice exams, outlining etc. It is probably on the higher end now since it's November, though people may study more, or less.

So far as I can tell UNC Law is not really clique-ish. People will hang out in groups, but most everyone is friendly and helpful.

[GWdawg]

Another 1l, what colleges are you other guys in?

[PDL]

.

[Nicholasnickynic]

DO you feel UNC students have a significant advantage over wake forest students employment wise?

[Merr]

Another 1l, what colleges are you other guys in?

PMed

Does UNC have midterms or is there simply a final exam?

The professors in my section don't have graded midterms, but I have heard of it happening.

DO you feel UNC students have a significant advantage over wake forest students employment wise?

I am not sure exactly.

[stab master arson]

UNC 2L crawling out of the wood work to gripe a little here.

What the other guy said about parking: it is a bitch. Even at night and on most weekends, because there's always something stupid going on at the athletic fields that abut the law school on three sides. Wanna study for finals in the law library? Too bad! The marching band is practicing 50 yards away! What about tomorrow? I mean it is Saturday, right? Nope -- coed IM ultimate frisbee quarterfinals, and they gotta-gotta have all those parking spots in front of the law school!

Another thing I hate, even more than the parking problem: the legal writing/skills program. The lady who runs it needs a brain transplant. Seriously.

[quakeroats]

What are you doing to cheer yourself up Feburary 9th?

[PDL]

.

[PDL]

.