Arizona State 1L Taking Questions Forum

A forum for applicants and admitted students to ask law students and graduates about law school and the practice of law.
pre-law

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Re: Arizona State 1L Taking Questions

Post by pre-law » Sat Apr 02, 2011 5:01 am

Lawquacious wrote:Wow: half-ride with a 161/3.6? Is that for first year only and zero after that? I was offered 20k for first year (which I think is close to half), 15k for second year, and none for third year with a 166/3.5. I imagine your scholly is also phased-out in a similar way (though maybe to zero after first year); they seem to phase most of their schollys across the three years.

Did you consider U of AZ? If so how did you end up coming to the ASU choice? if not, why not?

What is 1L job placement like? I'm sure most ppl are taking volunteer positions, but are ppl struggling to get even volunteer positions? What is your apprx. class rank, and do you personally have something lined up? Thx.
My half-ride scholarship was for 1L year only. I'm hoping to establish residency for the remaining 2 years which financially would be like having a half-ride scholarship all 3 years given the disparity in tuition between in-state and out-of-state students.

I considered U of AZ and was admitted. I chose ASU over U of AZ for a few reasons. First, ASU offered a scholarship whereas U of AZ didn't offer me any money. Also, I liked the Phoenix/Tempe/Scottsdale area a lot more than I did Tucson. Tucson is not a very attractive town. Both schools are academically the same. ASU has been ranked higher the last couple years by US News, but don't let that be the deciding factor; they're essentially the same.

I'm not sure what the job placement numbers are like for my class but of the 30 or so students I talk to on a regular basis most of them have internships lined up for the summer so far. Most are with government agencies (federal and state), public interest, judges (federal and state), and in-house counsel for businesses in the area. I've only heard of one 1L working this summer for a "big-firm" so far. One of the big pluses about ASU is that it is the only accredited law school in the Phoenix metro area and Phoenix is the capital of AZ and the 5th largest city in the country. Even if the legal market isn't huge, students don't have much trouble getting a legal internship for the summer working for government or public interest groups. The Career Services Office also has a program with the AZ Superior Courts where 1Ls can be placed with a state trial judge as long as they apply. The application period for this internship doesn't start until next week. So basically if you want a legal job for the summer in AZ, you can get one as long as you apply.

I'm spending this summer working for the U.S. Attorney's Office (Civil Division) in Phoenix. Actually just finished filling out the security clearance paperwork a few minutes ago.

I'm not going to disclose my class rank or gpa here on TLS, sorry!

3ThrowAway99

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Re: Arizona State 1L Taking Questions

Post by 3ThrowAway99 » Sat Apr 02, 2011 5:29 am

pre-law wrote:
Lawquacious wrote:Wow: half-ride with a 161/3.6? Is that for first year only and zero after that? I was offered 20k for first year (which I think is close to half), 15k for second year, and none for third year with a 166/3.5. I imagine your scholly is also phased-out in a similar way (though maybe to zero after first year); they seem to phase most of their schollys across the three years.

Did you consider U of AZ? If so how did you end up coming to the ASU choice? if not, why not?

What is 1L job placement like? I'm sure most ppl are taking volunteer positions, but are ppl struggling to get even volunteer positions? What is your apprx. class rank, and do you personally have something lined up? Thx.
My half-ride scholarship was for 1L year only. I'm hoping to establish residency for the remaining 2 years which financially would be like having a half-ride scholarship all 3 years given the disparity in tuition between in-state and out-of-state students.

I considered U of AZ and was admitted. I chose ASU over U of AZ for a few reasons. First, ASU offered a scholarship whereas U of AZ didn't offer me any money. Also, I liked the Phoenix/Tempe/Scottsdale area a lot more than I did Tucson. Tucson is not a very attractive town. Both schools are academically the same. ASU has been ranked higher the last couple years by US News, but don't let that be the deciding factor; they're essentially the same.

I'm not sure what the job placement numbers are like for my class but of the 30 or so students I talk to on a regular basis most of them have internships lined up for the summer so far. Most are with government agencies (federal and state), public interest, judges (federal and state), and in-house counsel for businesses in the area. I've only heard of one 1L working this summer for a "big-firm" so far. One of the big pluses about ASU is that it is the only accredited law school in the Phoenix metro area and Phoenix is the capital of AZ and the 5th largest city in the country. Even if the legal market isn't huge, students don't have much trouble getting a legal internship for the summer working for government or public interest groups. The Career Services Office also has a program with the AZ Superior Courts where 1Ls can be placed with a state trial judge as long as they apply. The application period for this internship doesn't start until next week. So basically if you want a legal job for the summer in AZ, you can get one as long as you apply.

I'm spending this summer working for the U.S. Attorney's Office (Civil Division) in Phoenix. Just finished filling out the security clearance paperwork a few minutes ago actually.

I'm not going to disclose my class rank or gpa here on TLS, sorry!

Cool- thx for your thoughtful reply. For full disclosure I am at U of AZ. I choose U of AZ because they actually gave me a much better scholly offer, but I admit I would def. rather be in PHX (though I know there are plenty of people who prefer Tucson over PHX). I actually made the choice right before ASU overtook U of AZ in the USNews rankings for the first time last year, so rankings at the time I made my decision definitely didn't lean me toward ASU. I agree that they are essentially peer schools at this point, if for no other reason that according to the gold-standard of ranking (USNews) they are very close now (and in AZ at least their placement is very similar). Of course that wasn't always the case, and I think traditionally U of AZ has had a much stronger rep (this is partly based on my contacts in the northern AZ legal community), BUT I do think that this has changed, especially with the recent rankings shift. I suspect the fact that ASU is a much younger law school also has to do with why previously U of AZ was looked at more reputably. ASU of course is in the middle of the best AZ market, which is a natural advantage. I suspect that in PHX itself ASU is the slightly more reputable school at this point (or at least that it has slightly better placement power in PHX), but am not certain. Anyway, I don't mean to be too rivalistic (as I know there can be a lot of rivalry, although I think most of it is friendly). You sound like you have a 'fair and balanced' view of the schools in any case.

I understand not wanting to disclose much on here in terms of GPA/rank. I suspect you did quite well to get the gig you got. In any case, congrats on the job. I am still looking (still hoping for a Fed. judicial externship); have had a lot of interviews with no offers yet. I do know a lot of ppl who have things lined up, but there are still plenty of us trying to find something. I did quite well, but not as well as was possible. We aren't ranked until after the 1st year though (I think next year that might change because the grading system is changing). I don't know of anyone personally who has a paid gig lined up, but quite a few ppl have interviewed for paid jobs, so I would imagine there may be a few 1Ls who found something paid (though I am talking $20-$30/hr gigs, not market firm wages). It sounds like the prospects for 1Ls at both ASU and U of AZ are very similar though right now based on what you said (which I think are generally pretty crappy for the majority, but still decent for the few, and not fully apocalyptic lol).

Well you may have inspired me to start a 1L U of AZ thread. Thanks for the dialogue; you sound like a cool dude. Congrats again on the summer gig.

pre-law

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Re: Arizona State 1L Taking Questions

Post by pre-law » Sat Apr 02, 2011 3:54 pm

Lawquacious wrote:
pre-law wrote:
Lawquacious wrote:Wow: half-ride with a 161/3.6? Is that for first year only and zero after that? I was offered 20k for first year (which I think is close to half), 15k for second year, and none for third year with a 166/3.5. I imagine your scholly is also phased-out in a similar way (though maybe to zero after first year); they seem to phase most of their schollys across the three years.

Did you consider U of AZ? If so how did you end up coming to the ASU choice? if not, why not?

What is 1L job placement like? I'm sure most ppl are taking volunteer positions, but are ppl struggling to get even volunteer positions? What is your apprx. class rank, and do you personally have something lined up? Thx.
My half-ride scholarship was for 1L year only. I'm hoping to establish residency for the remaining 2 years which financially would be like having a half-ride scholarship all 3 years given the disparity in tuition between in-state and out-of-state students.

I considered U of AZ and was admitted. I chose ASU over U of AZ for a few reasons. First, ASU offered a scholarship whereas U of AZ didn't offer me any money. Also, I liked the Phoenix/Tempe/Scottsdale area a lot more than I did Tucson. Tucson is not a very attractive town. Both schools are academically the same. ASU has been ranked higher the last couple years by US News, but don't let that be the deciding factor; they're essentially the same.

I'm not sure what the job placement numbers are like for my class but of the 30 or so students I talk to on a regular basis most of them have internships lined up for the summer so far. Most are with government agencies (federal and state), public interest, judges (federal and state), and in-house counsel for businesses in the area. I've only heard of one 1L working this summer for a "big-firm" so far. One of the big pluses about ASU is that it is the only accredited law school in the Phoenix metro area and Phoenix is the capital of AZ and the 5th largest city in the country. Even if the legal market isn't huge, students don't have much trouble getting a legal internship for the summer working for government or public interest groups. The Career Services Office also has a program with the AZ Superior Courts where 1Ls can be placed with a state trial judge as long as they apply. The application period for this internship doesn't start until next week. So basically if you want a legal job for the summer in AZ, you can get one as long as you apply.

I'm spending this summer working for the U.S. Attorney's Office (Civil Division) in Phoenix. Just finished filling out the security clearance paperwork a few minutes ago actually.

I'm not going to disclose my class rank or gpa here on TLS, sorry!

Cool- thx for your thoughtful reply. For full disclosure I am at U of AZ. I choose U of AZ because they actually gave me a much better scholly offer, but I admit I would def. rather be in PHX (though I know there are plenty of people who prefer Tucson over PHX). I actually made the choice right before ASU overtook U of AZ in the USNews rankings for the first time last year, so rankings at the time I made my decision definitely didn't lean me toward ASU. I agree that they are essentially peer schools at this point, if for no other reason that according to the gold-standard of ranking (USNews) they are very close now (and in AZ at least their placement is very similar). Of course that wasn't always the case, and I think traditionally U of AZ has had a much stronger rep (this is partly based on my contacts in the northern AZ legal community), BUT I do think that this has changed, especially with the recent rankings shift. I suspect the fact that ASU is a much younger law school also has to do with why previously U of AZ was looked at more reputably. ASU of course is in the middle of the best AZ market, which is a natural advantage. I suspect that in PHX itself ASU is the slightly more reputable school at this point (or at least that it has slightly better placement power in PHX), but am not certain. Anyway, I don't mean to be too rivalistic (as I know there can be a lot of rivalry, although I think most of it is friendly). You sound like you have a 'fair and balanced' view of the schools in any case.

I understand not wanting to disclose much on here in terms of GPA/rank. I suspect you did quite well to get the gig you got. In any case, congrats on the job. I am still looking (still hoping for a Fed. judicial externship); have had a lot of interviews with no offers yet. I do know a lot of ppl who have things lined up, but there are still plenty of us trying to find something. I did quite well, but not as well as was possible. We aren't ranked until after the 1st year though (I think next year that might change because the grading system is changing). I don't know of anyone personally who has a paid gig lined up, but quite a few ppl have interviewed for paid jobs, so I would imagine there may be a few 1Ls who found something paid (though I am talking $20-$30/hr gigs, not market firm wages). It sounds like the prospects for 1Ls at both ASU and U of AZ are very similar though right now based on what you said (which I think are generally pretty crappy for the majority, but still decent for the few, and not fully apocalyptic lol).

Well you may have inspired me to start a 1L U of AZ thread. Thanks for the dialogue; you sound like a cool dude. Congrats again on the summer gig.
Thanks! Yeah I'm pretty excited about the internship. I originally wanted to extern/intern for one of the federal judges in Phoenix but they all told me they don't hire summer interns from ASU over the summer because we have access to them all throughout the school year being the only law school in town. Are you looking to stay in AZ for the summer? I've talked with most of the Phoenix federal judges (via their response/rejection letters back to me) and they said they are all full for this summer. Have you applied to any of the Tucson federal judges?

Yeah its true, if you're looking to get a paid firm job for 1L summer its very unlikely even for students who aced first semester. I know the #1 ranked 1L at ASU is still looking for a summer job (volunteer or paid). It seems like a lot of the students who got internships offers were offered because they were a good fit for the internship. For example, I used to work with the federal judges at the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals before coming to law school and this semester I'm doing FOIA research work for a prof and I was able to spin it that I would be a good fit for the US Attorney's office who does FOIA litigation and appears regularly in front of the 9th Circuit. My friend thinks she got an internship with Community Legal Services in AZ because she volunteered at A Family Law Firm before coming to law school. Another friend who is going to work with Snell & Wilmer (largest AZ firm) this summer in their Indian law practice area thinks he got the job because he used to be a History and English teacher on an Indian reservation before coming to law school.

Good luck with your job search and yes you should start a U AZ thread!

pre-law

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Re: Arizona State 1L Taking Questions

Post by pre-law » Sun Apr 03, 2011 8:10 pm

paragliderwoods wrote:Where do most law students live who are not living/relocating with a family? Tempe/Scottsdale/Chandler?? Any specific apartment complexes?

Thanks!
Most students who are not living with a family live in Tempe. A lot of students though live in Scottsdale and Phoenix. Only a couple I can think of live in Mesa and Chandler.

From visiting other law students' apartments, I would recommend any of the Mark Taylor or Grigio apartment complexes. There are a couple that a 5-10 minute drive from campus that would be worth checking out, if you decide to come to ASU.

clydekilgore

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Re: Arizona State 1L Taking Questions

Post by clydekilgore » Tue May 17, 2011 11:12 am

Anyone still looking for a place to live?

Drop me a note or give me a call.

Law School Rentals
Clyde W Kilgore

I have two townhomes right next to each other (units 121 and 122) 2 miles from the law school on East University. Each is 2 bedrooms, 2 1/2 Bath, 2 Car Garage, Loft, All appliances including full sized washer/dryer. Both have a shaded patio in a small private area. The small complex (Rio Ventana Townhomes) is a quiet gated community with a pool and spa for the residents.

Interested?

lawschoolrentals@cox.net
480-229-6491

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uzpakalis

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Re: Arizona State 1L Taking Questions

Post by uzpakalis » Wed May 18, 2011 2:50 pm

I like this thread, but it is U of A, not U of AZ.

bkirish

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Re: Arizona State 1L Taking Questions

Post by bkirish » Mon Jul 25, 2011 1:48 am

Anyone looking for a roommate or place to live? I'm a female student, seeking a female student roommate (or would consider a gay male) to share a luxury high-rise condo (44 Monroe) located two blocks from the new location of the Phoenix Law School in downtown Phoenix. 2 bedroom, 2 bath. Asking $800/month. You can private message me with any questions.

SplitLife

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Re: Arizona State 1L Taking Questions

Post by SplitLife » Wed Oct 05, 2011 5:27 am

Not sure if this thread is still active by any means. I was wondering if anyone could offer any advice as to my chances of being admitted to ASU this cycle. I recently graduated undergrad from UC Irvine in CA with a 2.4 gpa (have a good addendum) and got a 164 on the lsat, URM status, male, above average work experience for a 22 year old. I recently spoke to a ASU rep at the law school forum in LA, she really got me thinking about ASU, as did this thread. What do you all think my chances are? Any advice at all will be greatly appreciated!

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Jordan77

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Re: Arizona State 1L Taking Questions

Post by Jordan77 » Sat Oct 08, 2011 10:47 am

SplitLife wrote:Not sure if this thread is still active by any means. I was wondering if anyone could offer any advice as to my chances of being admitted to ASU this cycle. I recently graduated undergrad from UC Irvine in CA with a 2.4 gpa (have a good addendum) and got a 164 on the lsat, URM status, male, above average work experience for a 22 year old. I recently spoke to a ASU rep at the law school forum in LA, she really got me thinking about ASU, as did this thread. What do you all think my chances are? Any advice at all will be greatly appreciated!
ASU's numbers have gone up drastically, these are the numbers from the 2011 entering class.

2011 Entering Class

Approximately 2,500 applicants
171 enrolled first-year students
75th Percentile: 165 LSAT/3.8 GPA
50th Percentile: 162 LSAT/3.6 GPA
25th Percentile: 160 LSAT/3.4 GPA
26% Students of Color
74 undergraduate institutions represented

Obviously your GPA works against you, but your URM status helps you. I would say you have a moderate chance of getting in considering your high LSAT and URM, but not a lock.... I think in order to have a really strong chance you would have had to break 170. But I wish you luck and it is certainly worth the application because like I said, you have a shot.

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