Davis 4L Taking Questions Forum

[ueblay]

Hi everyone. I noticed the last post on King Hall was pretty old, and the article on Davis posted here is ridiculously outdated. I'm bored of studying for the bar, so let me know if you have any questions about what the school is like. I also got my undergraduate degree from UC Davis, so I'm pretty familiar with the campus and town.

One caveat - I never did OCI, so I can't tell you what it is or isn't like.

[dr123]

4L? I though UCD didnt have a PT program?

[brose]

4L? I though UCD didnt have a PT program?

He's studying for the bar so I'm assuming he's joking and has graduated.

[ueblay]

4L? I though UCD didnt have a PT program?

She's studying for the bar so I'm assuming she's joking and has graduated.

FTFY. Otherwise correct.

[anb008]

Hi.

I was just wondering what student life is like around Davis? (Is there much to do outdoors? What do the people do for fun?)
Also, how super-competitive are the students?

Thanks!

[PresMacAllen]

Hi.

I was just wondering what student life is like around Davis? (Is there much to do outdoors? What do the people do for fun?)
Also, how super-competitive are the students?

Thanks!

Davis is a quiet town; life is relatively calm here and the people are pretty nice. I love living in Davis! It's the only city that I ever felt comfortable walking around at night. As for outdoor activities, there are lots of biking/running trails, but more outdoor activities can be found in sacramento (15 miles away) and lake tahoe (skiing, snow boarding etc) is about a 1.5-2 hour drive east. We don't have much of a night-life however, we DO have a pretty decent amount of bars. most of us just head out to San Francisco for the weekend (2 hour drive) or to Sacramento.

I'm just an undergrad but from what I've heard from some of the law students that are my TAs say the environment at King Hall is extremely collegial and everyone is extremely helpful and nice.

[ueblay]

Hi.

I was just wondering what student life is like around Davis? (Is there much to do outdoors? What do the people do for fun?)
Also, how super-competitive are the students?

Thanks!

One of the most important things to know about Davis is that it is a relatively small college town in a rural area. I know that might be stating the obvious, but here, if there wasn't a university, there would probably be a few stores and a sign saying "This way to Sacramento." Don't get me wrong, it's lovely, but it's just not that exciting. For example, Davis voted the Farmer's Market the best thing to do in town. A great way to learn more about Davis itself is to peruse the Davis Wiki (http://daviswiki.org/). You'll see what's here and what people who are living here think about things.

Many people go to Sacramento or SF for the nightlife, because there really isn't much of one here. Most restaurants are closed after 10 during the week, although there are some bars that operate late Thursday-Saturday.

As for outdoors, there are some pretty active clubs that go rafting or snowboarding and skiing. We're not too far from Lake Tahoe, so people are always going there. There's also some decent hiking nearby, at Lake Berryessa.

But honestly, you probably won't be doing many of those things once you're a law student - at least 1L year. What was much more important to me was the atmosphere at King Hall. Unlike a lot of other law schools, people were overwhelmingly friendly. We actually shared our outlines and wanted to help each other succeed. Looking back, it was pretty extraordinary given the fact that we have the same curve for bar classes that other law schools do. What I personally witnessed was that the underlying motivation to do the best work we could for the public good made us all more interested in working cooperatively. I was in a lot of clinics and public interest classes and I saw so many people collaborate to do important legal work and also to help each other find summer positions by reviewing resumes and that sort of thing. If you ask for help, especially from the years above you and professors, it's really hard not to find it. That said, it's not all sunshine and rainbows - you will meet some jerks - but I felt like law school stress was not fellow-student stress.

[jwmalone87]

Do you have work lined up? While inexact and anecdotal, how successful do you feel the rest of your class was in finding work?

[ueblay]

Do you have work lined up? While inexact and anecdotal, how successful do you feel the rest of your class was in finding work?

Personally, I don't have a job lined up, although I am actively searching. While I know a lot of people who are in the same position as I am, I also know people who will have full-time jobs. I also know a few people who will be underemployed in some way - either working fewer hours or whose job offers are only temporary. It is difficult for me to say how successful everyone was. My views are likely skewed because most of my friends and I are looking for public interest work.

[minky]

Any recommendations for the type of computer I should buy? Thanks!

[ueblay]

Any recommendations for the type of computer I should buy? Thanks!

At law school, I saw a lot of Macs, some PCs, and a very small minority of people writing. In my last semester, I didn't use my laptop and brought a notebook instead, because I found having a computer too distracting and hard on my wrists after two and a half years of intensive typing.

I use an aluminum unibody MacBook. I chose it because the keyboard layout works for me (as well as a laptop keyboard can), it's light, the casing is fairly durable, and I like the OS and the reputation Apple has for making reliable products and good customer service. I did buy the three year warranty, though, because I had a previous Apple laptop's motherboard die in the third year.

It's only really essential to have a laptop if you want to type your exams. At Davis, the IT department will only lend you a laptop in rare circumstances, including (I think) if yours fails during an exam. ExamSoft came out with a version that works with the Mac OS this year, although I've yet to try it - I always used booted Windows.

Hope that helps you in making your decision.

[minky]

Any recommendations for the type of computer I should buy? Thanks!

At law school, I saw a lot of Macs, some PCs, and a very small minority of people writing. In my last semester, I didn't use my laptop and brought a notebook instead, because I found having a computer too distracting and hard on my wrists after two and a half years of intensive typing.

I use an aluminum unibody MacBook. I chose it because the keyboard layout works for me (as well as a laptop keyboard can), it's light, the casing is fairly durable, and I like the OS and the reputation Apple has for making reliable products and good customer service. I did buy the three year warranty, though, because I had a previous Apple laptop's motherboard die in the third year.

It's only really essential to have a laptop if you want to type your exams. At Davis, the IT department will only lend you a laptop in rare circumstances, including (I think) if yours fails during an exam. ExamSoft came out with a version that works with the Mac OS this year, although I've yet to try it - I always used booted Windows.

Hope that helps you in making your decision.

Thanks! This is very helpful. I think I'm going to go with a PC cause that's what I'm most comfortable with

[ueblay]

Thanks! This is very helpful. I think I'm going to go with a PC cause that's what I'm most comfortable with

That's definitely the most important factor!

[samfii]

Tag, and will have some questions in the near future thanks for answering q's!

[Jimbola]

How would you describe the schools generosity with financial aid and scholarships? I know public universities don't have the cash to be that generous.

[ueblay]

How would you describe the schools generosity with financial aid and scholarships? I know public universities don't have the cash to be that generous.

Almost every CA resident student I knew got an $8k grant. I do know of a few people who got merit scholarships, too, although from what I understand the scholarships weren't for very much. UC schools have been hit really hard by budget cuts recently, though - my tuition went up a few thousand dollars in the time I was there, so be cognizant of that.

As long as you do the FAFSA in February you'll get something, mostly loans but maybe grants as well. You'll need to do the NeedAccess application before your first year, too. I always had enough in loans to cover me. Handily, they were all government loans, and because of the generosity of King Hall's LRAP I'm looking at a lot of loan forgiveness if I get a qualifying job.

After I got into law school I read this NYT article (http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/01/busin ... wanted=all) about people losing merit scholarships at other law schools. You might want to check it out if you've been offered a full ride somewhere else with strings attached.