UC Hastings Students Taking Questions Forum

[kapital98]

38 slots was only this year, it's been slipping for the past few.

Where was Davis before it shot up into the 20s?

In the mid-to-low 30's. Goes to show that all this ranking jockeying is pointless. Davis is right back to where they were.

[onionskin]

So it's historically been above Hastings, except when Hastings was briefly up in the top 20s?

[rmp]

my bad, forgot i wrote this and didn't enable notifications when people quote/reply. yes, i would essentially graduate debt free at either hastings or davis. tuition waived, parents paying COL (extremely grateful child here). big law or mid sized firm in a big city. nyc/sf/la preferably, would come back to home base in SD though. eventually fed gov for public service is the goal. i understand nyu would be significantly more difficult to make top of class, but i don't need to be in the first ranks to reap the benefits of their employment advantage. parents will pay COL either way (or what portion they can afford -- i know this might not be completely feasible should i get into nyu) so i could graduate with approx ~180-200k in debt from a top10/20 school if given the opportunity at nyu or usc OR with absolutely no debt at davis or hastings. also, i'd consider trying to do well at hastings/davis then transferring to save one year's worth of full tuition from a private school..

hastings students - i'm currently deposited and 95% planning to go here. i have a tuition waiver so i can attend any UC law school for free - got into hastings and davis, choosing hastings for several reasons. question is -- i'm waitlisted at USC and NYU. should i be admitted, what are your thoughts on accepting a quarter of a million in debt for the job prospects at these schools? visited both and loved them. i have not visited hastings yet. i would prob not be top of class as i'm coming in under both medians, but should i get accepted, do you think the employment prospects are worth the loans? i'm confident i can perform well if i am dedicated, but likely not top 10%. cost of living is covered regardless by my parents, but tuition is all me. i love all three cities and would be confident and happy to practice in all three markets. your thoughts are appreciated.

is it possible to retake so you can get some money from the other schools next cycle? how much will your debt load be at all the schools, including hastings? only way i'd go to hastings now is if it were free, or damn close to it.

It sounds to me like hastings is free for him (It's a UC law school), which makes it a tough choice for me. I think the only contenders would be NYU at sticker, Davis, or Hastings (b/c Davis/Hastings seem like they'd be free for you?)

What do you want to do? Biglaw or bust? B/c then top 10% is important (westbayguy is right). I don't know anyone outside top 10% who got biglaw. (correction, I know one 3L). Of course your LSAT doesn't determine how you do in law school, I'm proof of that IMHO. Or do you want to do something else? (make sure it's law, or else you're just wasting 3 years, even if they are free)...Like I said, hard decision to make.

edit: there is no way to be sure you will be top 20% as far as I know.

[Civic Duty]

I am currently reading a book to prepare for law school. The book recommends I get a giant backpack. Is that really necessary? Can I use a tote bag? Does Hastings have lockers? Will I have time to go to my locker between classes? Also what other supplies would you recommend to a 1L at Hastings?

[kapital98]

I am currently reading a book to prepare for law school. The book recommends I get a giant backpack. Is that really necessary? Can I use a tote bag? Does Hastings have lockers? Will I have time to go to my locker between classes? Also what other supplies would you recommend to a 1L at Hastings?

Hastings has lockers in the basement of the main building. I believe they also have lockers in The Tower. You do not need a backpack. A lot of people use those rolly bags (and a lot of people make fun of them ). If you live in the tower you might not even need anything. You can carry your laptop and book in your arm. It's only a 3-5 minute walk.

I would recommend you get something. You never know when you need to have 3-5 books on you at one time. LIke finals.

[hiima3L]

I am currently reading a book to prepare for law school. The book recommends I get a giant backpack. Is that really necessary? Can I use a tote bag? Does Hastings have lockers? Will I have time to go to my locker between classes? Also what other supplies would you recommend to a 1L at Hastings?

There are lockers and you generally have plenty of time between classes--you will always have at least 10 minutes, which isn't always enough time because it's a decent sized building. A lot of people get their books cut so they only have to bring X number of pages to class instead of a 1,000page case book. A friend did that and then scanned his books into PDFs, which seemed pretty convenient, but IMO took way too much time.

Also, given our employment statistics, I would invest in booze and tissues.

[apollo2015]

I would recommend you get something. You never know when you need to have 3-5 books on you at one time. LIke finals.

I agree with this assessment.

I normally just had my laptop/sylabi/other misc. in one laptop bag, and carried my casebook in my other arm. That worked well for 85% of the time, but it was a pain when I had a morning class that went to 11:50, an afternoon class that started at 1:10, and a lunchtime event that I wished to attend at 12:00. On such days, I found the ten minutes allotted to locker trips just weren't enough. I recommend getting a backpack or rollybag large enough to hold 3 casebooks for such days.

Also, everyone should get a locker in the 198 building, even if you live in the Tower. I rarely used mine, but was very thankful to have it on the days that I needed it.

[ilovesf]

I have a backpack because I walk a mile to school every day. No one cares if you aren't fashion forward and you have one, don't worry.

[shazi]

I heard Professor Diamond is THE MAN. Is this sentiment true? Does he still teach/what does he teach at UCH?

Any awesome professors for 1L core classes?

[ilovesf]

I heard Professor Diamond is THE MAN. Is this sentiment true? Does he still teach/what does he teach at UCH?

Any awesome professors for 1L core classes?

He is crazy in a good way. He does torts & crim. Do not sit in the first row. I was pretty ambivalent about most profs. I liked Takacs though a lot, aside from his stupid group projects. He is very friendly and approachable and more than happy to write recs.

[UCH_2015]

I heard Professor Diamond is THE MAN. Is this sentiment true? Does he still teach/what does he teach at UCH?

Any awesome professors for 1L core classes?

This is very true! Professor Diamond is easily one of my favorite professors. He teaches Criminal Law, Torts, and Mass Media Law. Unfortunately, Professor Diamond will be away at GW Law this year (2013-2014 school year) so the incoming 1Ls will not be able to experience his brilliance. He will however be back the following school year.

[UCH_2015]

Hello all, I am a rising 2L at UCH and new to this site/forum topic. Happy to join in on the discussions!

[shazi]

That's awesome but a bummer he won't be teaching my 1L year.

I was wondering if you guys spend most of your time studying at the library or at home? I hear the library gets really crowded. Is it open 24/7?

[hiima3L]

That's awesome but a bummer he won't be teaching my 1L year.

I was wondering if you guys spend most of your time studying at the library or at home? I hear the library gets really crowded. Is it open 24/7?

It's open until 9-11pm, depending on the day and time of year. It gets ridiculous during finals. I would tend to avoid it around then and study elsewhere.

[OneMoreLawHopeful]

That's awesome but a bummer he won't be teaching my 1L year.

I was wondering if you guys spend most of your time studying at the library or at home? I hear the library gets really crowded. Is it open 24/7?

The library isn't too bad during the year, though it can get a little crowded during finals. I actually like to study in the Sky Room in the Tower, they usually extend its hours during reading/finals and it's really peaceful.

[apollo2015]

For classes with ~80 people, how far down the waitlist do they usually let in?
How about for smaller classes with ~10 people?

I liked Takacs though a lot, aside from his stupid group projects. He is very friendly and approachable and more than happy to write recs.

Very much agreed, both in terms of his awesome side, and in terms of ughgroupprojectwtf.

I was wondering if you guys spend most of your time studying at the library or at home?

I study at home since I live in the Tower. Studying at the library might be a better idea, for the sake of socializing.

[ilovesf]

1L I studied in the library during the day. 2L I didn't study at all, anywhere.

[onionskin]

I study at home since I live in the Tower. Studying at the library might be a better idea, for the sake of socializing.

How much of that happens in the library?

[OneMoreLawHopeful]

I study at home since I live in the Tower. Studying at the library might be a better idea, for the sake of socializing.

How much of that happens in the library?

It depends. The are a few open areas with large tables where people definitely stop and say hello to friends, but I wouldn't call it 'social.'

Most socializing takes place in the Law School Cafe or on 'the beach' outside the 198 building.

[apollo2015]

I study at home since I live in the Tower. Studying at the library might be a better idea, for the sake of socializing.

How much of that happens in the library?

Quite a few of the cliques in my section were based upon clumps of people who study together. I don't think that the group studying helped any of them get better grades, which is why I avoided doing it, but there really is more to life than grades.

[Lasers]

I study at home since I live in the Tower. Studying at the library might be a better idea, for the sake of socializing.

How much of that happens in the library?

Quite a few of the cliques in my section were based upon clumps of people who study together. I don't think that the group studying helped any of them get better grades, which is why I avoided doing it, but there really is more to life than grades.

true except during 1L.

put your life on hold for a year and destroy 1L...you career will depend on it, especially coming out of hastings.

[DildaMan]

I study at home since I live in the Tower. Studying at the library might be a better idea, for the sake of socializing.

How much of that happens in the library?

Quite a few of the cliques in my section were based upon clumps of people who study together. I don't think that the group studying helped any of them get better grades, which is why I avoided doing it, but there really is more to life than grades.

I did study cliques when finals came around for exam prep, but I pretty much studied solo the rest of the year. FWIW, the exam clique I participated in ended up with very similar overall performance, (+/- 10%).

[Lasers]

I study at home since I live in the Tower. Studying at the library might be a better idea, for the sake of socializing.

How much of that happens in the library?

Quite a few of the cliques in my section were based upon clumps of people who study together. I don't think that the group studying helped any of them get better grades, which is why I avoided doing it, but there really is more to life than grades.

I did study cliques when finals came around for exam prep, but I pretty much studied solo the rest of the year. FWIW, the exam clique I participated in ended up with very similar overall performance, (+/- 10%).

i would study in small groups during exams as well, especially when taking practice exams. besides that, it was mostly solo or with one other person.

[kapital98]

I did study cliques when finals came around for exam prep, but I pretty much studied solo the rest of the year. FWIW, the exam clique I participated in ended up with very similar overall performance, (+/- 10%).

i would study in small groups during exams as well, especially when taking practice exams. besides that, it was mostly solo or with one other person.

This is what I did too.

[onionskin]

I'm living in East Bay so I want to try and maximize my social time otherwise I'm worried I'll become that hermit that goes straight home after class and never talks to anyone =[