1L Georgetown Student Taking Questions Forum

[Relax]

Have at it!

[luxxe]

Do you have any idea how many people apply to live in Gewirz vs. how many people get it? Are you curriculum A or B?

Thanks!!

[paul34]

.

[CanadianWolf]

Typical class/section size & is LRW pass/fail ? Thanks.

[SuperCool23]

How was it transitioning from undergrad to law school, how did you prep for law school? What dis your schedule look like, did you have time to socialize and see the city? How much time did u spend reading?

[Relax]

Luxxe: I'm in curriculum A. I don't know the exact numbers of students living in Gewirz, but a lot of 1L students do live there. A bunch also live in the apartment buildings within a few blocks of the school. I don't live in Gewirz, though most of my friends do so I've seen the apartments. The convenience is nice, the kitchens are tiny.

Wolf: The section size is about 80-90 students, I think. For the first semester two classes were with the full section, and then two were about 30 students each. The entire class (including evening students) is somewhere around 500 students. You can get more specific numbers at the website. LRW is graded.

Paul: Yes, there was a cupcake social. Meh, I'm a cupcake snob so I didn't think they were the best, but they weren't bad.

[Relax]

SuperCool: I worked for a few years between undergrad and law school. Law school is hard. I skated in undergrad. I got great grades on pretty little work. I haven't gotten my grades yet for the first semester, but you have to put in the hours to do well. You can also put in the hours and NOT do well.

I socialized a bit in the early part of the semester and then nothing at all in the last month or two. I haven't been exploring the city as much as I would like. I tell myself I have two more years to do that. I mean, law school is what you make of it. You can read as much or little as you want. I kept up with the reading and that probably took at least 3-4 hours a day of reading in addition to class time. LRW assignments can also take a long time, especially the memos. I'll do somethings differently/smarter next semester, but I don't think that will cut down on the number of hours I'll be studying.

But some people partied a lot. We'll see how they do. Maybe they'll do great!

[franklyscarlet]

Thanks for doing this!! Can you talk about living in DC? Costs, convenience, safety, social, etc. I've loved DC every time I've been there, but I've never lived anywhere but a small town or city so I really have no idea what it would be like to live there.

[Relax]

FranklyScarlet: I love living in DC. It's expensive and there are areas that aren't very safe, but you just avoid those areas. There's a lot to do in the city, if you have the time. So far I'm also really enjoying the weather. Oh, and you don't need a car, which is amazing. Really the biggest minus is the cost.

[horrorbusiness]

are you religious? how do you feel about going to a catholic school? and does it being a catholic school reflect at all in the classes/faculty/assignments?

[Relax]

Horror: I'm not particularly religious but it doesn't make much of a difference at the school. It doesn't play a role with the courses or anything. You can't get birth control covered by your insurance if it's through the school unless you say it's for acne or something like that.

[luxxe]

You can't get birth control covered by your insurance if it's through the school unless you say it's for acne or something like that.

Even though I wouldn't be using school insurance..... ugh.

Thanks for the answers though, Relax! Very helpful. One more if you don't mind... has the big entering class size been a negative for you? It doesn't sound like the section sizes that that different from a lot of other, smaller schools, which is awesome.

[chipchip]

[Even though I wouldn't be using school insurance..... ugh.[/quote]

This is a Georgetown University-wide mandate and is probably the only overt Catholic aspect you will find at the law school.

[boiseman]

Like others have said, thanks for answering questions about attending GULC. I am going to apply to Georgetown next cycle (2012) and have some questions regarding the admissions process and your decision to attend. I understand that this may be a bit cumbersome so feel free to answer as many questions as you please.

1. My numbers are 3.6 GPA and 170 LSAT(might retake in June of 2012). If I am fairly confident GULC is where I would like to attend, would you recommend the ED (early decision) track? Why or why not?

2. (Hopefully not to personal) what were some of your determining factors in choosing to attend Georgetown over other schools?

3. I understand that some professors may have their own political agenda, but would you say the school as a whole is leaning in any sort of political or ideological direction?

4. Silly question, I have a family and will be 30 at the time of attending (non-traditional student). Some speculation required here, but would the school be a comfortable atmosphere for a guy with a couple of kids? Would you suggest living elsewhere?

Thanks again.

[JDcand]

Entering class of 2015. Any advice on where to live for someone who is married? I'm thinking Mass Court in order to be close to campus. Does it get good reviews?

Also, are old exams easily accessible or would I need to find an upperclassman to get those to study throughout 1st semester in a way that will pay dividends on test?

Lastly, if you had unlimited time between now and AUG 2012, what are top three things you'd do to prepare? Particularly, for someone out of school for a few years. Thanks.

[chipchip]

To Boiseman:

Given those scores, I think you should just RD and apply elsewhere too. Even if you think GULC is it for you, it never hurts to apply elsewhere and you have competitive scores. You should be a shoe-in for GULC if you apply early enough anyway, and it's not like ED necessarily increases scholarship chances. Georgetown, probably like most major institutions, probably leans left, but it's nothing overbearing IMO (and there are enough conservatives here to compensate, i.e. Randy Barnett, Viet Dinh, Paul Clement when he teaches, and the first two often teach 1L classes). It certainly hasn't affected my education, IMO, though I am a liberal. I have several friends who are non-traditional students and have families. GULC offers so many options for classes that you can definitely schedule things around your family (more so as a 2L/3L when you pick all your classes), and although you will be busy, I know that many of the people I know with families have done fine and I have not heard particular complaints in this regard.

To JDcand:

For married, you can look to the apartments (Mass Court is close but it's younger-skewing; you can also check out others nearby or Senate Square), or even in the residential areas in Northeast which have some nice properties. I know people who commute in from Virginia or Maryland too. Old exams are easily accessible so long as professors make them available (and almost all do). They are on the library website. Many come with model answers or explanations by professors. For classes that don't, generally you won't find many upperclassmen with copies of the exam itself (we have to give those back); they may have their answers, but that's not entirely informative. Professors may make them available separately too. As far as preparation, do nothing educational or pre-law oriented. Just relax. You'll be busy enough when you start, and you'll figure out what methods work best for you once you are here. I don't think that any of those books people hawk are really helpful at all.

[JDcand]

Thanks a lot for the note. I'm married, but still in mid-20's with no kids so I prefer the young crowd that Mass Court or similiar places might offer. It makes me feel like I'm not the old married guy. I appreciate the other advice as well.

[futurehoya12]

Do you know how many 1L's who apply for on-campus housing don't get it? I want to live on campus, but the website says the earliest I would find out would be May. It makes me nervous waiting that long to nail down housing for next year.

[eaper]

I'm planning on visiting over my spring break (can't make an ASW=\) and I was wondering if you had any suggestions for places to stay, visit, eat at, etc. Also, I know you said you're Curric. A, but do you know how most people like Curric. B? If I end up going, I'll probably try to get Curric. B.

[cogitoergosum]

Can one schedule 1L classes for 4 days/week at Gtown?

[luxxe]

Can one schedule 1L classes for 4 days/week at Gtown?

1L don't have Friday classes! One of the best things I learned at ASW . Are you considering GULC more, cog?

Also, eaper, I would recommend capitol hill suites! It is $90/night including taxes and is really nice. It is off of capital south metro and it wasn't a bad walk at all to the school during ASW. The area around the congressional office buildings isn't the most happening place, but it is a 2 block walk to the metro and so cheap for downtown DC.

[cogitoergosum]

Can one schedule 1L classes for 4 days/week at Gtown?

1L don't have Friday classes! One of the best things I learned at ASW . Are you considering GULC more, cog?

Also, eaper, I would recommend capitol hill suites! It is $90/night including taxes and is really nice. It is off of capital south metro and it wasn't a bad walk at all to the school during ASW. The area around the congressional office buildings isn't the most happening place, but it is a 2 block walk to the metro and so cheap for downtown DC.

Ohhh, very nice... Yes, I am! I'll def be at the March ASW, and am trying to figure out what the long distance marriage thing looks like. Having long weekends to take the Amtrak up to NYC for 1L certainly helps.. Thanks for the info

[hookem12]

Do you know how many 1L's who apply for on-campus housing don't get it? I want to live on campus, but the website says the earliest I would find out would be May. It makes me nervous waiting that long to nail down housing for next year.

0L here, but there's a very good chance I'll be at Gtown next year, and I've looked at a bunch of apartments in the area. The most common refrain I've heard is "we don't lease until 60 (or 90) days out," so if you're looking for an apartment to move into for August, it probably wouldn't be until June that they'd even know about availability. So if you're locked out at Gewirz, I don't think May is too late to look for another place at all.

This completely freaked me out, because I like to plan far ahead of time, but apparently it tends to work out in that market. I'd imagine there's a lot of turnover year-to-year. Good luck!