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Re: Columbia students taking questions

Posted: Fri May 20, 2016 5:59 pm
by Tiago Splitter
dabigchina wrote:
Tiago Splitter wrote:Tax was super easy
Nice this fits almost perfectly. How many hours total would you say it was?
Maybe like a few spurts of 3-5 hours during the semester. At first it's a little annoying but once you get the hang of it and don't take it too seriously it's a piece of cake.

Re: Columbia students taking questions

Posted: Sat May 21, 2016 1:52 am
by Monochromatic Oeuvre
I did the tax journal and spent maybe 20 hours on it ever.

Re: Columbia students taking questions

Posted: Sat May 21, 2016 9:12 pm
by stoopkid13
Tiago Splitter wrote:Stone as in honors but like 80% of CLS people do a journal so it's not a great look not to have one, especially if the resume is otherwise a little light.
I thought common advice was that interviewers don't care about secondary journals? Is it that they want to see you do a journal, they just don't care which one? Or do secondary journals actually carry weight in interviews?

Re: Columbia students taking questions

Posted: Sat May 21, 2016 11:21 pm
by TheoO
stoopkid13 wrote:
Tiago Splitter wrote:Stone as in honors but like 80% of CLS people do a journal so it's not a great look not to have one, especially if the resume is otherwise a little light.
I thought common advice was that interviewers don't care about secondary journals? Is it that they want to see you do a journal, they just don't care which one? Or do secondary journals actually carry weight in interviews?
It's not that they carry weight. It's that the vast majority of students do journals. There's a high chance that not being on a journal, especially when you're resume and transcript doesn't say too much about you, could raise red flags to interviewers. Not doing a journal is essentially like increasing risk for yourself that you'll be put in a position where you have to defend yourself.

Also, things like journals and note topics can come up.during interviews and callbacks.

I know a few people who did well without journals. They generally had stone. One was going to a non nyc market where they had strong ties, and were stone.

Re: Columbia students taking questions

Posted: Sun May 22, 2016 1:33 am
by RSN
Can anyone advise on how to rank the journals on Lawnet? Are you not able to specify rankings until after you apply? Just want to make sure I'm not missing something, but not seeing anything relating to rankings so far.

EDIT: Of course right after I post I find it. For anyone else wondering, it's explained in the right column on the applications list page, but you have to hit "show more" to see the information.

Re: Columbia students taking questions

Posted: Sun May 22, 2016 7:52 am
by Nebby
I think DC is the only PI person in here, but if there are others lemme give you my reasons why I think you should do a secondary (if not LR) and a Note.

First, journals in a certain subject matter portray to the employer your interest in the subject is real enough to assume journal responsibility. For instance, I was gunning for environmental PI so I did CJEL. This rule especially applies if you snag executive board as a 3L.

Second, writing a Note sucks, but you need to do it and it needs to be not-terrible. I received two offers from PI orgs, and at both callbacks I spent at lot of time in the interviews talking about and fielding questions about my note. When writing a Note, be strategic with the topic and thesis. For instance, my Note was about standing in judicial review actions of environmental matters. My thesis was that, due to the unique factual and legal mechanisms in environmental law, standing requirements should be slightly relaxed in judicial review of environmental matters. My Note was directly applicable to the exact organizations I was gunning for, so they ate it up.

Third, on the subject of a Note, it's not incredibly hard to get your Note published in your secondary. So long as you write something well researched and not terribly written, then it's already better than half of your peer's Notes who are going to a firm and are just writing a Note to fulfill the requirement (plus the Note gets your major writing out of the way and creates a connection with a professor who could serve as a clerkship LOR!). Even if your Note isn't being published, you can still put it on your resume in order to spur conversation on it in interviews.

Disclaimer: writing a good note is tough. A good note will require about 4 to 5 hours of research a week for at least a month. It'll then take about 36 hours to compile your research and write it up. I probably spent another 20 hours of editing and addressing critiques from my Note advisor. Overall, budget at least 50 to 60 hours to research, 36 to writing, and 20 to editing. However, if you start early (I began researching in late August of 2L) and pace yourself, then it's not very stressful

Re: Columbia students taking questions

Posted: Mon May 23, 2016 10:53 am
by GreenEggs
Just realized journals rank applicants. Is there any reason to only apply to one secondary journal and not two? Do you improve your chances on getting a specific secondary journal by only applying to it, or is it the same if you rank it #1, and you only get the #2 if you weren't going to get your #1 anyway?

Re: Columbia students taking questions

Posted: Mon May 23, 2016 10:59 am
by smaug
DCfilterDC wrote:Just realized journals rank applicants. Is there any reason to only apply to one secondary journal and not two? Do you improve your chances on getting a specific secondary journal by only applying to it, or is it the same if you rank it #1, and you only get the #2 if you weren't going to get your #1 anyway?
Just apply to many

Re: Columbia students taking questions

Posted: Mon May 23, 2016 12:23 pm
by TheoO
DCfilterDC wrote:Just realized journals rank applicants. Is there any reason to only apply to one secondary journal and not two? Do you improve your chances on getting a specific secondary journal by only applying to it, or is it the same if you rank it #1, and you only get the #2 if you weren't going to get your #1 anyway?
Do many. You'll probably get your first though

Re: Columbia students taking questions

Posted: Mon May 30, 2016 9:15 pm
by RSN
Between JTL and JLSP, which should I rank first behind Law Review? I'm pretty much committed to doing a note at this point (because I hate free time), and as of now I want to do something domestic-focused - I've heard you can do pretty much anything on JTL, but wondering if it still might restrict my topic too much, making JLSP make more sense. Any thoughts?

Re: Columbia students taking questions

Posted: Wed Jun 01, 2016 10:00 pm
by curlietop86
I'm sure this is posted somewhere in this thread, but I went back a ways and don't see it. Can anyone provide some information about the percentages of the 1L class that end up Stone or Kent and what those things actually do for you in real terms? Especially wondering if there are any benefits to being high Stone almost Kent or whether it's just sortof listed once you make each segment.

This might be a really annoying question, in which case I apologize profusely, but would still love whatever information anyone cares to share!

Re: Columbia students taking questions

Posted: Wed Jun 01, 2016 10:07 pm
by jbagelboy
curlietop86 wrote:I'm sure this is posted somewhere in this thread, but I went back a ways and don't see it. Can anyone provide some information about the percentages of the 1L class that end up Stone or Kent and what those things actually do for you in real terms? Especially wondering if there are any benefits to being high Stone almost Kent or whether it's just sortof listed once you make each segment.

This might be a really annoying question, in which case I apologize profusely, but would still love whatever information anyone cares to share!
It's definitely posted in a few different places, but here's the rough for 1Ls:
Stone: top 35-40%
Kent: top 4-6%

Yes, your grades outside of the honors categories have some independent value, and a 3.7--"high stone"--is different from a 3.5 at EIP. It might move you from the "probably CB if carries well/strong resume" to auto-CB unless super weird, or open up one of the handful of super picky firms.

Re: Columbia students taking questions

Posted: Wed Jun 01, 2016 11:00 pm
by curlietop86
jbagelboy wrote:
curlietop86 wrote:I'm sure this is posted somewhere in this thread, but I went back a ways and don't see it. Can anyone provide some information about the percentages of the 1L class that end up Stone or Kent and what those things actually do for you in real terms? Especially wondering if there are any benefits to being high Stone almost Kent or whether it's just sortof listed once you make each segment.

This might be a really annoying question, in which case I apologize profusely, but would still love whatever information anyone cares to share!
It's definitely posted in a few different places, but here's the rough for 1Ls:
Stone: top 35-40%
Kent: top 4-6%

Yes, your grades outside of the honors categories have some independent value, and a 3.7--"high stone"--is different from a 3.5 at EIP. It might move you from the "probably CB if carries well/strong resume" to auto-CB unless super weird, or open up one of the handful of super picky firms.
Thanks so much! I really appreciate it. Does anyone have an idea for what it means in terms of applying to government honors programs / public interest more broadly, other than the general likelihood that the better your grades (and of course demonstrated PI interest, etc.) the better you are likely to do?

Re: Columbia students taking questions

Posted: Wed Jun 01, 2016 11:10 pm
by dabigchina
jbagelboy wrote:
curlietop86 wrote:I'm sure this is posted somewhere in this thread, but I went back a ways and don't see it. Can anyone provide some information about the percentages of the 1L class that end up Stone or Kent and what those things actually do for you in real terms? Especially wondering if there are any benefits to being high Stone almost Kent or whether it's just sortof listed once you make each segment.

This might be a really annoying question, in which case I apologize profusely, but would still love whatever information anyone cares to share!
It's definitely posted in a few different places, but here's the rough for 1Ls:
Stone: top 35-40%
Kent: top 4-6%

Yes, your grades outside of the honors categories have some independent value, and a 3.7--"high stone"--is different from a 3.5 at EIP. It might move you from the "probably CB if carries well/strong resume" to auto-CB unless super weird, or open up one of the handful of super picky firms.
Isn't it like 25-30 for stone for 1L? I think 35-40 is upper classmen?

Re: Columbia students taking questions

Posted: Wed Jun 01, 2016 11:13 pm
by smaug
dabigchina wrote:
jbagelboy wrote:
curlietop86 wrote:I'm sure this is posted somewhere in this thread, but I went back a ways and don't see it. Can anyone provide some information about the percentages of the 1L class that end up Stone or Kent and what those things actually do for you in real terms? Especially wondering if there are any benefits to being high Stone almost Kent or whether it's just sortof listed once you make each segment.

This might be a really annoying question, in which case I apologize profusely, but would still love whatever information anyone cares to share!
It's definitely posted in a few different places, but here's the rough for 1Ls:
Stone: top 35-40%
Kent: top 4-6%

Yes, your grades outside of the honors categories have some independent value, and a 3.7--"high stone"--is different from a 3.5 at EIP. It might move you from the "probably CB if carries well/strong resume" to auto-CB unless super weird, or open up one of the handful of super picky firms.
Isn't it like 25-30 for stone for 1L? I think 35-40 is upper classmen?
No. jbagel is right. Stone is assuredly more generous than top 1/3.

Re: Columbia students taking questions

Posted: Wed Jun 01, 2016 11:18 pm
by YCDAACH
How hard is it to get a job in CA? does being in the California Society significantly help?

I also have a less serious question that I'm curious about. I haven't visited, but when I look at pictures of cls classrooms, I see chalkboards everywhere. Do most of your classrooms have chalkboards or whiteboards?

Re: Columbia students taking questions

Posted: Wed Jun 01, 2016 11:25 pm
by dabigchina
YCDAACH wrote:How hard is it to get a job in CA? does being in the California Society significantly help?

I also have a less serious question that I'm curious about. I haven't visited, but when I look at pictures of cls classrooms, I see chalkboards everywhere. Do most of your classrooms have chalkboards or whiteboards?
It looks like you are paying a lot more to go to cls than cal?

Recruiting is apparently not bad but bagel can tell you more. Personally I think cal for 70k less is a good call if you are CA or bust.

Eta I don't think I've had classes with whiteboards.

Re: Columbia students taking questions

Posted: Wed Jun 01, 2016 11:45 pm
by stoopkid13
dabigchina wrote:
YCDAACH wrote:How hard is it to get a job in CA? does being in the California Society significantly help?

I also have a less serious question that I'm curious about. I haven't visited, but when I look at pictures of cls classrooms, I see chalkboards everywhere. Do most of your classrooms have chalkboards or whiteboards?
It looks like you are paying a lot more to go to cls than cal?

Recruiting is apparently not bad but bagel can tell you more. Personally I think cal for 70k less is a good call if you are CA or bust.

Eta I don't think I've had classes with whiteboards.
JG is chalkboards on the walls but have standing whiteboards. I had one professor use the whiteboard.

Re: Columbia students taking questions

Posted: Thu Jun 02, 2016 2:19 am
by almondjoy
YCDAACH wrote:How hard is it to get a job in CA? does being in the California Society significantly help?

I also have a less serious question that I'm curious about. I haven't visited, but when I look at pictures of cls classrooms, I see chalkboards everywhere. Do most of your classrooms have chalkboards or whiteboards?
Not too hard if you have good ties and decent (stone) grades. Being a 1L rep of the California society helps a teeny tiny bit I would say. Feel free to skip if you have good enough CA ties without it. Just make sure to at least pay the dues so you can go to certain CalSoc cocktail receptions that CA firms host throughout the year.

Re: Columbia students taking questions

Posted: Thu Jun 02, 2016 11:29 am
by doctorjuris
Might be a silly Q but when do we select courses for 2L year?

Re: Columbia students taking questions

Posted: Fri Jun 03, 2016 11:47 am
by GoneSouth
doctorjuris wrote:Might be a silly Q but when do we select courses for 2L year?
Was wondering the same thing

Re: Columbia students taking questions

Posted: Fri Jun 03, 2016 5:19 pm
by jrc223
GoneSouth wrote:
doctorjuris wrote:Might be a silly Q but when do we select courses for 2L year?
Was wondering the same thing
+1

Re: Columbia students taking questions

Posted: Fri Jun 03, 2016 5:25 pm
by Nebby
jrc223 wrote:
GoneSouth wrote:
doctorjuris wrote:Might be a silly Q but when do we select courses for 2L year?
Was wondering the same thing
+1
End of the summer

Re: Columbia students taking questions

Posted: Fri Jun 03, 2016 6:59 pm
by John_Luther1989
doctorjuris wrote:Might be a silly Q but when do we select courses for 2L year?
You enter the lottery in mid/late-June then wait while the registrar does fuck all. They'll get around to thinking about maybe, possibly, if time allows, giving out schedules right about the end of August.

Re: Columbia students taking questions

Posted: Fri Jun 03, 2016 7:34 pm
by jrc223
John_Luther1989 wrote:
doctorjuris wrote:Might be a silly Q but when do we select courses for 2L year?
You enter the lottery in mid/late-June then wait while the registrar does fuck all. They'll get around to thinking about maybe, possibly, if time allows, giving out schedules right about the end of August.
So the class list should come out soon?