UNC Law student(s) taking questions Forum

[YouDontKnowMe]

Hi guys,

I'm a 1L and an old TLS veteran from the admissions process days, and having this forum helped me out a lot with the morale and generally just knowing what's going on, so I thought I'd pay it forward. PLUS I've been told that it'll help prospective students' image of the school if there's someone around who knows a little bit about what it's like to go here and is willing to take questions. And I want to do whatever I can to make you love UNC the way I love it.

SO SHOOT. But please be patient if I take a little while to respond. And I'll try to get some other students on here to help me along.

EDIT: also note that the creepy man in the picture is not me.

[LawSchool2015]

During the admissions process, UNC's lack of communication (and the overabundance of communication from other schools) makes me feel as though I will be more valued at another institution. It seems as though other schools exist to help me succeed - UNC makes me feel like one of thousands of applicants who doesn't matter at the end of the day because UNC will fill its seats and make its money. Is the admissions process indicative of anything else in any way related to the school? It has left a pretty terrible impression.

[PurplePirate]

Thanks for taking questions, I really appreciate it.

I live nearby Chapel Hill and UNC is my first choice. Do you think it would be beneficial (in terms of admission) to visit the law school?

[rad lulz]

.

[Bashy]

During the admissions process, UNC's lack of communication (and the overabundance of communication from other schools) makes me feel as though I will be more valued at another institution. It seems as though other schools exist to help me succeed - UNC makes me feel like one of thousands of applicants who doesn't matter at the end of the day because UNC will fill its seats and make its money. Is the admissions process indicative of anything else in any way related to the school? It has left a pretty terrible impression.

So much this. When you're trying to decide between Wake and UNC and there's a Wake admissions dean posting on the TLS forum giving up-to-date and in-depth information about the school, it starts to leave certain impressions.

[Tyson22]

During the admissions process, UNC's lack of communication (and the overabundance of communication from other schools) makes me feel as though I will be more valued at another institution. It seems as though other schools exist to help me succeed - UNC makes me feel like one of thousands of applicants who doesn't matter at the end of the day because UNC will fill its seats and make its money. Is the admissions process indicative of anything else in any way related to the school? It has left a pretty terrible impression.

So much this. When you're trying to decide between Wake and UNC and there's a Wake admissions dean posting on the TLS forum giving up-to-date and in-depth information about the school, it starts to leave certain impressions.

agree 100%

[Tom Joad]

How easy is it to hook up with undergrad girls?

Answer this question, please.

Also, the girl with the sexiest accent I ever heard was from NC.

[YouDontKnowMe]

I know, ya'll. :/ I've said it a thousand times and I'll say it again. You pay more money to go to a private school and you get proportionally more pampered. You'll probably get more complementary biscuits and tea parties or whatever, and they'll probably put on a bigger show about how much they do for you, etc. UNC is a public school run on public funds that are forever being cut. But NO, to answer your question, the way the admissions office treats you--and I don't know what their problem is since Dean States is super-nice if you talk to him directly--is not reflective of the rest of the school. Student services, the career services office, etc.--they're all here to help you to the best of their ability. I've never gotten snubbed by any of them. I don't know what it's like to go to a private school, but I've never had any problem here finding someone to help me, and no one has made me feel like I don't matter (except for maybe the professors when they hand me my semester grades).

And I have no idea how easy it is to hook up with undergrad girls, as I've never tried. Probably pretty easy since there are like 15,000 of them.

And I'm sorry, PurplePirate, I don't know the answer to your question. I know they make records of who visited, so it could be the case that they factor that in when making the admissions decision. One thing I've gathered from anecdotal evidence that does help, however, is contacting Dean States directly. I've heard of people calling him with problems and getting a decision (a positive one, in the case I remember) the same day. His number is (919) 962-6719 (found on the admissions site). But again, remember that this is anecdotal evidence, so I can't promise you anything. I heard tons of complaints last year about how slow the admissions process is, but I haven't heard a single complaint about the administration since I got here.

[tennisking88]

I've heard of people calling him with problems and getting a decision (a positive one, in the case I remember) the same day.

Define "problems". You mean slow response?

[PurplePirate]

Thanks for the input. I'll try to set up a visit sometime or come up with a legitimate reason to contact Dean States.

[DeeCee]

Hi everyone! 1L here. I'm up for answering questions in between studying, however it might take me a little bit to respond.

[mk0604]

I'm a 1L as well.
I personally didn't like it when admissions officers/deans posted on TLS forums last year b/c I worried that they would read what I wrote and find out who I am. Maybe I was a bit too paranoid but my undergrad pre-law dean told me horror stories of applicants saying dumb things on these forums and ending up getting rejected as a result.
When I had any questions, I emailed them to the admission office directly. It didn't bother me that a UNC dean wasn't on TLS to answer Qs.
So I guess I have a different perspective on what you mean by lack of communication.

As a UNC law student now, I can tell you that admission office/ career office/ all the professors want you to succeed. I initially heard a rumor that the career office at UNC wasn't very good, but that is totally not true. I just had a meeting with a career counselor about my interview tomorrow, and I got the sense that she really wants to help me get this internship. We spent almost an hour prepping for my interview.

Hopefully this helps! If you guys have other questions, feel free to ask me or any other UNC law students here!

[mk0604]

Oh yeah... in terms of visits, I'm not really sure if they help or not. I personally didn't visit UNC law until I got accepted (that's considering the fact that I only lived 15 min away from here).
I'm guessing it won't hurt you to visit since it will definitely show your commitment to UNC.

[DeeCee]

Best reasons to come here: an atmosphere that welcomes and encourages working in the public interest, classmates that are kind, and an abundance of free pizza lunches at events during the 12-1 hour.

[YouDontKnowMe]

Best reasons to come here: an atmosphere that welcomes and encourages working in the public interest, classmates that are kind, and an abundance of free pizza lunches at events during the 12-1 hour.

But for the people who are worried about being pressured into the public interest field, that won't happen. UNC would be perfectly satisfied if you went on to make the big bucks at a firm and devoted some time on the side to pro bono work, which I think is the standard practice anyway.

[skw]

Also a 1L here. While I did not feel I was treated particularly poorly by the admissions staff, they were somewhat hands-off and there was no sense whatsoever they were recruiting to get students to attend Carolina. Carolina is in demand such that they don't have to do that. For every spot they have available, they have plenty of capable and qualified applicants from which to choose. IMO, you should NOT base your law school choice on how you are treated by the admissions team since you will never interact with them again in all likelihood and it has no bearing whatsoever on the type of legal education you will receive, nor on the opportunities you will have coming out of school. If you are considering Wake versus UNC and you intend to stay in North Carolina (and want to work at a firm), you should check out the bios of the most prestigious NC firms. They are by far slanted toward Carolina grads (as are most of the NC judgeships). I can't speak to public interest as that's not my focus, but some of the other 1Ls may be able to comment. Also, if you care at all about where you live, Chapel Hill is one of the greatest towns in NC. Winston-Salem? Not so much. Go there and spend a good amount of time if you have not done so already. Not exactly a booming metropolis.

[EYoung]

On (public/private)interest:
I am currently in a happy limbo and don't feel pressured one way or another.

On students:
You will meet plenty of law students who are generally unpleasant. Carolina is plagued by fewer of them.

On CSO (Career Services Office) and Student Services:
I've always felt like both went out of their way to help me. That said, I am pro-active and don't wait for them to hunt down my question on a forum. Ah well, I guess that fat check you cut for Wake Forest goes to someone who sits on TLS all day.

[PurplePirate]

This feedback is extremely helpful. Thank you all for taking the time to post.

[adika86]

This feedback is extremely helpful. Thank you all for taking the time to post.

Completely agree. Thanks, guys. I truly appreciate your insight and thoughts.

[Bashy]

On CSO (Career Services Office) and Student Services:
I've always felt like both went out of their way to help me. That said, I am pro-active and don't wait for them to hunt down my question on a forum. Ah well, I guess that fat check you cut for Wake Forest goes to someone who sits on TLS all day.

Hey guy, don't get the wrong idea. UNC is, and always has been, my first choice. You have to realize that, in most cases, the only contact us 0Ls have had with various law schools is with their admissions office. In Carolina's case, this is manifested in a few emails and a status checker that is all but useless. I have no idea what the CSO is like at UNC, or Wake. That's why these forums are such a great resource, and I appreciate the insight you guys (and/or girls) can offer on what it's like to actually be a student.

Look forward to seeing you at Carolina next year.

[adelefan]

Thanks for taking questions! Can you guys talk about what you know regarding 1L summer associate positions? I know UNC does really well placing 1Ls in public defenders' offices, but what about the private practice paid summer positions? Does Career Services help? Or is it mainly done through personal connections?

Thanks in advance!

[DeeCee]

Best reasons to come here: an atmosphere that welcomes and encourages working in the public interest, classmates that are kind, and an abundance of free pizza lunches at events during the 12-1 hour.

But for the people who are worried about being pressured into the public interest field, that won't happen. UNC would be perfectly satisfied if you went on to make the big bucks at a firm and devoted some time on the side to pro bono work, which I think is the standard practice anyway.

Yes, I didn't mean to misconstrue that we are all public interest here. I think that the school quotes that about 25% of us end up going into public interest work upon graduation. While that means that I am very at home here since I came to law school to do that type of work, the majority of students enter firms and private practice.

[DeeCee]

Also a 1L here. While I did not feel I was treated particularly poorly by the admissions staff, they were somewhat hands-off and there was no sense whatsoever they were recruiting to get students to attend Carolina. Carolina is in demand such that they don't have to do that. For every spot they have available, they have plenty of capable and qualified applicants from which to choose. IMO, you should NOT base your law school choice on how you are treated by the admissions team since you will never interact with them again in all likelihood and it has no bearing whatsoever on the type of legal education you will receive, nor on the opportunities you will have coming out of school. If you are considering Wake versus UNC and you intend to stay in North Carolina (and want to work at a firm), you should check out the bios of the most prestigious NC firms. They are by far slanted toward Carolina grads (as are most of the NC judgeships). I can't speak to public interest as that's not my focus, but some of the other 1Ls may be able to comment. Also, if you care at all about where you live, Chapel Hill is one of the greatest towns in NC. Winston-Salem? Not so much. Go there and spend a good amount of time if you have not done so already. Not exactly a booming metropolis.

I agree with skw. If you want NC, UNC is hands down the best choice and we have a loyal alumni base/network. Even if you want to go out of NC, alumni are all over and I would say our school is very strong regionally, and even nationally if you're trying to do that. For example, I know a 3L who completed their summer 2L gig at the San Francisco EPA. Obviously this is only one person, but it shows the options.

[mk0604]

Thanks for taking questions! Can you guys talk about what you know regarding 1L summer associate positions? I know UNC does really well placing 1Ls in public defenders' offices, but what about the private practice paid summer positions? Does Career Services help? Or is it mainly done through personal connections?

Thanks in advance!

I think 1L SA positions are competitive to begin with. That said, UNC students generally have a good chance at NC firms. Some of those firms interview during spring OCIs or post internship opportunities on symplicity (basically a job bank). Obviously the best way to get a private practice paid summer positions is through personal connections but it's not impossible to get them via other means.
If you're a minority student, there are various diversity clerkships available-- i.e. Charlotte Legal Diversity Clerkship (6 wks at law firm/ 6 wks in house).
Career Services def helps you locate jobs if you are interested in specific practice areas.

Btw, UNC students have a good chance at judicial clerkships as well since many justices are UNC alumni. For example, I think all of the NC SC justices are UNC alumni.

[DeeCee]

Thanks for taking questions! Can you guys talk about what you know regarding 1L summer associate positions? I know UNC does really well placing 1Ls in public defenders' offices, but what about the private practice paid summer positions? Does Career Services help? Or is it mainly done through personal connections?

Thanks in advance!

I didn't get my summer job through any connections. It was all through my own search on Symplicity. Also, CSO was great in that they helped me with my resume and cover letter, and they held mock interviews for interested students. I would say they were helpful to me for the most part. They are a decent resource if you make appointments with them and ask for help.