UNC Law student(s) taking questions Forum

[YouDontKnowMe]

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.

I know a 1L who got a paid associate position in California for the coming summer, and some people with stuff in DC. I'm sure there are other people with non-NC jobs, but it's kind of hard to find out about people's summer plans right now because people are getting tired of talking about the job search. I know I am.

[Kafiyah]

In answer to your question. UNC didn't send me anything until I got accepted so I wouldn't worry about them sending you anything. Also alot of schools sent me stuff and they didn't accept me. So getting things doesn't really mean anything unless you get an acceptance I hope this helps.

[Kafiyah]

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.

In answer to your question. UNC didn't send me anything until I got accepted so I wouldn't worry about them sending you anything. Also alot of schools sent me stuff and they didn't accept me. So getting things doesn't really mean anything unless you get an acceptance I hope this helps.

[Kafiyah]

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.

I would assume as easy as when you are in undergrad, but you have to go closer to main campus the law school is kind of secluded.

[adika86]

Thanks again for taking questions. I was recently admitted, originally from NC, and really excited about the opportunity to attend. I know that I want to focus on public interest in law school and for a career. I've read that UNC has a strong PI presence and I was wondering if any of you could comment on it a bit more (internships/externships, loan forgiveness, etc.)

Thanks!

[skw]

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!

CSO runs a nice job bank and OCI; however, the market at large dictates what jobs are available. To give you a data point, we are just coming up on the completion of 1L OCI bidding. There were a grand total of about 8 firms offering paid 1L SA positions in the Raleigh area. That number probably increases to something closer to 12 or so if you include positions across NC as a whole, and I'm sure it jumps again if you look at all SE positions. (I was only looking locally myself). This is governed by what the market will bear, and while it is definitely better than what I hear folks a couple of years ago faced, it is also not the booming job market of the late 90s and early 2000s. My understanding from 2Ls is that 2L OCI (at end off 1L summer) has significantly more SAs available. I've spoken with many local attorneys who confirm their 1L programs have been scaled back dramatically, or all together in some cases, so I don't think the smallish number of 1L OCI interviewing firms is a reflection on UNC in any way. (If a firm in NC has a 1L program, they come to UNC for OCI). Note that the majority of 1Ls, particulary those with little or no work experience will be doing unpaid internships. There are scads of those available on job bank and OCI and I'm hearing good things from classmates about folks finding work in areas that interest them.

[skw]

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.

The mock interview program CSO hosted was top notch. I ended up really connecting with my interviewer from a local firm. I've had 3 follow-up interviews with other attorneys from that office (over coffee mostly). They are one of the firms who no longer offer a 1L SA program, but making connections and networking is the single best thing you can do (aside from grades, which are critical if you want to work in a medium or large firm). The last attorney I met with gave me names of 6 attorneys at other local firms and allowed me to use him as a reference in obtaining meet and greets with them -- as in, "thus and such suggested I reach out to you to discuss my interest in XYZ practice area..."

CSO is also hosting a dinner event at the Carolina Club with a large local firm (next month). We have a few cocktail hours with local firms on the calendar as well. The opportunities to network are there, but it is up to students to read the emails CSO sends and show up to the events, bid on jobs of interest, etc.

I will also say I was impressed with the assistance CSO provided on my resume. I've worked for 12 years and kind of thought I had the resume thing down, but law resumes are their own special breed, and the resume I'm using post-CSO editing is worlds better than what I started with.

[adelefan]

Thanks for all of your replies! I figured it would definitely involve some legwork, but it is good to hear that it's doable.

[YouDontKnowMe]

Thanks again for taking questions. I was recently admitted, originally from NC, and really excited about the opportunity to attend. I know that I want to focus on public interest in law school and for a career. I've read that UNC has a strong PI presence and I was wondering if any of you could comment on it a bit more (internships/externships, loan forgiveness, etc.)

Thanks!

They have a weekly public interest newsletter, a big pro bono program (building up pro bono hours is a good way to show public interest employers that you're passionate about PI and aren't just using them as a fallback--it also gives you practical experience and stuff to talk about during interviews whether you're doing PI or not), a special public interest counselor in the career services office, a bunch of information sessions, what they call a "public interest retreat" which is basically a long info session where they have professors and PI lawyers talk to you and then give you food afterward, and a service trip two or three times a year (which has all been in NC this year but they've gone to New Orleans in the past). I don't know anything about externships yet except that I'm going to try to get one next year, and I know the financial aid lady talked to us about loan forgiveness at the public interest fair but I think it was just federal loan forgiveness and repayment plans.

(that one part is in bold because even if you're not into PI and you skim the rest of the paragraph, you should know that doing pro bono work while you're in law school is valuable even if you don't do PI. For example, a friend of mine who wants to go into corporate law got trained to do something income tax-related called VITA and does that every other Saturday, and so he gets to go into his interview and talk about how much experience he already has in taxes, client contact, etc.)

[YouDontKnowMe]

Oh, and I ultimately got my job from an OCI (on-campus interview), but most of the applications I sent out were to places I saw on Symplicity and non-school-affiliated websites like idealist.org

[DeeCee]

Oh, and I ultimately got my job from an OCI (on-campus interview), but most of the applications I sent out were to places I saw on Symplicity and non-school-affiliated websites like idealist.org

OCI was pretty busy. I believe it is wrapping up this week. Most people I knew had at least one OCI interview. However, not everyone gets an OCI job.

As far as public interest, the school also runs fantastic judicial and non-judicial externship programs with very high placement rates. I don't have a lot of details on it because I backed out of the program before it was binding, when I got my summer gig. But, I remember the program director telling me that all but maybe 2 or 3 people (out of 50 in the program) receive placement for summer.

Essentially, between OCI, the externship program, Symplicity job bank, other non-UNC job websites, and possible personal connections, almost all students obtain summer positions in either a public and private position. Some also split summers and work 2 positions.

[Tyson22]

Can you guys talk about what type of scholarship opportunities are typically left (if any) for students who don't get admitted until later in March? I know there was also a group let in around early/mid April as well, so is there anything left for them? I am a splitter for UNC but have pretty good extracurriculars so I'm not even sure if I will get in, but if I do, I was just wondering typically how much scholarship money they have later on. Thanks!

[YouDontKnowMe]

Can you guys talk about what type of scholarship opportunities are typically left (if any) for students who don't get admitted until later in March? I know there was also a group let in around early/mid April as well, so is there anything left for them? I am a splitter for UNC but have pretty good extracurriculars so I'm not even sure if I will get in, but if I do, I was just wondering typically how much scholarship money they have later on. Thanks!

Hm.. I think your best bet would be to go back and glance through last year's admissions forum, unless someone else on here wants to say if they got a later scholarship. Scholarships aren't something that students talk about amongst themselves, just like they don't typically talk about their grades. http://www.top-law-schools.com/forums/v ... 7&t=133018

[DeeCee]

Can you guys talk about what type of scholarship opportunities are typically left (if any) for students who don't get admitted until later in March? I know there was also a group let in around early/mid April as well, so is there anything left for them? I am a splitter for UNC but have pretty good extracurriculars so I'm not even sure if I will get in, but if I do, I was just wondering typically how much scholarship money they have later on. Thanks!

Hm.. I think your best bet would be to go back and glance through last year's admissions forum, unless someone else on here wants to say if they got a later scholarship. Scholarships aren't something that students talk about amongst themselves, just like they don't typically talk about their grades. http://www.top-law-schools.com/forums/v ... 7&t=133018

Those who applied before Jan 1 were able to be considered for the Chancellor's scholarship (someone correct me if I'm wrong). Other than that, UNC will typically give money to those they find to be competitive candidates. I believe that last year some money might have been given out later in the cycle. The only reason I say this is because we received an email saying that once the deadlines to accept had passed, they would assess who accepted and who didn't, and distribute any remaining $.

Hopefully that makes sense. Just as YouDon'tKnowMe stated, law students do not talk to each other about their scholarship money and thus do not know the details about when or if their classmates were offered $.

[emcoast32]

what is a 1L schedule like at UNC? is it pretty much 8-5, m-f?

[DeeCee]

what is a 1L schedule like at UNC? is it pretty much 8-5, m-f?

Mine last semester was typically 10am-4pm, with breaks in between on some days. This semester it is more varied and most days start early (8:45). It depends on the schedule you personally are given. Not all of your classmates in your section will have the same schedule as you because one subject will be designated as a small section class during the first semester. Also, the legal writing class is a small section that is two semesters long.

To give you an idea of class size, regular doctrinal classes have 80-90 people, and small sections (one doctrinal class first semester and legal writing for both semesters) have about 25 people.

[emcoast32]

what is a 1L schedule like at UNC? is it pretty much 8-5, m-f?

Mine last semester was typically 10am-4pm, with breaks in between on some days. This semester it is more varied and most days start early (8:45). It depends on the schedule you personally are given. Not all of your classmates in your section will have the same schedule as you because one subject will be designated as a small section class during the first semester. Also, the legal writing class is a small section that is two semesters long.

To give you an idea of class size, regular doctrinal classes have 80-90 people, and small sections (one doctrinal class first semester and legal writing for both semesters) have about 25 people.

thanks!

[YouDontKnowMe]

what is a 1L schedule like at UNC? is it pretty much 8-5, m-f?

Last semester kept me here 8:45-4 pretty much every day except for Fridays, when I had one class at 10:25, which was awesome. This semester is a bit better, except that I keep getting stuck with the 8:45s. Way too early to brain good.

[PurplePirate]

How about after class? How much time do you spend on an average basis studying/working on assignments? And how much does that carry over into the weekend?

[skw]

How about after class? How much time do you spend on an average basis studying/working on assignments? And how much does that carry over into the weekend?

This is highly variable. I get to school an hour and a half before my first class, which starts at 8:45am and start studying. Class from 8:45 to 9:40. Study from 10-1, class from 1-4, then home, exercise, dinner, then usually another 1-2 hours of studying. On weekends I put in 6-10 hours total, depending on what is going on at school. I hear from some students they don't study at all on the weekends, but since I don't know their grades, I can't speak to how that's working out for them. I can tell you that using my study approach, I was done with all reading 2 weeks prior to finals, all my outlines were also ready, and I had done 5-6 practice exams for each course final by the time the tests rolled around. I was tired sometimes first semester, but I NEVER felt overwhelmed and I was 100% prepared for finals and not stressed AT ALL during that time. In fact, not having class during reading days and being uber-prepared made exam time almost zen for me. I did very well studying this way, but that's as close to revealing grades as I'm comfortable with. I'm sure some students studied less and also did well. Others probably studied more and did not do as well. Law school is not a one size fits all thing -- you have to find what works for you.

One bit of advice though -- if anybody tells you they have a shortcut (you don't really need to read the cases, supplements are for finals, you don't need to make your own outline) -- carefully consider the source. My experience is that hard work pays off and shortcuts don't really exist if you want to do well.

[YouDontKnowMe]

This is highly variable. I get to school an hour and a half before my first class, which starts at 8:45am and start studying. Class from 8:45 to 9:40. Study from 10-1, class from 1-4, then home, exercise, dinner, then usually another 1-2 hours of studying. On weekends I put in 6-10 hours total, depending on what is going on at school. I hear from some students they don't study at all on the weekends, but since I don't know their grades, I can't speak to how that's working out for them. I can tell you that using my study approach, I was done with all reading 2 weeks prior to finals, all my outlines were also ready, and I had done 5-6 practice exams for each course final by the time the tests rolled around. I was tired sometimes first semester, but I NEVER felt overwhelmed and I was 100% prepared for finals and not stressed AT ALL during that time. In fact, not having class during reading days and being uber-prepared made exam time almost zen for me. I did very well studying this way, but that's as close to revealing grades as I'm comfortable with. I'm sure some students studied less and also did well. Others probably studied more and did not do as well. Law school is not a one size fits all thing -- you have to find what works for you.

One bit of advice though -- if anybody tells you they have a shortcut (you don't really need to read the cases, supplements are for finals, you don't need to make your own outline) -- carefully consider the source. My experience is that hard work pays off and shortcuts don't really exist if you want to do well.

Holy crap. SKW is so exceptionally efficient it's intimidating. I don't think it works that way for a lot of people. Of course, I have attention issues and am not very good at bracing down between classes (example: now). I take a lot of internet breaks and yack on the phone quite a bit, so I end up having late nights on a regular basis. I also attend Bar Review religiously. I had trouble getting my outlines started last semester and did a lot of unnecessary work, so that also put me behind, but then I made a strict schedule for the last few weeks before exams where I would have about 6 days per class of nothing but outlining for that class followed by three days of reviewing my outline and taking practice exams, and it ended up working out okay. But I would still recommend getting started a lot earlier than I did, because I didn't have any kind of zen leading up to exams.

Okay, advice time.

If you're anything like me, people will tell you this over and over during first semester and you'll just kind of ignore it and then regret it later. REVIEW AS YOU GO ALONG. Like at the end of a unit or something. KEEP UP WITH YOUR READING. YOU'RE NOT GOING TO HAVE TIME TO LEARN IT ALL AND GET ALL THE QUESTIONS YOU HAD POP UP THROUGHOUT THE SEMESTER ANSWERED DURING THE LAST FEW WEEKS BEFORE EXAMS. This might involve getting study aids early. Take suggests from your profs and older students on what books they recommend for that particular class, and also read Amazon reviews so you don't buy one that turns out to be crappy. It might be useful to spend some time in the RRWA ("research ... something.. writing and advocacy".. it's the name of our legal writing course) suite where they have study aides that people donated, and you can look through and see which ones follow a format that you like. The study aides will help you keep in mind the concepts you're supposed to be taking out of everything (from my experience, it's easy to obsess over individual cases and forget to think about how they fit into the big picture). This is where starting your outlines early will help, also so that if you start with a format that you end up finding doesn't work very well, you can scrap that early while you've still got time.

Law students love giving advice. But seriously, don't ignore this like I did. Review as you go along and make sure you understand something rather than saying "oh, we still have ______ until exams, I'll do it later." I promise you.. the people who are telling you this are most likely telling you from experience, and you should listen.

[emcoast32]

i am finding this thread very helpful. thank you, 1Ls, for your time - i know it is scarce.

[DeeCee]

This is highly variable. I get to school an hour and a half before my first class, which starts at 8:45am and start studying. Class from 8:45 to 9:40. Study from 10-1, class from 1-4, then home, exercise, dinner, then usually another 1-2 hours of studying. On weekends I put in 6-10 hours total, depending on what is going on at school. I hear from some students they don't study at all on the weekends, but since I don't know their grades, I can't speak to how that's working out for them. I can tell you that using my study approach, I was done with all reading 2 weeks prior to finals, all my outlines were also ready, and I had done 5-6 practice exams for each course final by the time the tests rolled around. I was tired sometimes first semester, but I NEVER felt overwhelmed and I was 100% prepared for finals and not stressed AT ALL during that time. In fact, not having class during reading days and being uber-prepared made exam time almost zen for me. I did very well studying this way, but that's as close to revealing grades as I'm comfortable with. I'm sure some students studied less and also did well. Others probably studied more and did not do as well. Law school is not a one size fits all thing -- you have to find what works for you.

One bit of advice though -- if anybody tells you they have a shortcut (you don't really need to read the cases, supplements are for finals, you don't need to make your own outline) -- carefully consider the source. My experience is that hard work pays off and shortcuts don't really exist if you want to do well.

Holy crap. SKW is so exceptionally efficient it's intimidating. I don't think it works that way for a lot of people. Of course, I have attention issues and am not very good at bracing down between classes (example: now). I take a lot of internet breaks and yack on the phone quite a bit, so I end up having late nights on a regular basis. I also attend Bar Review religiously. I had trouble getting my outlines started last semester and did a lot of unnecessary work, so that also put me behind, but then I made a strict schedule for the last few weeks before exams where I would have about 6 days per class of nothing but outlining for that class followed by three days of reviewing my outline and taking practice exams, and it ended up working out okay. But I would still recommend getting started a lot earlier than I did, because I didn't have any kind of zen leading up to exams.

Okay, advice time.

If you're anything like me, people will tell you this over and over during first semester and you'll just kind of ignore it and then regret it later. REVIEW AS YOU GO ALONG. Like at the end of a unit or something. KEEP UP WITH YOUR READING. YOU'RE NOT GOING TO HAVE TIME TO LEARN IT ALL AND GET ALL THE QUESTIONS YOU HAD POP UP THROUGHOUT THE SEMESTER ANSWERED DURING THE LAST FEW WEEKS BEFORE EXAMS. This might involve getting study aids early. Take suggests from your profs and older students on what books they recommend for that particular class, and also read Amazon reviews so you don't buy one that turns out to be crappy. It might be useful to spend some time in the RRWA ("research ... something.. writing and advocacy".. it's the name of our legal writing course) suite where they have study aides that people donated, and you can look through and see which ones follow a format that you like. The study aides will help you keep in mind the concepts you're supposed to be taking out of everything (from my experience, it's easy to obsess over individual cases and forget to think about how they fit into the big picture). This is where starting your outlines early will help, also so that if you start with a format that you end up finding doesn't work very well, you can scrap that early while you've still got time.

Law students love giving advice. But seriously, don't ignore this like I did. Review as you go along and make sure you understand something rather than saying "oh, we still have ______ until exams, I'll do it later." I promise you.. the people who are telling you this are most likely telling you from experience, and you should listen.

My week schedule goes something like this: Wake up at 6:30am to shower, get lunch ready, and do some quick study/review until I leave at 8 to attend class at 8:45. Then, this semester I have huge gaps in between classes, so usually after my 8:45 class I go study (read, take notes, etc) for a few hours. This fizzles out by lunchtime, so I go have lunch for an hour and go to some lunch events. Then, depending on the day, I either go to class after lunch or have a break to do more work until 2:30. I try to get my work done by the time I go home, which is either when class is done at 4, or I stay until 6 on many days. I don't like to come home and do work, so I am strongly motivated to get things done.

In a typical 5-day school week, I get my work done between 4 and 6pm most days. There will usually be one day a week I end up working late, trying to get some last minute RRWA done (my late is until 9pm). After 9 I put the books down and I am done, because there is always more to do but I have to stop myself. I always take off Saturdays, because I have to have a day that isn't law school related. I try to read ahead on Sundays and review notes to make my week lighter, but usually I pull an 8 hour Sunday.

And again, as others have previously said, you HAVE to review. There is so much material in law school that you'll never get studying done if you don't review on the weekends. I plan to spend Spring Break starting up my outlines. You never really catch a break from the work, but if you manage your time well, you can often have 2 days a week where after class (or on the weekend) you can relax.

HTH.

[adelefan]

Does anyone have an idea how much tuition will be for 2012-2013? Other schools have started posting their tuition for next year, so I was wondering if anyone had heard rumors or have a good guess of what UNC will be. If not, does anyone remember when UNC posted their tuition last year?

[DeeCee]

Does anyone have an idea how much tuition will be for 2012-2013? Other schools have started posting their tuition for next year, so I was wondering if anyone had heard rumors or have a good guess of what UNC will be. If not, does anyone remember when UNC posted their tuition last year?

The school will not likely have a number ready until July. I know that is how it worked last year. This year, our tuition was $19,012 for in-state students, and $34,120 for out-of-state students. I believe it will go up (maybe $1000? Who knows, just guessing). However, you should contact Dean States, as he might know more information.