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Hey y'all -
I'm a rising 3L at Alabama, and I would be happy to answer any questions you might have about my experience as an out-of-state law student on a contingency scholarship. Good luck and happy hunting!

-Rob

Saban or Bear Bryant?

hey thanks for answering questions! Couple of questions I've asked previous students, hopefully you won't mind giving your perspective..

how did you like Tuscaloosa?

Does the class have more of a competitive or laid back feel? How diverse is the law school?

Do most of your classmates have permanent jobs? At what point in the class (in terms of rank) would you guess that students would be in danger of unemployment from your experience?

Have any idea what the class rank cutoffs are for most firms in Alabama?

Hi, I'll be starting at Alabama this fall. I have some questions for you if you have the time.

What was your 1L year like? How much time do you think you spent on schoolwork per week throughout the semester? How did your exam preparation period differ from the norm?

Did you have summer employment after 1L and 2L? Did most of the people you know have trouble finding summer employment?

Thanks!

@abc1234567: Isn't Saban Bear Bryant reincarnated ? (Proof of the power of prayer.)

How have employers looked at you being an out of state student? Are ties stressed in firms in Birmingham?

@ abc12345675: both are football gods.

@ irish1485: Tuscaloosa's alright. I did my undergrad at UNC-Chapel Hill, so my expectations for Tuscaloosa were unreasonably high. The town is somewhat sprawling, and strip malls are ubiquitous. The city has just installed a cool new amphitheater on the river though, and they've been able to attract some top-notch performers.
Your first year classes are competitive, like I'm sure they would be at any law school. The thing I liked about Alabama is that, despite the competitive atmosphere, people won't step on your toes just to get a boost. I had heard horror stories about kids cutting out assigned pages from the library so nobody else would be able to study and such, but that isn't the case at Alabama. Everyone wants to do well, but they're fair. The law school is reasonably diverse.
As far as I know, none of my classmates has a permanent job offer. We've still got a year to go before graduation though, so I expect that to change. As far as class rank - the best I can tell you is that you probably won't get an on-campus interview unless you're in the top 25% or so. Most firms want at least top third.

@ Darko86: Fair warning! 1L year isn't fun. My first semester I worked probably 13 hours a day on average. That's no exaggeration, and it includes Saturdays and Sundays. I made it out to a football game or two, and I think I had two bar nights all semester. I didn't do well either. It turns out it's possible for you to study too much! My second semester I didn't work nearly as hard and I made much better grades. I'm not too sure what you're asking about exam prep. What's the norm? All I can tell you is that the last two or three weeks before exams start are brutal. The silver lining is that the beginning of every semester is pretty laid back. Also - the readings are long and onerous, but at least you're reading about bank-robberies and murders. Hey...it could be worse...it could be math!
I did an externship and an internship after my first year. The externship was organized by the school, and I had to find the internship myself. Neither position was paid. I'm currently doing an internship at a lobbying firm in my hometown, but I only got the job because of a family connection. I would say about half of my classmates have paying summer jobs. Far fewer have jobs that pay well (for example, my internship is a paying gig, but I make ~$10 an hour).

@ CanadianWolf: how did you know?!?

@ jms1987: I haven't had good luck with employers in Alabama. If you're not at the top of your class, you're probably going to need a connection to get an interview. If you're from out of state, it's tough to find a summer job because they don't want to train someone who's going to move out of state after law school.

just out of curiosity why did you choose to go to bama? Do you guys place well in the Atlanta market?

(note: im a UNC Chapel Hill grad myself)

I was just offered a full ride to Alabama. I currently live in Fargo, North Dakota, though my sister lives in Loxley, which is about 4 hours south of UA.

The University of Alabama is among the lowest ranked schools that I applied to and I'm worried about taking the offer in case I get money (though I realize it'd probably be less) from a higher ranked school. I expect to get into schools like the University of Minnesota and/or University of Washington, which are about 10 ranks higher than UA.

I guess my question is, seeing as I haven't heard back from even a fraction of the schools I've applied to, how do you like the University of Alabama? Given the chance again, would you still go there?

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nickb285 wrote:I'm visiting Alabama on Friday for the open house. If you had one night, where would you go to get some beers/food/entertainment?

For great beers/drinks and a low-key atmosphere, go to The Alcove.

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