CUNY 1L Taking Questions (but no hate, because that's dumb) Forum

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HOT_POCKET

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CUNY 1L Taking Questions (but no hate, because that's dumb)

Post by HOT_POCKET » Fri Mar 29, 2013 12:35 pm

Hey!
I am a 1L at CUNY. I love it here, am not looking to transfer out.
I was admitted to better (USN) ranked schools with scholarships, but I still chose CUNY, and I am still happy about it.
I'm sure a lot of TLS doesn't care/would never consider CUNY, but if anyone is, feel free to ask me questions.

fauxpsych

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Re: CUNY 1L Taking Questions (but no hate, because that's dumb)

Post by fauxpsych » Tue Jun 11, 2013 1:40 pm

......
Last edited by fauxpsych on Tue Sep 15, 2015 11:36 pm, edited 2 times in total.

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Pragmatic Gun

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Re: CUNY 1L Taking Questions (but no hate, because that's dumb)

Post by Pragmatic Gun » Mon Nov 25, 2013 3:34 pm

Hello there, first time poster. I received a 167 on my LSAT (on the second try; on the first, I received a 162), and my GPA is 3.75. I wish to work in public service (mainly international human rights in the future, but right after law school, anything involving advocacy). I have a few questions for OP:

What is my likelihood of receiving any scholarship money?
How good is the fellowship program they have?
What type of public service do they specialize in?

daleearnhardt123

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Re: CUNY 1L Taking Questions (but no hate, because that's dumb)

Post by daleearnhardt123 » Tue Nov 26, 2013 12:22 am

Pragmatic Gun wrote:Hello there, first time poster. I received a 167 on my LSAT (on the second try; on the first, I received a 162), and my GPA is 3.75. I wish to work in public service (mainly international human rights in the future, but right after law school, anything involving advocacy). I have a few questions for OP:

What is my likelihood of receiving any scholarship money?
How good is the fellowship program they have?
What type of public service do they specialize in?
this has to be trolling.

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Taco

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Re: CUNY 1L Taking Questions (but no hate, because that's dumb)

Post by Taco » Tue Nov 26, 2013 3:32 am

Pragmatic Gun wrote:Hello there, first time poster. I received a 167 on my LSAT (on the second try; on the first, I received a 162), and my GPA is 3.75. I wish to work in public service (mainly international human rights in the future, but right after law school, anything involving advocacy). I have a few questions for OP:

What is my likelihood of receiving any scholarship money?
How good is the fellowship program they have?
What type of public service do they specialize in?
On the off chance that this isn't a troll, you have slightly better numbers than me, and I got into Cornell.

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Pragmatic Gun

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Re: CUNY 1L Taking Questions (but no hate, because that's dumb)

Post by Pragmatic Gun » Tue Nov 26, 2013 12:40 pm

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Last edited by Pragmatic Gun on Tue Nov 26, 2013 12:53 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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Pragmatic Gun

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Re: CUNY 1L Taking Questions (but no hate, because that's dumb)

Post by Pragmatic Gun » Tue Nov 26, 2013 12:52 pm

Taco wrote: On the off chance that this isn't a troll, you have slightly better numbers than me, and I got into Cornell.
I am not a troll (although I can see why you would think that). My target law school is NYU Law, but obviously I may not get accepted with my numbers. I'm just considering what my options are as I navigate this tricky law school market. I really want to reduce my debt burden as much as possible, and I'm being as comprehensive as possible.

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jingosaur

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Re: CUNY 1L Taking Questions (but no hate, because that's dumb)

Post by jingosaur » Tue Nov 26, 2013 2:09 pm

Pragmatic Gun wrote:
Taco wrote: On the off chance that this isn't a troll, you have slightly better numbers than me, and I got into Cornell.
I am not a troll (although I can see why you would think that). My target law school is NYU Law, but obviously I may not get accepted with my numbers. I'm just considering what my options are as I navigate this tricky law school market. I really want to reduce my debt burden as much as possible, and I'm being as comprehensive as possible.
You should retake.

@OP, thanks for taking questions. What career goals do most CUNY students have going into 1L?

daleearnhardt123

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Re: CUNY 1L Taking Questions (but no hate, because that's dumb)

Post by daleearnhardt123 » Tue Nov 26, 2013 2:21 pm

Pragmatic Gun wrote:
Taco wrote: On the off chance that this isn't a troll, you have slightly better numbers than me, and I got into Cornell.
I am not a troll (although I can see why you would think that). My target law school is NYU Law, but obviously I may not get accepted with my numbers. I'm just considering what my options are as I navigate this tricky law school market. I really want to reduce my debt burden as much as possible, and I'm being as comprehensive as possible.
still think this is a troll. if you want to figure out how to "navigate this tricky law school market" you should probably re-assess your "international human rights" aspirations, as I'd venture to say that 9/10 lawyers could not even direct you to *one* source of such jobs

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Pragmatic Gun

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Re: CUNY 1L Taking Questions (but no hate, because that's dumb)

Post by Pragmatic Gun » Tue Nov 26, 2013 3:40 pm

daleearnhardt123 wrote:
Pragmatic Gun wrote:
Taco wrote: On the off chance that this isn't a troll, you have slightly better numbers than me, and I got into Cornell.
I am not a troll (although I can see why you would think that). My target law school is NYU Law, but obviously I may not get accepted with my numbers. I'm just considering what my options are as I navigate this tricky law school market. I really want to reduce my debt burden as much as possible, and I'm being as comprehensive as possible.
still think this is a troll. if you want to figure out how to "navigate this tricky law school market" you should probably re-assess your "international human rights" aspirations, as I'd venture to say that 9/10 lawyers could not even direct you to *one* source of such jobs
I meant NGO work.

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Re: CUNY 1L Taking Questions (but no hate, because that's dumb)

Post by jbagelboy » Tue Nov 26, 2013 5:13 pm

daleearnhardt123 wrote:
Pragmatic Gun wrote:
Taco wrote: On the off chance that this isn't a troll, you have slightly better numbers than me, and I got into Cornell.
I am not a troll (although I can see why you would think that). My target law school is NYU Law, but obviously I may not get accepted with my numbers. I'm just considering what my options are as I navigate this tricky law school market. I really want to reduce my debt burden as much as possible, and I'm being as comprehensive as possible.
still think this is a troll. if you want to figure out how to "navigate this tricky law school market" you should probably re-assess your "international human rights" aspirations, as I'd venture to say that 9/10 lawyers could not even direct you to *one* source of such jobs
There's plenty of IHR work, lots of ngo's, agencies, research institutes that need attorneys. They just don't pay you anything, which is why unless you are independently wealthy, you'll need to attend a school that will generously grant stipends to work abroad 1L/2L/postgrad until you've demonstrated you are worth being paid for advocacy work by one of these organizations (this may very well never happen even after 2 summers of unpaid work in the field). To my knowledge, these are schools like Yale, Columbia, NYU ect. with large endowments and international connections. CUNY may offer these guaranteed summer stipends -- but its one of the first places you'd have to look.

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Pragmatic Gun

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Re: CUNY 1L Taking Questions (but no hate, because that's dumb)

Post by Pragmatic Gun » Tue Nov 26, 2013 5:18 pm

jbagelboy wrote:
daleearnhardt123 wrote:
Pragmatic Gun wrote:
Taco wrote: On the off chance that this isn't a troll, you have slightly better numbers than me, and I got into Cornell.
I am not a troll (although I can see why you would think that). My target law school is NYU Law, but obviously I may not get accepted with my numbers. I'm just considering what my options are as I navigate this tricky law school market. I really want to reduce my debt burden as much as possible, and I'm being as comprehensive as possible.
still think this is a troll. if you want to figure out how to "navigate this tricky law school market" you should probably re-assess your "international human rights" aspirations, as I'd venture to say that 9/10 lawyers could not even direct you to *one* source of such jobs
There's plenty of IHR work, lots of ngo's, agencies, research institutes that need attorneys. They just don't pay you anything, which is why unless you are independently wealthy, you'll need to attend a school that will generously grant stipends to work abroad 1L/2L/postgrad until you've demonstrated you are worth being paid for advocacy work by one of these organizations (this may very well never happen even after 2 summers of unpaid work in the field). To my knowledge, these are schools like Yale, Columbia, NYU ect. with large endowments and international connections. CUNY may offer these guaranteed summer stipends -- but its one of the first places you'd have to look.
Thanks for the helpful tip! Sorry I derailed this thread with my questions.

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Re: CUNY 1L Taking Questions (but no hate, because that's dumb)

Post by ConLawNerd91 » Thu Jan 23, 2014 5:11 pm

Hi, I was accepted in November and am still considering CUNY. Where do 1Ls without families usually live, and how can you go about finding affordable housing?

How have students who are successful at finding jobs obtained their positions? Do non-profits/legal aid orgs interview on campus? Can students get stipends for summer work at these types of organizations?

The curriculum seems interesting but a little unconventional. Does that hurt students' chances of passing the bar?

Sofia Calliste Novak

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Re: CUNY 1L Taking Questions (but no hate, because that's dumb)

Post by Sofia Calliste Novak » Wed Feb 05, 2014 5:42 pm

Just to throw in my 2 cents here.

1) There are a few opportunities for research as 1Ls. I started my 1L Spring semester researching, but that was part of my Grad Fellow program. For other opportunities as a 1L, kind of have to go actively seek it from professors you either have looked up in advance or who send out emails to the student body seeking an assistant.

2) There are a couple of merit based scholarships. The big one is the Grad Fellowship, full in-state tuition + 10K while at CUNY. CUNY admissions arranges those offers and typically interviews / accepts about 13-15 GFs per year.

3) @Pragmatic Gun - my credentials were around yours at the time of acceptance. I got into several T14s at the time. It's a culture choice ultimately - a lot of people will say go to the T14s because of the increased opportunity, connections, etc. I would say go to CUNY if you are looking for a radical progressive culture. Examples: almost everyone here wants to do direct services / direct action / community organizing when they get out of CUNY; almost every week, I have at least one conversation about privilege, identity, and / or micro aggressive behavior that's f'ed up but socially accepted as normal; almost every class we take here has a politically inclined "slant" on how its taught (for example, our intro constitutional law class is all about the 14th Amendment and EPC / DP rights and our intro contracts class takes a pretty overt anti-capitalist perspective).

Personally, I am glad I came here. I went to a top school for undergrad and hated a lot of my classmates. Here, there is a familial environment - unlike other law schools, most of us even share outlines with each other. Unlike other law schools, we have David, a man who for 15 years has taught 1Ls how to write legally and pass their 1L classes. And unlike other law schools, I have made connections here with people who take progressive idealism to a real-world, practical impacts. Legal observing, superintendent suspension hearings, representation of individuals at DV proceedings, etc. Its a great community.

If all or any of that sounds annoying / unnecessary / useless to you, you probably won't like it here too much. Although I would warn those who are iffy about it - if you appreciate those type of situations and people, I have yet to hear any of my friends who went to T14s share similar stories.

4) @Pragmatic Gun - you have a good shot at the Fellowship Program based on your credentials. PM me for my own to compare. I love the GF program myself because it requires us A) to maintain a high level of achievement and B), more importantly, engage in substantive research with some of the greatest progressive law professors in the nation (my own mentor, Ruthann Robson, developed the area of Lesbian Legal Theory.) All the GFs I know of at the moment are happy with their decision to come here.

Even those who pay full price don't have that much debt coming out of CUNY, particularly in relation to other schools in the area.

Jbagelboy is right though. As a public school, CUNY does not have a lot of money to provide for international summer internships / positions. Something to keep in mind. We do have the International Women's Human Rights (IWHR) Clinic - I'd give it a look.

5) @ConLawNerd - I'm from Miami so I went to CUNY as an out-of-state student without family connections in the area. The best way to find affordable housing is Craigslist or the CUNY 2017 FB that will eventually go up. I lived solo my 1L year and it was pretty expensive; now living with another CUNY student. Most folks live in Astoria if you're looking for a general area.

The CUNY alum network in NYC is huge, almost everyone involved in some sort of Public Interest related field (several alum having started their own projects, examples being 596 Acres and CommonLaw). A lot of folks get their internships through those connections. Additionally, all 3 of my internships I've had so far have been through interviews where the director said A) they only interview CUNY students, or B) they look to CUNY students first because they know we have a real passion for social justice work thats not just a facade.

Folks sometimes interview on campus, but not as much as other schools.

CUNY provides several scholarships (the big one being PILA) to help students for unpaid summer work.

Our classes are unconventional, yes; we get the same doctrine however, just have a slant on it that is much more pronounced than other schools. Some of our low bar passage rate is related to the fact that CUNY accepts individuals that would be rejected from almost every other law school and tries to provide training and skills development / financial assistance through the Pipeline program

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