Cornell 1L taking questions Forum

[Other25BeforeYou]

I get up at 8:30, shower, eat breakfast, brush teeth, etc, and get to my 9:05 class with time to spare.

That only works when you don't have any hair.

shave it all off. it's the best.

+1.

[ben1185]

Well I'm tentatively partaking in this conversation as my letter hasn;t arrived yet, but I have the admitted students link! Hopefully that still means I'm accepted.

Here's a few questions I have for you Cornellians (Is that the right terminology??)
1) What type of law do you plan on practicing and where?
2) What are the Internship opportunities as a 1L (I know 2L is really good )?
3) What is the curve at Cornell?
4) What other schools were you accepted at in your cycle, and why did you choose Cornell over them?
5) Who was your favorite professor and class (s)he taught and least favorite?

By the way, thanks for doing one of these, it makes for a nice semi-condensed location to find a lot of useful information.

[jxk]

I really want to live on campus, but the thought of a roommate gives me a flashback to my freshman year ( the only year I had a roommate). It was horrible. Horrible. The guy would get drunk and throw up/shit everywhere. I ended up actually living at my bf's. I am very, very, very clean, anti-social, and have a fear of using bathrooms used by my own kin, let alone roommates. Wow, I sound so uptight. I'm really friendly and nice though, I swear. I just need my own space. lol

annnyways. Are there SINGLE dorms? Perhaps with their own bathroom??? Perhaps with their own floor? Perhaps with their own building.........? lol

not a cornell 1L but did go there for undergrad so i know a little bit about the housing situation. im assuming you want to live on campus so you'll be close to the law school but collegetown is literally on the law school's doorstep and there are many affordable studios and one bedroom apartments very VERY close to the law school. i lived in collegetown court for three years and it is probably less than a 5 minute walk to the law school. living on the first block of college ave. (where collegetown bagels is) or in an apartment building on dryden road (which is where collegetown court is) will put u very close to the law school without having to share anything with anyone. i also cannot stand dorms so i know how you feel! however, the key to getting one of these apartments is to get started early as half the undergrad population at cornell will have started their search by the december of the preceding year. so now would be the time to start contacting some people there if you're interested in an apartment in collegetown close to the law school.

[como]

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[TammyG]

I'm looking for a bit of reassurance as I'm having a total

Just got an email from the Assistant Dean (seems to be a very nice lady), asking me to clarify the arrest I mention in my PS because I marked "no" to the "have you been arrested...except minor traffic violations" questions.

I quickly wrote back that I was under the impression that what I was ticketed and eventually arrested for was a minor traffic violation and I attached an addendum. She quickly responded, thanked me for my alacrity and said that she would add it to my file.

Do you all think I just killed my chances with that misunderstanding or will it be okay?

[hoosier1508]

Speaking of Housing....

I'm leaning Cornell, depending on how the rest of the cycle shakes out.

What is the availability like for someone beginning the search in May/June?

[ben1185]

I'm looking for a bit of reassurance as I'm having a total

Just got an email from the Assistant Dean (seems to be a very nice lady), asking me to clarify the arrest I mention in my PS because I marked "no" to the "have you been arrested...except minor traffic violations" questions.

I quickly wrote back that I was under the impression that what I was ticketed and eventually arrested for was a minor traffic violation and I attached an addendum. She quickly responded, thanked me for my alacrity and said that she would add it to my file.

Do you all think I just killed my chances with that misunderstanding or will it be okay?

You'll be fine. Your chances are probably exactly the same as they were before. They just add the addendum to your file and use it to make their decision. They aren't going to look at your file and say, "Oh man, this kid misunderstood this little detail. We're definitely not going to take him now."

Good Luck!

[ben1185]

Speaking of Housing....

I'm leaning Cornell, depending on how the rest of the cycle shakes out.

What is the availability like for someone beginning the search in May/June?

I second this question. This talk of undergrads having everything setup in December isn't promising. Though it seems there's plenty of 1L's living in apartments so I take that as a sign that it shouldn't be too difficult. I guess worst case is I'll make a play for the dorms.

[studymaster]

I'm looking for a bit of reassurance as I'm having a total

Just got an email from the Assistant Dean (seems to be a very nice lady), asking me to clarify the arrest I mention in my PS because I marked "no" to the "have you been arrested...except minor traffic violations" questions.

I quickly wrote back that I was under the impression that what I was ticketed and eventually arrested for was a minor traffic violation and I attached an addendum. She quickly responded, thanked me for my alacrity and said that she would add it to my file.

Do you all think I just killed my chances with that misunderstanding or will it be okay?

You'll be fine. Your chances are probably exactly the same as they were before. They just add the addendum to your file and use it to make their decision. They aren't going to look at your file and say, "Oh man, this kid misunderstood this little detail. We're definitely not going to take him now."

Good Luck!

While I dont know what the arrest was for I tend to disagree with this poster. If you were ARRESTED and think it was an important enough event to put in yoru PS but didnt mention it in your application, then I think it should have been disclosed. OTOH, you did mention it in your PS so you clearly weren't hiding it from them.

Not trying to freak you out but I think it COULD be a negative. Now what you should do is send an addendum to ALL other schools, you can preempt getting this question (or just havign them assume the worst).

Just my $.02

[TammyG]

I'm a lot calmer now. I don't think it will be a big deal. It was a traffic violation and I guess that wasn't as clear as it needed to be - now it is.

Most other schools didn't have the minor traffic violation exception, so they already have the addendum discussing the issue.

I've decided to be optimistic and think that they like me enough not to outright reject me, and are indeed considering my app. I was told it was a minor traffic violation so in that case I was right to fill out the app the way I did with the info I had.

Thanks for your concern and advice.

[jxk]

Speaking of Housing....

I'm leaning Cornell, depending on how the rest of the cycle shakes out.

What is the availability like for someone beginning the search in May/June?

I second this question. This talk of undergrads having everything setup in December isn't promising. Though it seems there's plenty of 1L's living in apartments so I take that as a sign that it shouldn't be too difficult. I guess worst case is I'll make a play for the dorms.

i'm not exactly sure what the availability is like in may or june since i have never looked for an apartment during that time. however, the selection will definitely be much smaller and all the apartments that are really close to the law school/campus in general may be taken. when i was in undergrad, my roommates and i started looking in december and shortly after we returned from winter break, we had a lease signed. i know that most of our friends were doing the same thing. im sure that there would be many apartments available farther into collegetown but then your walk to the law school is a lot longer and in the winter, longer walk=no good. however, if you do find yourself apartment hunting in the collegetown area in may or june, another option is to sublet an apartment from someone who is doing a semester/year abroad. lots of people post these on facebook under the cornell network and im sure there is a forum or message board on a cornell affiliated site for those things. sorry, i don't know too much about where one would find these postings because i've never had to sublet from someone. but i can try and find out and post it here =)

anyway, in a nutshell, if you decide that you want to go to cornell for law school and want housing in collegetown, start apartment hunting ASAP. You can check out http://www.ithacarenting.com - they are the rental company for several buildings in the collegetown area near the law school.

[jxk]

How was living in Collegetown Court? I see that they're furnished. Would you recommend the experience, or do you think it was a rip-off?

Collegetown Court was not bad. it certainly isnt the nicest or newest apartment building in ctown (if you want to live in "luxury", look at 312 college ave or 400 college ave), but it is a good value and the facilities are decent. I lived there for 3 years straight (moving is such a hassle) in a 5 bedroom apartment with 4 other girls. We had a kitchen, a living room and a bathroom. I believe the rent was $550 per person and it went up about 10 or 15 dolalrs every year. The $550 includes all utilities except electricity, which came out to about $30 a month for each of us. It is furnished and the year that we signed our lease, they were giving away a gigantic wide screen TV with cable with all the 5 bedroom apartments. They are also pretty good with replacing appliances. When we first moved in, our microwave was this ancient plastic box with a DIAL instead of buttons for the minutes/seconds. We complained and they gave us a brand new one. A year later our stove started to act up and we complained asking them to fix it. Next thing we know, we had a brand new stove! The super and the maintenance staff are also decent and fix things in a timely manner.

Two things i really didnt like about court were the super thin walls and the heating/cooling. If you have noisy neighbors, get earplugs. Also, in the winter, they refuse to turn the heat up above 68 degrees so you do have to bundle up while inside. They also have the lamest excuse of an air conditioning system but this is only a problem for about a month out of the whole year haha.

Let me know if you have any other questions!

[Other25BeforeYou]

Speaking of Housing....

I'm leaning Cornell, depending on how the rest of the cycle shakes out.

What is the availability like for someone beginning the search in May/June?

I second this question. This talk of undergrads having everything setup in December isn't promising. Though it seems there's plenty of 1L's living in apartments so I take that as a sign that it shouldn't be too difficult. I guess worst case is I'll make a play for the dorms.

i'm not exactly sure what the availability is like in may or june since i have never looked for an apartment during that time. however, the selection will definitely be much smaller and all the apartments that are really close to the law school/campus in general may be taken. when i was in undergrad, my roommates and i started looking in december and shortly after we returned from winter break, we had a lease signed. i know that most of our friends were doing the same thing. im sure that there would be many apartments available farther into collegetown but then your walk to the law school is a lot longer and in the winter, longer walk=no good. however, if you do find yourself apartment hunting in the collegetown area in may or june, another option is to sublet an apartment from someone who is doing a semester/year abroad. lots of people post these on facebook under the cornell network and im sure there is a forum or message board on a cornell affiliated site for those things. sorry, i don't know too much about where one would find these postings because i've never had to sublet from someone. but i can try and find out and post it here =)

anyway, in a nutshell, if you decide that you want to go to cornell for law school and want housing in collegetown, start apartment hunting ASAP. You can check out http://www.ithacarenting.com - they are the rental company for several buildings in the collegetown area near the law school.

There might be more availability for grad students than undergrad. When I was looking I noticed that there were a number of places that wouldn't rent to undergrad students. Since people leave the grad programs every year leaving empty apartments and incoming grad students get apartments every year (probably most of them in May/June) I would think this would be less of an issue that for people in UG.

[fsohn]

Well I'm tentatively partaking in this conversation as my letter hasn't arrived yet, but I have the admitted students link! Hopefully that still means I'm accepted.

Here's a few questions I have for you Cornellians (Is that the right terminology??)
1) What type of law do you plan on practicing and where?
2) What are the Internship opportunities as a 1L (I know 2L is really good )?
3) What is the curve at Cornell?
4) What other schools were you accepted at in your cycle, and why did you choose Cornell over them?
5) Who was your favorite professor and class (s)he taught and least favorite?

By the way, thanks for doing one of these, it makes for a nice semi-condensed location to find a lot of useful information.

I'll take stab at this.

1) I've no idea what kind of law I want to practice. I know that I want to work at a full-service firm, preferably in my hometown, Chicago, though Houston has its own attractions (N.L. Central baseball, year-round warmth, Texas BBQ) and is on my radar. NYC comes in third behind those two.
2) Not sure. I applied to the entire Chicago contingent of the Federal bench over break, and have only gotten one response so far. I know people who've had interviews with Federal judges in New York and other places, and a friend just had an interview with the US Attorney's Office in Syracuse today. Internships are out there, if you do acceptably well, and get on it early. Connections never hurt, of course.
3) 3.35. That's a B+.
4) The only schools that I was seriously considering attending over Cornell were Illinois and Emory. At the end of the day, Illinois would have been cheaper and closer to home, but Urbana-Champaign is a pretty miserable town, and the school simply isn't as good, both in terms of ranking and in terms of employment. Emory was a closer call, but, despite my affection for the South doesn't extend beyond where I've got family--Texas, West Virginia, Florida, and Louisiana.
5) Favorite professor was Hillman, who taught contracts. Favorite class overall was Constutional Law, taught by Professor Shiffrin. Least favorite class was Property, taught by Professor Penalver.

[LeahNic]

Well I'm tentatively partaking in this conversation as my letter hasn't arrived yet, but I have the admitted students link! Hopefully that still means I'm accepted.

Here's a few questions I have for you Cornellians (Is that the right terminology??)
1) What type of law do you plan on practicing and where?
2) What are the Internship opportunities as a 1L (I know 2L is really good )?
3) What is the curve at Cornell?
4) What other schools were you accepted at in your cycle, and why did you choose Cornell over them?
5) Who was your favorite professor and class (s)he taught and least favorite?

By the way, thanks for doing one of these, it makes for a nice semi-condensed location to find a lot of useful information.

Let's see

1. I want to do public interest/work for the govt/anything not corporate. Where-- will end up being wherever my husband gets a job.
2. I know of 2 1LS that are doing federal clerkships, a few with firm opportunities and the majority of us havent nailed it down yet. Usually most do something unpaid as 1Ls. Especially this year with the economy.
3. 3.35
4. The only other school I was really considering was Minnesota, Texas and I ended up at Cornell cause it's better and it worked out better for me and my husband (he is in a PhD program here)
5. Favorite prof was Hillman for Contracts. Least favorite was Property, Alexander.

[lsat_fear]

Do all Cornell graduates end up working in NYC/northeast? I just got a full scholarship there, but would really prefer to work in a warmer place like CA, DC, or ATL. Do many people do that easily?

[como]

.

[littleboyblue]

New York is a much bigger state that I previously thought.

that made me laugh.

[LeahNic]

Do all Cornell graduates end up working in NYC/northeast? I just got a full scholarship there, but would really prefer to work in a warmer place like CA, DC, or ATL. Do many people do that easily?

Full? Wow, I didnt know we gave those. Congrats! And, if you have connections (family, significant other etc) to those warmer places then I dont imagine it would be very difficult. If you have always lived in NY state, it might be harder. Primarily what I have heard is that employers are most concerned about you actually planning on coming and working there after you graduate, so they are very interested in your reasons for wanting to be there.

[LeahNic]

Random question - how long to drive from Ithaca to Albany?

It took me exactly 3 hours in December when I went-- and the weather was not great, but not horrible either.

[hokoelc]

is cornell a reasonable place for the significant other of a law student to live in and find a job? i'm worried that my bf would feel like he moved there for me, only to find that there's no prospects there to further his career.

[como]

.

[jxk]

Unless he wants to go into academia, farming, or being a hippy, Ithaca is not a good place to 'further' his career...

+1. what does your significant other do/want to do?

[hokoelc]

well... anything that makes a salary enough to live on, i suppose. work in a bank, maybe? or another sort of financial institution.

[ben1185]

Despite the overly pessimistic views about rural areas often expressed on these boards, one CAN find work in rural areas that is mentally stimulating and progresses ones career. Granted, the options aren't as many and often pay less than in a big city but plenty of people do just fine living/working in rural areas and lead fulfilling lives. If you really want to go to Cornell I would have your SO start searching for jobs that pique his interest now and try to line something up as early as possible. This may take more than just using (Insert cliche' internet job search engine) and he might need to make a few cold calls to businesses in the area, but I'm sure Ithaca has something to offer him. If anything the small town experience could lend a different perspective on things down the line.

Just my two cents...