Catholic University Columbus School of Law Forum

[trinacria1383]

I haven't seen many threads or information on TLS about Catholic University. It seems to me there's plenty of information and opinions on every single other school. Is there a reason for this deficiency or am I blind and incapable of using the search function?

Any info, thoughts, opinions regarding Catholic University Columbus School of Law I'd like to hear em. Thanks.

[Brucewaynegretzky]

As a CUA undergrad I've heard a few things about the law school. The most important warning I can give anyone about CUA is the administration is the most difficult and least helpful I have ever encountered in my entire life. At times it seems as if the school is actively trying to prevent you from accomplishing whatever it is you are trying to do. I know that this trend also carries over into the graduates schools, since I have heard it from some of my grad. school professors and TAs. Also the school is VERY right wing. The school's speaker policy prevents anyone who has ever voiced a pro-choice opinion from speaking at the school, effectively eliminating an entire political party in DC from ever speaking on campus. If you want to go to CUA I strongly encourage you to speak to current students to see how they feel about censorship at the school.

[trinacria1383]

As a CUA undergrad I've heard a few things about the law school. The most important warning I can give anyone about CUA is the administration is the most difficult and least helpful I have ever encountered in my entire life. At times it seems as if the school is actively trying to prevent you from accomplishing whatever it is you are trying to do. I know that this trend also carries over into the graduates schools, since I have heard it from some of my grad. school professors and TAs. Also the school is VERY right wing. The school's speaker policy prevents anyone who has ever voiced a pro-choice opinion from speaking at the school, effectively eliminating an entire political party in DC from ever speaking on campus. If you want to go to CUA I strongly encourage you to speak to current students to see how they feel about censorship at the school.

Interesting. I kind of gather that the administration of the law school is not terribly helpful as I sent out a couple of e-mails trying to get some information on the alumni network and employment statistics. I have yet to hear back. Of the schools I've been admitted to thus far (Catholic, McGeorge, Ave maria, Loyola LA, Loyola Chicago and Southwestern) I've received the least information and communications from Catholic.

[hoffb86]

Tagging this, because I am still considering CUA, although I am quickly nearing eliminating it... pending visit. Curious on anyone's thoughts about the school. I am comparing it to University of Maryland right now.... but still waiting on American too.

[trinacria1383]

This is what I am talking about. Is it possible that no one on TLS is interested in going to Catholic AND no one that attends Catholic checks out TLS? It's as if everyone, other than myself, that has ever even had Catholic University enter their mind is unable or incapable of visiting this site.

[hoffb86]

This is what I am talking about. Is it possible that no one on TLS is interested in going to Catholic AND no one that attends Catholic checks out TLS? It's as if everyone, other than myself, that has ever even had Catholic University enter their mind is unable or incapable of visiting this site.

I find that to be the case with Maryland too. But to a slightly lesser extent... kinda strange.

Edit: it is also the one school that doesn't have a profile of any kind in the rankings section.

[Danteshek]

I applied to Catholic because of the securities program. I worked in the asset management industry for three years so I thought there may be a fit. I was also born in DC but haven't lived there since 1983 when I was 2 years old.

[Brucewaynegretzky]

I think part of the reason might be that CUA rarely, if ever gets good press. The most recent reason we were in the news was because a speaker accused Obama of being "aggressive and apocalyptic." Other than the papal visit last year I can't recall a time since I've been there when we've received positive news coverage. The school has a somewhat deserved reputation for being overly difficult and unwilling to adapt with the times.

[starlight007]

I think part of the reason might be that CUA rarely, if ever gets good press. The most recent reason we were in the news was because a speaker accused Obama of being "aggressive and apocalyptic." Other than the papal visit last year I can't recall a time since I've been there when we've received positive news coverage. The school has a somewhat deserved reputation for being overly difficult and unwilling to adapt with the times.

almost like the religion

edit: i can afford to say this cuz im catholic

[Brucewaynegretzky]

I think part of the reason might be that CUA rarely, if ever gets good press. The most recent reason we were in the news was because a speaker accused Obama of being "aggressive and apocalyptic." Other than the papal visit last year I can't recall a time since I've been there when we've received positive news coverage. The school has a somewhat deserved reputation for being overly difficult and unwilling to adapt with the times.

almost like the religion

edit: i can afford to say this cuz im catholic

To be honest that's kind of what I'm getting at. I make a point of finding one ignorant and/or racist comment in our school newspaper a week. One of the recent ones was an editorial headline: "Islam Inherently Violent?"

[starlight007]

omg...wow, how redic. it's funny, because I really was feeling the school, I always went to catholic/jesuit schools in the past and the "traditions" of CUA kinda appealed to me and then they have those specialized centers like law & religion, and I was like yesss cool, but before i withdrew and decided to take some time off & reapply next cycle, I tried to get answers from the school and they would never get back to me lol. only when I asked a question back in sept about the LR center they got back to me the next day... oh well...but at least we have you for insider info!

[hoffb86]

I am getting cold feet... after getting WL'd at American, and thinking I had decided on Maryland, I decided that I should see Catholic, and so I am going to be visiting on Friday. I can't attend the Saturday admitted students events as I have to go out of town, but will be touring on Friday.

Anyone else going to be there?

[trinacria1383]

I am getting cold feet... after getting WL'd at American, and thinking I had decided on Maryland, I decided that I should see Catholic, and so I am going to be visiting on Friday. I can't attend the Saturday admitted students events as I have to go out of town, but will be touring on Friday.

Anyone else going to be there?

Sadly I won't be going. I am out in California and Catholic hasn't wowed me enough to justify checking it on in person. If you'd be so kind as to share your experience, thoughts and feelings about Catholic on this thread afterward it would be much appreciated.

[hoffb86]

I am getting cold feet... after getting WL'd at American, and thinking I had decided on Maryland, I decided that I should see Catholic, and so I am going to be visiting on Friday. I can't attend the Saturday admitted students events as I have to go out of town, but will be touring on Friday.

Anyone else going to be there?

Sadly I won't be going. I am out in California and Catholic hasn't wowed me enough to justify checking it on in person. If you'd be so kind as to share your experience, thoughts and feelings about Catholic on this thread afterward it would be much appreciated.

No problem, I am not going to the generic class visit that admissions arranges, I am sitting in on a different class with a friend of mine who goes there. I will post my thoughts on the school after the visit, but it may not be until after the weekend, since I am leaving town right after the visit Friday.

[laxgirl09]

I visited Catholic on Friday late in the day for a tour, and was given my acceptance letter in person-- which was great, and a nice touch. I was definitely impressed with the law school facilities and the Catholic campus in general. I'm a little concerned about the general area Catholic is located in, but unfortunately I didn't have too much time to really get a feel for the area. Anyone have any thoughts/comments on the location? I'd also be interested to hear what everyone thinks of the ASD and/or class visits. Again, my time there was pretty brief, and I liked what I saw, but I don't know if that is enough to put down a seat deposit.

[trinacria1383]

I visited Catholic on Friday late in the day for a tour, and was given my acceptance letter in person-- which was great, and a nice touch. I was definitely impressed with the law school facilities and the Catholic campus in general. I'm a little concerned about the general area Catholic is located in, but unfortunately I didn't have too much time to really get a feel for the area. Anyone have any thoughts/comments on the location? I'd also be interested to hear what everyone thinks of the ASD and/or class visits. Again, my time there was pretty brief, and I liked what I saw, but I don't know if that is enough to put down a seat deposit.

Did you get a chance to sit in on a class or chat anyone up?

[laxgirl09]

Nope, it was 4:30 p.m. on a Friday so it was pretty dead. The tour was ultimately a self guided tour too. There were students in the library but I didn't want to be THAT person that interrupted them to get their feedback. Overall, my interaction with catholic student body was minimal. I'm disappointed I can't go back for the accepted students day- given these circumstances it was hard to get much of a vibe.

[hoffb86]

I'm sitting in on a class that isn't the "mock class" the admitted students day people are attending, so I will report back.

[Brucewaynegretzky]

As for the area. Brookland isn't the greatest place to live. I don't know if I would want to live there if I wasn't an undergrad. I would suggest living in Maryland and taking the metro in, a lot of the professors do this.

[iman883]

After visiting CUA on Friday and Saturday I figured I'd come on the board and see what others had to say about the school. I was surprised by what seems to be a lack of commenting in the forums on TLS, but maybe that is a good thing considering some of the comments about other schools I've seen on here.

On Friday I sat in on a first year class (Property) and was given a tour of the facilities. A disclaimer before I start getting into things: I live in the DC area and have only been able to visit GTown, GWU and American (I also went to undergrad at American), so those are my only other schools with which to compare Catholic.

The class was very interesting, especially considering it is near the end of the semester, so the students had a previous basis for everything they were learning, as opposed to me just sitting in on one class with no previous knowledge of the subject matter. The professor was actually a visiting professor for the semester, but he was very knowledgeable and kept the class engaged in the discussion. He did not use the Socratic method that so many other professors use, which made the class seem a bit more relaxed. After the class, our group was able to speak to a couple of students who indicated that as far as the Socratic method goes, only about half of the professors they had used it at CUA- one professor even gave them a schedule ahead of time telling them which day they would be called on, which I thought was helpful.

The facilites are nice as well. The building that the law school is in is fairly new, so all of the classrooms and offices are modern and not outdated. The law library was very nice and seemed to have an abundance of resources and helpful staffers available. The building was very quiet, which I chalked up to it being a lazy Friday, and is located across a quad area from the undergraduate student union, which has a Starbucks in it (very helpful). I was also able to meet one-on-one with a professor on Friday afternoon, which was a great experience. He gave me a lot of good insight and answered my questions directly and honestly. All in all a solid first impression.

Saturday was a standard ASD- breakfast, welcome from the Dean, mock class (property again), another presentation, a q&a with four recent alums, a financial aid presentation and lunch with some current students. Digesting everyting down into a few key points, this is what I learned about CUA:

1) Most of all, the students and the professor talked about the sense on community at the school. They all made the point about how while CUA is competitive, it's not the cutthroat type of competitiveness you hear about at other schools. Everyone wants to succeed, but they want their classmates to succeed as well- no stories about people ripping pages out of books in the library so that others can't get them. This was a huge selling point for me, as I really got a sense that everyone genuinely enjoyed being there.
2) If you are interesed in the DC area, and in Communications, Securities or Public Policy Law, CUA has specific institutes that you can apply to dedicated to these areas, which are very well received in the DC area. As someone who is looking to speciailize in Communications law, this was another plus. One of the alums on the panel was a graduate of the Communications Institute and was able to secure 3 or 4 externships while in school due to his participation in the Institute.
3) The alumni network is vast and helpful, as is the career services department. The recent alums were all able to land their positions, and externships they had while in school, based on networking with alumni and the hard work of career services. All the alumni want to see other CUA law students succeed, so they have an interest in helping students or graduates find and secure positions in their specific fields.
4) CUA has courses that 1L's take that are dedicated to legal writing. One of the alums mentioned that when he was applying for his clerkship for an Appeals court judge, the judge ended up choosing him because of CUA's reputation for having students that know how to write. The strong legal writing program is something that sets the school apart from a lot of other schools.
5) CUA has a law review and three other law journals (one was a communications journal, I forget what the other two were). This gives people who aren't selected for the main law review a chance to still write for one of the other journals, which naturally looks good on the resume later. They also have a strong, nationally recognized and award winning moot court program, which again is something that would look good on any resume should it be something you are interested in.

You can probably tell that my experience at CUA was a positive one. I was WL at AU and breifly thought about sending in a LOCI, but after visiting CUA, weighing the financial options (I received a scholarship from CUA, most likely would not from AU), and the opportunites to succeed and build a strong resume for my post-grad work, I've decided to submit a seat deposit to CUA and in all likelihood will be attending in the Fall. I've had many people tell me that while going to a highly ranked school may be somewhat important, it's more about what you do while you're at school that makes the difference post-graduation. I feel that at a school like CUA, I have a better chance of being able to participate in activities that interest me- moot court, law journal, externships, etc.- than if I went to a higher ranked, more competitive school. My one gripe thus far in the inter-department communication at the school. I applied for the Communications Institute along with my regular application, and that Institute application was misplaced, so I had to resubmit it; I've sent a few emails to certain departments at the school and received a slow response, or no response at all. Overall, though, I didn't think that these minor issues outweighed the positives that CUA had.

I hope that the above post was help to some who are considering CUA, and if you have any additional questions about the campus, the tour, etc., I'd be more than happy to answer them as best I can. Good luck to everyone!

[laxgirl09]

Thanks so much for that thorough run down!
A couple questions-- did you get any sense of where students generally tend to live?? I know that CUA offers on campus housing but that students rarely take it-- but is there a particular area where CUA law students tend to end up?
Also- Clearly Catholic is a religious school. Did you get any impression of how religion carries over to the law school? I went to a small, Presbyterian liberal arts school, and while many people were involved with the church there I was not-- and never felt as though the church was in my face and something I was constantly reminded of or struggled with as a non-Presbyterian. My impression is that especially in the law school, the religious aspects are as much as you make of them, much as my undergraduate experience was. Was there anything that has led anyone to believe otherwise, and that the Catholic values of the school are a central component of the legal education at CUA?
Thanks again for your evaluation of the weekend, iman.

[iman883]

Thanks so much for that thorough run down!
A couple questions-- did you get any sense of where students generally tend to live?? I know that CUA offers on campus housing but that students rarely take it-- but is there a particular area where CUA law students tend to end up?
Also- Clearly Catholic is a religious school. Did you get any impression of how religion carries over to the law school? I went to a small, Presbyterian liberal arts school, and while many people were involved with the church there I was not-- and never felt as though the church was in my face and something I was constantly reminded of or struggled with as a non-Presbyterian. My impression is that especially in the law school, the religious aspects are as much as you make of them, much as my undergraduate experience was. Was there anything that has led anyone to believe otherwise, and that the Catholic values of the school are a central component of the legal education at CUA?
Thanks again for your evaluation of the weekend, iman.

Hey lax, glad I could help...

As far as the housing situation, the students I talked to said barely any law school students, if any at all, live on campus. There are dorms right near the law school, but they are all undergrad dorms. Having lived in DC for the past 8 years, I can say that the area around the school is not a great one-not terrible, but not a place where I'd want to live. Most students live somewhere on the Red Line of the Metro, as this is the same line that CUA is on, so it is convenient for getting to and from class. Popular places in the District along the red line that are within about a half hour metro ride are Tenleytown, Van Ness, Cleveland Park, Adams Morgan and Dupont Circle. These areas tend to be the ones with the most people in their 20s and 30s, and the ones that are most affordable (although, as you get closer to downtown, prices do increase. The order I've listed them are they order they are in, from furthest away- Tenleytown- to closest to Downtown- Dupont). Students also live in Silver Spring, Maryland, which is an up and coming suburb of the city and only about 3 metro stops away from CUA, coming from the opposite direction. I've been to Silver Spring a few times- It's a nice place, but having lived in the city my entire time here, it would be hard for me to move out of the city.

Good question about the Catholic undertones, as I was actually wondering the same thing. I attended Catholic schools from preschool through high school, so it was nice to get away from that inundation in college, and was wondering how much of the Catholic faith was injected into the curriculum. Luckily enough, someone on my tour asked that question. There is a one credit course that 1Ls take their first semester dealing with social issues in law, and the students said that, naturally since in is Catholic University, there was discussion about how the Catholic faith viewed these issues. However, it was an open forum for anyone of any other faith to discuss their specific views as well. From what I gathered, the Catholic viewpoint was never forced upon anyone. A few of the students I met were Jewish, and they said they never felt out of place or looked at differently because they may have different viewpoints on issues. Like you said, the religious aspects are as much as you make of them- there were crucifixes in classrooms, there is a chapel on campus, and one of the professors in the school of law is actually a priest- but that is kind of to be expected at a school named Catholic University. I didn't get the sense in any way that the Catholic faith is a central component of the legal eduation, which, even as someone who is Catholic, I was happy about.

Feel free to PM with any additional questions. Good luck!

[jerwood84]

On behalf of those mentioning the dismal administrative performance and professionalism (lack of) of Catholic U, I stand as a living example of CUA's administrative flaws.

A month ago I received an acceptance letter in the mail from CUA's Institute of Communication Law Studies. They only accept 25 students each year and are a feeder program into the FCC in DC. The website said only the accepted students into the JD program may be reviewed for potential acceptance into an institute. This being said, I assumed I was accepted into the JD and that the acceptance letter was lagging behind my institute acceptance. Not the case. I had to wait the weekend to find out that I have been rejected by CUA into their JD program and the institute program director, Constantia Dedoulis, sent out an institute acceptance prematurely as it "slipped through" to the Communications Studies director for review. She gave a weak and short apology and that was it. My dream program that I was accepted into was merely a catastrophic administrative failure. I wrote a letter to the dean of the school explaining what happened. The dean gave a short email apology and told me she will have someone contact me "about what I can do to get in to the school for the next year". Nobody called me. I had one of my letter writers, and current university counselor, write a formal letter to the director of the institute to find out what happened. The counselor received no response either. I have been swept under the rug of their administrative failure and the way they reacted to this failure is far from professional.

I have been accepted at U of Miami and at this point I would not take CUA even if I had no other options. CUA has clearly demonstrated a lack of professionalism and competency. I would avoid this school if at all possible.

OK that felt good to get that off my chest. lol. Discuss amongst yourselves.

[Teapot]

On behalf of those mentioning the dismal administrative performance and professionalism (lack of) of Catholic U, I stand as a living example of CUA's administrative flaws.

A month ago I received an acceptance letter in the mail from CUA's Institute of Communication Law Studies. They only accept 25 students each year and are a feeder program into the FCC in DC. The website said only the accepted students into the JD program may be reviewed for potential acceptance into an institute. This being said, I assumed I was accepted into the JD and that the acceptance letter was lagging behind my institute acceptance. Not the case. I had to wait the weekend to find out that I have been rejected by CUA into their JD program and the institute program director, Constantia Dedoulis, sent out an institute acceptance prematurely as it "slipped through" to the Communications Studies director for review. She gave a weak and short apology and that was it. My dream program that I was accepted into was merely a catastrophic administrative failure. I wrote a letter to the dean of the school explaining what happened. The dean gave a short email apology and told me she will have someone contact me "about what I can do to get in to the school for the next year". Nobody called me. I had one of my letter writers, and current university counselor, write a formal letter to the director of the institute to find out what happened. The counselor received no response either. I have been swept under the rug of their administrative failure and the way they reacted to this failure is far from professional.

I have been accepted at U of Miami and at this point I would not take CUA even if I had no other options. CUA has clearly demonstrated a lack of professionalism and competency. I would avoid this school if at all possible.

OK that felt good to get that off my chest. lol. Discuss amongst yourselves.

WOW. thats enough for me to cross them off my list.

[The Cobi Jones Experience]

Greetings, it has been a long time since I've posted on TLS.
I currently attend CUA Columbus school of Law, and I will do my best to lend some insight...

When I came here, I expected the law school to be very conservative like the undergrad program. To my surprise, the law school is actually more moderate to liberal. The law school community is much more of its own island on the Catholic Campus, rather isolated from all the other campus business. The building has its own parking garage and entrance, and is only a 2 minute walk directly to the metro. You actually never have to enter the rest of campus during your day, unless you are feeling a starbucks urge. The school has its own cafeteria on the bottom level where most students eat instead of going to the undergrad campus center.

Most professors and students don't pay any attention to what is going on with all the Church business associated with the University. The law building receives the campus newspaper with various politically charged editorials, but few ever read it or take notice. Law students have too much else to worry about...

As for the student body, my experience is that most people are friendly, and not overly competitive. My professors are extremely approachable, often giving up their lunch breaks to discuss practice problems. As for the writing program, I think it depends on your professor. My instructor was always willing to meet and critique my work, and responded very quickly to emails. Other professors were less receptive.

Most students live outside of the Brookland-CUA area and metro in. Most of the students in my section are scattered around the metro area, some come in from Silver Spring, some from Alexandria, some from the Columbia Heights area.

I have not had to deal with the administration yet for anything substantial, but I've heard mixed things. For some, they've been quick and responsive. Others really hate how they operate.

Well, I hope this helps; if anyone has any more questions about CUA, let me know.