Penn Students Taking Questions Forum

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MBskier

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Post by MBskier » Mon Jan 18, 2010 9:37 pm

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Last edited by MBskier on Thu Mar 24, 2011 12:07 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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Georgiana

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Re: Penn Students Taking Questions

Post by Georgiana » Mon Jan 18, 2010 9:49 pm

puppins wrote:
violaboy wrote:Plane tickets and hotel for ASW! Very excited!
oooh where are you staying?
Yes! Which place did you pick?

A note for others who are traveling alone for ASW, Penn students usually volunteer their couches/spare rooms if they have them to those coming to visit. If you don't want to book a hotel, find out when they are taking names for that. They try really hard to accommodate everyone who requests a place.

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Georgiana

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Re: Penn Students Taking Questions

Post by Georgiana » Mon Jan 18, 2010 9:54 pm

MBskier wrote:How important is UG for transferring? How are transfers treated at OCI and more importantly in general?
I think that 1L grades are pretty much the most important thing for transferring but I honestly don't know (and I don't know that any of the transfers are regular posters anymore... feel free to chime in folks!). CPP saves spots on interview schedules for transfer students and I don't think any of them got shafted. Additionally, there is a transfer student writing competition so you are not barred from making journals (I'm pretty sure they find out in time for OCI as well... its in August). It was a toss up for transfers at Penn as far as offers went. It seemed that they either did really well or had a lot of trouble, I'm not sure why there would be so many differences. They definitely weren't shut out but they didn't coast through.

Generally, I think they integrate pretty well. I know 2-3 on my journal and they all seem to have made friends and adjusted well. I also know some 3Ls who were transfer students and they have all done well for themselves. Two of them are EiCs of their journals (JBL and JIL both have transfers as EiCs).

Also, they take 20-30 transfers so there bonding opportunities with fellow transfers.

lz06

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Re: Penn Students Taking Questions

Post by lz06 » Sat Jan 23, 2010 11:34 pm

What are your thoughts on needing a car in philly?

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Georgiana

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Re: Penn Students Taking Questions

Post by Georgiana » Sat Jan 23, 2010 11:47 pm

lz06 wrote:What are your thoughts on needing a car in philly?
I don't have one and don't feel that I need one at all. It's nice to have friends who have cars if you need to go to a mall or want to leave the city, but as far as general "life" things, its unnecessary. One of the reasons I picked Penn was because I wouldn't have to keep my car. I didn't want to have to pay for parking and insurance and whatever repairs I would need throughout the three years.

That said, if you want to have a car you definitely can. You can either get a place with a parking spot, pay for a spot in a garage, or get a street parking permit for the city.

Getting to and from school is really easy as long as you live within walking distance of Walnut, Chestnut, or Market streets. There are buses/subways on each of these streets so even if you live more than 10-15 blocks (walking distance) you can easily hop on public transport and get to school. I find it to be a pretty convenient city in that regard.

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Veyron

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Re: Penn Students Taking Questions

Post by Veyron » Sun Jan 24, 2010 12:01 am

Assuming a desire for mountain west biglaw/midlaw, would you go advise me to choose NYU or Penn (IF the price was the same?)

lz06

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Re: Penn Students Taking Questions

Post by lz06 » Sun Jan 24, 2010 1:02 am

Georgiana wrote:
lz06 wrote:What are your thoughts on needing a car in philly?
I don't have one and don't feel that I need one at all. It's nice to have friends who have cars if you need to go to a mall or want to leave the city, but as far as general "life" things, its unnecessary. One of the reasons I picked Penn was because I wouldn't have to keep my car. I didn't want to have to pay for parking and insurance and whatever repairs I would need throughout the three years.

That said, if you want to have a car you definitely can. You can either get a place with a parking spot, pay for a spot in a garage, or get a street parking permit for the city.

Getting to and from school is really easy as long as you live within walking distance of Walnut, Chestnut, or Market streets. There are buses/subways on each of these streets so even if you live more than 10-15 blocks (walking distance) you can easily hop on public transport and get to school. I find it to be a pretty convenient city in that regard.
Thanks for the response. So if your friends don't drive you how do you get to the mall, grocery shopping etc? I would rather not bring my car, but at the same time I come from cities with zero public transportation. I've always had a car and it makes me a little nervous to rely on subways etc. What time do subways run until, and do a lot of students use them? Thanks again.

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Georgiana

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Re: Penn Students Taking Questions

Post by Georgiana » Sun Jan 24, 2010 12:05 pm

lz06 wrote: Thanks for the response. So if your friends don't drive you how do you get to the mall, grocery shopping etc? I would rather not bring my car, but at the same time I come from cities with zero public transportation. I've always had a car and it makes me a little nervous to rely on subways etc. What time do subways run until, and do a lot of students use them? Thanks again.
I personally use the bus on a daily basis for getting to/from school unless it's a nice day out and I want to walk. I have had zero problems with the buses. I don't take the subway because the bus is more convenient for where I live but there are definitely students who take it to get to and from school if they live further from the law school (there are subway and trolley stops within a block or two of the law school).

There are places to grocery shop in the city (superfresh, whole foods, trader joes as well as more local groceries e.g. rittenhouse market) and you can also have groceries delivered if you prefer buying for 2-3 weeks at a time (me!). The deliver is through genuardis.com and is really quite reasonable imo.

As far as malls, I know there is a bus that goes to a mall right outside of Philly but I've never been there or taken the bus out there.

MOST people I know don't have cars, and those who do have cars, have some other reason for having them here (extensive travel to see fam/SO on weekends, SO living in Philly with them and needs a car).

cicely101

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Re: Penn Students Taking Questions

Post by cicely101 » Mon Jan 25, 2010 1:20 am

Hello there!

Georgiana or whoever would like to answer....of your classmates, how many would you say came in from off the wait list? And do you know when they were notified? Was it late into the summer months?

Much appreciated!
c101

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kurla88

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Re: Penn Students Taking Questions

Post by kurla88 » Mon Jan 25, 2010 1:25 am

cicely101 wrote:Hello there!

Georgiana or whoever would like to answer....of your classmates, how many would you say came in from off the wait list? And do you know when they were notified? Was it late into the summer months?

Much appreciated!
c101
I know at least one person who got in after starting at another school...

But we don't really talk about who got in when and how, so no idea, really.

cicely101

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Re: Penn Students Taking Questions

Post by cicely101 » Mon Jan 25, 2010 1:32 am

kurla88 wrote:
cicely101 wrote:Hello there!

Georgiana or whoever would like to answer....of your classmates, how many would you say came in from off the wait list? And do you know when they were notified? Was it late into the summer months?

Much appreciated!
c101
I know at least one person who got in after starting at another school...

But we don't really talk about who got in when and how, so no idea, really.
Thanks so much for the speedy response Kurla!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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stayingclassy

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Re: Penn Students Taking Questions

Post by stayingclassy » Mon Jan 25, 2010 1:42 am

Penn accepted me off the waitlist in late August last year - I'd just about given up hope and was thrilled when I got the call!

I remained in constant contact with the admissions office while waitlisted. I dropped off a LOCI and additional essay (which was basically a 2nd Why Penn) in person, added another letter of recommendation, and called the admissions office to schedule an interview over the summer. I also emailed a couple of LOCIs and contacted the admissions office via email about once a month from May until I was admitted. I did pretty well on my LSAT, so I hoped that if a deposited student with a high LSAT withdrew from the class, by staying in contact I could get the admissions office to immediately think of me as a replacement for that student without having to sort through the waitlist.

Feel free to PM me if you have specific questions about the waitlist process or any of the LOCIs I sent.

cicely101

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Re: Penn Students Taking Questions

Post by cicely101 » Mon Jan 25, 2010 1:59 am

stayingclassy wrote:Penn accepted me off the waitlist in late August last year - I'd just about given up hope and was thrilled when I got the call!

I remained in constant contact with the admissions office while waitlisted. I dropped off a LOCI and additional essay (which was basically a 2nd Why Penn) in person, added another letter of recommendation, and called the admissions office to schedule an interview over the summer. I also emailed a couple of LOCIs and contacted the admissions office via email about once a month from May until I was admitted. I did pretty well on my LSAT, so I hoped that if a deposited student with a high LSAT withdrew from the class, by staying in contact I could get the admissions office to immediately think of me as a replacement for that student without having to sort through the waitlist.

Feel free to PM me if you have specific questions about the waitlist process or any of the LOCIs I sent.
Wow, you give me hope!!!!!!

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violaboy

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Re: Penn Students Taking Questions

Post by violaboy » Mon Feb 01, 2010 5:31 pm

Georgiana wrote:
puppins wrote:
violaboy wrote:Plane tickets and hotel for ASW! Very excited!
oooh where are you staying?
Yes! Which place did you pick?

A note for others who are traveling alone for ASW, Penn students usually volunteer their couches/spare rooms if they have them to those coming to visit. If you don't want to book a hotel, find out when they are taking names for that. They try really hard to accommodate everyone who requests a place.
Oh, sorry, didn't see this, Georgiana! I'm staying at the Comfort Inn in downtown. I'll just take the subway in. I know the downtown well enough to navigate (I hope!). I got a pretty good deal on Priceline. The flight/hotel bundle was less than what I thought I could find for just the plane ticket.

jc1988

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Re: Penn Students Taking Questions

Post by jc1988 » Sat Feb 20, 2010 3:58 pm

hello everyone, i have just been admitted recently by upenn. I visited upenn's campus and penn law building on the 14th and 15th with my parents during my reading week. I was really impressed by how comfortable and modern the law buildings are (despite all the snow piling outside). I also met several really nice students there who offered to take photos of my family together and encouraged me to come to upenn.

i just have one question though, its about housing. I have a classmate who studies in upenn right now (not law) and she lives in sansom building right now. She showed me around and she told me that there are a lot of cockroaches in the building and even mice because its a very old structure. She recommends me to find places off-campus. I was really shocked to hear that. Don't laugh but i am really scared of pests like cockroaches....do off-campus buildings have similar problems?

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kurla88

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Re: Penn Students Taking Questions

Post by kurla88 » Sat Feb 20, 2010 5:54 pm

jc1988 wrote:hello everyone, i have just been admitted recently by upenn. I visited upenn's campus and penn law building on the 14th and 15th with my parents during my reading week. I was really impressed by how comfortable and modern the law buildings are (despite all the snow piling outside). I also met several really nice students there who offered to take photos of my family together and encouraged me to come to upenn.

i just have one question though, its about housing. I have a classmate who studies in upenn right now (not law) and she lives in sansom building right now. She showed me around and she told me that there are a lot of cockroaches in the building and even mice because its a very old structure. She recommends me to find places off-campus. I was really shocked to hear that. Don't laugh but i am really scared of pests like cockroaches....do off-campus buildings have similar problems?
Um, it's certainly possible, especially in older buildings. Make a point of asking building owners how old buildings are/if they've ever had pest problems etc. I think you're just going to have to go with your impressions of how clean every building is on this, and make sure to keep your own apartment clean. Probably the nicer doormen buildings downtown are going to have better maintenance/hallway cleaning etc.

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Re: Penn Students Taking Questions

Post by jms1987 » Wed Feb 24, 2010 6:01 pm

Sorry if this was asked before, but how is UPenn's west coast reach?

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Georgiana

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Re: Penn Students Taking Questions

Post by Georgiana » Wed Feb 24, 2010 7:08 pm

jms1987 wrote:Sorry if this was asked before, but how is UPenn's west coast reach?
If you have a connection to the city/state you will be fine. If you don't have a connection, you can still make it. I have lived on the east coast since I was 5 years old and I was still able to get 2 LA callbacks this past OCI. Penn sets up regional interviews in CA and there are CA employers that come to campus so they provide every opportunity for you to get interviews at the places you want. Let me know if you have more specific questions about regionals or the OCI firms!

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Georgiana

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Re: Penn Students Taking Questions

Post by Georgiana » Wed Feb 24, 2010 7:09 pm

cicely101 wrote:Hello there!

Georgiana or whoever would like to answer....of your classmates, how many would you say came in from off the wait list? And do you know when they were notified? Was it late into the summer months?

Much appreciated!
c101
I'm really sorry but I don't remember who got in off of wait lists and who didn't :? Its just too far removed at this point and we didn't exactly go around in a circle asking how/when people got in. Sorry! Hopefully Kurla was helpful.

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Georgiana

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Re: Penn Students Taking Questions

Post by Georgiana » Wed Feb 24, 2010 7:14 pm

Veyron wrote:Assuming a desire for mountain west biglaw/midlaw, would you go advise me to choose NYU or Penn (IF the price was the same?)
It really would depend on which vibe you prefer once you visit the schools. I don't think one will give you a leg up compared to the other. I really liked NYU when I visited, but the money didn't work out the way I wanted and I have no regrets about the way things happened. Some people really want to be in NYC and some people wouldn't be comfortable there. Some people want a smaller school, others want a larger school. Its really up to you and your preferences :)

Sorry for the delayed response!

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Re: Penn Students Taking Questions

Post by riccardo426 » Wed Feb 24, 2010 7:46 pm

Veyron wrote:Assuming a desire for mountain west biglaw/midlaw, would you go advise me to choose NYU or Penn (IF the price was the same?)
Hey, if you're still reading this, this is my advice. I would look merely for which school attracts more firms at their OCI. Make a list of the top 10-15 mountain west biglaw/midlaw firms, whether by size or prestige. Look up each employer on the NALP database (http://www.nalpdirectory.com/) and see which school gets the larger draw at their OCI.

If you don't know what the big/prestigious firms are, just type in the cities you are interested in and generally the big/prestigious ones will come up.

hope this helps

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Veyron

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Re: Penn Students Taking Questions

Post by Veyron » Thu Feb 25, 2010 1:11 am

Georgiana wrote:
Veyron wrote:Assuming a desire for mountain west biglaw/midlaw, would you go advise me to choose NYU or Penn (IF the price was the same?)
It really would depend on which vibe you prefer once you visit the schools. I don't think one will give you a leg up compared to the other. I really liked NYU when I visited, but the money didn't work out the way I wanted and I have no regrets about the way things happened. Some people really want to be in NYC and some people wouldn't be comfortable there. Some people want a smaller school, others want a larger school. Its really up to you and your preferences :)

Sorry for the delayed response!
Thanks, am I right in assuming then that you chose Penn over NYU at least partially because they gave you $?

And to the above poaster, TY for the advice. Unfortunately only a few firms in my target market do interviews at either school.

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Georgiana

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Re: Penn Students Taking Questions

Post by Georgiana » Thu Feb 25, 2010 11:27 am

Veyron wrote:
Georgiana wrote: It really would depend on which vibe you prefer once you visit the schools. I don't think one will give you a leg up compared to the other. I really liked NYU when I visited, but the money didn't work out the way I wanted and I have no regrets about the way things happened. Some people really want to be in NYC and some people wouldn't be comfortable there. Some people want a smaller school, others want a larger school. Its really up to you and your preferences :)

Sorry for the delayed response!
Thanks, am I right in assuming then that you chose Penn over NYU at least partially because they gave you $?
Correct, had the money been equal, it would have been a harder decision to make. There is at least a small cost difference based on cost of living (Philly is cheaper than NYC) but probably not enough to make a huge difference in what you decide.

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Re: Penn Students Taking Questions

Post by lz06 » Thu Feb 25, 2010 12:01 pm

How is the gym at Penn and how far is it from the law school?

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Georgiana

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Re: Penn Students Taking Questions

Post by Georgiana » Thu Feb 25, 2010 12:08 pm

lz06 wrote:How is the gym at Penn and how far is it from the law school?
It's about a block and a half from the law school I think... 36th and Walnut(ish). I haven't been but I know plenty of people who do and they seem to like it. Since I live in center city I go to Bally's (closer to my apartment... I don't like to have to change at school or shower at the gym etc.). You do have to pay for the gym though... I think its something around $300 for the year (works out to $25/month).

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