Temple 1L Taking Questions Forum

[apicelp]

If you've got any questions, ask away...

[HokkaidoGyuNyu]

Does Temple really have a law school? How are the employment prospects?

EDIT: forgot to ask, is there a certain focus there (law and economics, international law,etc), or just general legal ed. style

[03121202698008]

How is the area surrounding the campus? Is it as sketchy as other posts on here make it seem?

[apicelp]

The comments people make about the area around Temple are overblown. I moved here with my wife and one year-old child, and I have not had any trouble at all. Temple's campus and the surrounding neighborhood is heavily policed. Also, the law school is located right on Broad Street (one of the main streets in the city), and the subway station and bus stop are right at the end of the block. I live four blocks away, and I walk to and from school every day. No issues. It seems to me that TLAW is kind of a commuter school in that most students live in other neighborhoods around the city and take public transportation to school.

What I'm trying to say is, don't believe the hype. Temple is pretty safe. I feel comfortable having my wife and daughter around. It isn't Candyland, but it certainly isn't as bad as some people make it out to be.

[apicelp]

Does Temple really have a law school? How are the employment prospects?

EDIT: forgot to ask, is there a certain focus there (law and economics, international law,etc), or just general legal ed. style

I'm not sure if you are joking, but I am sure that Temple really does have a law school. I am there every day. I don't have first hand knowledge of employment prospects because I am just getting started, but from what I understand TU is well respected in and around Philly.

Temple is really good in international law, and is one of the best for trial advocacy.

[ToadGoDead]

i agree with OP, i went to UG there...i never felt unsafe. that is not to say that the neighborhood isn't bad. It is, but temple has its own police force and they do a great job. also, i routinely left the psych building at 10pm and walked 4 blocks off campus. i also read the crime report in the temple paper everyday. the people who got into trouble were idiots and did not treat temples campus like it was in the city. i.e. leaving laptops unattended or sitting on the passenger seat of their car.

[livitup11]

I was recently admitted to Temple- whooo!

I haven't visited at all yet, but seeing as I grew up in the northern burbs, I'm familiar with the city and know quite a few people who went to Temple UG so I'm not quite as put off by talk of how dangerous the area is supposed to be. I understand that (depending on where you live) the COL can be fairly high- but I'm prepared for that, especially considering the scholarship Temple is offering me.

One thing concerns me- especially since you say many people commute in and out- is there a cohesive, friendly atmosphere among the law student population? I really want to feel like I'm in a community as opposed to a situation where people come to class and then go their separate ways. Along those same lines, are there a lot of really involved student organizations?

Obviously, Temple has a very good program when it comes to specific areas of law which you already mentioned. I'm still very undecided what avenue I'm going to pursue. In fact, I'm pretty unsure where I'll want to be practicing after graduation. If I go with something other than, say, trial advocacy, am I basically limited in my options to the greater Philadelphia area? I've lived here most of my life so I'm not entirely opposed to the idea, but I want to keep my options open (in terms of the Northeast, anyway).

[JohnBlaze]

I was recently admitted to Temple- whooo!

I haven't visited at all yet, but seeing as I grew up in the northern burbs, I'm familiar with the city and know quite a few people who went to Temple UG so I'm not quite as put off by talk of how dangerous the area is supposed to be. I understand that (depending on where you live) the COL can be fairly high- but I'm prepared for that, especially considering the scholarship Temple is offering me.

One thing concerns me- especially since you say many people commute in and out- is there a cohesive, friendly atmosphere among the law student population? I really want to feel like I'm in a community as opposed to a situation where people come to class and then go their separate ways. Along those same lines, are there a lot of really involved student organizations?

Obviously, Temple has a very good program when it comes to specific areas of law which you already mentioned. I'm still very undecided what avenue I'm going to pursue. In fact, I'm pretty unsure where I'll want to be practicing after graduation. If I go with something other than, say, trial advocacy, am I basically limited in my options to the greater Philadelphia area? I've lived here most of my life so I'm not entirely opposed to the idea, but I want to keep my options open (in terms of the Northeast, anyway).

Congrats on your admission. I got accepted into a bunch of higher ranked schools, but chose Temple because I wanted to be in Philly and TU has a pretty solid reputation.

The student body is pretty cohesive. From what I have seen, law students definitely stick together. There are all kinds of functions that people go to (happy hours, etc.). If you aren't a "function" kind of person, it is not hard at all to find people to hang out with. I'd say that we are a pretty tight-knit group over all. Even some of your professors will partake in the fun. An example: One of the sections went to a professor's house after their last final last semester and had a good old fashioned kegger. Apparently, it got pretty out of hand. But that's the kind of deal it is: the students get along, the professors are accessible and seem to genuinely love what they do, and the administration really works with the students. A buddy of mine ran out of gas on the way to a final, and they were really understanding and accomodated him so he could take the test with full time.

There are a lot of student groups at TU, representing everything from minority groups to interest in a particular area of law to political affiliation to people who like to get $hit-faced. It's all there.

As for what area of law you want to pursue" join the club. I don't know what I want to do yet, either. You know what you're getting with Temple. It's not a bad school, but it isn't HYS. There are a ton of TU grads in Philly/Jersey, and trust me, they aren't all litigators. I wouldn't worry about getting pigeon-holed.

Good luck with your decision. Let me know if any other questions come up.

[jp0094]

...
Obviously, Temple has a very good program when it comes to specific areas of law which you already mentioned. I'm still very undecided what avenue I'm going to pursue. In fact, I'm pretty unsure where I'll want to be practicing after graduation. If I go with something other than, say, trial advocacy, am I basically limited in my options to the greater Philadelphia area? I've lived here most of my life so I'm not entirely opposed to the idea, but I want to keep my options open (in terms of the Northeast, anyway).

Temple is a strong regional school. If you try to venture out of the NE it becomes much harder (but not impossible) to secure a job. Within Philadelphia itself Temple shines because of its strong alumni base and occasionally Penn grads get shutout of jobs for this reason. I think it would be foolish to attend Temple if you planned to work in Arizona after school or something like that. That being said, some of my section mates are from CA and they seem to be doing okay finding 1L internships in CA. Overall though, Temple's strength is regional, notably in Philadelphia.

[bryanl87]

Man, I really haven't considered until recently and I applied there early this month (hoping that it wasn't too late) but I applied to Villanova and got accepted. I understand that you just started at Temple, but do you hear anything about Temple vs. Villanova when it comes down to Philly market?

[JohnBlaze]

Man, I really haven't considered until recently and I applied there early this month (hoping that it wasn't too late) but I applied to Villanova and got accepted. I understand that you just started at Temple, but do you hear anything about Temple vs. Villanova when it comes down to Philly market?

Villanova is also a decent regional school. My understanding is that Temple has little bit stronger showing, but Villanova does fine, also. I wouldn't think there is enough of a difference between the two to seriously influence my decision. There is a big difference, though, between the two in other areas (environment, etc.).

[jp0094]

Man, I really haven't considered until recently and I applied there early this month (hoping that it wasn't too late) but I applied to Villanova and got accepted. I understand that you just started at Temple, but do you hear anything about Temple vs. Villanova when it comes down to Philly market?

Villanova is also a decent regional school. My understanding is that Temple has little bit stronger showing, but Villanova does fine, also. I wouldn't think there is enough of a difference between the two to seriously influence my decision. There is a big difference, though, between the two in other areas (environment, etc.).

The big difference in not necessarily in job placement, because they are comparable in that respect, but in cost. Villanova is ~5k more expensive for out-of-state and significantly more expensive (approx. 20k) for in-staters. Moreover, if you attend Temple it is possible to establish residency and pay in-state tuition for 2L & 3L, whereas 'Nova is always the same.

[Headybrah]

can you elaborate on the diff between temple and nova?

I like nova's location

but temple's international program is sweet

[jp0094]

can you elaborate on the diff between temple and nova?

I like nova's location

but temple's international program is sweet

Having not attended 'Nova, and not having any direct contacts there, I can't speak directly about them outside the publicly available data. For example, in my earlier post 'Nova, while of similar rank, is more expensive by and large. I can say that Temple excels in trial advocacy and this should not be overlooked. Our trial advocacy program is so popular here that some people are unable to take it due to demand. Like you said, Temple also does well in international law. If international law is your thing there are a whole host of abroad programs including Rome, China, Japan (and other I'm pretty sure, check the website). I'm thinking of doing the Japan one myself.

I wish I could expand more, but I really don't know that much about 'Nova. In general though, it doesn't make much sense to me, if two schools are about equal in rank, to attend the more expensive school. Obviously, if 'Nova comes out to be cheaper through scholarship, then by all means go there.

[JohnBlaze]

can you elaborate on the diff between temple and nova?

I like nova's location

but temple's international program is sweet

Having not attended 'Nova, and not having any direct contacts there, I can't speak directly about them outside the publicly available data. For example, in my earlier post 'Nova, while of similar rank, is more expensive by and large. I can say that Temple excels in trial advocacy and this should not be overlooked. Our trial advocacy program is so popular here that some people are unable to take it due to demand. Like you said, Temple also does well in international law. If international law is your thing there are a whole host of abroad programs including Rome, China, Japan (and other I'm pretty sure, check the website). I'm thinking of doing the Japan one myself.

I wish I could expand more, but I really don't know that much about 'Nova. In general though, it doesn't make much sense to me, if two schools are about equal in rank, to attend the more expensive school. Obviously, if 'Nova comes out to be cheaper through scholarship, then by all means go there.

Temple also has programs in Ireland and the Netherlands.

Choosing Villanova wouldn't make much sense to me, either. I mean, the main line is a nice place to live, but I go to Temple and commute from the main line, anyway. The train is super easy and convenient, drops me right off at Temple, and I get a lot of my reading done during the commute. There might be some difference according to whther you are a city/suburb kind of person, but I think that is negated by the difference in cost and the fact that SEPTA can take you anywhere you want to go. Plus, the cost of living in the main line isn't any cheaper than the city.

[ToadGoDead]

can you elaborate on the diff between temple and nova?

I like nova's location

but temple's international program is sweet

i grew up on the mainline, it sucks... go to temple... its cheaper and prob has equal placement, plus you can live in the city...south philly is a cool place to live and take the broad line to temple, so you dont need a car... making it that much cheaper than going to nova, where you will want a car most likely...

i lived a block away from pat's and geno's during UG and paid like 400 for a room with 2 roomates... the downside is that i would wake up saturday mornings with pats wrappers littered around me from a late night drunken pats run...

[pany1985]

i lived a block away from pat's and geno's during UG and paid like 400 for a room with 2 roomates... the downside is that i would wake up saturday mornings with pats wrappers littered around me from a late night drunken pats run...

I'd probably end up getting pretty fat if I lived within walking distance of Pat's

[beach_terror]

Is Temple a cutthroat school in terms of competition? I'm not sure where I heard this but I recall someone saying that books go missing out of the library near exam week, etc.

[BiteyTLS]

can you elaborate on the diff between temple and nova?

I like nova's location

but temple's international program is sweet

Why does it matter? International law as a practice field doesn't practically exist.

[JohnBlaze]

Is Temple a cutthroat school in terms of competition? I'm not sure where I heard this but I recall someone saying that books go missing out of the library near exam week, etc.

Never heard of that happening here. People are competitive because you are in law school and your grades matter, but I have not had any experience with anyone being unkind to anyone else, stealing, lying, etc. All of the people I know are pretty chill. We work hard and care about our grades, but it doesn't get silly.

[jp0094]

Is Temple a cutthroat school in terms of competition? I'm not sure where I heard this but I recall someone saying that books go missing out of the library near exam week, etc.

From my experience people are little TOO friendly! Haha. I don't think it is cutthroat at all, although people do focus a lot of grades. I've never had an experience with anyone being nasty, lying to me, misleading me, etc.