UVA Law Students Taking Questions Forum

[Br3v]

Ok, so it's not weird to email admissions like "Hello, I'm applicant X. My LSAC number is A, GPA is B, LSAT is C. I've recently applied to UVA, and I will be touring on Date. Is there any possible way I could sit down with someone from your office to discuss life on campus? Thanks!"

Don't include your GPA/LSAT in your e-mail. It doesn't hit the tone you want. I'm assuming you're hoping for a full scholarship, which I'd imagine you'd get as long as your LSAT hits the mark and your application looks decent. If that's the case, you just want to make it clear to them that UVA is your top choice and you're really excited about the possibility of coming here. Admissions isn't dumb, they'll know you mean "I'd really like to come here, but without a scholarship, I couldn't turn down the other schools I'll get in at".

+1

[you what]

Aside from laptops, what are your preferred school supplies? I know it's an overly specific question, but (aside from being a supply/organization nerd) I just quit teaching to go to UVA Law and I've got a stock pile of things to choose from: binders, folders, comp books, spiral notebooks, highlighters, sharpies, etc. Trying to figure out what I can donate back and what would be best to keep. Do you use binders for classes? Just notebooks for note-taking? I'm assuming you don't get much in the way of handouts, so folders and binders are less useful.

[smile0751]

Aside from laptops, what are your preferred school supplies? I know it's an overly specific question, but (aside from being a supply/organization nerd) I just quit teaching to go to UVA Law and I've got a stock pile of things to choose from: binders, folders, comp books, spiral notebooks, highlighters, sharpies, etc. Trying to figure out what I can donate back and what would be best to keep. Do you use binders for classes? Just notebooks for note-taking? I'm assuming you don't get much in the way of handouts, so folders and binders are less useful.

Keep all of the above. You'll burn through highlighters. Professors will give you class printouts / books that are looseleaf and you'll probably want a binder to keep them in. You never know when a professor will have a no computer policy and you can fill up a notebook fast.

[andthenIwaslike]

Aside from laptops, what are your preferred school supplies? I know it's an overly specific question, but (aside from being a supply/organization nerd) I just quit teaching to go to UVA Law and I've got a stock pile of things to choose from: binders, folders, comp books, spiral notebooks, highlighters, sharpies, etc. Trying to figure out what I can donate back and what would be best to keep. Do you use binders for classes? Just notebooks for note-taking? I'm assuming you don't get much in the way of handouts, so folders and binders are less useful.

I don't really use binders or folders, though some professors definitely give out a lot of handouts (Woolhandler comes to mind). If some of these binders/folders are more professional looking, you might want to hold onto them until interview time comes around - something to tuck copies of your resume into. The only other thing to keep in mind is that firms and Lexis and stuff give out an insane amount of pens and highlighters, so you should always get those for free - though you do burn through the highlighters (and the free ones last about a week), so I'd keep those. Do you have index cards? I ended up making flashcards for one class this year, though obviously that's less common.

[Yardbird]

0L, applying at UVA this Fall:


how're the gyms there? Is there a place nearby to lift weights that opens early?

http://recsports.virginia.edu/?q=north- ... ion-center

There's also the AFC and Memorial Gym if you're closer to regular grounds

Which do you prefer/how is it?

NGRC is the newest and the closest to North Grounds, so it's probably the one you'll use the most and it has everything you need. AFC has a bigger pool I believe, and a whirlpool with a basketball hoop (who could pass that up?). It's also packed like sardines if you go at popular times (ie: right before or after dinner). Mem Gym is the oldest, but not many people are there which is nice. It's also got a great training room with various punching bags, which I'm a huge fan of. All of them are nice and will get the job done. If you care to stray from NGRC, then I'm sure you'll find stuff you like/dislike about each one depending on your preferences.

The battle room at Memorial is something everyone should experience at least once.

Aside from laptops, what are your preferred school supplies? I know it's an overly specific question, but (aside from being a supply/organization nerd) I just quit teaching to go to UVA Law and I've got a stock pile of things to choose from: binders, folders, comp books, spiral notebooks, highlighters, sharpies, etc. Trying to figure out what I can donate back and what would be best to keep. Do you use binders for classes? Just notebooks for note-taking? I'm assuming you don't get much in the way of handouts, so folders and binders are less useful.

Just use whatever worked for you in undergrad. No reason to switch up study habits now. A lot of people get caught up in what everyone else is doing in the first month or two of school (oh you're case briefing? I should do that too! oh you're highlighting in 99 different colors? I should too! oh you're outlining already? I should too!). The most important thing is to just do your own thing. Everyone learns differently and at their own pace. No one cares about how other people study after the first few weeks. The one suggestion I will make is that you construct your own outlines. Relying on an outline that someone else made in my opinion is not as great as making one yourself because the other's outline was tailored to how they learn and remember information. Your method of learning is 100% not the same and if you make an outline yourself it will be 100% better suited to how you need to process information.

As an example: I was a little unconventional in that I only used a laptop and the textbook. Profs usually made handouts digitally available so I just passed them along in class without taking one. I underlined and took notes in the book while I read (so I have great recommendations for long-lasting, non-smearing pens!) and maybe took notes in class on my laptop if something interesting was said (but was usually on FB or working on a non-law school project). I definitely got stares and eyerolls from classmates when I would mention I didn't take really take notes in class or brief cases or do practice tests (I never did a single one in law school). I always made my own outlines though and usually did that in the last two weeks of class (if I used another outline as a reference, I only did so after constructing my own first and used the model to fill in the gaps). I know other people who briefed every case, went to every class (I sure didn't), did study groups, had a no laptop policy in class, outlined before class, outlined during the semester, finished reading the material for the semester by the second month of the semester, did every practice test available, used supplements, used flash cards, etc. There are a million different ways to study, finding the best one for you is something only you can do through trial and error.

[First Offense]

Yeah - there's no right way to study, just the right way for you.

[RSN]

^I had Choi for M&A. Nice guy and good professor. If you're interested in whatever he's teaching it's probably worth giving it a shot.

Not the original asker of this question, but wondering the same thing, since I'm also considering taking Corporations with him this fall (Columbia) -- would you (or anyone else familiar with him) be able to PM/link to any course evaluations or anything? I'm nervous about Corps as a subject to start with, but need to get it out of the way, so I want to make sure I know what I'm getting into if I sign up with him. Thanks!

[Yardbird]

^I had Choi for M&A. Nice guy and good professor. If you're interested in whatever he's teaching it's probably worth giving it a shot.

Not the original asker of this question, but wondering the same thing, since I'm also considering taking Corporations with him this fall (Columbia) -- would you (or anyone else familiar with him) be able to PM/link to any course evaluations or anything? I'm nervous about Corps as a subject to start with, but need to get it out of the way, so I want to make sure I know what I'm getting into if I sign up with him. Thanks!

Not sure we can share course evals, but Choi was a phenomenal prof - if he's teaching at Columbia again I would definitely take a class with him. His lectures are well structured/organized and his exams are very fair. He taught at Columbia last fall so you might be better off asking other Columbia students if anyone took Corporations with him last year since he teaches 1L Contracts and M&A at UVA.

[thanksmeatcat]

I posted this in the Class of 2019 thread, but I figured current students would also have some info!

Does anyone have any insight on (even photos of) room B in a three-bedroom at the Pavilion? I asked the leasing office for a photo of the room before I sign my lease, but they won't send me anything besides a floor plan. I just want to know if I'm signing up for a dungeon before I have to fork over a bunch of cash!

[North]

I posted this in the Class of 2019 thread, but I figured current students would also have some info!

Does anyone have any insight on (even photos of) room B in a three-bedroom at the Pavilion? I asked the leasing office for a photo of the room before I sign my lease, but they won't send me anything besides a floor plan. I just want to know if I'm signing up for a dungeon before I have to fork over a bunch of cash!

If it's the same 3BR layout as my buddy had, it's totally average and fine but not worth the price (which is about double the market rates for the area). She moved out after 1 year, as did most other folks I knew over there. E-mail Linda at lowens@cvilleofficespace.com and see if she has any units left on Arlington Blvd. The building at 2400 Arlington is literally across the street from Pavilion for half the price.

[rhododactylos]

it's totally average and fine but not worth the price (which is about double the market rates for the area). E-mail Linda at lowens@cvilleofficespace.com and see if she has any units left on Arlington Blvd. The building at 2400 Arlington is literally across the street from Pavilion for half the price.

Yup. Anyone want to join my civil RICO suit against Pav for the fraud that building is? (Signed, a 3 year resident who just didn't have the energy to move again.)

[HonestAdvice]

^I had Choi for M&A. Nice guy and good professor. If you're interested in whatever he's teaching it's probably worth giving it a shot.

Not the original asker of this question, but wondering the same thing, since I'm also considering taking Corporations with him this fall (Columbia) -- would you (or anyone else familiar with him) be able to PM/link to any course evaluations or anything? I'm nervous about Corps as a subject to start with, but need to get it out of the way, so I want to make sure I know what I'm getting into if I sign up with him. Thanks!

At UVA his classes are fairly low stress, because UVA puts LLM's on the same curve as JD's and his classes tend to be like 70-30 JD and LLM so it's unlikely you or anyone you know will do poorly. Some people complain his exams don't necessarily focus on what he focuses on in class so if you know that going in you won't make the mistake of spending 80% of your study time on shareholder suits just because he spends the whole semester on it (or any other topic).

[North]

Yup. Anyone want to join my civil RICO suit against Pav for the fraud that building is? (Signed, a 3 year resident who just didn't have the energy to move again.)

I still laugh when I think about seeing all you guys huddled in front of the building in the cold during what seemed like weekly middle-of-the-night false fire alarms #LUXURY

[First Offense]

Yup. Anyone want to join my civil RICO suit against Pav for the fraud that building is? (Signed, a 3 year resident who just didn't have the energy to move again.)

I still laugh when I think about seeing all you guys huddled in front of the building in the cold during what seemed like weekly middle-of-the-night false fire alarms #LUXURY

But STAINLESS STEEL APPLIANCES!

[RSN]

Thanks for the replies on Choi. My concern is that he taught Corporate Finance at Columbia last year and reviews were less than stellar, and I guess he's never actually taught Corporations before, so I'm skeptical about taking a first-time class, but definitely still worth thinking about.

[HonestAdvice]

Thanks for the replies on Choi. My concern is that he taught Corporate Finance at Columbia last year and reviews were less than stellar, and I guess he's never actually taught Corporations before, so I'm skeptical about taking a first-time class, but definitely still worth thinking about.

I don't understand the value of reviews when there is a forced curve unless you're expecting to learn something in which case you should drop out.

[sprezz]

that is one hell of an apt username

[HonestAdvice]

that is one hell of an apt username

The nature of all living beings is to feel positively towards those who make us feel good about ourselves, and negatively towards those who make us feel bad ourselves. Dogs react well to people who show them affection, and law students react well to professors who give them A's. I'd be much more interested in what a law professor's secretary has to say about them, but those reviews aren't readily available.

[5ky]

idk about columbia, but at uva you submit reviews before you get your grade, so

[Yardbird]

idk about columbia, but at uva you submit reviews before you get your gradetake your exam, so

FTFY. Choi is generally well liked. I wouldn’t doubt his ability to teach Corporations given how he taught M&A. I also would disagree with the 70-30 JD-LLM breakdown of his class. Mine was probably more like 90-10. I also wouldn’t go by a Corporate Finance review by law students...we all know most law students (and lawyers) can’t do math.

[HonestAdvice]

idk about columbia, but at uva you submit reviews before you get your grade, so

Yeah but still - it's based on your relationship with the professor, not necessarily the classes themselves.

[20170322]

Is it worth touring UVA over the summer, or would it be best to wait until classes are back in session?

[First Offense]

Is it worth touring UVA over the summer, or would it be best to wait until classes are back in session?

I mean, you won't need able to sit in on a class or anything. And other than some 3Ls there won't really be anyone around the law school.

Depends on what you want to get out of visiting, I suppose.

[logicgames]

0L here, joining the law school next month. I'm trying to budget for the next year or so; does anyone know how easy it is to get a grant for summer after 1L?

[Nagster5]

0L here, joining the law school next month. I'm trying to budget for the next year or so; does anyone know how easy it is to get a grant for summer after 1L?

At ASW they said everyone who gets a non-paying job is covered by the grant now.