Warning: Bowers isn't having class tomorrow (class cancelled). I'd offer my classes to sit-in on, but they're all cancelled for tomorrow.

I've heard the Virginia student body is the least-diverse of the T14. Have you noticed this / can you address it? It seems like it would be a large negative for me going to UVA.

They certainly solved that problem this year. "About 27 percent identify themselves as minority students, up from 16 percent the previous year. The new class also has the second-highest percentage of females in school history, at 47 percent."

http://www.law.virginia.edu/html/news/2 ... rofile.htm

That's heartening. Thanks.

Well, I'm coming from a good bit away so I might as well make the most of the experience. Guess I'll be in both. Thanks.



Guess it's definitely Coughlin then. Thanks.

Geis and Coughlin would be great choices.

Were you the dude who walked in around 10:30? I was wondering who would still come to class when it is already halfway over, and I didn't recognize the guy.

Lol, I actually did walk in late but not at 1030. I was the dude who walked in at 10:10, tried to go across the back of the room, realized it was blocked, and settled for a seat near the front.

Coincidentally, you say in the seat that is usually for the guy who DID come in at 1030, which made some of us chuckle when he showed up and tried to find a seat

This school is among my top choices, but (1) gotta see my LSAT and (2) gotta convince my gf that VA is a place with jobs (and is free of swine flu).

UVA has a larger class size than some of the other T14s. So, do you think having 360 versus 250 makes a difference? If so, how?

Also, because my gf will move with me wherever I go - what's the job market like in Charlotesville for someone looking for either academic work (she'll have a Ph.D. in History) or to teach in a community college? Are there any comm. colleges in Charlotesville or in a nearby town?

Someone with a spouse/SO would know better than me, but if your gf can't find a job with UVA, you'd probably have to look to either one of the other nearby towns or Richmond. There is also the Piedmont Virginia CC in Charlottesville.

^thanks!

Any other takers?

It took my wife about a month to find a decent job (with benefits, decent pay, etc.) in Charlottesville. Note: this was one month of searching while she was PHYSICALLY IN CHARLOTTESVILLE. She did some phone interviews before moving out here but honestly, nobody wants to hire people until they've met with them face-to-face and most Charlottesville businesses are not big enough or profitable enough to afford to fly you out here for an interview. There are definitely lots of jobs here, but you have to get connected with the locals or have AMAZING references that can vouch for you to temp agencies (my wife followed the latter route) if you want to get a salaried job.

Speaking of community colleges, after my wife god her current job, she actually got an offer to work at one of the community colleges. PM me for more details, but your gf should have no problem finding a job.

.

1) Its not really that conservative of an environment - I'm very left leaning and I don't feel uncomfortable at all... yes, there are some conservatives, but that's a good thing - it provides for interesting discussions... Also, Charlottesville as a whole has a large liberal contingent (in 2008 Charlottesville's congressional district elected a democrat unseating a republican incumbent)

2) Cost of living isn't too bad... cheaper than most big cities, but not overwhelmingly inexpensive either... housing tends to be a bit more expensive than you might expect.

1. More to the right than probably any other law school in the T14, but overall center-right in the American context. The right-wing people are far more vocal than the left-wing people. The lefties still exist though; I'm one of them. Charlottesville is deep in left field.

2. While it depends on your shopping habits, rent if you're sharing a two-bedroom would probably be $400 to $600, rent for a one-bedroom would be $700-$900. These would be for nice places and/or places close to the law school; knock off $100 or $200 if you're living farther away in non-luxury digs. Electricity runs me about $60-$75 a month during hot months (I presume winter bills will be less, since I prefer to be a little cold).

Sales tax is 5%, grocery/food tax is 2.5%, restaurant food tax is 9%. Food costs are basically what it would be anywhere in the South where I've been (cheaper than New England).

.

What do public interest people do at Virginia? Federal IBR? Are any of you planning to go the public interest route?

The 2Ls and 3Ls would probably have a better idea than me, but...

There's a number of clinics at UVA that cater to various PI work (immigrants' rights, child welfare, prison stuff); I think UVA has a pretty decent environmental law program too (not that you have to go PI with that). I've been told that my 1L class seems a lot more PI-oriented than the 2Ls and 3Ls (this probably a partial reflection of the economic climate when we started law school).

In an ideal world, I'd have the grades to pull off a good clerkship, and then figure things out from there. The IBR program and working for the gov't (although not necessarily elsewhere in the public sector), depending on where my grades and interests take me, holds quite a bit of allure, and I think it'd be fun to work in an federal inspector general's office at some point early in my career (the trick is getting hired; even in a good economy, those jobs weren't exactly easy to come by, esp. for lawyers with little WE).

I don't know too many 1Ls who are dead-set on going the PI-route and nothing else, but many also seem willing to give it serious consideration.

I think UVA is very well-balanced politically. I've heard that NU is the only other t14 with a sizable group of politically conservative faculty members.

There are still plenty of your stereotypical "academics" here, however. And there are also a lot of stereotypical left-leaners in the student body. It's was funny to see the shock and horror in the faces of some of the New England, liberal-arts-college-kids when they realized that not only were some of their classmates REAL LIFE CONSERVATIVES, but even some of their PROFS were a part of the "vast right-wing conspiracy!"

This is kind of a tangent, but...

The Republican Party needs to find more people like Prof. Nelson. He is the antithesis of Sarah Palin and he exudes brilliance and credibility.

Also, on the flip side, a lot of Southerners I've met are shocked by my apparently far-left views, so it works both ways.

I was speculating on the political views of my professors with somebody the other day. For a couple, you can make inferences from the type of research they do, but I don't think the political leanings of any of them are too evident from their lectures, which is probably a good thing.

http://fundrace.huffingtonpost.com/

Although definitely credited that they don't really bring their views to their lectures.

Question about ED at UVA: If you apply and get accepted but still retake the LSAT in December and get a higher score...does UVA take this into account when giving out merit aid or do they only use your September score when deciding how much aid to award you?