UVA Law Students Taking Questions Forum

[WahooLaw24]

Anyone know any reason why I shouldn't use Dominion Virginia Power Company? It was recommended by my landlord, especially for 1st time subscribers like myself.

You can chose your electric utility? What? To the best of my knowledge, Dominion is all there is here.

Okay, Dominion it is lol. Not from the area, it was just "suggested" in my lease so I figured there were other possible options.

[RSterling]

Can someone give me an estimate for how much utilities will cost per person for a 2br at ivy? Electricity, water, cable, internet, etc.?

[Legal_Padawan]

Anyone have experience dealing with Linda Owens as their realtor/landlord or whatever? Looking at a couple of places she handles.

This is probably a complete shot in the dark, but I'd like to know if anyone can answer this. I'm in the same situation. (I think her company is called Capital Real Estate, if that helps).
In the age of internet reviews for everything, I'm reluctant to sign a lease "blind" so to speak.

[firstimer]

Random question - is it easy to interact with students outside the law school (other grad students / undergrads, etc.)? Are there university-wide groups / events that law school students participate in?

[dailygrind]

Random question - is it easy to interact with students outside the law school (other grad students / undergrads, etc.)? Are there university-wide groups / events that law school students participate in?

There are clubs that are usually undergrad run, and you can join any of them that you're interested in. You also bump into a lot of undergrads anytime you go to the corner, and there are tons of Darden (b-school) students at the gym. You might also meet Darden folks thru JD/MBA students. In my experience it wasn't particularly easy to meet loads of non-law students, though.

[North]

Anyone have experience dealing with Linda Owens as their realtor/landlord or whatever? Looking at a couple of places she handles.

This is probably a complete shot in the dark, but I'd like to know if anyone can answer this. I'm in the same situation. (I think her company is called Capital Real Estate, if that helps).
In the age of internet reviews for everything, I'm reluctant to sign a lease "blind" so to speak.

I signed blind for a place at 2400 Arlington through Linda with Capital Real Estate. Haven't moved in yet, but the 3L whose lease I took over appeared content. So far, everything has seemed legit with my stuff.

[supernma]

What happens to the kids at the bottom half of the class? I'm curious. Also, what's the placement like into DC? Are only top kids getting jobs over there?

[Legal_Padawan]

What happens to the kids at the bottom half of the class? I'm curious. Also, what's the placement like into DC? Are only top kids getting jobs over there?

I'm interested in this as well.

[jkpolk]

Can someone give me an estimate for how much utilities will cost per person for a 2br at ivy? Electricity, water, cable, internet, etc.?

For me it was something like 80-115 per person per month, but we didn't shell out for cable

[albanach]

What happens to the kids at the bottom half of the class? I'm curious. Also, what's the placement like into DC? Are only top kids getting jobs over there?

The employment stats show that folk in the bottom third typically still get jobs. Where that is probably depends a whole lot on the individual. It's probably a lot tougher if your ties are to a market like NY and you are K-JD.

If, on the other hand, you have ties to a region that's not dominated by big schools, and have work experience, you have a lot more cards to play. Better still if you have a relative who is a partner in some regional firm.

If you're only going to school because you want Big Law and the salary that goes with it, you'd be far better off if you go into engineering or dentistry or something like that. If you want to be a lawyer, then even in the bottom of the class, you can still expect to become one. IBR may be your friend too.

[Just]

What happens to the kids at the bottom half of the class? I'm curious. Also, what's the placement like into DC? Are only top kids getting jobs over there?

The employment stats show that folk in the bottom third typically still get jobs. Where that is probably depends a whole lot on the individual. It's probably a lot tougher if your ties are to a market like NY and you are K-JD.

If, on the other hand, you have ties to a region that's not dominated by big schools, and have work experience, you have a lot more cards to play. Better still if you have a relative who is a partner in some regional firm.

If you're only going to school because you want Big Law and the salary that goes with it, you'd be far better off if you go into engineering or dentistry or something like that. If you want to be a lawyer, then even in the bottom of the class, you can still expect to become one. IBR may be your friend too.

so ny big law is tougher than dc?

[5ky]

What happens to the kids at the bottom half of the class? I'm curious. Also, what's the placement like into DC? Are only top kids getting jobs over there?

The employment stats show that folk in the bottom third typically still get jobs. Where that is probably depends a whole lot on the individual. It's probably a lot tougher if your ties are to a market like NY and you are K-JD.

If, on the other hand, you have ties to a region that's not dominated by big schools, and have work experience, you have a lot more cards to play. Better still if you have a relative who is a partner in some regional firm.

If you're only going to school because you want Big Law and the salary that goes with it, you'd be far better off if you go into engineering or dentistry or something like that. If you want to be a lawyer, then even in the bottom of the class, you can still expect to become one. IBR may be your friend too.

so ny big law is tougher than dc?

I'm really not sure how you pulled that from what albanach said, but no, not really.

[desertlaw]

Have heard that students near bottom of the class are still coveted in smaller southern markets. The UVa name alone carries a lot of weight, from what I've heard. Again, no personal experience here, just what I've heard around.

[Twiqbal]

FYI - According to the Student Records office, past grade distribution information will no longer be made available to students via the binders in the library and student records office. Apparently, it was Vice Dean Geis's idea.

[Br3v]

FYI - According to the Student Records office, past grade distribution information will no longer be made available to students via the binders in the library and student records office. Apparently, it was Vice Dean Geis's idea.

Can you translate this into 0L and/or tell me why this is important?

[Twiqbal]

Grades are distributed according to a B+ curve. However, the distribution of particular grades differs greatly from one professor to the next. One might distribute like this: 5% A, 10% A-, 70% B+, 10% B, 5% B-. Another might distribute like this: 10% A, 20% A-, 40% B+, 20% B, 10% B-.

Past distributions of professors/classes were available to students in binders in the library and student records office. One could use them to determine which classes had more A/A-'s available and which classes nearly promised B+. Study time could be allocated accordingly.

Additionally, one could use this information in choosing courses for the next semester. However, recent changes to non-1L classes (a B+ curve is no longer required) have made this less useful.

[Br3v]

So besides the binders that are no longer in existence, is there any way to see that info?

[Twiqbal]

I don't think so.

[dailygrind]

The information didn't make a huge difference anyway, with a few well-known exceptions:

Cohen is reputed to have an incredibly wide grade distribution. Fair number of A/A+s and a corresponding number of C+s. I have never looked at his distribution, so this is secondhand.
Abraham is reputed to have a very narrow distribution, something like 60% B+. I never took a class with him, so I never looked it up and this is once again secondhand.
Sayler's Rhetoric class is incredibly narrow - I did actually look at his grade distribution and in the two years ahead of me there were something like 2 A-s and 30 B+s. Armed with that knowledge, I mailed in the final performance. It was really chill.

[005618502]

FYI - According to the Student Records office, past grade distribution information will no longer be made available to students via the binders in the library and student records office. Apparently, it was Vice Dean Geis's idea.

[YCrevolution]

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[YCrevolution]

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[Twiqbal]

Does anyone know the deadline for spring semester grades? I know it was June 15th last year, but have heard it is earlier this year.

[5ky]

Does anyone know the deadline for spring semester grades? I know it was June 15th last year, but have heard it is earlier this year.

It's June 10th

[BruceWayne]

What happens to the kids at the bottom half of the class? I'm curious. Also, what's the placement like into DC? Are only top kids getting jobs over there?

A lot of us end up on the school's Kennedy "fellowship" program. It's a program where the school pays us 31K to volunteer for a public interest legal employer who is willing to take us--it only lasts for a year though.

DC is tough, as it is with any school. But I will say that we seem to have a lot of connections and alumni there; so if you have the grades and want DC I think that it's actually not that difficult. The school also seems to be very knowledgeable about opportunities in DC. They often post openings for DC jobs before the employer releases the information to other schools/parties.