University of Texas 1L Taking Questions Forum

[Snooker]

We are lacking a good thread for this school, so I thought I'd take questions from people interested in this school.

I will reply periodically as I have time, and I also welcome comments from other Texas 1Ls who can comment as well.

[Pearalegal]

Social life, go.

[Capercaillie]

If I move to Texas, will my dick be perceived as larger than she currently is?

[herodotus]

Use of Socratic Method?
And what job information has trickled down to you? I mean is it relatively business as usual, or are there 2Ls and 3Ls walking around with sandwich boards proclaiming that the end is nigh?

[Snooker]

Everybody is extremely outgoing, friendly, and nice all the time. If you are ever 'on call' for a class, everyone will be really supportive of you afterwards. I always get the feeling that at the law school, nobody's a stranger. The cut throat competition and one-upmanship you hear about at other law schools doesn't exist here (in my experience), between every class everyone is lifting each other up at the time. I think it's a great environment to be in, because you don't feel stressed out or alienated by the experience.

There's lots of events going on. Bar review is a mainstay for 1Ls, as at other Universities, but it also typically takes place on Austin's famous 6th Street (Google it), a feature of the city that has put Austin in the #1 spot of many "best places to live" rankings. Aside from bar review, the students here also throw incessant parties. In addition, the students do lots of other stuff. My classmates get together for some football every couple of days, and we've also done outdoors type stuff around Austin - like hiking, canoeing, mountain biking, and swimming in some of the lakes & rivers here.

In general, it's a great place to be. I would say it's the best quality of life among the law schools, but I am sure 2-3 other schools would come in and debate it with me (especially ones with great beaches).

[Snooker]

Use of Socratic Method?
And what job information has trickled down to you? I mean is it relatively business as usual, or are there 2Ls and 3Ls walking around with sandwich boards proclaiming that the end is nigh?

Socratic method -I've never had any negative experiences, but I was also a philosophy major (analytic) so I hardly feel as if there's anything new or surprising here. I think the way they use the Socratic method here really does challenge you without stressing you out, so when you are in class your mind is always at work and engaging the problem with all the legal principles you've learned.

Job info, there's some info on this board that recruitment hasn't shrunk that much for summers, I'd guess it shrank from about 68% got 6-fig jobs in 2007 if they wanted to more around 40-45% this year. My new 3L friend recently got a V10 job, and another a circuit clerkship. Texas firms haven't laid off as much as in other areas, and the blue-chip clients in Houston picked up this month a lot, which should help out our employment picture. There's no doom and gloom here, even my friend who got Cs is not really worried... Debt is not an issue for us and Texas cost of living is low, while salaries are high. I am sure Texas judicial clerks live almost as well as first year New York big law associates.

I think a lot of northern / california schools have a "big law or bust" mentality because of high cost of living and high debt, but UT (and also University of Houston) don't really suffer from these problems. I feel like coming here is law school without the severe drawbacks you hear about in most places.

[bmontminy]

Gotta ask....Football tickets!!!!

Do law students get the same, better, or worse benefits for tickets as undergrads? And if the same, how does being in the law school affect your seniority-ranking for ticket-priority?

[missvik218]

What is the Texas pride like? Obviously there are a ton to TX residents, and let's be honest they're known for over-loving their state. Would it feel weird to go to UT not being from Texas?!

[adrib]

What is the Texas pride like? Obviously there are a ton to TX residents, and let's be honest they're known for over-loving their state. Would it feel weird to go to UT not being from Texas?!

over-loving Texas? i'm not sure that's possible...it's like loving bacon too much.

[missvik218]

What is the Texas pride like? Obviously there are a ton to TX residents, and let's be honest they're known for over-loving their state. Would it feel weird to go to UT not being from Texas?!

over-loving Texas? i'm not sure that's possible...it's like loving bacon too much.

point proven.

[adrib]

What is the Texas pride like? Obviously there are a ton to TX residents, and let's be honest they're known for over-loving their state. Would it feel weird to go to UT not being from Texas?!

over-loving Texas? i'm not sure that's possible...it's like loving bacon too much.

point proven.

no way! we can't help it that we live in the best state EVAR!!!! (i know this kind of talk is annoying to non-Texans, though I can't imagine why.....)

[missvik218]

What is the Texas pride like? Obviously there are a ton to TX residents, and let's be honest they're known for over-loving their state. Would it feel weird to go to UT not being from Texas?!

over-loving Texas? i'm not sure that's possible...it's like loving bacon too much.

point proven.

no way! we can't help it that we live in the best state EVAR!!!! (i know this kind of talk is annoying to non-Texans, though I can't imagine why.....)

[Removes UT from application list]

[adrib]

What is the Texas pride like? Obviously there are a ton to TX residents, and let's be honest they're known for over-loving their state. Would it feel weird to go to UT not being from Texas?!

no way! we can't help it that we live in the best state EVAR!!!! (i know this kind of talk is annoying to non-Texans, though I can't imagine why.....)

[Removes UT from application list]

that was a joke! lol. my husband is from Ohio and complains about Texas pride all the time. i've learned a lot from him, actually. fwiw, most people i know don't go around talking about how great Texas is, except in backwoods places. there, ppl talk about texas not needing the US and other similarly stupid things. i love texas, but i imagine i'd love any state (except maybe the reaallly cold ones).

[sportzphan137]

Gotta ask....Football tickets!!!!

Do law students get the same, better, or worse benefits for tickets as undergrads? And if the same, how does being in the law school affect your seniority-ranking for ticket-priority?

I thought I'd go ahead and answer this one: Law school students are slotted between undergrad junior and senior priority. This means that your tickets won't be as good as a senior undergrad's, but will be better than a junior's.

Generally, for a 1L, this means tickets between the 20 yard line and the endzone, maybe 20 rows up. Obviously it can vary greatly, but that has been my experience.

[missvik218]

[Removes UT from application list]

that was a joke! lol. my husband is from Ohio and complains about Texas pride all the time. i've learned a lot from him, actually. fwiw, most people i know don't go around talking about how great Texas is, except in backwoods places. there, ppl talk about texas not needing the US and other similarly stupid things. i love texas, but i imagine i'd love any state (except maybe the reaallly cold ones).

I know, me too! Where I went to UG there were tons of TX kids, probably the state most represented after NY so I got a heavy dose of "MY STATE IS THE BEST." Hopefully, at least at the graduate level the student body will be diverse and/or mature enough not to be quite as obnoxious.

Edit: fixing quotes

[PatMoore05]

If I move to Texas, will my dick be perceived as larger than she currently is?

It won't be perceived as larger, it actually will be larger.

[Olive]

What about job placement on the east coast? Relatively hard?

[Esc]

Everybody is extremely outgoing, friendly, and nice all the time. If you are ever 'on call' for a class, everyone will be really supportive of you afterwards. I always get the feeling that at the law school, nobody's a stranger. The cut throat competition and one-upmanship you hear about at other law schools doesn't exist here (in my experience), between every class everyone is lifting each other up at the time. I think it's a great environment to be in, because you don't feel stressed out or alienated by the experience.

There's lots of events going on. Bar review is a mainstay for 1Ls, as at other Universities, but it also typically takes place on Austin's famous 6th Street (Google it), a feature of the city that has put Austin in the #1 spot of many "best places to live" rankings. Aside from bar review, the students here also throw incessant parties. In addition, the students do lots of other stuff. My classmates get together for some football every couple of days, and we've also done outdoors type stuff around Austin - like hiking, canoeing, mountain biking, and swimming in some of the lakes & rivers here.

In general, it's a great place to be. I would say it's the best quality of life among the law schools, but I am sure 2-3 other schools would come in and debate it with me (especially ones with great beaches).

Here's my $0.02 on 1L so far.

I don't party like Snooker does, so I'm not as able to speak to the social scene, but the environment is indeed great, with tons of events, free happy hours, and just bunches of things going on. It can be kind of difficult to keep up with all the events going on.

The atmosphere is indeed extremely friendly. Gunning really doesn't exist here; sure, some people talk a lot, but it never rises to the level of ridiculous competitiveness. The faculty and staff are all amazingly accessible and down to earth. My profs are excellent, and I definitely feel like I'm getting a top-notch education.

Oh, and we love our Texas, but we aren't going to be obnoxious about it. I think some Texans who go elsewhere end up getting a Texas complex and can't help but mouth off about Texas all the time. At home, though, we're really friendly. Regardless, about 1/3 of the class isn't from Texas, and many of the Texans aren't natives, so there isn't any sort of Texas-only club here.

[Esc]

What about job placement on the east coast? Relatively hard?

Over the last three years 15-20% of graduates have gotten jobs on the east coast, with most of those in NY and DC.

[Snooker]

that was a joke! lol. my husband is from Ohio and complains about Texas pride all the time. i've learned a lot from him, actually. fwiw, most people i know don't go around talking about how great Texas is, except in backwoods places. there, ppl talk about texas not needing the US and other similarly stupid things. i love texas, but i imagine i'd love any state (except maybe the reaallly cold ones).

People don't really talk Texas pride a whole lot, if anything we are like an ass-backwards yet rich oil producing country in the middle east full of beautiful women. (and manly, handsome men)

[Snooker]

I have thought about getting a job on the east cost but it mainly seems to involve working longer hours for half of the COL-adjusted pay, and worse yet, for mean people.

[Vegas_Rebel]

What's the dorm situation at UT like? Is it worth it to live on campus, or is it just as cheap to get an apartment nearby?

How about parking? Everywhere I've been in TX a car has been all but required, but I've never been to Austin. What do parking passes run?

Finally, how's the weather down there? Hot, I assume, but how's the Humidity? Roughly the same as Tyler/Dallas, better, or worse? Those hot TX summers kill a desert dwelling dude like myself.

[Esc]

What's the dorm situation at UT like? Is it worth it to live on campus, or is it just as cheap to get an apartment nearby?

How about parking? Everywhere I've been in TX a car has been all but required, but I've never been to Austin. What do parking passes run?

Finally, how's the weather down there? Hot, I assume, but how's the Humidity? Roughly the same as Tyler/Dallas, better, or worse? Those hot TX summers kill a desert dwelling dude like myself.

I don't think any law students live in the dorms. There are a bajillion renting options in Austin which run the gamut from cheap/dumpy apartment to fancy/expensive condo to small house with yard. Craigslist is your friend.

Parking is pretty tough and expensive, but I don't have a car, so w00t. Austin isn't nearly on the level of NYC or Boston as a walking/mass transit city, but as a student it is completely doable to go the bike and bus route. Austin is a pretty bike-friendly city, especially in the north central area near UT. A side benefit is that my workout is my commute, so I don't have to spend time in the gym.

Hot yes, and humid in the summer (Late March - November), but the air is much, much cleaner than Dallas or Houston, so even on 100 degree days its not so bad.

[ritchie77]

whats the workload like at texas? how many hours of work per day?

how would a canadian fare there? specifically one with more trad. texas/american ideals and values?

is austin a city with a lot of diversity? is it basically a bilingual city or more english only?

thanks a lot

[Esc]

whats the workload like at texas? how many hours of work per day?

how would a canadian fare there? specifically one with more trad. texas/american ideals and values?

is austin a city with a lot of diversity? is it basically a bilingual city or more english only?

thanks a lot

First semester the workload is pretty light, at least in comparison to what I had to do for my UG. Its heating up but still isn't that bad.

I don't see why a Canadian wouldn't do just fine here (as long as you can handle the heat). We don't bite. Politically, Austin is a relatively liberal city with a strong libertarian streak, and is ideologically closer to Seattle or Portland than to the conservative parts of Texas. The law school is politically diverse, and we all get along just fine.

Austin is also quite ethnically diverse, with a large hispanic minority and sizable black, asian, and jewish communities. There are several predominantly Mexican-American neighborhoods where it would be helpful to know Spanish, and a couple Asian-American neighborhoods where mandarin might be useful, but in the vast majority of the city English predominates.