William & Mary Forum

[bender18]

Good information here (tag)

[AP-375]

1) I don't know if I'll be able to make it to ASW, so how accessible are the professors, and would it be very easy for me to visit with any in addition to attending a class?
2) How are the intramural programs and do law students participate? I saw on the WM main site that there are a bunch of different sport clubs, but I'm wondering if those are really just undergrad organizations.
Thanks!

[Green Crayons]

1) I don't know if I'll be able to make it to ASW, so how accessible are the professors, and would it be very easy for me to visit with any in addition to attending a class?

I don't know when ASW is, but I've had several students sitting in a few of my classes this week. I'm assuming ASW is this weekend? Whatevs. These professors are chill, you can ask admissions to see if any of the professors would be comfortable with another student sitting in at some future date. The answer will probably be yes.

That said, I haven't the slightest as to why folks feel the need to sit in on classes.

2) How are the intramural programs and do law students participate? I saw on the WM main site that there are a bunch of different sport clubs, but I'm wondering if those are really just undergrad organizations.

They are dominated by undergrads, but I am aware of a few law students who at least tried out. Haven't the slightest of if they made it on. There was this huge baseball thing during the Fall where just about every law student was on a team, kicking ass, playing against each other, and having fun. Not intramural, though.

[TyrodTaylor]

There is always pick up soccer somewhere on campus. Normally by the new UG dorms on Barksdale field. If you're interested in playing for an intramural team for that, just go play pick up a few times and if you are good, people will ask you to play on their team.

[smartblonde87]

WL email around noon. :/

[AP-375]

Can we get a careers/employment update from anyone on campus? How do things feel lately in terms of the job search?
Also, how does OCI bidding work at W&M?
Thanks!

[mettasutta]

Can we get a careers/employment update from anyone on campus? How do things feel lately in terms of the job search?
Also, how does OCI bidding work at W&M?
Thanks!

+1

Also, if I filled out my app for housing in the GradPlex late March, am I likely to get it, or was that too late?

[unbeknownst]

Can we get a careers/employment update from anyone on campus? How do things feel lately in terms of the job search?
Also, how does OCI bidding work at W&M?
Thanks!

Rising 2L here. I don't know anyone in my class who is unemployed this summer. I'm hearing positive experiences from a variety of places - some went to their hometowns to work for small firms, others are working in random cities for federal judges, lots went to DC for nonprofit agencies and the like.

I wish I knew about OCI bidding. They sent out an email warning us it was coming, but that's about it. Basically we were told to keep our August schedules as clear as possible. I will check Symplicity and get back to you.

I also will try to check this thread regularly so please keep the questions coming. I came to William & Mary because it was a great deal (in state tuition + $$$) and it had strong regional ties to DC. I really like my class -- it's more collegiate than competitive, everyone is super helpful, and I really liked most of my first-year professors.

[AP-375]

Rising 2L here. I don't know anyone in my class who is unemployed this summer. I'm hearing positive experiences from a variety of places - some went to their hometowns to work for small firms, others are working in random cities for federal judges, lots went to DC for nonprofit agencies and the like.

I wish I knew about OCI bidding. They sent out an email warning us it was coming, but that's about it. Basically we were told to keep our August schedules as clear as possible. I will check Symplicity and get back to you.

That's great news about the employment. What do you mean that bidding is coming? My understanding since posting my original question was that there is no bidding system with points, you just apply to interview with whomever, and firms preselect who they want to interview. No changes to that system, right?
Thanks.

[unbeknownst]

Copy and pasted from our OCI from Symplicity -- hope it helps:

Attention 2Ls & 3Ls: For the off-campus interview programs you'll need to have application materials ready between early June and mid-July; for employers interviewing on campus during August you'll need to prepare your materials by July 25.

July 5-10 Bidding for Off-Campus Interview Programs (Texas, Northeast, Southern California and New England)
July 28-29 Patent Law Interview Program (for employers throughout U.S.; held in Chicago)
July 29-30: Southeastern Minority Job Fair (for employers throughout U.S.; held in Atlanta)
August 5: Texas Interview Program (for employers in Texas; held in Dallas)
August 8: Northeast Interview Program (for employers in New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut; held in NYC)
August 17: Fall on-campus interviews begin
August 22: 2L and 3L classes begin
September 2: Southern California Interview Program (for employers in Southern California, Arizona, Nevada and New Mexico; held in Los Angeles)
September 9: New England Interview Program (for employers in New England; held in Boston)
A full list of off-campus interview programs that will take place before classes begin in the fall, can be found on OCS Blackboard under "Off-Campus Interview Programs". This list gets updated weekly.

------

No info on on campus OCI as of yet. Stay tuned.

[vissidarte27]

Some questions:

How is the job situation for significant others? Any married/similarly attached people at the law school?

My girlfriend will be coming with me to LS and I want to make sure I choose a place that has something for her, too. I really like the look of W&M, but I'm concerned that there won't be jobs. (She was a Japanese language major in UG and is hoping to work in translation, but since a lot of that is freelance work, she'd take something unrelated and do the Japanese stuff on the side until she gets established in that field.)

Relatedly, how is the environment for LGBT people? Accepting? Is there any queer involvement on campus, like an OutLaw group?

Also, how does VA residency affect admissions? I'm a 3.2/165 person (retaking in October) and a Virginia resident. Good PS, a couple of years of WE, could probably crank out a Why W&M essay. I know I'm a probable "WL/reject," but I didn't know if the in-state thing would give me any sort of a boost.

One last thing -- how is W&M for people who want to do PI? Is the LRAP decent? Are people interested in DA-type stuff finding jobs? How about civil rights/LGBT stuff?

Thanks so much for answering questions -- I've read through a lot of this thread and it's been really helpful.

[unbeknownst]

Some questions:

How is the job situation for significant others? Any married/similarly attached people at the law school?

My girlfriend will be coming with me to LS and I want to make sure I choose a place that has something for her, too. I really like the look of W&M, but I'm concerned that there won't be jobs. (She was a Japanese language major in UG and is hoping to work in translation, but since a lot of that is freelance work, she'd take something unrelated and do the Japanese stuff on the side until she gets established in that field.)

Relatedly, how is the environment for LGBT people? Accepting? Is there any queer involvement on campus, like an OutLaw group?

Also, how does VA residency affect admissions? I'm a 3.2/165 person (retaking in October) and a Virginia resident. Good PS, a couple of years of WE, could probably crank out a Why W&M essay. I know I'm a probable "WL/reject," but I didn't know if the in-state thing would give me any sort of a boost.

One last thing -- how is W&M for people who want to do PI? Is the LRAP decent? Are people interested in DA-type stuff finding jobs? How about civil rights/LGBT stuff?

Thanks so much for answering questions -- I've read through a lot of this thread and it's been really helpful.

There are some students who are newly married, engaged, or have been married for years. A few have just had babies. It's a very welcoming atmosphere outside of the whole straight-out-of-undergrad-let's-party-all-the-time mentality. I like to party, but I also like to go to bed most nights at a reasonable hour.

That being said, here is the job situation for non law school significant others. Some are teachers at local schools. Others are in grad programs here at W&M. One was in construction and followed his girlfriend here and is now working in sales for tourists. Another significant other has her own business, so she travels a lot anyway.

I'm not sure about translation work. I think the best thing would be looking for remote opportunities she could do online. I know some people (outside of law school) who do that on a side basis.

LGBT -- very supportive atmosphere. I wouldn't worry about it at all. There is an LGBT group that is gaining steam, so you are welcome to be as active in it as possible. There is no tolerance for intolerance on campus.

In-state helps, I think. But check out TLS stats and do some more research.

Honestly, I think it's easier to find PI jobs than firm jobs. There are lots of local jobs in public defender, local gov't offices. The on campus online bidding process is helpful in securing these types of jobs. There is an annual job fair in Richmond that gets a lot of people PI jobs.

Hope this helps!!

[Exeter]

How is OCI looking like for the upcoming 2L class?

[Range9411]

.

[Green Crayons]

How is the job situation for significant others? Any married/similarly attached people at the law school?

The Burg is a small place. If you're starting from scratch, there is working for Colonial Williamsburg, W&M, the service industry, or retail. I know of significant others that work for each. That's about it.

My girlfriend will be coming with me to LS and I want to make sure I choose a place that has something for her, too. I really like the look of W&M, but I'm concerned that there won't be jobs. (She was a Japanese language major in UG and is hoping to work in translation, but since a lot of that is freelance work, she'd take something unrelated and do the Japanese stuff on the side until she gets established in that field.)

FYI: Williamsburg is not significant-other friendly. That is, the "hustle and bustle" of Williamsburg is W&M. That's about it. You need to recognize that your girlfriend is making a pretty big sacrifice in moving here (if you go here), and you two should probably have meaningful conversations about it. It will be hard for her to make friends of her own (that are not just your circle of law school friends who she can hang out with whenever you're being social). It will be hard for her to find meaningful employment from which she will be able to build upon whenever you get out of the Burg. It's not impossible by any stretch of the imagination, and your time in Williamsburg together can be a very positive experience. But it's best to go into these things with eyes wide open so there are no unpleasant surprises about the reality of things.

Relatedly, how is the environment for LGBT people? Accepting? Is there any queer involvement on campus, like an OutLaw group?

There are only a handful of students who identify themselves as LGBT so it is a small community in terms of those who identify as such. But the overall atmosphere is accepting and if anyone thinks poorly of the LGBT community they keep it to themselves.

Also, how does VA residency affect admissions? I'm a 3.2/165 person (retaking in October) and a Virginia resident. Good PS, a couple of years of WE, could probably crank out a Why W&M essay. I know I'm a probable "WL/reject," but I didn't know if the in-state thing would give me any sort of a boost.

I believe it's only a minor boost.

One last thing -- how is W&M for people who want to do PI? Is the LRAP decent? Are people interested in DA-type stuff finding jobs? How about civil rights/LGBT stuff?

Going into your 1L summer coming from W&M, it's hard to find PI jobs when you're competing against 2Ls and people from higher ranked schools (especially when those categories overlap). That's not to say it is impossible, and there are plenty of 1L students who are doing PI. I know there is also a large group of 2Ls who are doing various PI work this summer, but I can't comment as to what extent of that class is doing PI and how much of it is their first choice. One key to success - much like applying to law schools - is that you should apply early. This appears to be the golden rule when applications are involved.

[unbeknownst]

How is OCI looking like for the upcoming 2L class?

We've started bidding. There are around 35 firms for the first round of bids. Most are in big cities. Some are regional - such as eastern VA, Florida. Cover letters, resumes, writing samples, and unofficial transcripts are standard. I'll let you know when we start actually hearing stuff.

[unbeknownst]

Top 10% person I know is getting all of the interviews he bid for. Literally dozens.

I am bottom half of class with pre-law school professional experience and top 10 undergrad school and I am still getting preselects for firms - not nearly as many, but enough to actually feel that I haven't wasted $$ on my legal education...yet.

Hope this helps.

How is OCI looking like for the upcoming 2L class?

We've started bidding. There are around 35 firms for the first round of bids. Most are in big cities. Some are regional - such as eastern VA, Florida. Cover letters, resumes, writing samples, and unofficial transcripts are standard. I'll let you know when we start actually hearing stuff.

[AP-375]

Top 10% person I know is getting all of the interviews he bid for. Literally dozens.

I am bottom half of class with pre-law school professional experience and top 10 undergrad school and I am still getting preselects for firms - not nearly as many, but enough to actually feel that I haven't wasted $$ on my legal education...yet.

As an entering 0L, I feel like everything in this post is good news.

[Green Crayons]

Top 10% person I know is getting all of the interviews he bid for. Literally dozens.

I am bottom half of class with pre-law school professional experience and top 10 undergrad school and I am still getting preselects for firms - not nearly as many, but enough to actually feel that I haven't wasted $$ on my legal education...yet.

Hope this helps.

Is this for Session 1 or for the Off Campus interviews? If it's for Session 1, where are you seeing this information?