Hawaii 2010 Forum

[mango26]

Anyone else apply? I have no idea what my chances are there since I am OOS non-URM, 3.3, 163. I know it is not ranked well, but I have family there and figured it was worth the app fee.
I went complete on 01/12. According to LSN it looks like most decisions didn't go out until March-ish.

[BruinsFan]

I applied to Hawaiii and I have no idea what my shot is either! I'm oos with a 3.1 and a 161. I've been to hawaii 10 + times and thought it was worth the app fee as well.

Best of luck!

[FuzzyKiwi]

Hi, I also applied. I don't know your chances, I'm sorry - but I do know that they really like you to have some ties to Hawaii or strong reason for applying. Hawaii is a small legal market (obviously) and UH is the only law school in the state (and a small one at that with classes of about 100), so they want students who will stay in the area after getting their JD.

[mango26]

good luck to you all too! my ties to hawaii are minimal, but i did mention them on the application, so maybe it will help a little

[aku808]

I'm in-state and got an acceptance phone call today! According to prior info sessions, strong hawaii ties are of significance to the admissions committee.

[mango26]

I'm in-state and got an acceptance phone call today! According to prior info sessions, strong hawaii ties are of significance to the admissions committee.

congrats!

[MURPH]

I am in state and applied as well. I know they are looking for two important softs. They want people who will stay here after graduation and contribute to the local community/alumni community. They also want people who are interested in one of their specialties - environmental law, asian/Pacific law and Native Hawaiian rights. If you are native Hawaiian you really should contact OHA. There is a program to help you do well on the LSAt and get into law school. The number of Hawaiians in UH Law had increased greatly in recent years.

http://uhm-nativehawaiianlaw.blogspot.c ... ation.html

[FuzzyKiwi]

Do you know if UH gives merit scholarships? I know the COA is low compared to other schools.

[mim]

no, they don't unless you have native hawaiian in you. If you do, you can possibly qualify for the Lehua Scholars program. The UH system right now is doing pretty poorly, so they definitely don't have extra money to give out. With that said, the projected tuition for the next few years goes up about $1,000/year, so it's not quite as bad as some other state schools.

FYI for those keeping track, I'm in state, and got the acceptance call on 2/8 from the dean of admissions.

m

[MURPH]

Congrats for those of you who got accepted. I am waiting by my phone day and night. Ring Damn You. RING.

[ashkenazy]

I'm in! I have some family ties to Hawaii, but haven't ever lived there for an extended period of time. I've considered moving my family there for good. It's hard to face the high COL, high taxes, and low wages. You must consider the island weather, people, food, and overall culture as part of your wages.

When you take those things into consideration, it looks so much better than just the numbers alone.

[mango26]

I'm in! I have some family ties to Hawaii, but haven't lived there. I've considered moving my family there for good. It's hard to face the high COL, high taxes, and low wages. You must consider the island weather, people, food, and overall culture as part of your wages.

When you take those things into consideration, it looks so much better than just the numbers alone.

Congrats!!

[lawstudent2010]

Accepted-now debating between Hastings and Hawaii. Any thoughts?
Will probably attend the admitted students reception to check out the area. Does anyone know the real job prospects after graduation?

[MURPH]

I got the good phone call today. I had my tonsils removed this morning and I could barely whisper to the adcom. She was very nice though. I applied in mid Nov with a 175/2.98 and I've lived on Oahu for 12 years. I have LORs from UH professors too.

[toastpbj]

Oh I didn't see this on the forum and posted another... I will delete if I can and just respond here.

I'm in, got the call 2/25. I have strong family ties to Hawaii and I'm 1/4 Native Hawaiian but grew up out of state. I had pretty average (for UH) LSAT score and GPA. I'm about 98% sure I'll accept since Hawaii is where I'd like to end up... now I just have to find a decent but affordable place in the area. If any of you have any suggestions, tips or are looking for a roommate let me know!

I wish I had known about the LSAT course they offer to Native Hawaiians, I ended up paying for a testmasters course which was helpful but I'm not sure if it was worth it for me.

Also, has anyone heard what the quality of teaching is like at UH?

[toastpbj]

Accepted-now debating between Hastings and Hawaii. Any thoughts?
Will probably attend the admitted students reception to check out the area. Does anyone know the real job prospects after graduation?

I think what it comes down to is where you would like to end up working and what your long term career goals are (haha, sorry to sound like a guidance counselor). Hastings feeds into public interest well and because it's located in the bay area, being a lawyer at one of the tech companies is a definite career option. However, you've always got the competition for jobs between Hastings, Golden Gate and then of course Stanford, Cal and Santa Clara students. The average starting salary for Hawaii alums is lower than Santa Clara grads by I think about 20,000$ (correct me if I'm wrong), that being said, they have pretty decent averages for public interest salaries. I think what it boils down to is where you want to end up... if you're dead set on working in the bay area then hastings is probably the way to go. If you want to be a lawyer in Hawaii (or wouldn't mind living there for a few years after school) and a law education in Hawaii interests you then UH would be great too. Regardless of where you attend law school, you will be learning the same thing... it's all about setting yourself up for after law school and taking the atmosphere of the school into consideration.

Are you from the bay area? I can go ahead and say that the outside of school experience you'll have at the two places would be very different. SF has a good mix of people, many of whom are really well educated and want to go far with their careers (whether it's in advertising, tech industry, or art/design related). Generally, the friends I have in SF love living there. There's a huge crowd of single twenty something year olds, being single seems almost preferred... There's places to get away to like Tahoe and Marin (although there probably won't be a lot of time for getting away once school starts). It's not essential to have a car in SF because public transport is surprisingly decent and there's a big biking culture in SF. Hawaii would be a different experience simply because it's a much smaller place, and I don't know if the social scene there has as much to offer as somewhere like SF... not sure if that matters to you... but if you like being outdoors year round Hawaii is a definitely the place. The traffic in Honolulu can be pretty horrific and they have a good public transport system in The Bus (comes right by UH and services most areas of the Island), but most longer journeys will take you about double the time that it would than if you were driving. UH campus is pretty decent... kind of reminds me of a smaller slightly older version of Berkeley minus Telegraph right next door. What I like about SF is that it's got a lot of cool districts with streets that have character and a lot going on... Valencia and Mission in the Mission District, that street in the Marina, Green in North Beach. The most comparable on Oahu would probably be Chinatown and then Haleiwa simply because it's got distinct character. Kailua town has shops and restaurants without being nearly as touristy as Waikiki. You've got Lanikai (one of the most beautiful beaches in the world)... enough said. Cost of living would probably be really comparable, Oahu is expensive but factor in sales tax is 4.7% vs California which is what... 9%? When I used to go to Oahu to visit the grandparents I wasn't a huge fan because it felt cramped in comparison to the other islands, but now that I'm older I'm starting to see that once you get out of the downtown/waikiki areas the laid back, sleepy island feel can still be found especially around the north shore. Oahu definitely has a different feel than other island though...

I also read somewhere that big law firms from NYC are starting to come over and interview at UH which can lead to summer internships which can lead to jobs. Whether or not that's true, I can't say. Also I think getting a job with a firm who deal with asia after going to UH is a realistic option. Someone my grandparents know went to UH (he graduated high in his class apparently) and he didn't have any issues getting a job after graduating (not sure how long ago this was) and now works for one of the bigger law firms on island.

[lawstudent2010]

Thank you very much toastpbj for taking the time to reply to my question-I really appreciate the extra insight. I plan on attending the admitted students day for both schools and hopefully can decide by then along with seeing how the finances will work out. I'm out of state for both schools. Congrats for getting accepted-maybe I'll meet you at the admitted students day

[MURPH]

I wish I had known about the LSAT course they offer to Native Hawaiians, I ended up paying for a testmasters course which was helpful but I'm not sure if it was worth it for me.

Also, has anyone heard what the quality of teaching is like at UH?

I would get in touch with OHA even if you already took the LSAT. I don't know for sure but I would bet that they offer other types of support for Native Hawaiian students. From what my LSAT classmates and others told me they are really trying to increase the number of Native Hawaiian lawyers. It wouldn't surprise me if they had tutoring and scholarships available.
As far as the quality of the teaching ... That is one of the complaints that I've heard from current students and graduates. I am going to sit in on a class or two myself to see if what I've heard is true. I hope not.

[toastpbj]

I wish I had known about the LSAT course they offer to Native Hawaiians, I ended up paying for a testmasters course which was helpful but I'm not sure if it was worth it for me.

Also, has anyone heard what the quality of teaching is like at UH?

I would get in touch with OHA even if you already took the LSAT. I don't know for sure but I would bet that they offer other types of support for Native Hawaiian students. From what my LSAT classmates and others told me they are really trying to increase the number of Native Hawaiian lawyers. It wouldn't surprise me if they had tutoring and scholarships available.
As far as the quality of the teaching ... That is one of the complaints that I've heard from current students and graduates. I am going to sit in on a class or two myself to see if what I've heard is true. I hope not.

I'll definitely give them a call this week. That's good to know!

If you do go sit in of a few classes, let me know what you think. I want to make sure the quality of teaching is decent enough...

I've also heard that graduates from the MBA program haven't had a lot of support from the school in finding work after. I'm not sure if this also applies to the law school. Part of me wants to say that it doesn't simply because the alumni network on island is strong.

[mim]

Hi all,

Re: quality of teaching.

I think like most schools it will vary on the teacher. I sat it on an Int'l Law class last week and I quite enjoyed it. The prof is well known for both that and constitutional law, and is well respected in both areas. If you look at the faculty on line, you'll see that there's a wide variety of teachers, those that graduated from Yale, and those that have done their undergrad/jd at UH. I'm sure with a bit of research and talking ot other students, you'd be able to find teachers that met your quality of teaching. Also keep in mind that UH sponsors a January term in which highly renowned profs come to Hawaii for the month to teach mini-classes.

Re: NYC firms

There is one new york big law firm that interviews at UH and offers a summer internship. It is usually only for one person (towards the top of the class) and if you do a good job, you'll get offered a full time position. With that said, be mindful that the firm, like other NYC firms, has taken a hit from the economy and some of their starting class has been delayed/salary reduced.

Lastly, earlier I said that there were NOT scholarships for anybody who is not native hawaiian. Apparently I was mistaken and there are some merit based scholarships but I have no idea when/how much/how likely it is to get them. The UH system is taking a serious hit right now, so I generally think that it won't be that high.

Hope this helps to answer some questions...

[toastpbj]

Lastly, earlier I said that there were NOT scholarships for anybody who is not native hawaiian. Apparently I was mistaken and there are some merit based scholarships but I have no idea when/how much/how likely it is to get them. The UH system is taking a serious hit right now, so I generally think that it won't be that high.

Hope this helps to answer some questions...

Can you elaborate a bit on what you know about the scholarships that are there for people who are native hawaiian? Do they award on the basis of financial need as stated on your fafsa? Or can it be based on other factors as well?

[toastpbj]

Thank you very much toastpbj for taking the time to reply to my question-I really appreciate the extra insight. I plan on attending the admitted students day for both schools and hopefully can decide by then along with seeing how the finances will work out. I'm out of state for both schools. Congrats for getting accepted-maybe I'll meet you at the admitted students day

No problem, let me know if you have any more questions about the two places and definitely keep us updated on what you decide. If you decide on Hastings let me know, I can advise on good areas to live and also my friends might be looking for a roommate in the fall just FYI... haha. They're cool. Hopefully see you are the admitted students day, I'm crossing my fingers I can get the time off work to fly over.

[mim]

Lastly, earlier I said that there were NOT scholarships for anybody who is not native hawaiian. Apparently I was mistaken and there are some merit based scholarships but I have no idea when/how much/how likely it is to get them. The UH system is taking a serious hit right now, so I generally think that it won't be that high.

Hope this helps to answer some questions...

Can you elaborate a bit on what you know about the scholarships that are there for people who are native hawaiian? Do they award on the basis of financial need as stated on your fafsa? Or can it be based on other factors as well?

I don't think being native hawaiian will help with general financial need/fafsa docs, though I really don't know. If you're native hawaiian and you got a 160 or higher on your LSAT, you have a decent shot at getting into the Lehua Scholars program which awards *I think* full scholarship. Here's the link to info on that: http://www.law.hawaii.edu/ululehua. As for their other merit based scholarships I really have no clue about them, though it wouldn't surprise me if being native hawaiian helped your chances...

[mango26]

does anyone know if you can gain hawaii residency after 1L and pay in-state tuition for 2 and 3L?

[renacois]

IN!!! got my call yesterday! i think it only took them two days to process my app (LOR held up my app until this past monday)