Queens (CUNY) Law School Class of 2014 Forum

[incandenza]

hey all, recently accepted into cuny and thinking it's where i'm going to be this fall! anyone here going straight from undergrad? i am and i'm worried that it's going to be difficult to find roommates at a small school with many adults/commuters. i live in staten island but don't want to deal with the commute so i'm looking to move to queens, doesn't seem like cuny has a good set up of connecting students with housing though..

call student affairs, they'll help you. best of luck!

[incandenza]

okay! i tried to answer as much as i could as a 2L who remembers how awful the waiting period can be. i just wanted to wish you all the VERY BEST of luck. i don't know when i heard back, but i think it was in june. stay brave everyone & you will definitely find your place. CUNY's not the perfect school, but the people who go there & the mission of the school make the experience amazing. if anyone has any specific questions or if i can help, please let me know.

final thought -- drink beers & kick back & get a little tan this summer. once 1L gets rolling, it just doesn't stop. you earned a bit of rest before then.

best,

[incandenza]

Well, if it's any consolation, NYLS has some form of LRAP, and the federal gov't has ICR plans that will help you out with monthly payments. Then, after 10 years or 120 payments (if you stay in public interest), your debt goes bye bye. That helps if you have to end up going to a school that has ridiculous tuition rates.

be careful. not true if you work in the state. any state agency falls out of that category. i'm working for the appellate division in a very specific bureau that deals with public interest work, but if i land a job with them post-grad, i would not fall under that category. so, if you're looking for a job with the DA you don't fall under that category.

i picked cuny over ny law school. look at their program & see if you think ny law school is worth it for your needs/interests. i stuck with cuny over several other ny law schools because of my interest in doing public interest law but because for all of their rankings one way or the other, their clinicals are great & they are the number one public interest school in the nation ranked above yale. usually when you say you go to cuny, people respond with, "oh wow, i wish i had been that smart" (financially speaking) or "wow, that's so honorable" or whatever. you can always pull the, "i'm a lowly student trying to save money card" at worst. with ny law, you're just going to an equally ranked school and you have no reason for it. that's when people put it together that it's probably grade-related because ny law is so f-ing expensive. i know people at cuny (myself included) who went to top undergrad schools & were accomplished going in. because the demographic is such a mix in that way, but has similarly-minded, passionate students, people (so far in my experience) don't critique cuny. i can't speak for corporate downtown manhattan, but i got every internship i interviewed for this summer including several highly competitive state jobs. & you are in law school to get a job, after all. don't know if that helps. that's how i reasoned my way through it.

[overunderachiever]

I have not really seen that many CUNY law students on these message boards, so to hear from one is extremely helpful. Do you know what the median GPA is at CUNY? Thanks again.

[incandenza]

I have not really seen that many CUNY law students on these message boards, so to hear from one is extremely helpful. Do you know what the median GPA is at CUNY? Thanks again.

going into the school or while at the school? i've found ilrg.com to be very helpful about students already admitted & their current gpas. i believe the average lsat is about 152 or so & the average undergrad gpa is 3.4 - 3.5. i was admitted with a 149, 153, 153 & a gpa from a top undergrad of 3.67. hope that helps. i'd be happy to answer any other questions if i can. best of luck!

[incandenza]

I have not really seen that many CUNY law students on these message boards, so to hear from one is extremely helpful. Do you know what the median GPA is at CUNY? Thanks again.

going into the school or while at the school? i've found top-law-schools.com to be very helpful about students already admitted & their current gpas. i believe the average lsat is about 152 or so & the average undergrad gpa is 3.4 - 3.5. i was admitted with a 149, 153, 153 & a gpa from a top undergrad of 3.67. hope that helps. i'd be happy to answer any other questions if i can. best of luck!

http://www.ilrg.com/rankings/law/index. ... ccept/2009

[overunderachiever]

I have not really seen that many CUNY law students on these message boards, so to hear from one is extremely helpful. Do you know what the median GPA is at CUNY? Thanks again.

going into the school or while at the school? i've found ilrg.com to be very helpful about students already admitted & their current gpas. i believe the average lsat is about 152 or so & the average undergrad gpa is 3.4 - 3.5. i was admitted with a 149, 153, 153 & a gpa from a top undergrad of 3.67. hope that helps. i'd be happy to answer any other questions if i can. best of luck!

I meant while at the school

[Kurt Cobain]

Hey incandenza thanks for sharing some of your experiences at CUNY. Just wondering, could you share your first year class schedule with us? Thanks!

[thissideofsteinway]

incandenza,

I received my copy of The Buffalo Creek Disaster a few days ago. How much (if at all) does the initial curriculum use it? Should one take notes, or will a quick read-through suffice?

[incandenza]

incandenza,

I received my copy of The Buffalo Creek Disaster a few days ago. How much (if at all) does the initial curriculum use it? Should one take notes, or will a quick read-through suffice?

you're only going to use it during orientation as a conversation-starter by the professor who is running your group. in other words, you should read it if you want to look quasi-competent in front of your peers/in front of the professor, but that's the extent of it.

honestly, i went to the first two days of orientation and skipped the rest of it to put in some extra shifts at my part-time job. this is probably bad advice, but honestly, it's your final free days, the schedule is 9-5 & everything they do is clerical that you can sit & do in about an hour, yourself.

on the other hand, three of my closest friends at law school i met during orientation & it is definitely helpful in that way, but CUNY is so small everyone ends up knowing (maybe too much) about each other anyway. however, it's good the first few weeks to have people to eat lunch with & what have you, but other than that, it's pretty useless & some of the "advice" sessions feel patronizing. i mean, if i don't know by now how to monitor my facebook activity, then i probably shouldn't be in law school. (sorry, just trying to be brutally honest about my personal experience with orientation).

to get back to your question, reading the book is not important at all, but i would read it because it is a helpful reference regarding jurisdictional issues that come up second semester in Civil Procedure and/or if you have no legal experience and want to get an idea of the progression of a case.

don't stress it. just read through it & you'll be fine.

[LSATtom]

Thank you for all your input so far incandenza. From what you've written, CUNY really seems like a terrific experience. Did you happen to take the SLI course?

@thiswayofsteinway - received my copy as well. Seems like an interesting book so far! (and a breeze)

For everyone else still waiting - hang in there. You may want to start working on your paperwork requirements - such as proof of immunization which may be a bit of a pain to sort out. Also check with your school's registrars office to make sure they can get you an official transcript. My undergrad registrar's office decided to upgrade their computer network last week...and ran into massive problems in the process. Long story short, the entire school hasn't been able to print for the last week.

Anyone else commuting? I'm out here in Suffolk county...its about a 30-40 minute ride on a good day. Should be interesting come August...

[incandenza]

Hey incandenza thanks for sharing some of your experiences at CUNY. Just wondering, could you share your first year class schedule with us? Thanks!

first year, all of your classes are chosen for you.

first semester:
4 cr. lawyering seminar
3 cr. liberty, equality & due process (basically, a progressive version of constitutional law)
3 cr. contracts I
3 cr. criminal law
1 cr. legal research I

second semester:
4 cr. lawyering seminar
3 cr. contracts II
3 cr. civil procedure (take-home final, yes!)
3 cr. torts
2 cr. family law
1 cr. legal research II

there are extra courses that you must take if you fall below a 3.0 your first semester or have a cumulative under a 3.0 after your second semester. this is very possible. to also answer an above question, half of the students are right below & half are right above, (with outliers, obviously). law school classes are graded on a curve, so you could get a 91% on a final, but if most people got a 91%, you'll end up with something like a B. obviously, this could also work in your favor. you could get a 45% on your final (i got something around this on Contracts I and ended up with a B in the class), but if most people did, then you will be graded accordingly.

there's no "school" curve. in other words, that average doesn't have to be a B+ or A- like in most schools. it's class by class & you don't have a choice in your professors your first year. hope that helps. let me know if you have any other questions. best,

[incandenza]

Hey incandenza thanks for sharing some of your experiences at CUNY. Just wondering, could you share your first year class schedule with us? Thanks!

first year, all of your classes are chosen for you.

first semester:
4 cr. lawyering seminar
3 cr. liberty, equality & due process (basically, a progressive version of constitutional law)
3 cr. contracts I
3 cr. criminal law
1 cr. legal research I

second semester:
4 cr. lawyering seminar
3 cr. contracts II
3 cr. civil procedure (take-home final, yes!)
3 cr. torts
2 cr. family law
1 cr. legal research II

there are extra courses that you must take if you fall below a 3.0 your first semester or have a cumulative under a 3.0 after your second semester. this is very possible. to also answer an above question, half of the students are right below & half are right above, (with outliers, obviously). law school classes are graded on a curve, so you could get a 91% on a final, but if most people got a 91%, you'll end up with something like a B. obviously, this could also work in your favor. you could get a 45% on your final (i got something around this on Contracts I and ended up with a B in the class), but if most people did, then you will be graded accordingly.

there's no "school" curve. in other words, that average doesn't have to be a B+ or A- like in most schools. it's class by class & you don't have a choice in your professors your first year. hope that helps. let me know if you have any other questions. best,

*i should say half of us are just above or below at this point (after first year) in law school. i saw my gpa go up .4 points from first to second semester, so without researching, i'm not sure what most people come out with. again, i'd reference the link i posted above, which has information of current students.

[incandenza]

Thank you for all your input so far incandenza. From what you've written, CUNY really seems like a terrific experience. Did you happen to take the SLI course?

@thiswayofsteinway - received my copy as well. Seems like an interesting book so far! (and a breeze)

For everyone else still waiting - hang in there. You may want to start working on your paperwork requirements - such as proof of immunization which may be a bit of a pain to sort out. Also check with your school's registrars office to make sure they can get you an official transcript. My undergrad registrar's office decided to upgrade their computer network last week...and ran into massive problems in the process. Long story short, the entire school hasn't been able to print for the last week.

Anyone else commuting? I'm out here in Suffolk county...its about a 30-40 minute ride on a good day. Should be interesting come August...

i'm going to be completely honest. i was too arrogant to even apply for sli & i cannot tell you how many times i regretted that later on. the students that came out of sli had higher grades earlier on than the rest of us. there's a definite learning curve with law school. i went into it thinking i had it made -- i had majored in analytic philosophy & i thought, i'm going to kill these exams. but, there's a formulaic way of writing a legal essay that is completely different & unique from any other discipline. i found that students that had gone through sli had higher grades on their first semester finals & lawyering briefs/memos, as well as what to/what not to look for when reading a case. by second semester, we all evened out, but i have heard nothing but great things about the experience & have been impressed by the output. also, it's a great way to meet people before school. i know one very much in love couple who met during sli. hope that answers your question. best,

[LSATtom]

Yep...it does, thank you. Is it a 4 or 5 day school week?

[incandenza]

Yep...it does, thank you. Is it a 4 or 5 day school week?

5 day school week first year, no part-time program available right now. i do freelance work for the courts on the side, but i make my own schedule, so i'm able to keep that job. if you don't have something very flexible like that, you can count on being a full-time student in the most complete sense of the word your first year.

[LSATtom]

I'm self employed as well, shouldn't be an issue working out the schedule.

[incandenza]

I'm self employed as well, shouldn't be an issue working out the schedule.

nah, if you're self-employed you should be fine. honestly, overall, it completely increases your quality of life. best of luck!

[overunderachiever]

Do you know or have a rough estimate as to how many students retain their merit scholarships after their 1L year?

[tmamusa19]

Talked to admissions today and they said decisions will be made all the way until the first week of July. UGH!

UGH indeed! i just hope the longer wait for us = admitted lol

[tmamusa19]

Isn't anyone getting worried that its towards the end of June and we have yet to hear anything back yet? I know I applied late but damn! i thought I would actually get a decision sooner since i did apply later bc I thought they would be done with a good amount of the applications. For all of those who are still waiting..what are your numbers if I may ask?

I'm getting super antsy. 152/3.1 Lots of public interest work on my resume though, so hopefully that will push me over the top.[/quote]


Ugh I applied 4/1 and have 149/3.5..My lsat score is killing me I do have some Public interest work experience but it seems like most people who got in have loads of experience....how is someone who just graduated from college supposed 2 compete with years of experience? :-/[/quote]

I believe that the majority of admitted students come straight from college. If that is not the case, then I am pretty sure the number of traditional and non-traditional admitted students are about even. As someone else indicated here, I think CUNY weighs the PS more than other schools.[/quote]

in my observation, at CUNY there is a VERY SMALL minority that come directly from college. i can only think of a handful, honestly. i did average on my lsat (in fact, my very first score was actually a 149), but had a ton of volunteer experience & a great gpa with honors from a highly accredited university & i got in. if you don't get in, don't lose heart. CUNY only accepts something like 24% of admissions & really values experience over numbers. work with what you have done. don't worry about other people. best of luck. also, look into the pipeline program. that's for people who don't get in the first time around, but CUNY works with them to increase their LSAT scores and accept them the following year.[/quote]

Thanks for the encouraging words If i don't get in. I will apply for the next cycle.

[boilerplated]

Question for anyone here: what kind of updates does CUNY make on its status checker? I'm applying as a transfer student, and mine just says "application being processed." Not sure what that actually means or what the next step might be.

I must say, I'm a little discouraged to see that so many first-time applicants still haven't gotten a decision. I can only imagine what kind of wait I'm in for. I have a deposit due at my other transfer option in about two weeks, and after browsing this forum, I'm not too optimistic I'll have heard from CUNY by then.

[Kurt Cobain]

Question for anyone here: what kind of updates does CUNY make on its status checker? I'm applying as a transfer student, and mine just says "application being processed." Not sure what that actually means or what the next step might be.

I must say, I'm a little discouraged to see that so many first-time applicants still haven't gotten a decision. I can only imagine what kind of wait I'm in for. I have a deposit due at my other transfer option in about two weeks, and after browsing this forum, I'm not too optimistic I'll have heard from CUNY by then.

I actually don't remember having that status at any point. I remember having application received, in review, and finally admitted. The whole process took 6 months for me, but fortunately I was accepted a week before the seat deposit was due for my other school. This may not have been pure luck. I emailed them and explained that I would likely attend if accepted, and that I didn't want to waste money sending a deposit to another school if they were going to accept me. I was promptly accepted within the next couple of days. If you're strongly considering CUNY, email them and explain your situation. It saved me $500!

I should also mention that CUNY took by far the most time to get back to me, so I think you're probably right to not be optimistic that they'll tell you within the next 2 weeks. So again, I'd say you should probably send them an email or something.

[boilerplated]

Thanks for the advice. I don't want to seem impatient, so I'll probably wait at least a few days before sending an e-mail. I did get the e-mail acknowledging receipt of my application, which said it might be a "lengthy process." I think because CUNY has such a specific niche, there are probably a fair number of people who apply only there, so they don't feel compelled to follow the same admissions schedule as other schools. Just a guess.

[olivia26]

I called the admissions office this morning and I was told that hopefully we would know by the end of this week. If I understood the person correctly, if you are admitted, you will receive an "admit package" but otherwise you will be notified online (and therefore not receive mail). So, maybe we will find out by Friday! good luck everyone and maybe even see you in August!!