Seattle University 2011 Forum

[ffonsok]

In at Seattle U literally 5 minutes after I find out i'm not going to UW

4 years undergrad at UW was enough. Glad to be getting out right before the budget cuts.

[ddawg819]

In at Seattle U literally 5 minutes after I find out i'm not going to UW

4 years undergrad at UW was enough. Glad to be getting out right before the budget cuts.

Congrats! When did you go complete?

[ffonsok]

2/1

[JakeL]

I am debating between Seattle and Pacific at the moment. Does Seattle place well in WA?

Seattle U places in Seattle. Not sure how well, but not poorly. There is a pretty strong alum network here.

[deja]

Hey guys! I'm currently a 1L at SU and wanted to see if there are any questions out there that I can maybe help answer? I know I appreciated all the insight I could get when I was going through this process last year, so thought I'd extend the offer. Let me know!

LadyLuck - thanks for taking questions!

First off, in a student body so large, is it tough to distinguish yourself (in a positive way)?

And with an employment at graduation rate now below 60%, is the student body becoming more competitive?

Thanks!

[rorystewart]

1L here also. Happy to help LL in answering questions: paying it forward for what others did for me last year.

First off, in a student body so large, is it tough to distinguish yourself (in a positive way)?

And with an employment at graduation rate now below 60%, is the student body becoming more competitive?

Thanks!

It's a large SB compared to the UW, but nationally it's pretty average. Not any harder to distinguish yourself here than at any other school I presume. Top 5% is top 5% no matter how many students there are. There're also plenty of opportunities to get involved with student government, clubs, and moot court.

I haven't picked up on any competitiveness so overt that it would make others uncomfortable. The reality, no matter where you end up, is that grades matter. 95% of your peers will shoot to get the best grades they can. At the same time, no one wants to tarnish their reputation by acting like a jerk or being arrogant. There are no horror stories here about competitive students. Heck, in my section we honestly don't even have anyone we could call the typical "gunner."

[Wactawshus]

1L here also. Happy to help LL in answering questions: paying it forward for what others did for me last year.

First off, in a student body so large, is it tough to distinguish yourself (in a positive way)?

And with an employment at graduation rate now below 60%, is the student body becoming more competitive?

Thanks!

It's a large SB compared to the UW, but nationally it's pretty average. Not any harder to distinguish yourself here than at any other school I presume. Top 5% is top 5% no matter how many students there are. There're also plenty of opportunities to get involved with student government, clubs, and moot court.

I haven't picked up on any competitiveness so overt that it would make others uncomfortable. The reality, no matter where you end up, is that grades matter. 95% of your peers will shoot to get the best grades they can. At the same time, no one wants to tarnish their reputation by acting like a jerk or being arrogant. There are no horror stories here about competitive students. Heck, in my section we honestly don't even have anyone we could call the typical "gunner."

Hello & Thanks Also!

Do you happen to know any students that made it in off of the waitlist? There doesn't seem to be a lot that have based off of the past few cycles on LSN.

[rorystewart]

Hello & Thanks Also!

Do you happen to know any students that made it in off of the waitlist? There doesn't seem to be a lot that have based off of the past few cycles on LSN.

Personally, I don't. But it's also not something that gets brought up, so it makes sense that I don't know anyone. I can tell you that they maintain a WL for a reason, and it's not to give you false hope. Unfortunately, no one will be able to tell you what your odds are. So keep telling them that you're interested and just wait it out.

[inchoate_con]

There are no horror stories here about competitive students. Heck, in my section we honestly don't even have anyone we could call the typical "gunner."

We're certainly not in the same section!

[risktaker]

Hello & Thanks Also!

Do you happen to know any students that made it in off of the waitlist? There doesn't seem to be a lot that have based off of the past few cycles on LSN.

Personally, I don't. But it's also not something that gets brought up, so it makes sense that I don't know anyone. I can tell you that they maintain a WL for a reason, and it's not to give you false hope. Unfortunately, no one will be able to tell you what your odds are. So keep telling them that you're interested and just wait it out.

Hi, I am a 0L considering Seattle U. How did you perform your first semester and do you feel like you will have trouble finding summer employment? How well does SU place in Seattle? Is there anything such as big law in Seattle and if so, do SU grads have a shot at it? Is the summer start a must do, as in, does it give u a significant advantage? Thank you.

[Wactawshus]

Hello & Thanks Also!

Do you happen to know any students that made it in off of the waitlist? There doesn't seem to be a lot that have based off of the past few cycles on LSN.

Personally, I don't. But it's also not something that gets brought up, so it makes sense that I don't know anyone. I can tell you that they maintain a WL for a reason, and it's not to give you false hope. Unfortunately, no one will be able to tell you what your odds are. So keep telling them that you're interested and just wait it out.

Thanks Rory, I appreciate your input.

[restless]

Hello & Thanks Also!

Do you happen to know any students that made it in off of the waitlist? There doesn't seem to be a lot that have based off of the past few cycles on LSN.

Personally, I don't. But it's also not something that gets brought up, so it makes sense that I don't know anyone. I can tell you that they maintain a WL for a reason, and it's not to give you false hope. Unfortunately, no one will be able to tell you what your odds are. So keep telling them that you're interested and just wait it out.

Hi, I am a 0L considering Seattle U. How did you perform your first semester and do you feel like you will have trouble finding summer employment? How well does SU place in Seattle? Is there anything such as big law in Seattle and if so, do SU grads have a shot at it? Is the summer start a must do, as in, does it give u a significant advantage? Thank you.

This. I'm anticipating a ding from UW any day now, so I'm very curious about these same questions.

[rorystewart]

Hi, I am a 0L considering Seattle U. How did you perform your first semester and do you feel like you will have trouble finding summer employment? How well does SU place in Seattle? Is there anything such as big law in Seattle and if so, do SU grads have a shot at it? Is the summer start a must do, as in, does it give u a significant advantage? Thank you.

I performed well my first semester. Finding an internship or an externship (or any legal experience as a volunteer) is not hard your first summer. There are a lot of opportunities. There're not enough that everyone will find something, but most people will. Keep in mind that very few people get paid to work their first summer. Almost everything is unpaid, but you do it to build your resume so you have a better shot at getting paid gigs later on.

OCI for 2Ls is different. Although I haven't gone through it yet, I have been told very few students get jobs through OCI: think around 10% (maybe less). What this means for you is that if you want to get an OCI job your second year you need to have top grades: again, think top 10% or better. SU places fine in Seattle. Any big Seattle law firm that does OCI at the UW also does OCI at SU. The firms make a point to take students from both schools. Where you will find differences is in recruiting from law firms outside of the area. Example: a few New York firms recruit at the UW, but they do not at SU. Also, sometimes a mid size firm only needs one summer associate, which means, guess what, they skip SU and grab a UW student. At the end of the day, this means the UW has a bigger OCI turnout and thus about 20% of UW students (vs. our 10%) can get OCI gigs. So yes, there is some big law in Seattle (it's nothing like NY or LA), and SU grads have a shot at those jobs.

Summer start is not a must do, and confers no appreciable advantage. The only benefit I saw was that summer students had one less class than I did (crim law), which was a 4 credit class. Practically, this means they had 40-60 less pages to read a week, and one less final to study for. Maybe this gave summer students an advantage over some people, but I doubt it. There's no one at school who can't keep up with the reading such that they would have been better off taking one of their classes in the summer. Also, from my experience with talking to people, the hypothesis that starting the experience early gives you a beneficial head start over the other students is false. Anecdotal evidence: students that got a B in summer crim averaged Bs the rest of the semester; same with A students and C students. I wouldn't recommend taking summer crim to someone just so they can learn how to take exams before it really counts. The school provides plenty of advice and practice in exam taking. Final word of advice: take what I am saying as guidance for the average law student. If you're a single parent or working part time, then maybe one less class your first semester actually will make a difference. Similarly, if you want to start in the summer, for whatever reason, then do it. There's no downside to it. It just doesn't give you any advantage.

[LadyLuck2010]

Hi, I am a 0L considering Seattle U. How did you perform your first semester and do you feel like you will have trouble finding summer employment? How well does SU place in Seattle? Is there anything such as big law in Seattle and if so, do SU grads have a shot at it? Is the summer start a must do, as in, does it give u a significant advantage? Thank you.

I performed well my first semester. Finding an internship or an externship (or any legal experience as a volunteer) is not hard your first summer. There are a lot of opportunities. There're not enough that everyone will find something, but most people will. Keep in mind that very few people get paid to work their first summer. Almost everything is unpaid, but you do it to build your resume so you have a better shot at getting paid gigs later on.

OCI for 2Ls is different. Although I haven't gone through it yet, I have been told very few students get jobs through OCI: think around 10% (maybe less). What this means for you is that if you want to get an OCI job your second year you need to have top grades: again, think top 10% or better. SU places fine in Seattle. Any big Seattle law firm that does OCI at the UW also does OCI at SU. The firms make a point to take students from both schools. Where you will find differences is in recruiting from law firms outside of the area. Example: a few New York firms recruit at the UW, but they do not at SU. Also, sometimes a mid size firm only needs one summer associate, which means, guess what, they skip SU and grab a UW student. At the end of the day, this means the UW has a bigger OCI turnout and thus about 20% of UW students (vs. our 10%) can get OCI gigs. So yes, there is some big law in Seattle (it's nothing like NY or LA), and SU grads have a shot at those jobs.

Summer start is not a must do, and confers no appreciable advantage. The only benefit I saw was that summer students had one less class than I did (crim law), which was a 4 credit class. Practically, this means they had 40-60 less pages to read a week, and one less final to study for. Maybe this gave summer students an advantage over some people, but I doubt it. There's no one at school who can't keep up with the reading such that they would have been better off taking one of their classes in the summer. Also, from my experience with talking to people, the hypothesis that starting the experience early gives you a beneficial head start over the other students is false. Anecdotal evidence: students that got a B in summer crim averaged Bs the rest of the semester; same with A students and C students. I wouldn't recommend taking summer crim to someone just so they can learn how to take exams before it really counts. The school provides plenty of advice and practice in exam taking. Final word of advice: take what I am saying as guidance for the average law student. If you're a single parent or working part time, then maybe one less class your first semester actually will make a difference. Similarly, if you want to start in the summer, for whatever reason, then do it. There's no downside to it. It just doesn't give you any advantage.

I did fine as well in my first semester, though honestly not as well as I'd hoped. I'm having a bit of a tough time finding a summer internship/externship, but have resigned myself to the fact that I'm taking classes this summer that are required for my 2L year. At least that will open up more flexibility in what I can register for in the fall, and I'll be doing something productive. I'll try to find a volunteer opportunity during the day.

SU does offer a "Summer in Alaska" program, which allows students to get some pretty sweet internships in firms and for the government that they may not otherwise be able to obtain in the Seattle area. It's an option that gives great experience for resumes.

Unlike Rory, I took Crim in the summer. It was a good choice for me, as I had taken a few years off between undergrad and law school. It definitely helped ease the transition, so that may be something to consider. But I agree, I don't think anyone had a significant advantage when it came to grades and performance. The one less final to study for was a bonus though, and Crim is typically the last final you'll take, so it was nice to be out celebrating being done and start winter break a couple days earlier. I don't really think you can go wrong with whatever you decide to choose. Just do what you think will work best for you, and don't let anyone talk you in to doing it one way or the other, otherwise you may end up regretting it!

[risktaker]

Hi, I am a 0L considering Seattle U. How did you perform your first semester and do you feel like you will have trouble finding summer employment? How well does SU place in Seattle? Is there anything such as big law in Seattle and if so, do SU grads have a shot at it? Is the summer start a must do, as in, does it give u a significant advantage? Thank you.

I performed well my first semester. Finding an internship or an externship (or any legal experience as a volunteer) is not hard your first summer. There are a lot of opportunities. There're not enough that everyone will find something, but most people will. Keep in mind that very few people get paid to work their first summer. Almost everything is unpaid, but you do it to build your resume so you have a better shot at getting paid gigs later on.

OCI for 2Ls is different. Although I haven't gone through it yet, I have been told very few students get jobs through OCI: think around 10% (maybe less). What this means for you is that if you want to get an OCI job your second year you need to have top grades: again, think top 10% or better. SU places fine in Seattle. Any big Seattle law firm that does OCI at the UW also does OCI at SU. The firms make a point to take students from both schools. Where you will find differences is in recruiting from law firms outside of the area. Example: a few New York firms recruit at the UW, but they do not at SU. Also, sometimes a mid size firm only needs one summer associate, which means, guess what, they skip SU and grab a UW student. At the end of the day, this means the UW has a bigger OCI turnout and thus about 20% of UW students (vs. our 10%) can get OCI gigs. So yes, there is some big law in Seattle (it's nothing like NY or LA), and SU grads have a shot at those jobs.

Summer start is not a must do, and confers no appreciable advantage. The only benefit I saw was that summer students had one less class than I did (crim law), which was a 4 credit class. Practically, this means they had 40-60 less pages to read a week, and one less final to study for. Maybe this gave summer students an advantage over some people, but I doubt it. There's no one at school who can't keep up with the reading such that they would have been better off taking one of their classes in the summer. Also, from my experience with talking to people, the hypothesis that starting the experience early gives you a beneficial head start over the other students is false. Anecdotal evidence: students that got a B in summer crim averaged Bs the rest of the semester; same with A students and C students. I wouldn't recommend taking summer crim to someone just so they can learn how to take exams before it really counts. The school provides plenty of advice and practice in exam taking. Final word of advice: take what I am saying as guidance for the average law student. If you're a single parent or working part time, then maybe one less class your first semester actually will make a difference. Similarly, if you want to start in the summer, for whatever reason, then do it. There's no downside to it. It just doesn't give you any advantage.

Thanks a lot Rory. That was very helpful.

[clarsen]

1L here also. Happy to help LL in answering questions: paying it forward for what others did for me last year.

I know there is some information posted on TLS, but with regards to SU, do you have any suggestions on ways to prepare for law school? It sounds like you have had a pretty succesful first year, so I'd be interested in what you did (if anything) before starting classes. I opted for the summer crim law course, so I'd like to take the next couple months to do whatever necessary to be prepared.

Thanks!

[Wactawshus]

I am curious as to both Rory & LL's opinion on students coming from out of state. Do you feel they are at any disadvantage for jobs, internships, etc.? I have heard that Seattle can be an extremely insular market looking to hire hometown peeps. IDK if just going to school there qualifies as a hometown product or not. My concern is that coming from across the country to a market w/o any connections might be an addtl. disadvantage. Opinions?

[IHaveLawyers]

awwwwwwwww still no status check. how long did it take you guys?

[sUkNoIrzTforEall]

around 3 weeks although when i got it it said i was in review from the date i submitted.

alas: still in review.

[tony1003]

Ive been waiting a week now to get my stuff in the mail. I'm wondering how much, if any, scholarship I revived. Come on tomorrow is the last day before i leave for spring break.

[upfish]

Can someone remind me when seat deposits are due and how much they are? Don't have my letter handy, but my Google Calendar needs an update.

[tony1003]

Can someone remind me when seat deposits are due and how much they are? Don't have my letter handy, but my Google Calendar needs an update.

Due 4/15 I think they are 450.

[clarsen]

Can someone remind me when seat deposits are due and how much they are? Don't have my letter handy, but my Google Calendar needs an update.

Due 4/15 I think they are 450.

Both the due date and fee amount should be available on your status checker. Mine indicates 4/15 and $250. The deposit deadline might vary by acceptance date because I know from reading my admittance packet it said to see your letter for the deposit deadline.

[tony1003]

Weird mine only has a date listed 4/15 but no amount. Actually the amount says -1.00

[layercake]

anyone hear anything this week? someone here said those who went in review in January should be hearing back sometime this week, is that the case?