Chapman 2011 2012 cycle Forum

[Phightins]

In with an 80% scholarship, same 3.0 stip. Has anyone had any success with negotiating that stip away (like to good academic standing or something similar)? I've already put my two seat deposits down at USD but that's a lot of money to leave on the table and it's giving me pause.

[NatalieT563]

I would really appreciate it if waitlisted students would let us whether they've been accepted yet and if so, with what gpa/score. That will give us an idea as to where all of us stand. Also, when informing us, can you guys let us know whether you got in the day/evening program. Or had you initially gone with the day program? Please let us know. It is a very frustrating time for us all and every bit of information helps. Thanks!

[longhornlaw]

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[Phightins]

Tad bit late, but if anyone still has questions about Chapman, I'll gladly answer them. Just finished up 1L year, so I can give you a little insight as to living/classes/surviving.

Thanks for taking questions. Do you have anything lined up for the summer? If so, was it through your own networking or through Career Services? Did you get any insight from 2Ls about OCI? Why did you decide to go to Chapman?

I'm trying to get as much first-hand student insight about the school before making a final decision as I was just recently accepted.

[Tekuo]

Tad bit late, but if anyone still has questions about Chapman, I'll gladly answer them. Just finished up 1L year, so I can give you a little insight as to living/classes/surviving.

The person above me asked the same questions that I'd like to know the answers to. Have you ever thought about transferring? What are the professors like and how competitive is your class? How would you describe the exams and amount of studying/writing you do per semester?

And as for the environment, what can you say about living in Orange, CA to someone (me) who will be moving from Florida?


(would also like to add to the thread that I've been accepted since March. But still waiting from waitlisted schools.)

[splitsplat]

In with an 80% scholarship, same 3.0 stip. Has anyone had any success with negotiating that stip away (like to good academic standing or something similar)? I've already put my two seat deposits down at USD but that's a lot of money to leave on the table and it's giving me pause.

That's a pretty strict stipulation brother. I think Chapman's curve is based on a 2.8, so 3.0 would be roughly top 1/3. Have you called the school to see what scholarship retention is like or whether sections are stacked?

[Phightins]

In with an 80% scholarship, same 3.0 stip. Has anyone had any success with negotiating that stip away (like to good academic standing or something similar)? I've already put my two seat deposits down at USD but that's a lot of money to leave on the table and it's giving me pause.

That's a pretty strict stipulation brother. I think Chapman's curve is based on a 2.8, so 3.0 would be roughly top 1/3. Have you called the school to see what scholarship retention is like or whether sections are stacked?

It is top third. When I visited they told me that the sections were evenly distributed, but last year only ~50% kept their scholarship. No budging on the stip but they upped it to nearly full-ride. Still a pretty huge risk.

[Tekuo]

Unprofessional Chapman e-mails and their inaccurate school webpage combined with unhelpful (and uninformed) administration make me very worried about attending this school. Seems like the students cannot take the time they volunteered to even come back to this board. It makes me feel like Chapman spends more time on leisurely activities like BBQs and baseball games then on academic-related issues.

[longhornlaw]

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[longhornlaw]

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[longhornlaw]

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[Tekuo]

It is so quiet in here. I am eager to meet my new classmates. I noticed that we have 6 1L classes? That is more than I expected.

[Tekuo]

I've thought about it, but won't be. The scholarship is good here, and I don't really have any problems with the school.

I was in Track 3, which recently lost a professor to Track 1; I'll only speak to my experience with my Track 3 professors. The professors are interesting, for sure. Outside of my crim law professor, I enjoyed all my classes. Some professors are certainly more knowledgable than others, and some care more about their topics, but they all seem to care about you. Hell, we went out to dinner with two of our professors, and it was the one of the more entertaining evenings of the year.

There was very little competition in our class until the end of the 2nd semester. It wasn't nasty or anything, but you could tell people were being shady. Other than that, our entire track was friends with one another (aside from some of the girls having drama, but that's another story).

Exams - depends. I did much better my first semester than second semester, and it saved my ass. I'd recommend taking the Fleming's class that they'll advertise for, just because it'll kick your ass into gear at just the right time. I studied ~12 hours a day for about 2 weeks around exam time. Make your own outlines, though. You'll learn the material so much better that way. And listen to the professors. Many of them will tell you EXACTLY HOW TO WRITE THEIR ESSAYS. Seriously.

Orange is a small community, but it's nice. I'm not sure where in Florida you're coming from, but I like it here. I'm from Texas, so it's a nice transition.

Thanks for all the information. It truly helped. I've contacted Chapman a few times asking for information but the people I speak to are either unhelpful or are too uninformed. This really bothered me. Would you recommend new students to do anything (i.e. read certain books) before classes start? Also, you spoke a lot about your classmates-- both positive and negative. Are graduating classes very close-knit?

Last question: Are the administrative staff as helpful and accommodated as you say the professors are?

[longhornlaw]

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[anonchapmanstud2014]

I was a 1L last year, going on to be a 2L at chapman. Let me give you all something I wish someone would have posted when I applied. I kept my scholarship, mind you, but I know many people who lost theirs so heads up. It doesn’t look as bad as some are saying but it’s definitely a bit shady that the school doesn’t publicly release this information to applicants. The registrar’s office, however, does release this information via e-mail to students a few weeks after finals (as well as somewhat-detailed information of the grade distributions in classes). I believe this is also available on the display window in the registrar’s office, but I’m not aware that it is available anywhere else to the public.

GPA Cutoff Percentiles
Cohort Group:
First Year Full Time Students and Second Year Students with 49 or fewer credits
Spring 2012
Top 10% 3.484
Top 20% 3.245
Top 30% 3.149
Top 40% 3.013
Top 50% 2.874

I can't find fall... it's somewhere in my e-mails, but basically fall grades were highly inflated. A few people dropped and I’m sure many of the rest got better so that explains the harder spring curve.

[quote=longhornlaw]I didn't talk to many 2Ls about OCI. Honestly, I didn't have much contact with 2Ls during the year. They tend to wall the 1Ls off in their own little garden.[/quote]

I have to disagree with this statement. 2L’s didn’t “wall” themselves off from 1L’s at all. Many 1L’s just seemed to form cliques with other 1L’s and confined themselves within their cliques. Nothing wrong with this but as someone who found the 2L’s to be quite friendly and very eager to offer advice and resources, I think your last statement needs to be reconsidered.

I'll try to check back if anyone has other questions. I realize its a bit late in the game now but I've been trying to get some R&R this summer before 2L year. Hopefully this helps someone with their decision.

[longhornlaw]

I didn't talk to many 2Ls about OCI. Honestly, I didn't have much contact with 2Ls during the year. They tend to wall the 1Ls off in their own little garden.

I have to disagree with this statement. 2L’s didn’t “wall” themselves off from 1L’s at all. Many 1L’s just seemed to form cliques with other 1L’s and confined themselves within their cliques. Nothing wrong with this but as someone who found the 2L’s to be quite friendly and very eager to offer advice and resources, I think your last statement needs to be reconsidered.

Fair enough. The sentiment has been the same among many of the folks I've talked to, though. But your mileage may vary, of course.

It doesn't look like they released a GPA percentile for the fall, as we weren't ranked yet. If anyone is interested though, I've uploaded the fall and spring grade distributions. You can see it all here. Should give you a picture of how grades break for each professor. Maybe it's not too late to request a specific track?

[Chapmanstud15]

I didn't talk to many 2Ls about OCI. Honestly, I didn't have much contact with 2Ls during the year. They tend to wall the 1Ls off in their own little garden.

I have to disagree with this statement. 2L’s didn’t “wall” themselves off from 1L’s at all. Many 1L’s just seemed to form cliques with other 1L’s and confined themselves within their cliques. Nothing wrong with this but as someone who found the 2L’s to be quite friendly and very eager to offer advice and resources, I think your last statement needs to be reconsidered.

Fair enough. The sentiment has been the same among many of the folks I've talked to, though. But your mileage may vary, of course.

It doesn't look like they released a GPA percentile for the fall, as we weren't ranked yet. If anyone is interested though, I've uploaded the fall and spring grade distributions. You can see it all here. Should give you a picture of how grades break for each professor. Maybe it's not too late to request a specific track?

Thank you guys for posting that information. I've got a scholarship and start I'm August so it's good to know at least what I'm up against. They were pretty up front when I asked them specific questions before I committed, so it isn't that big of a shock I guess.

Is it possible to request a specific track? I didn't hear anything about that.

Anything else I need to know?

Thanks.

[longhornlaw]

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[Danimal]

Hey everyone, I'm a 2L here at Chapman. I hope you're all stoked for the start of law school (sarcasm?). I have the following supplements for sale. They really helped me get through 1L year (especially the case summaries). I'd be happy to sell them for cheap...more interested in clearing shelf space than getting cash.

High Court Case Summaries: Contracts, Torts, Property, Civil Procedure
Legalines: Criminal Law (2nd semester)
Gilbert Law Summaries: Torts
Examples & Explanations: Torts
The Glannon Guide: Civil Procedure (Civ Pro BIBLE!)
Emmanuel Law Outlines: Contracts

Enjoy the rest of your summer!

[Chapmanstud15]

Just got the schedule online. What can you guys tell me about my profs?

Torts - Hall
CivPro - Litwiller
Contracts - Doti
Property - Stahl
LRW - Carey