UC Irvine c/o 2016 Applicants (2012-2013) Forum

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lrslayer

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Re: UC Irvine c/o 2016 Applicants (2012-2013)

Post by lrslayer » Wed Jan 30, 2013 10:09 pm

99.9luft wrote: This is great! thank so you much for sharing. I like the employment info...wonder how well they did in SoCal Biglaw...I guess we have to wait until March to find out.
ya, i really wasn't expecting him to give specifics like that but I will go talk to the career office to see if they have that kind of info

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99.9luft

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Re: UC Irvine c/o 2016 Applicants (2012-2013)

Post by 99.9luft » Wed Jan 30, 2013 10:09 pm

lrslayer wrote:
99.9luft wrote: This is great! thank so you much for sharing. I like the employment info...wonder how well they did in SoCal Biglaw...I guess we have to wait until March to find out.
ya, i really wasn't expecting him to give specifics like that but I will go talk to the career office to see if they have that kind of info
why are you so awesome?

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Re: UC Irvine c/o 2016 Applicants (2012-2013)

Post by teiswei » Wed Jan 30, 2013 10:10 pm

lrslayer wrote:Hey there folks, I had coffee with Dean Chem today and got some info for you ...
First and foremost, you are AWESOME. Second, I'm incredibly jealous that you had the opportunity to speak with Chemerinsky in such an intimate setting.

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Re: UC Irvine c/o 2016 Applicants (2012-2013)

Post by yupyup » Wed Jan 30, 2013 10:14 pm

teiswei wrote:
lrslayer wrote:Hey there folks, I had coffee with Dean Chem today and got some info for you ...
First and foremost, you are AWESOME. Second, I'm incredibly jealous that you had the opportunity to speak with Chemerinsky in such an intimate setting.
+1
In at uc irvine, so glad to have all that info, esp about employment. Thanks!

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Re: UC Irvine c/o 2016 Applicants (2012-2013)

Post by lrslayer » Wed Jan 30, 2013 10:54 pm

I am going to post the reply I just sent to someone else because I think it has some info that could benefit everyone. I am omitting some info but if you really need to know, just PM me:

Asked about faculty being open:

I would say that faculty is EXTREMELY open to speaking with students. As far as coffee with the Dean goes, I am nothing special; he has coffee with students once every two weeks (more or less often). Its open invitation, today there were about fifteen students that showed up. It is his way of getting a feel for what the student body wants. For example, we give him input and he also answers any questions we have. He is not the only one either, the Professors all have an open door policy and I often take advantage of that. For example, I interviewed with ******** this month and the interviewer chatted about one of my Professors quite a bit (they both ******* and know each other from there). I am [nothing special] in his class, but just because I asked, the professor was more then happy to send an email. He sent it within 2 hours of my asking and reported this to me when he saw me as I was visiting a neighboring professor. Its just really relaxed like that around UCI.

Asked if I would go again and where else I considered:

1- I think that I would make the decision to go to UCI again, but its not exactly a fair question because I don't know if there is better or worse out there; this is my only law school I have gone to. As far as other schools, I chose UCI over many schools but the top schools I turned down were Boston College, UC Davis, and USC. I had similar money at each of those schools. Most people thought I was crazy to chose UCI over USC but I got a great vibe from UCI and since [personal reason] Irvine was better suited for [personal reason aspect] then Los Angeles. So this was just a very personal decision.

Question about where people work, and pro bono/ public interest thrust at UCI:

2- I can't really speak to what people pursued after law school but I know a lot of c/o 2012 went to federal clerkships and many are going to big law firms from what I have heard also. But I have heard about many who went to government and public interest as well. For example, my alum mentor works for impact litigation in employment and housing. Also, pro-bono work is highly encouraged immediately. Many 1Ls started pro-bono back in November during our fall break and have done it religiously since then. I for example am working with attorneys from ******* as part of a ******** project. [Description of my pro bono project]. This is fairly typical to do pro-bono amongst students. The 2L class only had one student not do pro-bono last year when they were 1Ls. As a matter of fact, Dean Chem today was speaking about how he never wanted to place hurdles to doing pro bono (like extra training) because he wants to ensure maximum participation.

Big Law placement question:

3- No word on this from the dean today but as I said in the thread, I will speak with career services to see if I can tease out some data for you guys.

Where people are working over the summer:

4- I think 2Ls did very well. It is my understanding that those who participated in OCI got summer work. That is not to say that everyone wanted SA in big firms though. Many here are Public Interest/ Government work or bust. As far as 1Ls go, it is hard to say because (a) its very early, we just got grades a week ago, and (b) I think people are too humble to discuss openly at this point. All I have heard so far is that one girl got [prestigious government internship], one girl got [very prestigious court of appeals judge internship], and many people are interviewing all over the place. As for myself, I have interviewed with the [summer positions I have interviewed for and why].

I hope I have answered all your questions. Please keep them coming

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Re: UC Irvine c/o 2016 Applicants (2012-2013)

Post by bettercallsaul91 » Thu Jan 31, 2013 3:19 am

lrslayer wrote:Hey there folks, I had coffee with Dean Chem today and got some info for you guys....

1- Employment Statistics are determined 9 months after graduation. For c/o 2012 that is right around now. Dean Chem says the school has not released yet because USNews has not officially released, but.... he said I was free to tell you all that the stats for c/o 2012 are this: 93% of graduates are employed in full time legal positions. Of the unemployed, 1 is on maternity leave, 1 had a medical emergency, and 2 are actually actively looking for employment.

2- Dean Chem also reports that applications are up again. I know for c/o 2015 they were up by 120% and now apparently it is up again. He reports though that traditionally, they get half their applications from 2/15-deadline so I don't know what that means. He also reports that the medians appear to be a bit higher than c/o 2015.

3- He also spoke about the class that will enter in 2014. They will be special snowflakes since their class medians will be the ones considered for the 2015 USNews rankings. He indicated that they are sensitive to this fact and I got the impression that they have something in the works to attract even better candidates for that year's class.

4- About the faux paus with the need based grants, while he admitted that anyone enrolled currently may be screwed as far as that goes, he said that this mistake will not happen again. For each class going forward, the need based grant will always be renewable.

5- Lastly, and quite to my and many other's joy, he announced today that the school has adopted and placed into their permanent budget a bonafide LRAP program! It is now linked on the school's website.

I hope this information helps some of you out in your decision. I have never been a UCI cheerleader but I am pleased with the coffee talk today. Please feel free to PM me or ask here if you have any more questions. I or someone else will do our best to answer them.
Dammit. Decision is really hard again. UCI is back strong in the running. I just can't quit you, UCI :,( Your stellar all-star faculty was reason enough ... now these kinds of reports ... you are just so enticing ...

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Re: UC Irvine c/o 2016 Applicants (2012-2013)

Post by sportsaholic763 » Thu Jan 31, 2013 3:56 pm

Thanks so much, lrslayer, this is huge.

Since you're a student at UCI, can you speak to some of the seemingly less interesting stuff? Say, where do most law students live, what are normal class hours (how many per day, etc.), and how competitive/driven is the student body generally?

I am strongly leaning toward UCI, hoping for a bit of scholarship money first, though.

Thanks!

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Re: UC Irvine c/o 2016 Applicants (2012-2013)

Post by lrslayer » Thu Jan 31, 2013 4:38 pm

sportsaholic763 wrote:Thanks so much, lrslayer, this is huge.

Since you're a student at UCI, can you speak to some of the seemingly less interesting stuff? Say, where do most law students live, what are normal class hours (how many per day, etc.), and how competitive/driven is the student body generally?

I am strongly leaning toward UCI, hoping for a bit of scholarship money first, though.

Thanks!
Most students live on campus. The graduate housing is across the street from the law school so it is very convenient. There are several restaurants, grocery stores, and other stores, also a movie theater right by housing. Idk if anyone considering has children, but there are great daycares in the housing area too. They range in price from free to cheap depending on your income.

Normal class hours vary. Your earliest class will be Con Law I in the fall and Con Law II in the spring. Dean Chem is an early bird so he has these classes at 8:30 am. Classes go as late as 4pm for 1L year but there is no guarentee this will be the same. Any given day you will have two or three classes. There is a block of time carved out for lunch everyday also.

Students are NOT competitive here in the least bit. We are not ranked and sharing grades is frowned upon. My section got a lecture from our contracts professor at the end of the fall semester discouraging the practice of sharing grades. We also got emails from all our professors right before grades release that all basically said, "don't sweat grades." The day grades were slated to come out, the 2 and 3Ls had gone into our classrooms before 1Ls arrived and wrote motivational messages on the boards; one that stuck out to me was, "you are a person, not a grade." They also left candy and cupcakes throughout the class for us. Lastly, a week into this semester the 2/3Ls had an event with cheese, desserts, and wine after our last classes on a Friday. They do stuff like that all the time.

I won't tell you where to go one way or the other but I would suggest making it out to ASW. This is where you will get a chance to experience the environment that I detail above. Good luck with your decision!

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Re: UC Irvine c/o 2016 Applicants (2012-2013)

Post by bettercallsaul91 » Thu Jan 31, 2013 7:40 pm

lrslayer wrote:Students are NOT competitive here in the least bit. We are not ranked and sharing grades is frowned upon. My section got a lecture from our contracts professor at the end of the fall semester discouraging the practice of sharing grades. We also got emails from all our professors right before grades release that all basically said, "don't sweat grades." The day grades were slated to come out, the 2 and 3Ls had gone into our classrooms before 1Ls arrived and wrote motivational messages on the boards; one that stuck out to me was, "you are a person, not a grade." They also left candy and cupcakes throughout the class for us. Lastly, a week into this semester the 2/3Ls had an event with cheese, desserts, and wine after our last classes on a Friday. They do stuff like that all the time.
sigh. Amazing.

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Re: UC Irvine c/o 2016 Applicants (2012-2013)

Post by lazarusl » Thu Jan 31, 2013 8:41 pm

lrslayer wrote:They do stuff like that all the time.

As a member of the inaugural class, reading this post made my day. That's the school we hoped to build.

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Re: UC Irvine c/o 2016 Applicants (2012-2013)

Post by Dmini7 » Thu Jan 31, 2013 8:44 pm

lazarusl wrote:
lrslayer wrote:They do stuff like that all the time.

As a member of the inaugural class, reading this post made my day. That's the school we hoped to build.
As a graduate would you be willing to tell us what your outcome ended up being? I am hearing so many good things about the school that it has been turning into more and more of a front runner for me.

Side note for others: how long does it take to typically receive the admittance packet? I really want to log into the recently accepted students information to poke around and see what is in it and also see if I earned scholarship money.

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Re: UC Irvine c/o 2016 Applicants (2012-2013)

Post by superhopefulwoo » Thu Jan 31, 2013 8:49 pm

lazarusl wrote:
lrslayer wrote:They do stuff like that all the time.

As a member of the inaugural class, reading this post made my day. That's the school we hoped to build.

I'm not going to lie... lrslayer is selling me hard on UCI.

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Re: UC Irvine c/o 2016 Applicants (2012-2013)

Post by lazarusl » Thu Jan 31, 2013 9:17 pm

Dmini7 wrote: As a graduate would you be willing to tell us what your outcome ended up being? I am hearing so many good things about the school that it has been turning into more and more of a front runner for me.
I graduated, passed the CA bar, and now work for a large firm in Los Angeles. I chose not to apply for clerkships because of my financial situation but am confident that, thanks to having Dean Chemerinsky in my corner, I could have had one if I'd pursued that option. I got decent grades, but certainly don't think I was top 10% (we don't do official class rankings).

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Re: UC Irvine c/o 2016 Applicants (2012-2013)

Post by Dmini7 » Thu Jan 31, 2013 9:21 pm

lazarusl wrote:
Dmini7 wrote: As a graduate would you be willing to tell us what your outcome ended up being? I am hearing so many good things about the school that it has been turning into more and more of a front runner for me.
I graduated, passed the CA bar, and now work for a large firm in Los Angeles. I chose not to apply for clerkships because of my financial situation but am confident that, thanks to having Dean Chemerinsky in my corner, I could have had one if I'd pursued that option. I got decent grades, but certainly don't think I was top 10% (we don't do official class rankings).
Congratulations on the outcome. I assume you would agree with everything lrslayer has said? Do you have any other information you feel may be worth mentioning? Thank you for your responses so far and the information you have provided :D

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Re: UC Irvine c/o 2016 Applicants (2012-2013)

Post by Beachbum89 » Thu Jan 31, 2013 10:01 pm

Another UCI 1L checking in here. Feel free to PM me if you have any questions.

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Re: UC Irvine c/o 2016 Applicants (2012-2013)

Post by lazarusl » Thu Jan 31, 2013 10:04 pm

Dmini7 wrote:Congratulations on the outcome. I assume you would agree with everything lrslayer has said? Do you have any other information you feel may be worth mentioning? Thank you for your responses so far and the information you have provided :D
I would say that lrslayer has a much better perspective on what's happening there now, as I haven't had a chance to return since our Bar swearing-in ceremony.

The employment stats cited above sound accurate, based on what I've heard. I really don't have any hard info I can provide -- but I loved being at UCI and believe it lived up to the promises made to us on our Admitted Students Day.

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Re: UC Irvine c/o 2016 Applicants (2012-2013)

Post by JayJones78 » Thu Jan 31, 2013 10:17 pm

lazarusl wrote:
Dmini7 wrote:Congratulations on the outcome. I assume you would agree with everything lrslayer has said? Do you have any other information you feel may be worth mentioning? Thank you for your responses so far and the information you have provided :D
I would say that lrslayer has a much better perspective on what's happening there now, as I haven't had a chance to return since our Bar swearing-in ceremony.

The employment stats cited above sound accurate, based on what I've heard. I really don't have any hard info I can provide -- but I loved being at UCI and believe it lived up to the promises made to us on our Admitted Students Day.
All this info is great since the URM forum is having a big "why the hell are you even considering UCI" thread to answer a URM that is considering it http://www.top-law-schools.com/forums/v ... 4&t=203277

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Re: UC Irvine c/o 2016 Applicants (2012-2013)

Post by 99.9luft » Thu Jan 31, 2013 10:24 pm

lazarusl wrote:
Dmini7 wrote: As a graduate would you be willing to tell us what your outcome ended up being? I am hearing so many good things about the school that it has been turning into more and more of a front runner for me.
I graduated, passed the CA bar, and now work for a large firm in Los Angeles. I chose not to apply for clerkships because of my financial situation but am confident that, thanks to having Dean Chemerinsky in my corner, I could have had one if I'd pursued that option. I got decent grades, but certainly don't think I was top 10% (we don't do official class rankings).
Random unrelated question - if UCI doesn't rank, then how does one go about transferring out to another LS after 1L? Also, do you know people who transferred out (pure anecdotal hearsay is fine)?

thanks!

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Re: UC Irvine c/o 2016 Applicants (2012-2013)

Post by TrojanHopeful » Thu Jan 31, 2013 11:30 pm

Current 1L here. It's been a while since I've visited this site. I decided to come back and take a look at the c/o 2016 prospects.

First, I want to wish all of you the best of luck in your application cycle. I remember how exciting, stressful, and tiring it was. As soon as it is done, make sure you take some time off to relax prior to starting school. I heard it many times prior to starting - take time off, don't prepare, blah blah blah - it's true. Believe me, there's really nothing you can do (other than getting your typing speed up) in order to be fully prepared. Best advice is to make sure your personal items are all in order so you don't have to worry about that once school starts.

Okay, now that I am done with that rant...

I love UCI Law. I am extremely happy with my decision. The students are great. The faculty (for the most part) is great. As LRslayer mentioned, there is very little, if any, competitiveness. Students share notes with each other, study with each other (among different study groups), and almost everyone (like 98%) gets along. Sure, there are a few that are depressed, don't like the area, have complaints about a professor here and there, don't enjoy the company of other classmates - you can't please everyone though. Personally, I enjoy law school and have never doubted my decision to attend UCI.

For those of you who are deciding whether to attend ASW....GO!!! It was excellent last year. Very fun and informative.

As LRslayer said, the faculty definitely has an open door policy. For example, I stopped in to see my Legal Professions (aka Ethics) professor today before heading over to spend ten minutes with Dean Chemerinsky to chat about a few random things. So, yes, while coffee with the Dean is great, you can honestly go see him anytime (when he isn't across the country attending to other matters, of course).

Also, I have to mention the mentoring program. Some students were assigned great mentors, some mediocre, and some students were assigned mentors that have yet to contact them. For me, it was the former. My mentor is in the field I am most interested in. So far, she has invited me to dinners with federal and state judges, cocktail events, lunches with attorneys in the field I want to enter, and has invited me to come along to sit in on some major federal trials (some of which she was not even a part of). To be sure, not everyone has had an experience like this with their mentor. Like I said, some have yet to be contacted.

I am still looking for a summer job; however, I just recently started looking. Those that started early were rewarded. For example, some 1L summer offers have been from an Indiana Supreme Court judge (student is from Indiana and wants to practice there), Article III judges, multiple ACLU offices, and some Washington D.C. government positions. There are many others, as well.

Chem is the master of clerkships. Instead of telling you what everyone already knows, I will share an example. Two c/o 2012 students started a relationship during law school. They wanted to remain together afterwards, yet both of them wanted Article III clerkships. They approached Chem with this. Chem was able to get them both Article III clerkships in Nashville, TN.

All in all, not everyone will agree with me on my UCI cheerleading; however, I am being 100% honest when I say it's a great place. It's not for everyone (for those who need to be in big cities), but if you love great weather and don't mind the "manufactured" life of south Orange County, then you'll most likely enjoy it here.

I guess my only complaint is that I have to sit next to LRslayer in one of my classes four times a week and hear her complain that she didn't get Chem as a Con Law professor. :wink:

Best wishes to you all, wherever you end up!

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Re: UC Irvine c/o 2016 Applicants (2012-2013)

Post by TrojanHopeful » Thu Jan 31, 2013 11:32 pm

99.9luft wrote:
lazarusl wrote:
Dmini7 wrote: As a graduate would you be willing to tell us what your outcome ended up being? I am hearing so many good things about the school that it has been turning into more and more of a front runner for me.
I graduated, passed the CA bar, and now work for a large firm in Los Angeles. I chose not to apply for clerkships because of my financial situation but am confident that, thanks to having Dean Chemerinsky in my corner, I could have had one if I'd pursued that option. I got decent grades, but certainly don't think I was top 10% (we don't do official class rankings).
Random unrelated question - if UCI doesn't rank, then how does one go about transferring out to another LS after 1L? Also, do you know people who transferred out (pure anecdotal hearsay is fine)?

thanks!
From what I heard, one of the prior year's students transferred to Georgetown (don't recall if it was from last year or the year before).

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Re: UC Irvine c/o 2016 Applicants (2012-2013)

Post by lrslayer » Thu Jan 31, 2013 11:39 pm

TrojanHopeful wrote:
99.9luft wrote:
lazarusl wrote:
Dmini7 wrote: As a graduate would you be willing to tell us what your outcome ended up being? I am hearing so many good things about the school that it has been turning into more and more of a front runner for me.
I graduated, passed the CA bar, and now work for a large firm in Los Angeles. I chose not to apply for clerkships because of my financial situation but am confident that, thanks to having Dean Chemerinsky in my corner, I could have had one if I'd pursued that option. I got decent grades, but certainly don't think I was top 10% (we don't do official class rankings).
Random unrelated question - if UCI doesn't rank, then how does one go about transferring out to another LS after 1L? Also, do you know people who transferred out (pure anecdotal hearsay is fine)?

thanks!
From what I heard, one of the prior year's students transferred to Georgetown (don't recall if it was from last year or the year before).
pretty sure the transfer was to NYU. but TrojanHopeful is dumb so....

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Re: UC Irvine c/o 2016 Applicants (2012-2013)

Post by countmein » Fri Feb 01, 2013 12:38 am

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Re: UC Irvine c/o 2016 Applicants (2012-2013)

Post by CO2016YEAH » Fri Feb 01, 2013 2:16 am

This is an excellent thread! I really appreciate the info from the 1L's that are chiming in.

Checking in and anxiously awaiting hearing from UCI! This is definitely one of the top choices for me; I love the area and it appears that the school is doing an excellent job of securing its footprint.

Good luck, guys!

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Re: UC Irvine c/o 2016 Applicants (2012-2013)

Post by sportsaholic763 » Fri Feb 01, 2013 11:13 am

Anyone know of/ sit on UCI's law review? Since the class size overall is small and the school seems to be without some of the normal competitiveness of law school, how difficult is securing a spot on the journal? Additionally, is it by write-on, grades, or a combination of both?

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Re: UC Irvine c/o 2016 Applicants (2012-2013)

Post by lrslayer » Fri Feb 01, 2013 1:51 pm

countmein wrote:
Beachbum89 wrote:Another UCI 1L checking in here. Feel free to PM me if you have any questions.
Would you happen to have any information on what life is like for law school students at UCI that have kids...how about married students?
PM'd....

Due to sensitivity to students' families, I would rather not publicly post this information. If anyone else has similar question w/r/t family please feel free to PM me.

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