Loyola (Los Angeles) c/o 2016 Applicants (2012-2013) Forum

[Scootz]

Has anyone received their official award letter yet?

They sent an email saying they will be sent out the week of July 22.

My email said something like, You have submitted all neccessary financial aid information. Later it said the date that the letters will go out.

[Shema]

Quick questions for anyone who knows:

-Do many students use laptops to take notes in class? What about voice recorders to record lectures?

-Do you type or hand write answers to essay questions?

If someone could answer these questions for me I would greatly appreciate it.

Most every student uses laptops to take notes (a great many students are pretending to take notes but are actually surfing facebook and playing video games and as a result a few professors may not allow the use of lap tops but this is less common).

Most classes have restrictions against recording class (never quite sure why) and the IT department can be emailed to get recordings that you may have missed but there is a formal process to receive these recordings and there is a limited number of recordings a single person can get. As a practical matter there is little way anyone will find out you are recording lectures using a program on your lap top because your computers are not put through a TSA screening or anything.

You may type or write answer to exams. Most students type, however, there are some writers - typically older students - and invariably there is one student on each exam whose system fails and ends up having to write their exam. Most schools use an exam software called "examsoft" and I would recommend that you go to Loyola's IT department and ASAP to install it on your computer so that you can try a few practice exams on it and make sure it runs well on your system.

[Pleasye]

Quick questions for anyone who knows:

-Do many students use laptops to take notes in class? What about voice recorders to record lectures?

-Do you type or hand write answers to essay questions?

If someone could answer these questions for me I would greatly appreciate it.

Most students use laptops in class. I used mine for the first half of first semester 1L and then hand wrote my notes for the rest of the time. I don't know if it necessarily helped me internalize the information like some professors would argue it does but it helped me pay more attention without having Facebook and gchat to distract me. Classes are recorded and you can get recordings and watch them (you have to stream them you can't download them). I've never heard of a limit on how many recordings you can have access to - I know a few people who listened to tons of them so I don't know. I've never actually listened to one but I know some swear by it.

I typed all exams and most do. There was I think one person in my section who hand wrote exams. I wouldn't hand write because of how much there is to type and organizing would be difficult. I find myself always going back and adding to things and I don't know how I would do that if I wasn't typing.

[Scootz]

Thanks for the responses people!

I just wanted to make sure I wasn't wasting money on a laptop before I went out and bought one.

[unclepete]

I`m on the market for a laptop before school. Anybody have an opinion on Mac vs. PC? I've always had PCs, and obviously use them at work, but I've heard Macs are somehow favorable in LS. Any thoughts?

[Scootz]

Ive also always used PC so I may not be the best source for information on this issue, however, I don't foresee any advantage to having a mac. And if you only need the laptop for note-/test-taking, you will be spending double, if not triple, on a new apple laptop than if you were to buy a PC.

From a quick glance at some websites, the cheapest new laptop apple offers starts at 1000, whereas you can get a dell laptop from bestbuy.com for 269.99. If frugality is important to you, i wouldnt go with a macbook.

[Pleasye]

I`m on the market for a laptop before school. Anybody have an opinion on Mac vs. PC? I've always had PCs, and obviously use them at work, but I've heard Macs are somehow favorable in LS. Any thoughts?

I have no idea why a Mac would be favorable for LS? At Loyola specifically we used ExamSoft which works on both PCs and Macs. I have a MacBook Air and love it but it has nothing to do with law school. I used the internet and Word for that.

[Shema]

I`m on the market for a laptop before school. Anybody have an opinion on Mac vs. PC? I've always had PCs, and obviously use them at work, but I've heard Macs are somehow favorable in LS. Any thoughts?

Mac's are not favorable in law school for any reason related to impacting your performance as a law school student. The thing is that the apple brand is so popular that most law students have one (like most of america) but the preference or impact of apple's successful marketing. That being said, I have one. lol

[Shema]

--LinkRemoved--

[shawn1234]

http://mobile.businessweek.com/articles ... at-harvard?

crap.

[CO2016YEAH]

http://mobile.businessweek.com/articles ... at-harvard?

crap.

I don't know about you, but I'm not going to law school to in search of a good "bet." Tech, engineering, etc. might appear to be more lucrative options; I am not concerned with these.

Going to law school, for me, is akin to putting a square peg in a square hole. Entrepreneurship tends to come naturally for me. Becoming a lawyer gives me a product to market.

It would have been nice to have gotten into Harvard. My JD from Loyola will work just fine too.

[waitlister8]

Anyone out there waiting to hear back from the wait list? and has anyone gotten off the wait list?

[unclepete]

Thanks everybody for the input re: laptops. I think I`m going PC for sure.

Does anybody know anything about the section assignments? When will these be released, and how many ppl per section?

[Pleasye]

Thanks everybody for the input re: laptops. I think I`m going PC for sure.

Does anybody know anything about the section assignments? When will these be released, and how many ppl per section?

You should be getting those kind of soon. I don't remember exactly when we got them last year but I'm pretty sure it was in late July. There are 4 sections with about 80-90 people per section (this may change if they actually stick to their goal of having a smaller class this year but we'll see I guess). Once you know your section you will know your class schedule and professors.

[Shema]

Thanks everybody for the input re: laptops. I think I`m going PC for sure.

Does anybody know anything about the section assignments? When will these be released, and how many ppl per section?

You should be getting those kind of soon. I don't remember exactly when we got them last year but I'm pretty sure it was in late July. There are 4 sections with about 80-90 people per section (this may change if they actually stick to their goal of having a smaller class this year but we'll see I guess). Once you know your section you will know your class schedule and professors.

This is spot on, with the exception that if you are in the Evening program you really already know your professors because there is only one section. Also from the looks of the Day Program course schedule it looks as though every 1L has Criminal Law, the variable and unknown being your specific section and professor.

[Shema]

Perhaps Pleasye can be a big help with this observation. Here it goes. Last year I am pretty sure that 1L's in the Day program had four core courses plus Legal Research and Writing. For instance a student in D1 last year had (Contracts, Civ Pro, Property, and Criminal Law). Two of these courses ended after one semester and another two extended into Spring semester. From the look of the course schedule all sections are taking only three core classes plus legal research and writing. Has Loyola reduced the number of classes a 1L takes in the first semester? Any thoughts? I noticed a similar trend in the Evening program where students last year took 3 course plus legal research and writing each semester (with each class extending 2 semesters long) and this year E1's seem only to be taking 2 courses plus legal research and writing.

[Pleasye]

I actually have no idea about that because I haven't paid attention to 1L class schedules this year. I'll be pretty mad if the 1Ls get to take less classes than we did though

[Shema]

I actually have no idea about that because I haven't paid attention to 1L class schedules this year. I'll be pretty mad if the 1Ls get to take less classes than we did though

I know right. 4 classes made a huge difference around finals especially and also when legal research and writing deadlines were pending. I know that a big difference between Hastings and Loyola was that 1Ls took 3 core classes (plus legal research and writing) there but at Loyola 1L's took 4 core classes plus legal research and writing. If this change is the case then it maybe a sign that enrollment is down - or as the law school paints it the class sizes will be smaller - and Loyola has gotten rid of some faculty. Who knows but I just wanted to confirm that you did have four classes fall semester 1L. I thought that was the case. Thanks!

[Pleasye]

No problem. I definitely agree that only having 3 classes would have made a huge difference. Looks like you 1Ls might be getting lucky.

[whsy]

Shema, why do you think they may be decreasing the number of classes for 1L? If it is the case though, I will be very happy!

[Wishfulthinker]

Anyone out there waiting to hear back from the wait list? and has anyone gotten off the wait list?

Nothing yet. Have u tried calling them to see what's going on? No one's posting anything... not sure how to interpret that

[waitlister8]

Nope, I haven't. I submitted the waitlist response form that they mailed us a couple weeks ago... but I remember the letter saying that they would start reviewing applicants late june....... its mid july and it seems very quiet still for us waitlisters... dont know whats going on....

[Wishfulthinker]

Nope, I haven't. I submitted the waitlist response form that they mailed us a couple weeks ago... but I remember the letter saying that they would start reviewing applicants late june....... its mid july and it seems very quiet still for us waitlisters... dont know whats going on....

Same here... I was wondering that too. Not sure if they are just slow/ haven't really been notifying anyone yet or if people are getting in and not posting about. I called a few weeks ago and they said there hasn't been much activity. U could try calling and see what they say to u? And please update me if u do

[Epyon!]

Waitlisters - care to share your stats? Curious about the cutoff.

[unclepete]

Anybody else get their financial aid "award" email? (I have a very hard time calling massive loans an award).