WUSTL c/o 2016 Applicants (2012-2013) Forum

[JXander]

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[Paraflam]

Scheduling my interview today. What type of questions should I expect? I appreciate any help here.

154; 3.84; URM; male; TX resident.

Current status date: 11/13.

I was asked why I chose my undergrad, and a few questions about things on my resume. They seemed to have given a lot of weight to the fact that I interned at a law firm last summer, she said they love seeing that sort of thing on resumes. In all, very conversational, didn't feel like an interview at all. It was basically "here are all the reasons we liked your application and why you'd be a good fit here". Pretty cool way to admit people.

[da1sy]

Scheduled my interview today! So, should I be getting my hopes up about this? It seems like people have been having really positive experiences with the interview process, but it seems unlikely that everyone who got an invite for an interview is going to get in. Or are there people here who didn't get an invite / had a not-so-good interview?

[Nala7892]

I just had my interview with Mary Ann Clifford and I'm in! She was so nice and she really made me feel excited about WUSTL

[rufus&miles]

Just got off the phone for my interview... and got offered admission!!! Super excited, especially with my low gpa!!

[TatteredDignity]

ITT my school's not-so-subtle marketing strategy has its intended effect

[Paraflam]

ITT my school's not-so-subtle marketing strategy has its intended effect

Actually a very good idea on their part.

[fruitoftheloom]

Checking in. Interview next week. For current students - do you like WUSTL? Where do you plan/want to work after?

[gate08]

Had my interview today and it was very much the same as everything that's been reported here. Very friendly and conversational, and I was offered admission at the end.

[TatteredDignity]

Checking in. Interview next week. For current students - do you like WUSTL? Where do you plan/want to work after?

Head on over here http://www.top-law-schools.com/forums/v ... 4&t=130775
There are quite a few active posters from all years.

I'll tell you right now that your first question is far less important than your second, but I'm sure you know that. I am personally enjoying my time here, but I may feel very differently without a job locked down, which is where many of my friends are. The minor differences between schools regarding atmosphere, facilities, etc. matter little compared to what kind of job you can get. Tiebreaker? Sure. But go to a school that places well in the market you want to practice in.

Also, don't come here planning to get biglaw. Only 20% or so do, and a few of my fellow law reviewers have had no luck so far.

[JCougar]

Also, don't come here planning to get biglaw. Only 20% or so do, and a few of my fellow law reviewers have had no luck so far.

To add some perspective from a 3L, there were a few law reviewers from my class that struck out at OCI as well. But many of them eventually found something, including at V10 firms in NYC. There were a few that had no interest in Biglaw, too, but non-biglaw jobs don't really hire until right before you graduate or after you pass the bar.

As for the rest of the class, if you're below top third, you will struggle like everyone else, and you'll have to spend a lot of time networking and making connections to try and get a job. Not that it's all bad, as networking can be fun, and you have to learn it anyway if you want to succeed long-term in law. The only people that hire you permanently before law school is over is basically Biglaw. There is a fund set up to cover students' expenses if they want to travel to conferences, etc., to network.

Not that it's different from any of its peers, though. Heck, even median at GULC these days is dicey to say the least, and you're not getting anything below top third at GW, Texas, UCLA, USC, Vandy, etc., either. Or below top 20% at places like Minnesota.

Among its peers, WUSTL is no different placement-wise than any other school. But it is heavy on the scholarships, St. Louis is an incredibly cheap place to live (you can save about $30K in living expenses debt total over schools in NYC, DC, and California), and there's lots of opportunities for hands-on, experiential learning. We have great clinics, and those are really the best place to learn.

The professors here are very open and willing to help you with anything: studies, finding a job, sanity, etc. This school is run by people who love and take pride in what they do, and they do care about their students. You could probably say that about a lot of schools, but not necessarily. Illinois, probably our biggest "competitor," was busted falsifying their entering class statistics about a year ago, and the school's reputation is now shot. That would never happen here under Dean Syverud.

As for St. Louis, it's a decent place to live, despite the fact that it gets a bad rap in the media. I've lived larger, cosmopolitan, metropolitan areas in a few different states, but there's enough here to keep me happy. There's about 5-6 different hip neighborhoods that suit every style. The Loop is closest to school, and attracts a decent number of undergrads and grad students. It has a counter-culture feel to it, and has some hookah bars, record stores, etc. The food selection could be better, as there's too many chain restaurants in this area, but there's a solid number of pubs. The Central West End is more of an older, yuppie kind of crowd, but not snotty. There's still an element of counter culture there, too, and there's at least one decent dance club. Downtown Clayton is a little bit more conservative, but there's a number of fun bars. Downtown St. Louis is in the middle of a large-scale revitalization, and it can get pretty crazy at night. Recently, they've had to shut down Washington Ave. and make it pedestrian-only due to too many people out on the weekends. "The Grove" is a hipster-like neighborhood on Manchester that has some good clubs and also a number of gay bars. There's also a stretch on South Grand not too far from here that has about a dozen good ethnic restaurants.

All these neighborhoods besides Clayton come with a touch of sketchiness, I have to admit. Most of the crime in St. Louis is isolated to the bad parts, such as the north side, but there have been incidents where it has leaked into the better areas. If you're a guy that grew up in a big city and has never so much as even lived in a suburb his whole life (like me), it's nothing new. In fact, I feel more comfortable around criminals and weirdos--it makes me look normal by comparison. But if big-city crime worries you for whatever reason, Clayton is a great place to live.

Overall, it's a pretty collegial atmosphere. Many transfer students I've spoken with talk about how nice and non-competitive people are, and I agree. That doesn't mean our work ethic is bad, though. It's just that we're not "in your face" about trying to be "better than our classmates." There's few gunners, but a lot of very smart people that study quietly, thoroughly, and just try and do their best, and then go out and drink and have fun when they have time. WUSTL tends to admit lots of people with high LSATs, but lower GPAs, and I think this adds to the culture. There's a decent number of people here whose sense of self-worth comes from areas other than academic achievement (how could it when you got a 3.0 in undergrad?). Nevertheless, pretty much everyone who makes it into this school gets serious once school starts. The #2 person in our class after 1L had a horrendous undergrad GPA, so there's a lot of people looking to "redeem themselves" that are incredibly smart.

It ended up being a good fit for me, even though my job search has been much harder than I had expected. I am one of those not in the top third, but I do not regret going here in particular. With that said, law school in general is a difficult experience for just about everyone, so be prepared.

[shntn]

Thanks for that, JCougar!

[dproduct]

Thanks for that, JCougar!

Great read.

[JCougar]

Also, I forgot to mention, for those who like casinos. There's a few just over the river in East St. Louis (right when you cross over so you don't have to drive through it), and now there's one in downtown St. Louis as well. Gambling doesn't really interest me at all, as I'd rather blow what little extra money I have on a dance club, but for those who like to gamble...

Good luck to everyone. Here's to hoping the scholarships will be plentiful.

[geary86]

congrats to all the admits!!

Emailing the adcom now to schedule an interview.

Still not sure whether to go for Skype or not...

[TatteredDignity]

Also, I forgot to mention, for those who like casinos. There's a few just over the river in East St. Louis (right when you cross over so you don't have to drive through it), and now there's one in downtown St. Louis as well.

Huh? Lumiere has been downtown forever, if that's what you're referring to. And River City is about 15 mins south of downtown, and there's an Ameristar 15 mins northwest of the law school. No need to go to Illinois, ever.

[JCougar]

Huh? Lumiere has been downtown forever, if that's what you're referring to.

If by forever, you mean 2007, then yes, it's been there forever.

If there's additional casinos, all the better. I've never been to one, but I was just pointing them out because there's people that love to go.

[clyde13]

Interview this afternoon, 167/3.66 -- hoping for the same results everyone else has been having!!

[alwayssunnyinfl]

Status date change?

[blueruditio]

Interviewed earlier this morning. She asked questions about different things on my résumé. I was also offered admission at the end of the interview. Good luck to everyone!

[TatteredDignity]

Huh? Lumiere has been downtown forever, if that's what you're referring to.

If by forever, you mean 2007, then yes, it's been there forever.

If there's additional casinos, all the better. I've never been to one, but I was just pointing them out because there's people that love to go.

Heh, didn't know it was that new. My bad.

Ok, we'll stop clogging up the 0Ls' thread.

[ks2499]

Just had my interview and I'm in as well. It was actually a very pleasant conversation.

[DoveBodyWash]

Just finished my phone interview. Spoke with Dean Clifford and she told me that I was already admitted and that my letter was in the mail.

(Btw they're doing things by mail this year instead of e-mail)

This is my second time being admitted to WUSTL, and it's a great school =), visited the campus and met the admissions office last year, they were awesome. Very happy to have an admit under my belt before the rest of my decisions come out. Good luck everyone =)

[Lear22]

Just finished my phone interview. Spoke with Dean Clifford and she told me that I was already admitted and that my letter was in the mail.

(Btw they're doing things by mail this year instead of e-mail)

This is my second time being admitted to WUSTL, and it's a great school =), visited the campus and met the admissions office last year, they were awesome. Very happy to have an admit under my belt before the rest of my decisions come out. Good luck everyone =)

Can someone explain on the process of getting an interview? Does your app need to be in for that to happen or is it more like the NU and Vandy interviews? I assume that they also offer off campus interviews as I live in seattle.

[DoveBodyWash]

Just finished my phone interview. Spoke with Dean Clifford and she told me that I was already admitted and that my letter was in the mail.

(Btw they're doing things by mail this year instead of e-mail)

This is my second time being admitted to WUSTL, and it's a great school =), visited the campus and met the admissions office last year, they were awesome. Very happy to have an admit under my belt before the rest of my decisions come out. Good luck everyone =)

Can someone explain on the process of getting an interview? Does your app need to be in for that to happen or is it more like the NU and Vandy interviews? I assume that they also offer off campus interviews as I live in seattle.

To be honest I didn't even know WUSTL did interviews. They didn't last year, or I didn't get invited for one. But it's not like Vandy or NU where every applicant has the opportunity to schedule one. It seems like they're just inviting certain applicants. I'm sure the reason will vary depending on the candidate and the situation.