University of Denver C/O 2017 Applicants (2013-2014) Forum

[Snowboarder1588]

Didn't see one for U of Denver, so I wanted to get it started. Anyone else with some Rocky love?

[jts723]

Considering applying. One of my best friends and his sister went to Denver for UG / MBA. They both loved it.

[fundamentallybroken]

Checking in/bookmarking thread.

DU 3L here, graduating in May. Let me know if you have any questions.

[Snowboarder1588]

Checking in/bookmarking thread.

DU 3L here, graduating in May. Let me know if you have any questions.

Hi there! Thank you for volunteering your help. I want to gather some general information about how you feel about your overall opportunities in the Denver area job market? How would you describe student morale/engagement with the school? Finally, how would you describe student culture (i.e. very competitive or fairly competitive)?
It's great to get the inside perspective from an existing student, so thanks again for helping out.

[fundamentallybroken]

Checking in/bookmarking thread.

DU 3L here, graduating in May. Let me know if you have any questions.

Hi there! Thank you for volunteering your help. I want to gather some general information about how you feel about your overall opportunities in the Denver area job market? How would you describe student morale/engagement with the school? Finally, how would you describe student culture (i.e. very competitive or fairly competitive)?
It's great to get the inside perspective from an existing student, so thanks again for helping out.

Not a problem - I've really enjoyed my time at DU, so I'm always happy to answer the questions I can!

1. Denver job market I think is still recovering somewhat, but getting better every year. I have a job lined up at a pretty big firm - my SA class was really small, but next year it's nearly double. I've heard of similar stories from other firms in the market. Because hiring was so sparse for a few years, many firms are starting to feel the pressure of now not having enough junior associates to actually handle the recovering workload, and are ramping up hiring. That said, all markets are still pretty tough, and you should be very careful about going to any school thinking you'll easily land a job - I know plenty of people with nothing lined up for after the bar, and the stress is often palpable.

2. Morale and engagement are high, but I think that's pretty typical wherever you go. DU has a lot of extracurricular societies and events, hosts a lot of moot court events, has a really active student government, and has a very loyal alumni network that provides peer and professional mentoring for the students.

3. Building off that, there isn't a whole lot of competition among students. You'll occasionally get a few here and there who aren't interested in working with others to prepare for exams, but for the most part everyone is really collegial. There's always a little competition when people start realizing how the curve works, but even that is barely noticeable.

[Snowboarder1588]

Thank you for all of the great information!

[lmallette4]

Didn't see one for U of Denver, so I wanted to get it started. Anyone else with some Rocky love?

I applied. I also applied to some higher-ranked schools, but, because of the Denver/Colorado area, would be happier in Denver. Hope I get in!
(My numbers: 154, 3.41)

[Snowboarder1588]

I'm in! I got an acceptance package in the mail with a nice handwritten note from the dean. Apparently Scholly offers wont come out until the end of November though. GL to everyone else.

[alicelynn]

In with $28,000/year!

[TheJanitor6203]

Checking in/bookmarking thread.

DU 3L here, graduating in May. Let me know if you have any questions.

This is somewhat of a vague question but, in general, if one wants to practice in Denver, which is a better choice, CU or DU?

[A. Nony Mouse]

This is somewhat of a vague question but, in general, if one wants to practice in Denver, which is a better choice, CU or DU?

Keep in mind that debating the merits of the school isn't really the purpose of this thread:

Normal discussion between applicants is fine, but this forum is NOT the place for non-applicants to argue or debate which law schools are worth attending and under what circumstances. The threads here typically involve people who have already decided to apply and are seeking or sharing news on the state of their applications. You and them and everyone else are all free to discuss whether or not attending is a good idea in the appropriate forum, not here.

Obviously someone attending DU is a good person to ask about this, but please stay away from arguments/debates about this.

[Lord Randolph McDuff]

This is somewhat of a vague question but, in general, if one wants to practice in Denver, which is a better choice, CU or DU?

Obviously someone attending DU is a good person to ask about this, but please stay away from arguments/debates about this.

Someone attending DU would be the worst person to ask about this.

[A. Nony Mouse]

This is somewhat of a vague question but, in general, if one wants to practice in Denver, which is a better choice, CU or DU?

Obviously someone attending DU is a good person to ask about this, but please stay away from arguments/debates about this.

Someone attending DU would be the worst person to ask about this.

Well, they'd have an informed opinion - just a lot of bias. (As would the CU person.)

[fundamentallybroken]

Checking in/bookmarking thread.

DU 3L here, graduating in May. Let me know if you have any questions.

This is somewhat of a vague question but, in general, if one wants to practice in Denver, which is a better choice, CU or DU?

It's a tough call - and it's not made easier by the fact that people from DU will tell you they place better, while people from CU will tell you they place better. The honest answer, predicated on wanting to practice in Denver (as opposed to chasing clerkships, or going elsewhere for practice), is the TLS conventional wisdom: whichever one is less expensive.

I've now worked two summers with people from CU and DU combined, and I don't think there is any substantive difference in the quality of education. Employment-wise, DU benefits a bit by having more "practice-ready" opportunities than CU, but CU benefits from a higher ranking. Both have their loyal alumni networks, and they both have excellent professors that come from top schools.

I made my choice on the fact that DU offered me a better deal than CU did, and I haven't regretted it once.

All that said, I should plug my school a bit more than that! I've had a great run at DU, and feel well-prepared to hit the ground running at my firm. With the practice-ready focus at the school, I'm taking mainly practicum classes this year - trial practice, civil litigation practicum, appellate advocacy, etc. By the end of the year, I will not only know how to take a case from client intake all the way through appeals, I will have done so many times, through roleplay and drills. Many people take advantage of the clinical programs, and actually get real experience doing the same (I have a strict "just say no" policy to extracurriculars, so I got my real-world experience through my summer SA positions.)

[fundamentallybroken]

This is somewhat of a vague question but, in general, if one wants to practice in Denver, which is a better choice, CU or DU?

Obviously someone attending DU is a good person to ask about this, but please stay away from arguments/debates about this.

Someone attending DU would be the worst person to ask about this.

Well, they'd have an informed opinion - just a lot of bias. (As would the CU person.)

I don't know - I'd like to think I give a fairly balanced answer!

[A. Nony Mouse]

Someone attending DU would be the worst person to ask about this.

Well, they'd have an informed opinion - just a lot of bias. (As would the CU person.)

I don't know - I'd like to think I give a fairly balanced answer!

You were very politic (and thread-appropriate!).

[TheJanitor6203]

Thanks for the info. Why no extracurriculars?

[fundamentallybroken]

Thanks for the info. Why no extracurriculars?

A few reasons, and all highly relevant to only my situation. I'm married with a family, and I didn't want to take time away from that. Also, I'm an older student, with a previous career and resume that makes things like trial team and law review somewhat irrelevant - I already have experience that translates into a desired skill-set (and industry contacts) for firm work.

For people without the same, extracurriculars can be invaluable to building a law resume, and are probably a good idea!

[garrettnicole92]

Checking in! App submitted 11/18.

[Cal Trask]

Checking in. Application submitted 11/13. Now to play the waiting game. Best of luck to everyone.

[ltrego]

Checking in. Submitted application 11/24. Went complete today. 165/3.57

[Hkellyrose]

I submitted my apps last weekend (11/22) and all of them emailed me a username and password to check my application status except DU. Is something wrong with my application or does DU not have that feature?

[TheJanitor6203]

They do. They're just slow.

[7ofNine]

Hey those that are in...how long did it take your application to go complete, under review, and until you got a response? I submitted before Thanksgiving, just got my status check login today and still not complete even though I am at every other school submitted at the same time.

[Tennislover8]

Checking in-I'm from Florida and in need of a change of scenery. Been to Denver a bunch of times really like the city (Job Growth in Denver is projected to one of the highest in USA over next 20 years IIRC-which is important for future practicing attorneys). Never visited the law school. Re-taking LSAT in DEC expecting a 158-161. Hoping for a Scholly.