Rutgers Camden c/o 2017 Applicants Forum

[XxMVPxX]

I didn't see any threads for Rutgers-Camden Law applicants so I figured I'd start it. Does anyone else's requirements checklist look like this?

http://i.imgur.com/UCITQ7K.png

Right above the requirements it says that both my LOR's were received and signed.

[torresash14]

No, my box is checked. When did you submit your application? It may just take them a bit to confirm everything. If it doesn't change, I would just email them to confirm.

[XxMVPxX]

No, my box is checked. When did you submit your application? It may just take them a bit to confirm everything. If it doesn't change, I would just email them to confirm.

I just checked again and the LOR box has been checked off and my application just got marked complete. When did you send in your application and go complete?

[torresash14]

Submitted 11/8, Complete 11/13

[Snowboarder1588]

Submitted back in October, and have been complete since 10/18. Do you guys think there is a chance we would hear back soon?

[barrelofmonkeys]

Submitted back in October, and have been complete since 10/18. Do you guys think there is a chance we would hear back soon?

there's not that much data here for rutgers, but it looks like decisions have come out in december in the past

http://mylsn.info/whenwilliknow.php

[kris4842]

I submitted 10-28 and nothing but App submitted is on

[cheetahboy]

I went completed 11/19 and heard back yesterday!

[Snowboarder1588]

Any chance we get more decisions this week? Went complete almost 2 months ago 10/18 and nothing yet...

[kris4842]

I don't understand if I went complete 10-29 and have heard nothing, is that usually a bad sign?

[torresash14]

I don't understand if I went complete 10-29 and have heard nothing, is that usually a bad sign?

I haven't heard anything either and I've been complete since 11/13.

[Snowboarder1588]

So...I called yesterday and was told that only a "few" decisions were going to be released before Christmas and that they will have a big wave in January. So hang tight guys!

[Adventureisoutthere]

In via email however nothing changed on status checker.

They actually personalized my email and talked about my personal statement which was kind of cool.
I've been "nominated as a Dean's Academic Excellence Scholar" and they award the scholarships in January.

[XxMVPxX]

In via email however nothing changed on status checker.

They actually personalized my email and talked about my personal statement which was kind of cool.
I've been "nominated as a Dean's Academic Excellence Scholar" and they award the scholarships in January.

That's awesome, if you don't mind me asking what were your undergrad GPA and LSAT score? I'm trying to see what numbers are getting possible scholarship offers.

[Nucky]

In via status checker. No email or call.

[torresash14]

In via email however nothing changed on status checker.

They actually personalized my email and talked about my personal statement which was kind of cool.
I've been "nominated as a Dean's Academic Excellence Scholar" and they award the scholarships in January.

Same here... really nice email!

[JuTMSY4]

In via email however nothing changed on status checker.

They actually personalized my email and talked about my personal statement which was kind of cool.
I've been "nominated as a Dean's Academic Excellence Scholar" and they award the scholarships in January.

Same here... really nice email!

Yeah - that's not uncommon. I bet your compliments are the same

I'm an alum. If any of you guys have questions feel free to ask.

[kris4842]

In via email however nothing changed on status checker.

They actually personalized my email and talked about my personal statement which was kind of cool.
I've been "nominated as a Dean's Academic Excellence Scholar" and they award the scholarships in January.

That is really awesome, congrats

[nick417]

I am a Rutgers-Camden 1L this year. If anyone has any questions about Rutgers-Camden, let me know. I will gladly help anyone out.

Also, don't be scared away that Rutgers is in Camden. Camden is bad, but Philly is so close and Collingswood NJ is nearby and really nice. It is not as bad as many people make it out to be.

[Nucky]

I am a Rutgers-Camden 1L this year. If anyone has any questions about Rutgers-Camden, let me know. I will gladly help anyone out.

Also, don't be scared away that Rutgers is in Camden. Camden is bad, but Philly is so close and Collingswood NJ is nearby and really nice. It is not as bad as many people make it out to be.

Would certainly be interested in hearing you, and the alumni above, comment on job prospects, portability to Philly/NYC/DC, and quality of life in the area. I know the stats are out there but it is always nice to hear first-hand how things stack up and what the general consensus is among your peers.

They also seem to be trying to sell 330 Cooper rather hard. Would be interested in hearing your thoughts on that.

[torresash14]

Got the acceptance packet today in the mail... free t-shirt! Nothing about amount of scholarship yet, just that the "Dean's Excellence" scholly amounts I was nominated for will be released in January.

[JuTMSY4]

Would certainly be interested in hearing you, and the alumni above, comment on job prospects, portability to Philly/NYC/DC, and quality of life in the area. I know the stats are out there but it is always nice to hear first-hand how things stack up and what the general consensus is among your peers.

They also seem to be trying to sell 330 Cooper rather hard. Would be interested in hearing your thoughts on that.

Easy stuff:
330 Cooper didn't exist when I was there. If you're from out of the area, I'd suggest on campus living for a year. That being said, be price sensitive. i lived in the Victor 1L year - it was okay but my girlfriend HATED it.

Once you're outside of camden, quality is great. CWood is nice and so are the outlying towns off the train. Yes, there is public trans from those towns into camden and then Philly. This is hugely beneficial.

Hard stuff:
Job prospects are obvious but comparable to Temple/Nova/(I guess)Drexel.

NYC: There is better portability from RU-C to NYC than Temple or perhaps Nova, but it's negligible. If you're going to RU-C caliber school, try RU-N for NYC. That being said, good luck with that. I know only a few folks who made NYC and none were biglaw. If you're including North Jersey, Rutgers did comparable to it's peers in my experience. My old Roommate went biglaw in North Jersey.

DC: no idea. I know 1-2 Biglaw in DC over my 3 years

Philly: Rutgers does fairly well. I honestly picked Rutgers on cost (it ended up being the cheapest by 30-40k). The general rule is Nova owns west of Philly, Temple in the city and Rutgers in the East (South NJ). In terms of PI/Gov't - it's temple west and RU-C east. I'd say in my class, we sent 15% to biglaw in Philly/South Jersey. Another 2-3% in prestigious clerkships (3-5 of those might be non-Art III clerkships). Another 3-5% went semi-prestigious (state supreme/appellate). Those are my experiences w/o looking at the numbers. So you're talking 20% with good jobs.

Rutgers real benefit is state clerkships. NJ has a nice program (I'm a clerk) of 1 year clerkships for the state. Many of those judges care about their clerks and get them jobs - some obviously do not. However, my experience talking with former clerks (of which there are no statistics anymore) has been positive. Many end up in the state AG's office, various prosecutors offices and several small firms (5-10 attorneys). I'd say the most likely outcome is a small firm.

So, if you're goal is biglaw or bigfed, RU-C is far from a guarantee. Administratively, it's a bit of a pain. Career services are weak to nonexistent. Generally, i'd say top 15% has a good shot at biglaw - mostly in Philly/Jersey. That being said, the fallback options and debt are not as terrible as many peers on the east coast. T2s are rarely safe and Rutgers isn't a good bet right now. That being said, it terms of debt and reasonable job prospects, it's a good option and comparable to Temple in Philly. You're more likely to end up east of the Delaware, so if that's a sticking point, keep it in mind.

Still, South Jersey has grown on me.

[Nucky]

Would certainly be interested in hearing you, and the alumni above, comment on job prospects, portability to Philly/NYC/DC, and quality of life in the area. I know the stats are out there but it is always nice to hear first-hand how things stack up and what the general consensus is among your peers.

They also seem to be trying to sell 330 Cooper rather hard. Would be interested in hearing your thoughts on that.

Easy stuff:
330 Cooper didn't exist when I was there. If you're from out of the area, I'd suggest on campus living for a year. That being said, be price sensitive. i lived in the Victor 1L year - it was okay but my girlfriend HATED it.

Once you're outside of camden, quality is great. CWood is nice and so are the outlying towns off the train. Yes, there is public trans from those towns into camden and then Philly. This is hugely beneficial.

Hard stuff:
Job prospects are obvious but comparable to Temple/Nova/(I guess)Drexel.

NYC: There is better portability from RU-C to NYC than Temple or perhaps Nova, but it's negligible. If you're going to RU-C caliber school, try RU-N for NYC. That being said, good luck with that. I know only a few folks who made NYC and none were biglaw. If you're including North Jersey, Rutgers did comparable to it's peers in my experience. My old Roommate went biglaw in North Jersey.

DC: no idea. I know 1-2 Biglaw in philly over my 3 years

Philly: Rutgers does fairly well. I honestly picked Rutgers on cost (it ended up being the cheapest by 30-40k). The general rule is Nova owns west of Philly, Temple in the city and Rutgers in the East (South NJ). In terms of PI/Gov't - it's temple west and RU-C east. I'd say in my class, we sent 15% to biglaw in Philly/South Jersey. Another 2-3% in prestigious clerkships (3-5 of those might be non-Art III clerkships). Another 3-5% went semi-prestigious (state supreme/appellate). Those are my experiences w/o looking at the numbers. So you're talking 20% with good jobs.

Rutgers real benefit is state clerkships. NJ has a nice program (I'm a clerk) of 1 year clerkships for the state. Many of those judges care about their clerks and get them jobs - some obviously do not. However, my experience talking with former clerks (of which there are no statistics anymore) has been positive. Many end up in the state AG's office, various prosecutors offices and several small firms (5-10 attorneys). I'd say the most likely outcome is a small firm.

So, if you're goal is biglaw or bigfed, RU-C is far from a guarantee. Administratively, it's a bit of a pain. Career services are weak to nonexistent. Generally, i'd say top 15% has a good shot at biglaw - mostly in Philly/Jersey. That being said, the fallback options and debt are not as terrible as many peers on the east coast. T2s are rarely safe and Rutgers isn't a good bet right now. That being said, it terms of debt and reasonable job prospects, it's a good option and comparable to Temple in Philly. You're more likely to end up east of the Delaware, so if that's a sticking point, keep it in mind.

Still, South Jersey has grown on me.

Good stuff, thank you for the quick and thorough response. A few follow-ups, if you don't mind:

-How much debt you believe it is worth going into to attend Rutgers-C?
-Is Rutgers-C more favorable than Rutgers-N, or vice versa? Any animosity between the student bodies?

[nick417]

I am a Rutgers-Camden 1L this year. If anyone has any questions about Rutgers-Camden, let me know. I will gladly help anyone out.

Also, don't be scared away that Rutgers is in Camden. Camden is bad, but Philly is so close and Collingswood NJ is nearby and really nice. It is not as bad as many people make it out to be.

Would certainly be interested in hearing you, and the alumni above, comment on job prospects, portability to Philly/NYC/DC, and quality of life in the area. I know the stats are out there but it is always nice to hear first-hand how things stack up and what the general consensus is among your peers.

They also seem to be trying to sell 330 Cooper rather hard. Would be interested in hearing your thoughts on that.

I live in 330 Cooper. It isn't bad; it is right across the street from the law school which is a huge plus. I can study in the library late at night and not worry about traveling far to home. Plus, I can go to the gym late at night which is nice. It is also right next to the PATCO line so you can get into Philly fast. The best part of 330 Cooper (especially for 1 L's) is you get to meet a lot of other law students. I feel like the commuters who live off campus are not as connected to the school and other students as the ones who live in 330 Cooper.

As for the school, I don't know anything about job prospects since I am only a 1 L. All I know is that I talked to the career services office and they are very helpful and have taken a proactive approach to finding summer work for 1L's.

But I have been very satisfied through my first semester at Rutgers. The professors have been very helpful and great. It is not at all like the horror stories you see on TV and movies. The professor's have all been extremely accessible and want to see students succeed. I am very happy so far with my choice to attend to Rutgers.

[nick417]

ALSO: I can't say this enough. Take advantage of the in-state Tuition that Rutgers offers to ANYONE who moves into NJ. That is why I ended up at Rutgers. I am from Pennsylvania, but I moved to NJ (got a NJ license) and they gave me in-state tuition. Combine that with my scholarship and Rutgers was a great deal.

Also, I want to second the Rutgers alumnus above about Clerkships. Rutgers is great at getting clerkships in NJ. I know a lot of 3L's right now that have clerkship jobs lined up after graduation.