Top Law Schools

dapoetic1 wrote:Got a new avatar!!
Thoughts?

I love it, too.

holmesNYC wrote:

dapoetic1 wrote:Good post vyper!

anybody else notice the huge overhaul of the Rutgers-N website?
The website was pretty craptastic. It was probably one of the biggest eyeseores of any respectable law school. Actually of any law school period. I think only People's College of Law had a worse website.
But then a few days ago I logged on and lo and behold they got it all Extreme Makeover-like.

Kudos to Rutgers for getting their poop in a group.
I hope this means they are spending time (and money) in other relevant areas of the law school.

Whoa!!! Thanks for pointing that out. I was on the site just last week and as usual was trying to find information on that disgusting web site and thinking to myself that if they don't have the money to update their site, what does that mean for the rest of the school? Finally! This makes them seem entirely more reputable. I'm very excited to visit on Friday (and not just because of the new web site).

THANK GOD!!!!!!!!! I HATED THAT OLD WEBSITE - it was borderline embarassing to show my friends that the law school I'm going to couldn't even put together a semi-attractive website. Not that its critical, its an image thing - but its very important. Espicially when you see how much Cardozo invests in maintaining a clean, trendy image (see their website or their acceptance letters, very sexy).

maxima099 wrote:

holmesNYC wrote:

dapoetic1 wrote:Good post vyper!

anybody else notice the huge overhaul of the Rutgers-N website?
The website was pretty craptastic. It was probably one of the biggest eyeseores of any respectable law school. Actually of any law school period. I think only People's College of Law had a worse website.
But then a few days ago I logged on and lo and behold they got it all Extreme Makeover-like.

Kudos to Rutgers for getting their poop in a group.
I hope this means they are spending time (and money) in other relevant areas of the law school.

Whoa!!! Thanks for pointing that out. I was on the site just last week and as usual was trying to find information on that disgusting web site and thinking to myself that if they don't have the money to update their site, what does that mean for the rest of the school? Finally! This makes them seem entirely more reputable. I'm very excited to visit on Friday (and not just because of the new web site).

THANK GOD!!!!!!!!! I HATED THAT OLD WEBSITE - it was borderline embarassing to show my friends that the law school I'm going to couldn't even put together a semi-attractive website. Not that its critical, its an image thing - but its very important. Espicially when you see how much Cardozo invests in maintaining a clean, trendy image (see their website or their acceptance letters, very sexy).

Indeed a major improvement, still kind of minimal but man what a difference

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Is there a webcast?
Is there any other way to take part w/o being in Newark?

Sounds like a great opportunity.

no unfortunately there is not, but you can check this website to see if there will be a tour stop near you.

http://www.nodeathpenalty.org

Hey Giles...

Just wondering if you're still here and if you made any final decisions!

IzziesGal wrote:Hey Giles...

Just wondering if you're still here and if you made any final decisions!

Hey, still here. No final decisions yet. I actually just got back from the open house at Rutgers. It was OK, but didn't really sell me on the school.

In the last couple weeks I've been talking to people who I work with and all of them seem to really think Seton Hall is the right choice. Especially with the scholarship they are offering. I'm really not sure what I'm going to do, but I only have until April 1st to decide. The good news is that both schools are great options. I guess I'll know by next week...

How about you? Are you on your way to Berkeley?

Hey all!
I wasn't able to attend the open house on Friday but I was able to come to NJ for the weekend and check out Newark.

I am wondering... what am I missing? Nothing attracted me to the area or the campus. The law school itself was nice, but the rest of campus and the surrounding area was definitely nothing to write home about.

I am really disappointed because before actually seeing the place I was completely convinced this was where I wanted to be.

What do you guys like about Rutgers??

choppa5 wrote:Hey all!
I wasn't able to attend the open house on Friday but I was able to come to NJ for the weekend and check out Newark.

I am wondering... what am I missing? Nothing attracted me to the area or the campus. The law school itself was nice, but the rest of campus and the surrounding area was definitely nothing to write home about.

I am really disappointed because before actually seeing the place I was completely convinced this was where I wanted to be.

What do you guys like about Rutgers??

I am leaning towards Rutgers right now, and I agree- I dislike Newark. But I the law school building looks great- its a nice building, and its entirely self-contained. You could spend the day in the building as it has a library, cafeteria, classrooms, and study areas all inside the building. During the open house, I pretty much forgot I was in Newark for the time I was there.

The other major reason I'm leaning towards Rutgers is all of the public transportation, as I will be commuting. But, I understand where you are coming from- Newark as a city is really gross and the Rutgers Newark non-law campus is not very nice looking either.

I really, really wish that Rutgers would build a law school on its Piscataway campus, as that one feels more like a decent college. It also feels like you'd be alot less prone to be stabbed/mugged/shot/robbed in Piscataway vs Newark. But, oh well.

choppa5 wrote:Hey all!
I wasn't able to attend the open house on Friday but I was able to come to NJ for the weekend and check out Newark.

I am wondering... what am I missing? Nothing attracted me to the area or the campus. The law school itself was nice, but the rest of campus and the surrounding area was definitely nothing to write home about.

I am really disappointed because before actually seeing the place I was completely convinced this was where I wanted to be.

What do you guys like about Rutgers??

I think it's safe to say that, unlike a school such as Pepperdine, no one chooses to attend Rutgers-Newark because they've fallen in love with its location. If anything, the feeling that I had upon visiting was more like, "Oh, it's not as bad as I thought it might be."

Newark is an attractive option to many because of its proximity to NYC and other areas of Northern New Jersey, its cheap tuition and the job prospects for a school of its ranking. If you're looking for the dream college campus and location, Newark wouldn't be it but I think if you consider its other positive aspects you might think it's a good choice.

Also, another thing to consider -- you visited on the weekend. I'm not sure, but I'm going to guess that the campus wasn't as populated or bustling with activity as it is during the week. Maybe you can visit again on a weekday if you're still considering attending and see if you walk away with a different feeling.

Anybody have a chance to see downtown newark?

I've been reading all of these things about how they're starting the revitalization effort with downtown and the area around the NJPAC. Is it all just hype or is downtown Newark actually a place that could be a potential place to live?

I know most people choose to live in JC or Hoboken or Ironbound. I'm open to pretty much all of those. Although, I think Hoboken is just way to overpriced. But did anyone see an area in Newark that they believed might actually be on the rise?

dapoetic1 wrote:Anybody have a chance to see downtown newark?

I've been reading all of these things about how they're starting the revitalization effort with downtown and the area around the NJPAC. Is it all just hype or is downtown Newark actually a place that could be a potential place to live?

I know most people choose to live in JC or Hoboken or Ironbound. I'm open to pretty much all of those. Although, I think Hoboken is just way to overpriced. But did anyone see an area in Newark that they believed might actually be on the rise?

I've lived in Nutley, NJ for effectively my entire life. It's one of those 'ten minutes and a world away from Newark' totally white, middle class, closed-minded, suburban North Jersey towns. 'They' have been 'starting the revitalization effort' since I was like, 10 years old. We'll all be retired before Newark is ever anything much different than what it is today for a plethora of reasons that I don't feel the need or desire to explain here.

That said, is it better than it was? Yes. Could the term 'on the rise' be used in relation to the livability of downtown Newark? Probably. Would you walk from your apartment to the Don Pepe's by the Hilton after 8PM? If you had a death wish.

I worked as a real estate agent in Hoboken...and it's not all over-priced, so don't be too quick to discount it. The bigger issue is that it's even further away from Newark on the PATH train than Downtown Jersey City which tends to be a bit cheaper and a little younger/more eclectic. If you're planning to drive, then it doesn't matter as much but be prepared to sit in traffic on 21 with everyone else commuting in and out for work. My advice in this scenario would be to live in Montclair...it's cool, cheaper, and effectively the same commute you'd make from JC. If you're looking for someplace in Newark that is like, a hidden gem then please let me know if you find it. I'm considering RN with almost a full ride, but like you, am not convinced it's a place I could see myself spending three years of my life.

The BEST advice I can give you is to see for yourself. Go to downtown at like, 9 or 10 at night (the time you'd be leaving the library during finals or the like) and compare it to the downtown you see at 2PM during an accepted students day. Different worlds.

Keep us posted on what you decide. I think location is a big factor for everyone considering Newark.

JPatrella
Thanks for the advice. That's pretty much what I figured. I keep hearing lots of Newarkers that are tired of the promises of the revitalized newark that's been on the way for years.
I'm going to visit in a few weeks.
I don't know if I'm going to be walking around a 9 or 10 at night. From what I hear that's just not a good idea. Unless downtown Newark and the area directly around the school are much more safe than the rest of Newark...but I don't know if I'd take those chances.

I'll probably end up looking at JC and Ironbound. I hear Ironbound can be rough around the edges but it's a pretty eclectic neighborhood where a lot of people hang out. So I guess it's worth a visit. But it looks like JC might just be the best of all worlds. I'm looking for a nice loft building, something (safe) walking distance to Newark/Law school and a quick commute to NYC.

ok seriously how scary is Newark at night? I grew up in NYC and spent the last 2 years in DC, and while I lived in a nice part, I definitely have to been to scary areas. I went to the open house when it was sunny and nice, so obviously it didn't give me an accurate sense of the place...

purplegal wrote:ok seriously how scary is Newark at night? I grew up in NYC and spent the last 2 years in DC, and while I lived in a nice part, I definitely have to been to scary areas. I went to the open house when it was sunny and nice, so obviously it didn't give me an accurate sense of the place...

It's about equivalent to New York, as far as it goes. There are parts you just don't walk around in at night. But those aren't near the school. I live about half a mile from Vailsburg, which is the nastiest part of Newark. And it's pretty bad, particularly at night. But it's no different then any other city... be careful, travel in groups, don't walk around at night.

caoyun wrote:

purplegal wrote:ok seriously how scary is Newark at night? I grew up in NYC and spent the last 2 years in DC, and while I lived in a nice part, I definitely have to been to scary areas. I went to the open house when it was sunny and nice, so obviously it didn't give me an accurate sense of the place...

It's about equivalent to New York, as far as it goes. There are parts you just don't walk around in at night. But those aren't near the school. I live about half a mile from Vailsburg, which is the nastiest part of Newark. And it's pretty bad, particularly at night. But it's no different then any other city... be careful, travel in groups, don't walk around at night.

More or less, I agree with caoyun. I don't know that I'd agree that Newark is necessarily comparable to modern day New York, especially Manhattan (below 100th and excluding alphabet city) in terms of relative safety. Like caoyun said, if you stay away from certain areas you're much safer but not as much safer as you'd be knowing which areas to avoid in say, DC. I was visiting a friend in the Forest Hill section of Newark (amongst the nicest outside of downtown, 750K+ houses) and the lock on my X3 was busted. The cops told me 'sorry, these things happen when you don't keep an eye on your car.' at night, pretty much any part of Newark is fair game. Shitty police officers, too much 'real crime.'

I'm not trying to dissuade anyone from attending Rutgers Newark on the basis of location. I just think it's very important for people to have a solid understanding of what they're getting themselves into no matter where they go. Bottom line, if you're alert, live outside of Newark (or plan on spending a lot of nights in), take the Lightrail from campus to Penn station after 'business hours' if your public transporting it home, and don't look like a moving target you should be fine.

Best of luck to everyone on deciding

So I requested an extension on the deadlines yesterday (both seating deposit and scholarship acceptance deadlines). I got an auto-response email today saying "I will be away from the office on Tuesday and Wednesday, September 23-24th. All emails will be answered when I return." Way to be on the ball, Rutgers. I guess thats their subtle way of saying no to my request. Thanks Anita Walton.

caoyun wrote:So I requested an extension on the deadlines yesterday (both seating deposit and scholarship acceptance deadlines). I got an auto-response email today saying "I will be away from the office on Tuesday and Wednesday, September 23-24th. All emails will be answered when I return." Way to be on the ball, Rutgers. I guess thats their subtle way of saying no to my request. Thanks Anita Walton.

Caoyun, with all those awesome acceptances you are still considering Rutgers? This might be a personal question, but why?

Zeph wrote:

caoyun wrote:So I requested an extension on the deadlines yesterday (both seating deposit and scholarship acceptance deadlines). I got an auto-response email today saying "I will be away from the office on Tuesday and Wednesday, September 23-24th. All emails will be answered when I return." Way to be on the ball, Rutgers. I guess thats their subtle way of saying no to my request. Thanks Anita Walton.

Caoyun, with all those awesome acceptances you are still considering Rutgers? This might be a personal question, but why?

It's about eight miles from my home. And I don't want to go far. Until I hear from NYU or Columbia, it might be my best option. I probably wouldn't end up there, but I don't want to give up the option if I don't have to, as I'm still seriously considering it.

Ask Anitta, I got a two week extension.

LSATfromNC wrote:Ask Anitta, I got a two week extension.

I did email her. She's the one who had up the auto response that she'll be away in September.

I am surprised.I have found Ms. Walton to be very accessible.

passitback wrote:I am surprised.I have found Ms. Walton to be very accessible.

I used the send a message to us function on the website, and she replied back within a half hour.

I spoke with her about scholarship related matters at ASD, and she encouraged me to email her asap to assist me with the matter -strange.