Rutgers Newark Forum

[dhg5004]

Any other fellow riders on the wait list in here? I sent a LOCI and got my final transcripts sent to the LSAC already so now all I can do is wait...patiently. Has anyone heard anything about the wait list this year? Does anyone know when they started pulling off the wait list last year?

your numbers if you don't mind? pm me if you like.

I don't mind. 153/3.3 Cum, 4.0 for 5 semesters at my BA granting school, Summa Cum Laude, Phi Kappa Phi. I did poorly on the LG section and well on everything else but didn't feel I'd have time to study enough to make a significant improvement between full-time work and full-time school, and I have some other softs that I thought would help so I just went for it. I think had I not waited so long (first week of April) trying to perfect my Rutgers app (it's my top choice) I would have gotten an admit.

I have similar but slightly lower numbers and was waitlisted as well. Did you apply for their FT program? I sent my application in the middle of Feb for their PT. I don't understand how some people are still pending. Did you guys apply like last week or something?!

I know. It's seriously insane. I don't get it. I'm still pending and I went complete 4/15. (i know super late...but uhhhh it's been 8 weeks?)

this is such B.S. - then again I am thinking of bagging the law school idea and going for my MBA (hoping company will pay)

regardless, I'd like to hear soon. zzzzzz

[amg414]

As of around 11 AM there was no one picking up at the admissions office, so no word on how long the wait list is this year. Does anyone else have any information?

[Biolgy]

hey everyone,

I was planning on going to RU-N this fall & I Just got into fordham pt...where do you guys think I should go? I'm really confused b/c I wasn't expecting to get off the waitlist for fordham. I got a $10,000 scholarship at rutgers and in total it would cost me between 60-70K whereas fordham would be 190k...what do you say?

[badpixie]

hey everyone,

I was planning on going to RU-N this fall & I Just got into fordham pt...where do you guys think I should go? I'm really confused b/c I wasn't expecting to get off the waitlist for fordham. I got a $10,000 scholarship at rutgers and in total it would cost me between 60-70K whereas fordham would be 190k...what do you say?

It depends what you want to do after law school, and where you want to practice. What are your plans/goals?

[Biolgy]

hey everyone,

I was planning on going to RU-N this fall & I Just got into fordham pt...where do you guys think I should go? I'm really confused b/c I wasn't expecting to get off the waitlist for fordham. I got a $10,000 scholarship at rutgers and in total it would cost me between 60-70K whereas fordham would be 190k...what do you say?

It depends what you want to do after law school, and where you want to practice. What are your plans/goals?

I want to go into tax law...would want any job that would basically offer me the most $$ and uprise in career potential as well

[nymario]

I am a BIG fan of avoiding debt. Most people only do BigLaw because they have to pay off loans, not because they enjoy it. That said, I love Manhattan and would take Fordham over a lot of other schools similarly placed elsewhere. You simply can't ignore a $100,000 difference though. It comes down to NY (the greatest place in the world IMO) vs Newark (...) and how much you really *want* BigLaw vs how much you want Flexibility to take a job that you want, regardless of salary. There are strong reasons for both, and it is, of course, up to you what matters most.

[badpixie]

If you are set on big law, especially in NYC, Fordham gives you a better shot than Rutgers. But in this economy, big law isn't a guarantee anywhere (even T14), so how comfortable are you with the risk of taking on $190K in debt and only making $50K/year when you graduate? For some people, it's worth the risk, because they want the shot at big law/big $$. For others, it doesn't make sense to take on that kind of debt, which will have a big impact on your cash flow after your graduate, which may mean putting off buying a house, having a family, etc. It comes down to what you are comfortable with.

[bernie shmegma]

hey everyone,

I was planning on going to RU-N this fall & I Just got into fordham pt...where do you guys think I should go? I'm really confused b/c I wasn't expecting to get off the waitlist for fordham. I got a $10,000 scholarship at rutgers and in total it would cost me between 60-70K whereas fordham would be 190k...what do you say?

BadPixie makes a lot of strong points. I'd say you're looking at more like a window of 190K-210K though with Fordham + COL, unless you're going to slum it. Do you want to be in NYC when you're making ends meet anyway? That kind of defeats the purpose. You'd be better off getting an LLM at Fordham at night if you really want. Especially since PT is already a loss of time.

[dhg5004]

Has anyone been able to contact the admissions office? Apparently they're all on vacation because no one is manning the phones. No admissions office is THAT swamped with phone calls/work where they can't pick up a phone for 3 days.

what's going on? I'M STILL PENDING!!!!!

[NJcollegestudent]

Rutgers does not have a great record for answering phones. It is also the summer, and they might be overhauling the phone system and changing phone numbers. The thing i know from my experience at Rutgers the numbers are 973-353 and then xxxx. Call the main line and then search by the directory for the admissions officers number. If you are in the area, drop by in person as that would all but guarantee that you will get an answer.

[KosovasLostSon]

R-N Student. Just finished 1L. Taking questions.

[get it to x]

Do you know the extent that there is a drop-off in firms recruiting at Rutgers if there is one for this year? Do you have a summer job lined up?

[KosovasLostSon]

Do you know the extent that there is a drop-off in firms recruiting at Rutgers if there is one for this year? Do you have a summer job lined up?

There has been a drop off, but if you have decent grades it seems you will get a decent position. Almost everyone in the 1L class that I know of has a summer job. The better the grades the better the job (e.g. Federal Court of Appeals Summer Clerkship, Federal Summer Clerkship, Corporate In-House Counsel, etc.) I have no idea how the 2L's now going into their 3L year fared. We participate in OCIs in the next coming months, so I'll let you know how it's been affected. I'm hoping it's looking up for me, since I'm in the class of 2012. My only words of advice is join MSP. I didn't and I regret it. That program has a lot of nice firm connects that will help with networking. Also, just so you know... Career Services is worthless at Rutgers-Newark.

[king3780]

Do you know the extent that there is a drop-off in firms recruiting at Rutgers if there is one for this year? Do you have a summer job lined up?

There has been a drop off, but if you have decent grades it seems you will get a decent position. Almost everyone in the 1L class that I know of has a summer job. The better the grades the better the job (e.g. Federal Court of Appeals Summer Clerkship, Federal Summer Clerkship, Corporate In-House Counsel, etc.) I have no idea how the 2L's now going into their 3L year fared. We participate in OCIs in the next coming months, so I'll let you know how it's been affected. I'm hoping it's looking up for me, since I'm in the class of 2012. My only words of advice is join MSP. I didn't and I regret it. That program has a lot of nice firm connects that will help with networking. Also, just so you know... Career Services is worthless at Rutgers-Newark.

FWIW, I just finished my first year of PT at Rutgers and one of my classmates said her employer would specifically not hire anyone who was in the MSP because they get coddled and spoon fed and don't know how to figure things out on their own. His words, and obviously purely anecodotal evidence, just passing it along.

[jeremydc]

Wow, thats messed up.

[Bigbub75]

Do you know the extent that there is a drop-off in firms recruiting at Rutgers if there is one for this year? Do you have a summer job lined up?

There has been a drop off, but if you have decent grades it seems you will get a decent position. Almost everyone in the 1L class that I know of has a summer job. The better the grades the better the job (e.g. Federal Court of Appeals Summer Clerkship, Federal Summer Clerkship, Corporate In-House Counsel, etc.) I have no idea how the 2L's now going into their 3L year fared. We participate in OCIs in the next coming months, so I'll let you know how it's been affected. I'm hoping it's looking up for me, since I'm in the class of 2012. My only words of advice is join MSP. I didn't and I regret it. That program has a lot of nice firm connects that will help with networking. Also, just so you know... Career Services is worthless at Rutgers-Newark.

FWIW, I just finished my first year of PT at Rutgers and one of my classmates said her employer would specifically not hire anyone who was in the MSP because they get coddled and spoon fed and don't know how to figure things out on their own. His words, and obviously purely anecodotal evidence, just passing it along.

That's pretty ignorant of her employer. While that may be true of some of the participants of the program, to say that you wouldn't hire anyone from MSP is a bit extreme. He could be missing out on some really good candidates because of a gross over generalization. His loss I guess.

[KosovasLostSon]

In regards to MSP, that may be true for his employer, but I doubt it matters in general. MSP opens clerships and summer positions (e.g. MidLaw, In-House Counsel, DA's Office, etc.) normally reserved for students in the top 15% of the class and/or for 2L/3Ls. These kids have paid jobs their 1st year summers (granted not much in some cases), and are able to make connections not normally made. Once you're in the door, it's up to you to prove what you're worth. MSP makes it easier to get into some doors. Granted, MSP students are somewhat coddled with meeting 2 weeks prior to law school to form bonds/acclimate and weekly facilitations (i.e. essentially school mandated study groups with assignments), but that doesn't take away from the benefits the program offers. I'm not in MSP, and somewhat regret not joining it. If you have the grades, the doors will open regardless. If you're middle of the pack or lower, you're going to have to open those doors. MSP makes it somewhat easier to network and hopefully open those doors.

Just my two cents.

[KosovasLostSon]

Do you know the extent that there is a drop-off in firms recruiting at Rutgers if there is one for this year? Do you have a summer job lined up?

I do have a summer job lined up... A nice one actually. Unpaid, but that really doesn't matter for 1L. 1L you're essentially looking for a resume filler to show some legal experience, and that you didn't waste the summer.

[TUhustler]

In regards to MSP, that may be true for his employer, but I doubt it matters in general. MSP opens clerships and summer positions (e.g. MidLaw, In-House Counsel, DA's Office, etc.) normally reserved for students in the top 15% of the class and/or for 2L/3Ls. These kids have paid jobs their 1st year summers (granted not much in some cases), and are able to make connections not normally made. Once you're in the door, it's up to you to prove what you're worth. MSP makes it easier to get into some doors. Granted, MSP students are somewhat coddled with meeting 2 weeks prior to law school to form bonds/acclimate and weekly facilitations (i.e. essentially school mandated study groups with assignments), but that doesn't take away from the benefits the program offers. I'm not in MSP, and somewhat regret not joining it. If you have the grades, the doors will open regardless. If you're middle of the pack or lower, you're going to have to open those doors. MSP makes it somewhat easier to network and hopefully open those doors.

Just my two cents.

Can anyone join MSP? Maybe I am ignorant but I didn't think it was open to everyone.

[king3780]

In regards to MSP, that may be true for his employer, but I doubt it matters in general. MSP opens clerships and summer positions (e.g. MidLaw, In-House Counsel, DA's Office, etc.) normally reserved for students in the top 15% of the class and/or for 2L/3Ls. These kids have paid jobs their 1st year summers (granted not much in some cases), and are able to make connections not normally made. Once you're in the door, it's up to you to prove what you're worth. MSP makes it easier to get into some doors. Granted, MSP students are somewhat coddled with meeting 2 weeks prior to law school to form bonds/acclimate and weekly facilitations (i.e. essentially school mandated study groups with assignments), but that doesn't take away from the benefits the program offers. I'm not in MSP, and somewhat regret not joining it. If you have the grades, the doors will open regardless. If you're middle of the pack or lower, you're going to have to open those doors. MSP makes it somewhat easier to network and hopefully open those doors.

Just my two cents.

Can anyone join MSP? Maybe I am ignorant but I didn't think it was open to everyone.

In theory it's supposed to be for people from disadvantaged backgrounds, but really it's limited to minority students. You'll see a guy who's black, went to a private high school, elite college, played a half dozen years in the NBA and makes six figures now in the program, but not a single poor white person.

[jeremydc]

True.

[Bigbub75]

In regards to MSP, that may be true for his employer, but I doubt it matters in general. MSP opens clerships and summer positions (e.g. MidLaw, In-House Counsel, DA's Office, etc.) normally reserved for students in the top 15% of the class and/or for 2L/3Ls. These kids have paid jobs their 1st year summers (granted not much in some cases), and are able to make connections not normally made. Once you're in the door, it's up to you to prove what you're worth. MSP makes it easier to get into some doors. Granted, MSP students are somewhat coddled with meeting 2 weeks prior to law school to form bonds/acclimate and weekly facilitations (i.e. essentially school mandated study groups with assignments), but that doesn't take away from the benefits the program offers. I'm not in MSP, and somewhat regret not joining it. If you have the grades, the doors will open regardless. If you're middle of the pack or lower, you're going to have to open those doors. MSP makes it somewhat easier to network and hopefully open those doors.

Just my two cents.

Can anyone join MSP? Maybe I am ignorant but I didn't think it was open to everyone.

In theory it's supposed to be for people from disadvantaged backgrounds, but really it's limited to minority students. You'll see a guy who's black, went to a private high school, elite college, played a half dozen years in the NBA and makes six figures now in the program, but not a single poor white person.

This isn't entirely true. I went to an open house last year and the had some of the MSP participants present. One of the of the people who spoke about his experiences in the program was a white guy, I believe he was either from rural Alabama or another southern state. He spoke a little about his disadvantaged background and how being in the program opened up a lot of doors for him.

[Rutgers1L_10]

Question for Rutgers_1L or any other current RU-N student:

How is the parking situation at the deck behind the law school building? I am concerned mostly about how requesting late track over early track might impact the availability of parking. I'd love to not have to deal with rush hour traffic in the morning, but not if it means that I have to park on the other side of campus. Any thoughts?

I attend Rutgers-Newark as an undergraduate right now. Parking is quite literally a nightmare on campus. We have two decks, and on a regular session by 9am the main deck is full and you have to go all the way down the street to deck 2. My advice is either to leave early or commute via mass transit. In addition, the campus is very safe, and located perfectly within a few blocks thus the security presence is great. The law building is also secured, and only accessible to students or staff with ID.

Yes I would say this is accurate. I drove everyday. If you get to school by 9-9:30 you will be able to park on the first floor of the deck on Washington st with zero problems. Unless I got there at noon I was always able to find a parking spot in deck 2. On Fridays parking in deck 1 right behind the school is not too bad. The Washington St. Deck is a 2 min walk down the block to the law school and I would rather walk the 2 min that drive around for 10 min looking for a parking spot on deck 6 of the other parking lot. To each his own.

[Rutgers1L_10]

Did anyone check out the RU- Newark C/O 2009 employment stats on the website? Pretty impressive ITE. 92% employed. A decent amount in biglaw and midlaw, although it seems there was a jump in the amount of people that took clerkships. Makes me feel alot better about my decision.

A lot more 3Ls took clerkships this year, because believe it or not, they were easier to come by. They told our class we would do better with OCI than the last class and the class before that, and there are some signs of that being true. Hopefully, that means things will be back to slightly normal for your class. but RU is top-notch for good clerkships.

[badpixie]

Yes I would say this is accurate. I drove everyday. If you get to school by 9-9:30 you will be able to park on the first floor of the deck on Washington st with zero problems. Unless I got there at noon I was always able to find a parking spot in deck 2. On Fridays parking in deck 1 right behind the school is not too bad. The Washington St. Deck is a 2 min walk down the block to the law school and I would rather walk the 2 min that drive around for 10 min looking for a parking spot on deck 6 of the other parking lot. To each his own.

Thanks Rutgers1L! Any other thoughts/suggestions about choosing between the early and late tracks? Pros/cons?