Buffalo 2010 Forum

Share Your Experiences, Read About Other Experiences. Please keep posts organized by school and expected year of graduation.
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snowpeach06

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Re: Buffalo 2010

Post by snowpeach06 » Tue Apr 13, 2010 9:27 pm

Replaced by Syracuse. lol.

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sawwaverunner

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Re: Buffalo 2010

Post by sawwaverunner » Tue Apr 13, 2010 11:33 pm

I thought I would care, but I don't. Law school is just one step in beginning a career as a lawyer. Rest assured, UB graduates are coming into a desperate economy with very reasonable student loans. The rankings are arbitrary for the most part.

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sawwaverunner

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Re: Buffalo 2010

Post by sawwaverunner » Tue Apr 13, 2010 11:35 pm

snowpeach06 wrote:Replaced by Syracuse. lol.
The scary thing is having students believe they are justified in paying tuition at SU. Watch the prospects talking about attending "at sticker" the up-and-coming Syracuse college of law.

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sanpiero

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Re: Buffalo 2010

Post by sanpiero » Wed Apr 14, 2010 12:10 am

Did anyone go to the ASD in March or April? Impressions???

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baboon309

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Re: Buffalo 2010

Post by baboon309 » Wed Apr 14, 2010 11:00 pm

sawwaverunner wrote:
snowpeach06 wrote:Replaced by Syracuse. lol.
The scary thing is having students believe they are justified in paying tuition at SU. Watch the prospects talking about attending "at sticker" the up-and-coming Syracuse college of law.
Hey! Joe Biden went there~ lol

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NYCbound96

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Re: Buffalo 2010

Post by NYCbound96 » Thu Apr 15, 2010 5:21 pm

I was accepted on Monday with $5k! :) Hoping everything works out so I can go...

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sanpiero

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Re: Buffalo 2010

Post by sanpiero » Thu Apr 15, 2010 7:21 pm

NYCbound96 wrote:I was accepted on Monday with $5k! :) Hoping everything works out so I can go...
Congrats! It looks like that is or is very close to the largest scholarship they're giving out this year. Which other schools are you considering?

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NYCbound96

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Re: Buffalo 2010

Post by NYCbound96 » Thu Apr 15, 2010 8:50 pm

sanpiero wrote:
NYCbound96 wrote:I was accepted on Monday with $5k! :) Hoping everything works out so I can go...
Congrats! It looks like that is or is very close to the largest scholarship they're giving out this year. Which other schools are you considering?
Well Buffalo is my number one choice, the price can't be beat and there's so many other bonuses for me. Unfortunately it all depends on whether or not my boyfriend gets in there as well.

Right now I've been accepted at St. John's as well which is my back up.

Still waiting to hear from Columbia, Fordham, Cardozo and have been WLed at Brooklyn. I already gave up my spots at Touro and Hofstra.

[strike]Are you going there for sure?[/strike] Sorry just went back and read through the thread... I assume from your posts that you already go there. Do you like it at Buffalo?

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sanpiero

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Re: Buffalo 2010

Post by sanpiero » Thu Apr 15, 2010 9:49 pm

NYCbound96 wrote:
sanpiero wrote:
NYCbound96 wrote:I was accepted on Monday with $5k! :) Hoping everything works out so I can go...
Congrats! It looks like that is or is very close to the largest scholarship they're giving out this year. Which other schools are you considering?
Well Buffalo is my number one choice, the price can't be beat and there's so many other bonuses for me. Unfortunately it all depends on whether or not my boyfriend gets in there as well.

Right now I've been accepted at St. John's as well which is my back up.

Still waiting to hear from Columbia, Fordham, Cardozo and have been WLed at Brooklyn. I already gave up my spots at Touro and Hofstra.

[strike]Are you going there for sure?[/strike] Sorry just went back and read through the thread... I assume from your posts that you already go there. Do you like it at Buffalo?
Well, I hope it works out for your boyfriend, then! I agree that cost of attendance at UB is really reasonable, especially given your scholarship. I don't attend, so I can't speak to my experience, but I do have friends who have attended. They seem to echo the sentiment I hear time and again: you're not going to come out making 100k+ unless you're top 5%, but there isn't a better school (outside T20, obviously) for those hoping to work in Buffalo or the surrounding area. There also seems to be a consensus that UB is "laid back" as law schools go and the faculty and staff are really friendly and accessible. WNY certainly isn't for everyone but if you want to work/live there, I don't think you can go wrong attending UB.

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NYCbound96

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Re: Buffalo 2010

Post by NYCbound96 » Thu Apr 15, 2010 10:20 pm

sanpiero wrote:
NYCbound96 wrote:
sanpiero wrote:
NYCbound96 wrote:I was accepted on Monday with $5k! :) Hoping everything works out so I can go...
Congrats! It looks like that is or is very close to the largest scholarship they're giving out this year. Which other schools are you considering?
Well Buffalo is my number one choice, the price can't be beat and there's so many other bonuses for me. Unfortunately it all depends on whether or not my boyfriend gets in there as well.

Right now I've been accepted at St. John's as well which is my back up.

Still waiting to hear from Columbia, Fordham, Cardozo and have been WLed at Brooklyn. I already gave up my spots at Touro and Hofstra.

[strike]Are you going there for sure?[/strike] Sorry just went back and read through the thread... I assume from your posts that you already go there. Do you like it at Buffalo?
Well, I hope it works out for your boyfriend, then! I agree that cost of attendance at UB is really reasonable, especially given your scholarship. I don't attend, so I can't speak to my experience, but I do have friends who have attended. They seem to echo the sentiment I hear time and again: you're not going to come out making 100k+ unless you're top 5%, but there isn't a better school (outside T20, obviously) for those hoping to work in Buffalo or the surrounding area. There also seems to be a consensus that UB is "laid back" as law schools go and the faculty and staff are really friendly and accessible. WNY certainly isn't for everyone but if you want to work/live there, I don't think you can go wrong attending UB.
The laid back, no ranking thing is definitely one of it's selling points for me. I don't like that friendships are so strained at some other schools because of the competition. I was wondering, do you know of anyone who intends to work in the NYC or Long Island area after graduating UB? I'm a bit worried that my job prospects will take a hit because Buffalo is too regional.

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Re: Buffalo 2010

Post by Iseethelight » Thu Apr 15, 2010 10:26 pm

Cons: Buffalo is the second poorest city in the country after Detroit, the weather is terrible, the law school went from rank 85 to no longer being ranked, I read somewhere maybe TLS starting salary is between 45k-55k, Extremely cold during the winter (roughly October-May) (weather again), the city is slowly decreasing in population every year as more and more people leave, UB2020 (the schools plan for the future) has shown little support from the state budget committee and is looking more likely to fail.

Pros: Many frats that you can drink in, campus has its own police department for your safety, the gym closes at 11:45 and 745 on the weekend (i guess it depends where your coming from), Law students carry a certain "swagga" on campus which you will be able to have. The Buffalo Sabres, TO on the Bills, Law school is very laid back and you aren't ranked.

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sanpiero

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Re: Buffalo 2010

Post by sanpiero » Thu Apr 15, 2010 11:02 pm

To clear up a bit of the misinformation above:
Iseethelight wrote:Cons: Buffalo is the second poorest city in the country after Detroit.
The law school campus is in Amherst, a suburb of Buffalo. Amherst has consistently been ranked as one of the safest cities in America. While you attend law school, and possibly even during your career, you will never encounter Buffalo's most run-down, crime-ridden neighborhoods. If you included this to suggest Buffalo is without legal jobs, you are wrong. It is well-known that those who do well at UB do not have much of a problem finding a job working for firms or for the government in the Buffalo metro area. No one expects to become fabulously wealthy or land $150k associateships coming from UB. Every large inner-city has poverty. This doesn't make said cities unfriendly to law school grads.
Iseethelight wrote:Extremely cold during the winter (roughly October-May)


This is not true. October, April, and May are a few of Buffalo's best months for weather. What was the weather like this April, you might ask. April 1: high of 77, partly cloudy. April 2: high of 79, partly cloudy. April 3: high of 83, partly cloudy. The average temperatures in October, April, and May in Buffalo are 59, 54, and 66, respectively. This hardly qualifies as "extremely cold" weather. Winter is usually gone and forgotten by late March and doesn't start-up again until late October/early November. You couldn't ask for better weather mid-April through mid-October.
Iseethelight wrote:starting salary is between 45k-55k
False. Calculating a rough median starting private sector salary from US News' class of 2008 data, I arrive at 55k-65k. The median public sector salary was 55k for the class of 2008. Again, students don't go to UB planning to land $100k+ associateships. There's nothing wrong with a 55k starting salary when you've paid only $17k/year in tuition.
Iseethelight wrote:TO on the Bills
No, he's not.

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sanpiero

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Re: Buffalo 2010

Post by sanpiero » Thu Apr 15, 2010 11:17 pm

NYCbound96 wrote:The laid back, no ranking thing is definitely one of it's selling points for me. I don't like that friendships are so strained at some other schools because of the competition. I was wondering, do you know of anyone who intends to work in the NYC or Long Island area after graduating UB? I'm a bit worried that my job prospects will take a hit because Buffalo is too regional.
Sorry, I don't know anyone who has gone to NYC/LI from UB Law. I'm sure it's possible but I don't have any anecdotal evidence. They do claim to have ~1,700 alumni in the downstate region, so that can't hurt. Here's a list of NYC employers at which they've placed students in the past:

http://law.buffalo.edu/Career_Services/ ... e=nyc_list

About 20-21% of their CO 2008 (~40 students) found work in NYC. OTOH, about 50% found work in Buffalo.

I always tell people who are considering only schools outside the T20 to go to school in the region in which they'd like to work. And, I think this advice is sound in your circumstance, too. Think about how many more alumni of schools like St. John's, Brooklyn, Cardozo, etc. are practicing in NYC and LI. You also have three years to network in the region you want to work, if attending a school therein. And when I say "network" I don't confine myself to meeting strangers at social gatherings, through mutual friends, and at firm meet and greets. I also mean getting references from Professors, working at your school's clinics, externing with judges and the state/federal government, shadowing attorneys, working on law review, etc.

That said, I think your apprehensiveness about Buffalo's placement in NYC/LI is well justified. On the other hand, if you are not limited to downstate and plan to at least consider employment in WNY, I think Buffalo is an excellent choice.

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NYCbound96

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Re: Buffalo 2010

Post by NYCbound96 » Thu Apr 15, 2010 11:24 pm

I love how every time I tell a family member that Buffalo is my number one choice they look at me and go... but it's really cold up there. I've spent the past 3 years in college in Albany and while I understand it's colder in Buffalo, at this point I don't see it being a huge culture shock. I actually sort of prefer winters up here because the cities actually know how to handle the snow so it's so much less of an impact on daily life. And when the snow gets really bad... snow day!! :) (But I won't lie, I'm one of those stay in and read a book on a snow day type of people.)

Also, if you've already been to a SUNY the "SUNY problems" are pretty familiar and expected across the board. They're not the best of the best with regards to the facilities, but you're also not paying up the butt for the private university-rainbows and butterflies experience. I did one year at a private university and while there were a few perks, it was nothing that made or broke the college experience. I'm pretty glad that I decided to take the cheaper route and I'm getting the same piece of paper.

I know that these things can be serious cons to those who have spent their lives being pampered by society, but if you're a realistic person who can compromise on certain aspects of life these cons are not quite so awful and most definitely not deal breakers.

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NYCbound96

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Re: Buffalo 2010

Post by NYCbound96 » Thu Apr 15, 2010 11:27 pm

sanpiero wrote:
NYCbound96 wrote:The laid back, no ranking thing is definitely one of it's selling points for me. I don't like that friendships are so strained at some other schools because of the competition. I was wondering, do you know of anyone who intends to work in the NYC or Long Island area after graduating UB? I'm a bit worried that my job prospects will take a hit because Buffalo is too regional.
Sorry, I don't know anyone who has gone to NYC/LI from UB Law. I'm sure it's possible but I don't have any anecdotal evidence. They do claim to have ~1,700 alumni in the downstate region, so that can't hurt. Here's a list of NYC employers at which they've placed students in the past:

http://law.buffalo.edu/Career_Services/ ... e=nyc_list

About 20-21% of their CO 2008 (~40 students) found work in NYC. OTOH, about 50% found work in Buffalo.

I always tell people who are considering only schools outside the T20 to go to school in the region in which they'd like to work. And, I think this advice is sound in your circumstance, too. Think about how many more alumni of schools like St. John's, Brooklyn, Cardozo, etc. are practicing in NYC and LI. You also have three years to network in the region you want to work, if attending a school therein. And when I say "network" I don't confine myself to meeting strangers at social gatherings, through mutual friends, and at firm meet and greets. I also mean getting references from Professors, working at your school's clinics, externing with judges and the state/federal government, shadowing attorneys, working on law review, etc.

That said, I think your apprehensiveness about Buffalo's placement in NYC/LI is well justified. On the other hand, if you are not limited to downstate and plan to at least consider employment in WNY, I think Buffalo is an excellent choice.
Well networking isn't really a huge problem for me, I have about 6 lawyers in my family currently, and my grandmother is pretty well connected in politics down here so I don't think I'll have a huge problem only being able to network during the summers and winters. I'm mostly worried about coming out of someplace like St. John's with a buttload of debt and not being able to get a job vs coming out of UB with little/no debt and not really freaking out if I end up being unable to get a job right away.

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sanpiero

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Re: Buffalo 2010

Post by sanpiero » Thu Apr 15, 2010 11:45 pm

NYCbound96 wrote:
sanpiero wrote:
NYCbound96 wrote:The laid back, no ranking thing is definitely one of it's selling points for me. I don't like that friendships are so strained at some other schools because of the competition. I was wondering, do you know of anyone who intends to work in the NYC or Long Island area after graduating UB? I'm a bit worried that my job prospects will take a hit because Buffalo is too regional.
Sorry, I don't know anyone who has gone to NYC/LI from UB Law. I'm sure it's possible but I don't have any anecdotal evidence. They do claim to have ~1,700 alumni in the downstate region, so that can't hurt. Here's a list of NYC employers at which they've placed students in the past:

http://law.buffalo.edu/Career_Services/ ... e=nyc_list

About 20-21% of their CO 2008 (~40 students) found work in NYC. OTOH, about 50% found work in Buffalo.

I always tell people who are considering only schools outside the T20 to go to school in the region in which they'd like to work. And, I think this advice is sound in your circumstance, too. Think about how many more alumni of schools like St. John's, Brooklyn, Cardozo, etc. are practicing in NYC and LI. You also have three years to network in the region you want to work, if attending a school therein. And when I say "network" I don't confine myself to meeting strangers at social gatherings, through mutual friends, and at firm meet and greets. I also mean getting references from Professors, working at your school's clinics, externing with judges and the state/federal government, shadowing attorneys, working on law review, etc.

That said, I think your apprehensiveness about Buffalo's placement in NYC/LI is well justified. On the other hand, if you are not limited to downstate and plan to at least consider employment in WNY, I think Buffalo is an excellent choice.
Well networking isn't really a huge problem for me, I have about 6 lawyers in my family currently, and my grandmother is pretty well connected in politics down here so I don't think I'll have a huge problem only being able to network during the summers and winters. I'm mostly worried about coming out of someplace like St. John's with a buttload of debt and not being able to get a job vs coming out of UB with little/no debt and not really freaking out if I end up being unable to get a job right away.
:) In that case, I don't see any reason why you shouldn't go to UB.

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Re: Buffalo 2010

Post by TracyLynn » Fri Apr 16, 2010 8:57 am

Sanpiero--I needed to give you a shout out for clearing up some misconceptions about UB/Buffalo. I'm attending in the fall and am from the area. I never understood people's fear of buffalo weather...it's the same cold weather as the rest of upstate NY, not colder, just more snow. And I agree that as a UB law student, you won't be close to the rundown areas. Props to you!! :D

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thusspakebenji

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Re: Buffalo 2010

Post by thusspakebenji » Mon May 03, 2010 4:53 pm

Live in Albany, went to Buffalo for 2 years (and SUNY Albany for another 2, graduating debt free) and will be returning to the snowy wasteland this fall. As far as facilities go, yeah, it's not the Ritz, but if things like rollerblading paths and koi ponds are what determine where you're going to school then you're obviously very concerned with your education.

Seems to me that if you want to work in biglaw, in NYC, drink champagne and strawberries nightly, etc. then Buffalo is not for you. I plan on living and working in the upstate area (and by that I mean Albany, Adirondacks, etc.) and earning a salary that allows me to be comfortable (I am an extremely simple person with very little in the way of needs/wants/etc). Job prospects with a BA are essentially shot, so when the going gets tough, the tough go to back to school (provided they dont end up 250k in debt).

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