UC Irvine ASW Forum

(Where, When and What Did You Think)
lawgeekgrl

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UC Irvine ASW

Post by lawgeekgrl » Sat Mar 17, 2012 10:20 pm

Coming up this next Friday. I will try to post some pictures and offer info to those who won't be able to make it.

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TrojanHopeful

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Re: UC Irvine ASW

Post by TrojanHopeful » Tue Mar 20, 2012 1:37 pm

Swag bag anyone?

horrorbusiness

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Re: UC Irvine ASW

Post by horrorbusiness » Tue Mar 20, 2012 10:02 pm

i think i'll be there on saturday

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odetojefferson

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Re: UC Irvine ASW

Post by odetojefferson » Wed Mar 21, 2012 4:28 am

tag. Have fun everybody!

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Re: UC Irvine ASW

Post by Skruf » Thu Mar 22, 2012 10:13 pm

Thanks Lawgeekgrl for starting this. I visited already and I won't be able to make it this weekend, so I'd love to read all about it from you lovely people on this board.

Err on the side of way too much posting and writing. :D

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lawgeekgrl

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Re: UC Irvine ASW

Post by lawgeekgrl » Fri Mar 23, 2012 2:18 am

Skruf wrote:Thanks Lawgeekgrl for starting this. I visited already and I won't be able to make it this weekend, so I'd love to read all about it from you lovely people on this board.

Err on the side of way too much posting and writing. :D
Done!:

I went by the campus today. I've driven through it before, but never got a chance to walk around. Really, we just made a quick stop at the bookstore, but we did walked through the Student Center, and saw some other buildings. My first impression was: "This is way nicer than UCLA!" However, we didn't browse more since we knew we're going to be there all day tomorrow and Saturday.

After that though, we went to Laguna Beach. There's a Starbucks right in front of the beach. It was dark at this time, but sitting on the boardwalk, coffee in hand, feet buried in the sand, awesome weather... I can definitely see myself here for the next three years.

I haven't even been to ASW yet, but I'm absolutely sold already (like I wasn't before...).

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splitbrain

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Re: UC Irvine ASW

Post by splitbrain » Fri Mar 23, 2012 11:57 pm

I am pretty sure I have a migraine from being asked the same 2 questions all day: where are you from and where did you do undergrad?

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Re: UC Irvine ASW

Post by uci2013 » Sat Mar 24, 2012 12:58 am

splitbrain wrote:I am pretty sure I have a migraine from being asked the same 2 questions all day: where are you from and where did you do undergrad?
LOL Sorry, if we met today I am sure I am guilty of asking you those two questions as well. Maybe next year name badges should have that info on it. But I am sure people are just trying to find a way to break the ice and start a conversation. Hopefully you fell in love with UCI nonetheless.

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Re: UC Irvine ASW

Post by splitbrain » Sat Mar 24, 2012 1:00 am

uci2013 wrote:
splitbrain wrote:I am pretty sure I have a migraine from being asked the same 2 questions all day: where are you from and where did you do undergrad?
LOL Sorry, if we met today I am sure I am guilty of asking you those two questions as well. Maybe next year name badges should have that info on it. But I am sure people are just trying to find a way to break the ice and start a conversation. Hopefully you fell in love with UCI nonetheless.
No it was great and I totally get it. I'm super sold on the school.

Just...oh my god my head.

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lawgeekgrl

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Re: UC Irvine ASW

Post by lawgeekgrl » Sat Mar 24, 2012 2:05 am

Friday:

First of all, I just got back from the brewery, so there's a really good chance I will make up words along the way. Also, for those of you who came, feel free to add, correct or dispute any of my information in here. Lastly, be warned that I have known I'd go to UCI since before I started to fill out applications, BUT I will truly try my best to be unbiased.

Okay, so we get there. Continental breakfast, and plenty of coffee. Works for me. It was a bit cloudy and misty, so there was a staff person making sure no one sat on a wet chair or for the tables to be wet. We got name tags and guest tags. Some people, for whatever reason, did not get name tags when they checked in, but they were supposed to get them later. We got a folder with info, some new and some old, AND we got a pretty neat USB drive in the shape of a key. LOVED IT! First people there got a blue paper to get into Chem's class, and everyone else could watch it from a different room. I felt EXTREMELY guilty from taking a spot from out-of-state people, but since my schedule is 7am-6:30pm Mon-Fri, it was very unlikely that I could do this at a different time.

There was a "welcome" section in the schedule, but they seemed to have skipped that. Could have been because of the weather. ALSO, the law buildings are plain grey, which wasn't my favorite, but it's not like it hurts your eyes to look at it, and the facilities in the inside make up for it.

Soooooo I go into Chem's class. I sat next to a student who seemed to be pretty cool. He wasn't that excited about law school, when I inquired, he complained about readings. To which I thought "if you didn't know you'd have to read this much for law school then maybe you didn't do your research." But you know, that's his journey. I have always heard GREAT things of Chem. But the actual thing was just AMAZING. I would totally say that if choosing a law school didn't involve so many factors, it would totally be worth it to go to UCI to just take his class. To be fair though, next class will be split in three groups (someone already mentioned this so I apologize for repeating) so only a third of the class will get to take his class. In the larger scheme of things, it's a drawback, sure, but it's not like the rest of the faculty isn't just as great.

After the class, Chem took some questions. It was unfortunate to see that most of the questions involved rankings. Okay, I understand why people are so crazy about the rankings, but there was no need to ask the same question 4 times. There were some other interesting questions, but to recap: target class size for next year should be around 110, 24 of 25 students who worked in firms during their 2L summers were offered associate positions, and y'all already know enough of clerkships so I won't mention them again. To the question of what makes Irvine different, Chem said something along the lines of: you get paired with a mentor (a practicing attorney) from early on to guide you through the process, the clinic requirement, the pro-bono requirement, "we're making you practice ready" basically. To that someone asked about academia. Chem said that he wouldn't separate the two. I agree with that because I wouldn't want to learn from a law professor who never practiced, unless their research is SO GOOD that you have to. Also, and I will stress this a lot throughout this post, he mentioned how the Orange County community is so supportive and behind the law school and the students. There may have been more stuff, but my memory can only do so much after so much alcohol.

After that, we had the law library tours. I absolutely loved the library. I mean, it's probably a bit smaller than at other major schools, but they're going to expand it next summer. Besides, you have to think about how enrollment is still a lot smaller here than at other place. OH, that reminds me, during Chem's Q&A, he did say that they're going to try to ultimately have 200 students per class, but quality permitting- and this will take a while. Okay, so the library was nice. It's open until 10pm during the week, and 6pm weekends. It does have extended hours during finals. Also, since the library is young and had the choice to pick their materials, some of their stuff is online and accessible. Also, there's free printing at the library, AND you can borrow materials from other UC schools. So if you need something from UCLA, they'll get it for you in a day.

Next was the housing. They took us to the American Communities (aka the expensive ones). I tagged alone just cause, but I'm set on Verano. Verano and Palo Verde don't offer tours so we didn't get to see them. But they're across the street from the school, and the balconies/patios were spacious, so I'm assuming the inside to be proportional. The AC were nice, but I personally don't think you should throw 1000 to share a 2 bedroom apartment. Okay, you'll have a nice pool, gaming room, studying rooms, but how often will you actually get to used them? But hey, if you can drop the money there, by all means.

The Anteater Recreation Center (ARC) followed. Nice, spacious facility. A lot of renovations going on, but they were really nice. Also, you get to be on a treadmill with a nice view to the hills- can't beat that. By the time we got out, the sun was out. I know a lot of my peers were happy about that, but I take cloudy when I can. It was nice while it lasted.

We then went to the University Club for lunch. It was super delicious. Most of these events would have decent lunch. I was really impressed with the quality of the food. I believe all tables had a current student available for questions. I was lucky enough to have the partner of a major firm sitting at my table. The 2L was very knowledgeable and I really enjoyed what he had to say. He made a choice between Boalt and Irvine. Like me, he felt that Irvine would give him better attention, and he LOVES it. He had work for his first summer and was placed already for the coming summer as well.

The partner BRAGGED about UCI. He said his firm had to compete to hire UCI grads. He basically talked about how important it is for the OC community to make their own lawyers and this is why UCI is such a big deal to them. He gave the full disclosure that they're fully behind this, financially and otherwise, because they need the lawyers. He'd also say his firm will give preference to UCI grads over UCLA and USC grads. He also mentioned that from the different OCIs, he noticed that at first, there were some firms but not many. Mostly a lot of people had some worries about accreditation. But within the years, presence of firms increased a great deal.

Okay, after lunch we went back to the law school and had the workshops or whatever you want to call them. There was one for financial aid, one for probono, and one for judicial clerkships. I went to the clerkships one. Two professors talked about why we placed so well. Among the reasons, because they've all most clerked, and also because the faculty ratio allows for better recommendation letters and networking. From what I've gathered, the career office works a great deal to place you where you'd like to be. We had the option to go to one other of the workshops, but I bailed and took a break.

When I got back, it was time to tour the facilities. Well, we actually missed the tours, so the staff person saw a couple of students coming in and asked if they wouldn't mind giving us a tour. They were thrilled to. Current students were super friendly and available. Most were on campus for, well, class, but also for the moot court competition that would take place later on. Anyhow, the students were super nice. The facilities were good, you know, new rooms and why not. The important part is that they were also placed for the summer (they were 1Ls), and they were genuinely happy about their choice. I've been near UCLA Law enough to see their stress surrounding their heads... the environment at UCI was way better. The quality of life seemed definitely superb. I must mention at this point that I casually asked every student I met today, whatever the year, what they were doing over the summer. EVERYONE had been placed already. Maybe I got lucky, but those were some really good odds to me.

Afterwards, we had cupcakes. Followed by the moot court competition. Students and admitted students (plus guests) got to watch it on screen since there was definitely not enough room for us to go into the courtroom. A lot of people showed up, I must say that. In any case, both of the finalists were very impressive in their litigation skills. The three judges invited (I'm sure you have their names) have nothing but good things to say about how impressed they were. I'd be surprised if they felt forced to say nice things. I really think they meant every word.

After the awards were given out, we had some free appetizers and booze. Beer and wine was the selection. The food was small foods. Which included a selection of fine cheeses (seriously). This would only happen in Orange County.

As they made the last call for drinks, we head to the brewery. We stayed there only for a bit, but the alcohol and food was really nice. I can definitely see myself going there on Friday nights with my classmates.

Okay, I can't believe I've actually written this much. What you can accomplish when half drunk. If you have questions, please ask away.

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Re: UC Irvine ASW

Post by Bwana » Sat Mar 24, 2012 4:32 am

My experience was very similar to Lawgeekgrl's. Thank you for the thorough post.

The highlight for me was definitely the moot court competition. While I have no meaningful experiences to draw upon to evaluate the two student litigators, what I saw amazing. The judges, Reinhardt, Lucero, and Seymour, did not appear to be pulling punches. The students adapted to the questioning and got right back on point. To my novice ears, the interactions sounded no different than any SCOTUS oral arguments I have heard in the past.

My one bit of good fortune, thanks to my bladder, was that I was in the hallway as the judges were leaving the court room to discuss the case. They were noticeably impressed. They sounded like giddy wide-eyed teenagers coming out of The Hunger Games. What they said back in the court room mirrored what I heard in the hallway when they were speaking privately.

I can't wait to see what happens tomorrow.

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Re: UC Irvine ASW

Post by skitlets » Sun Mar 25, 2012 12:21 am

Are the UCI owned and managed properties furnished?

ACC is nice and not terribly expensive (~1k for studio with all utilities covered) but I'm not familiar with the area.

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Re: UC Irvine ASW

Post by uci2013 » Sun Mar 25, 2012 1:51 am

skitlets wrote:Are the UCI owned and managed properties furnished?

ACC is nice and not terribly expensive (~1k for studio with all utilities covered) but I'm not familiar with the area.
If you are referring to Verano Place and Palo Verde, they are not furnished. But Ikea and craigslist are both good resources for getting furniture on the cheap. We bought what we call throwaway furniture (except for a bed) from those two sources and spent way less on furniture than the difference in rent would be between ACC properties and less expensive UCI managed properties.

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Re: UC Irvine ASW

Post by odetojefferson » Sun Mar 25, 2012 9:32 am

Wow thanks for the great description! I am growing closer and closer to being ready to call UCI home.

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Re: UC Irvine ASW

Post by skitlets » Sun Mar 25, 2012 2:18 pm

uci2013 wrote:
skitlets wrote:Are the UCI owned and managed properties furnished?

ACC is nice and not terribly expensive (~1k for studio with all utilities covered) but I'm not familiar with the area.
If you are referring to Verano Place and Palo Verde, they are not furnished. But Ikea and craigslist are both good resources for getting furniture on the cheap. We bought what we call throwaway furniture (except for a bed) from those two sources and spent way less on furniture than the difference in rent would be between ACC properties and less expensive UCI managed properties.
Thanks. Your comment had me look up the price difference and it is significant. (~950 1br versus 1200)

Can you renew the campus leases each year for the same apartment? I've moved every year the last 6 years and I am sick of it.

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Re: UC Irvine ASW

Post by uci2013 » Sun Mar 25, 2012 6:44 pm

skitlets wrote:
uci2013 wrote:
skitlets wrote:Are the UCI owned and managed properties furnished?

ACC is nice and not terribly expensive (~1k for studio with all utilities covered) but I'm not familiar with the area.
If you are referring to Verano Place and Palo Verde, they are not furnished. But Ikea and craigslist are both good resources for getting furniture on the cheap. We bought what we call throwaway furniture (except for a bed) from those two sources and spent way less on furniture than the difference in rent would be between ACC properties and less expensive UCI managed properties.
Thanks. Your comment had me look up the price difference and it is significant. (~950 1br versus 1200)

Can you renew the campus leases each year for the same apartment? I've moved every year the last 6 years and I am sick of it.
I am pretty sure for all the properties you can keep the same unit as long as you are in guaranteed housing. For Verano you get a survey where you register your intent to keep your apartment, and soon after you renew your lease. With Verano though they are tearing down some buildings to make room for more ACC units, and they are also renovating some floorplans. The already renovated floorplans cost a little more, but if you move into one of those, or into an apartment not scheduled for renovation you won't have to move. If you save money with one that is scheduled to be renovated, you might have to move on short notice, which could end up being a real pain. I think for Palo Verde, you are completely safe from having to move. But if you opt for Verano and get a spot, just ask before signing the lease if there is any chance you will be forced to move and they will tell you. Once I got Verano, they gave me a choice of 4 different apts with slightly different move-in dates and floorplans.

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Re: UC Irvine ASW

Post by Skruf » Sun Mar 25, 2012 11:18 pm

Skruf wrote:Thanks Lawgeekgrl for starting this. I visited already and I won't be able to make it this weekend, so I'd love to read all about it from you lovely people on this board.

Err on the side of way too much posting and writing. :D
:wink: Any more info, stories, impressions from the weekend?


Lawgeekgrl: Awesome. Thanks for the long post.

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Re: UC Irvine ASW

Post by lawgeekgrl » Mon Mar 26, 2012 1:20 am

Skruf wrote:
Skruf wrote:Thanks Lawgeekgrl for starting this. I visited already and I won't be able to make it this weekend, so I'd love to read all about it from you lovely people on this board.

Err on the side of way too much posting and writing. :D
:wink: Any more info, stories, impressions from the weekend?


Lawgeekgrl: Awesome. Thanks for the long post.

What are people thinking? UCI Law?
I tried. Also, I didn't go on Saturday, so hopefully we'll get to hear from someone else. I'm particularly interested in hearing about the mock class.

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TrojanHopeful

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Re: UC Irvine ASW

Post by TrojanHopeful » Mon Mar 26, 2012 1:22 am

I'll add a little bit from my experience...

-They definitely push the students to aim for judicial clerkships. Chemerinsky and a large portion of the faculty said that they believe doing a clerkship is important before entering the profession (Chemerinsky added that he strongly believes the school will maintain their Article III clerkship percentages as the class size grows).

-In addition to clerkships, they even pushed the political route a little bit, as some of the individuals I spoke with indicated that there is a resonating belief in the industry that there is an unfortunate decreasing number of JDs entering government positions (e.g., Senate, House, etc.), which, to the opinion of many, has had a negative effect on our political system.

-Everyone (students, faculty, admin) seemed so happy happy happy, and the faculty was extremely approachable. My buddy actually commented that he felt that he was being asked to join a cult and drink some Kool Aid...he was ready to sign his SIR by the time the weekend ended. :lol:

-EVERYTHING that was served throughout the weekend (food, drinks) was top notch (if that matters?).

-I approached one of the faculty members and told him/her I was strongly interested in their field (I actually tailored some of my Why UCI statement around that faculty member). After a long conversation, the faculty member invited me to work with him/her on an upcoming case next year. I was also told I could be a research assistant for him/her.

-I spoke with Chemerinksy on a number of occasions (he is very approachable and such a great guy). I expressed my concern over the Con Law class being divided into three sections and the resulting chance that I might not be able to have him as my professor. He told me that although I might not have him for Con Law, I would have the opportunity to take his classes at some point during my time there since he has started teaching other upper division classes (for example, Federal Courts).

-Going into the weekend, I was curious as to how many students would be attending from out of state. I easily met over ten people from New York, and many more from Pennsylvania, Washington, etc. When speaking with the dean of admissions, I was told that over 50% of the people attending ASW were from out of state.

-From what I gathered, the median LSAT/GPA will be maintained....easily.

-Applications submitted were over 2,000 this year (105% increase). Only three other schools saw an increase in applications this year.

-We were informed that quite a few NLJ 250 firms started to participate in OCI, including partners from offices in New York, DC, etc.

-OCI is done on a lottery system; employers are not able to look at your grades until after interviews have been scheduled. Rankings are not disclosed except for judicial clerkships (and only if they are disclosed); however, the students are not able to see the rankings.

-The facilities are incredibly nice inside.

-I was able to meet the president of the State Bar of California (he recently turned down an appointment to be a federal judge and is thinking about running for Congress); he is one of the individuals that assists in both the funding of student programs and the placement of students in positions they are interested in.

-The attention each student appears to receive from the school and faculty is incredible.

The second day consisted of a mock class (which was incredible), additional informational sessions, a reception at Crystal Cove (on a deck on the Newport Coast...million dollar mansions to the rear and the ocean in front). I'm sure there is much more to report, but I'll leave it at that.

See everyone who is attending in the fall!

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Re: UC Irvine ASW

Post by skitlets » Mon Mar 26, 2012 1:32 am

uci2013 wrote: I am pretty sure for all the properties you can keep the same unit as long as you are in guaranteed housing. For Verano you get a survey where you register your intent to keep your apartment, and soon after you renew your lease. With Verano though they are tearing down some buildings to make room for more ACC units, and they are also renovating some floorplans. The already renovated floorplans cost a little more, but if you move into one of those, or into an apartment not scheduled for renovation you won't have to move. If you save money with one that is scheduled to be renovated, you might have to move on short notice, which could end up being a real pain. I think for Palo Verde, you are completely safe from having to move. But if you opt for Verano and get a spot, just ask before signing the lease if there is any chance you will be forced to move and they will tell you. Once I got Verano, they gave me a choice of 4 different apts with slightly different move-in dates and floorplans.
Thanks again for the great info! Which building do you prefer, Verano or Palo Verde? And last question! Does the rent rate include parking? Looks like it's an additional $88 a month for "Resident Students" Can finding parking be a challenge?

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Re: UC Irvine ASW

Post by uci2013 » Mon Mar 26, 2012 2:41 am

skitlets wrote:
uci2013 wrote: I am pretty sure for all the properties you can keep the same unit as long as you are in guaranteed housing. For Verano you get a survey where you register your intent to keep your apartment, and soon after you renew your lease. With Verano though they are tearing down some buildings to make room for more ACC units, and they are also renovating some floorplans. The already renovated floorplans cost a little more, but if you move into one of those, or into an apartment not scheduled for renovation you won't have to move. If you save money with one that is scheduled to be renovated, you might have to move on short notice, which could end up being a real pain. I think for Palo Verde, you are completely safe from having to move. But if you opt for Verano and get a spot, just ask before signing the lease if there is any chance you will be forced to move and they will tell you. Once I got Verano, they gave me a choice of 4 different apts with slightly different move-in dates and floorplans.
Thanks again for the great info! Which building do you prefer, Verano or Palo Verde? And last question! Does the rent rate include parking? Looks like it's an additional $88 a month for "Resident Students" Can finding parking be a challenge?
I don't pay anything to park in the Verano lot and it is super close to the law school, so no need to drive to school. I am in one of the townhomes in Verano and love it - no one above or below me. Verano is closer than Palo Verde as well, but more families and kids than Palo Verde, although both are open to families. I like the kids playing outside, but not everyone would. So personally I think Verano is the better value and I like it better, but Palo Verde is newer an some people prefer that.

You may find the chart on this page helpful as well:

http://www.housing.uci.edu/prospective/ ... y_desc.asp

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Re: UC Irvine ASW

Post by DeusExCyber » Mon Mar 26, 2012 3:11 am

lawgeekgrl wrote:Friday:

First of all, I just got back from the brewery, so there's a really good chance I will make up words along the way. Also, for those of you who came, feel free to add, correct or dispute any of my information in here. Lastly, be warned that I have known I'd go to UCI since before I started to fill out applications, BUT I will truly try my best to be unbiased.

Okay, so we get there. Continental breakfast, and plenty of coffee. Works for me. It was a bit cloudy and misty, so there was a staff person making sure no one sat on a wet chair or for the tables to be wet. We got name tags and guest tags. Some people, for whatever reason, did not get name tags when they checked in, but they were supposed to get them later. We got a folder with info, some new and some old, AND we got a pretty neat USB drive in the shape of a key. LOVED IT! First people there got a blue paper to get into Chem's class, and everyone else could watch it from a different room. I felt EXTREMELY guilty from taking a spot from out-of-state people, but since my schedule is 7am-6:30pm Mon-Fri, it was very unlikely that I could do this at a different time.

There was a "welcome" section in the schedule, but they seemed to have skipped that. Could have been because of the weather. ALSO, the law buildings are plain grey, which wasn't my favorite, but it's not like it hurts your eyes to look at it, and the facilities in the inside make up for it.

Soooooo I go into Chem's class. I sat next to a student who seemed to be pretty cool. He wasn't that excited about law school, when I inquired, he complained about readings. To which I thought "if you didn't know you'd have to read this much for law school then maybe you didn't do your research." But you know, that's his journey. I have always heard GREAT things of Chem. But the actual thing was just AMAZING. I would totally say that if choosing a law school didn't involve so many factors, it would totally be worth it to go to UCI to just take his class. To be fair though, next class will be split in three groups (someone already mentioned this so I apologize for repeating) so only a third of the class will get to take his class. In the larger scheme of things, it's a drawback, sure, but it's not like the rest of the faculty isn't just as great.

After the class, Chem took some questions. It was unfortunate to see that most of the questions involved rankings. Okay, I understand why people are so crazy about the rankings, but there was no need to ask the same question 4 times. There were some other interesting questions, but to recap: target class size for next year should be around 110, 24 of 25 students who worked in firms during their 2L summers were offered associate positions, and y'all already know enough of clerkships so I won't mention them again. To the question of what makes Irvine different, Chem said something along the lines of: you get paired with a mentor (a practicing attorney) from early on to guide you through the process, the clinic requirement, the pro-bono requirement, "we're making you practice ready" basically. To that someone asked about academia. Chem said that he wouldn't separate the two. I agree with that because I wouldn't want to learn from a law professor who never practiced, unless their research is SO GOOD that you have to. Also, and I will stress this a lot throughout this post, he mentioned how the Orange County community is so supportive and behind the law school and the students. There may have been more stuff, but my memory can only do so much after so much alcohol.

After that, we had the law library tours. I absolutely loved the library. I mean, it's probably a bit smaller than at other major schools, but they're going to expand it next summer. Besides, you have to think about how enrollment is still a lot smaller here than at other place. OH, that reminds me, during Chem's Q&A, he did say that they're going to try to ultimately have 200 students per class, but quality permitting- and this will take a while. Okay, so the library was nice. It's open until 10pm during the week, and 6pm weekends. It does have extended hours during finals. Also, since the library is young and had the choice to pick their materials, some of their stuff is online and accessible. Also, there's free printing at the library, AND you can borrow materials from other UC schools. So if you need something from UCLA, they'll get it for you in a day.

Next was the housing. They took us to the American Communities (aka the expensive ones). I tagged alone just cause, but I'm set on Verano. Verano and Palo Verde don't offer tours so we didn't get to see them. But they're across the street from the school, and the balconies/patios were spacious, so I'm assuming the inside to be proportional. The AC were nice, but I personally don't think you should throw 1000 to share a 2 bedroom apartment. Okay, you'll have a nice pool, gaming room, studying rooms, but how often will you actually get to used them? But hey, if you can drop the money there, by all means.

The Anteater Recreation Center (ARC) followed. Nice, spacious facility. A lot of renovations going on, but they were really nice. Also, you get to be on a treadmill with a nice view to the hills- can't beat that. By the time we got out, the sun was out. I know a lot of my peers were happy about that, but I take cloudy when I can. It was nice while it lasted.

We then went to the University Club for lunch. It was super delicious. Most of these events would have decent lunch. I was really impressed with the quality of the food. I believe all tables had a current student available for questions. I was lucky enough to have the partner of a major firm sitting at my table. The 2L was very knowledgeable and I really enjoyed what he had to say. He made a choice between Boalt and Irvine. Like me, he felt that Irvine would give him better attention, and he LOVES it. He had work for his first summer and was placed already for the coming summer as well.

The partner BRAGGED about UCI. He said his firm had to compete to hire UCI grads. He basically talked about how important it is for the OC community to make their own lawyers and this is why UCI is such a big deal to them. He gave the full disclosure that they're fully behind this, financially and otherwise, because they need the lawyers. He'd also say his firm will give preference to UCI grads over UCLA and USC grads. He also mentioned that from the different OCIs, he noticed that at first, there were some firms but not many. Mostly a lot of people had some worries about accreditation. But within the years, presence of firms increased a great deal.

Okay, after lunch we went back to the law school and had the workshops or whatever you want to call them. There was one for financial aid, one for probono, and one for judicial clerkships. I went to the clerkships one. Two professors talked about why we placed so well. Among the reasons, because they've all most clerked, and also because the faculty ratio allows for better recommendation letters and networking. From what I've gathered, the career office works a great deal to place you where you'd like to be. We had the option to go to one other of the workshops, but I bailed and took a break.

When I got back, it was time to tour the facilities. Well, we actually missed the tours, so the staff person saw a couple of students coming in and asked if they wouldn't mind giving us a tour. They were thrilled to. Current students were super friendly and available. Most were on campus for, well, class, but also for the moot court competition that would take place later on. Anyhow, the students were super nice. The facilities were good, you know, new rooms and why not. The important part is that they were also placed for the summer (they were 1Ls), and they were genuinely happy about their choice. I've been near UCLA Law enough to see their stress surrounding their heads... the environment at UCI was way better. The quality of life seemed definitely superb. I must mention at this point that I casually asked every student I met today, whatever the year, what they were doing over the summer. EVERYONE had been placed already. Maybe I got lucky, but those were some really good odds to me.

Afterwards, we had cupcakes. Followed by the moot court competition. Students and admitted students (plus guests) got to watch it on screen since there was definitely not enough room for us to go into the courtroom. A lot of people showed up, I must say that. In any case, both of the finalists were very impressive in their litigation skills. The three judges invited (I'm sure you have their names) have nothing but good things to say about how impressed they were. I'd be surprised if they felt forced to say nice things. I really think they meant every word.

After the awards were given out, we had some free appetizers and booze. Beer and wine was the selection. The food was small foods. Which included a selection of fine cheeses (seriously). This would only happen in Orange County.

As they made the last call for drinks, we head to the brewery. We stayed there only for a bit, but the alcohol and food was really nice. I can definitely see myself going there on Friday nights with my classmates.

Okay, I can't believe I've actually written this much. What you can accomplish when half drunk. If you have questions, please ask away.

Lawgeekgrl guilt me to write a Day #2 post:

Same breakfast as day #1. A Cup-of-Joe is always enjoyable. We went into Law 1111 class for the Welcome to UCI Law Panel. SBA Presidents, Chem, and Dean Austin presented. Primarily, SBA presidents told about their experience with UCI Law. It was then opened up to questions. Primarily, people still asked questions about ranking and similar stuff. Both Chem and Dean Austin answered them flawlessly.

Next was the Faculty Panel and it was in the same room. All the professors were simply amazing!!! I may be mistaken, but I believe there was not much time for QA after this panel.

Next was Mock Class with Professor Leslie… WOW!!!!!!!!!!! Professor Leslie was AMZING!!!!!!!! He was fun and hugely entertaining. He introduced his lecture with the following (paraphrased from memory) “Dean Austin asked me if I can do an entertaining class for ASW students. I told her ‘Hell Yes!’” The class revolved around Contracts and Common Law. Essentially, we got into contemporary cases and the how the four cases that we read prior to the class could be applied. One of the contemporary case involved the guy below. Needless to say, it was fun :)
Image


We had a 1.5 hours for lunch (sandwiches) and for student groups. I was quite busy talking to admitted students. I did checked out some of the student groups, but was disappointed since they were only 7 or so. I was hoping for more variety of groups… Also, the area was rather small for the groups.

There were two concurrent panels (amongst three to choose):
Managing Your Transition to Law School,
Public Service: A Calling, and
The Practice: Legal Careers.
I choose Transition and Public Service. Transition was a group of students, most were out of college 1-6 years before law school. It was a fun panel. The Public Service panel was my favorite. The panel consists of 7 law students, and particularly each one was involved with Legal Aid Society of Orange County (LASOC). I LOVE THIS PANEL!!! I should say that I do have a bias since I have been volunteering for LASOC for 2.5 years and was offered a job with them… :)

There were tours in the afternoon, but they were the same ones from Day #1.

At 4:00pm, we got on buses to head to Crystal Cove. Excellent conversations on the bus from fellow admitted students. We parked and walked across the street to a secluded house with a balcony just for us. There was excellent ice tea and lemonade. Waiters brought snacks to us as we talk and enjoy the beautiful ocean breeze. For food, there were mashed potato cocktails (excellent), mini Mahi tacos, baked briquettes with vinergerate salad, artichoke crème delights, fish cakes, and deserts tarts. While I was at my table talking, my identical twin brother was away getting more food for himself. Dean Austin approached him and I saw her talking to him. I started to sweet a little, but my brother told me that he had a good conversation with her. While we talked, different UCI Law students and Professors travel around to talk to different people. I met Professor Fisk and Professor Reese. My favorite moment was that my table was talking about videogame law and Professor Fisk joined our conversation and chirped in on that subject =).

We then head to Dave and Buster’s at Irvine Spectrum. I had an amazing conversation with a person in regards to LSAT and how they were a terrible indicator of Law School success. Once there, we ate unlimited nachos and amazing hamburger sliders with unlimited soda drinks (yay for cherry cokes). They had 6 pool tables for us and we had some games. Ironically, I thought I was terrible at pool, but I didn’t lose a match. Sometime later, 1-3Ls showed up. The group shifted to more casual talking while people played less and less. I had some amazing conversation with some admitted students and 1-3L's. From this, I met some people that are interested in forming a Disability Law Center at UCI Law. I WILL MAKE SURE THAT THIS BECOME A REALITY. Anyways, they gave us a $12.50 play card for the arcade and the main group broke around 10:00 (most people left on the earlier buses). My bro and I played some games and then headed to the last bus @ 11:00. We traveled back and had a wonderful conversation with other peeps in regards to Orange County’s atmosphere and its pros/cons. We got off the bus and everyone went on their separate ways until we see each other in the Fall ;)

All-in-all, I definitely enjoyed my time! The 2-day indoctrination process worked for me =).

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splitbrain

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Re: UC Irvine ASW

Post by splitbrain » Mon Mar 26, 2012 3:29 am

I came here to add more about the weekend, but man, you guys nailed it.

Sooo I'll just add that it was a fantastic time and I have absolute confidence in this school!

ZOT ZOT ZOT

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PDaddy

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Re: UC Irvine ASW

Post by PDaddy » Mon Mar 26, 2012 4:53 am

http://www.ocregister.com/articles/-296578--.html

An interesting article written on UCI in 2011. Although a few people still don't "get it", i.e. what UCI is trying to accomplish in the grand scheme of the legal field, the signs point to UCI being an overwhelming success for the long haul.

lawgeekgrl

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Joined: Thu Dec 29, 2011 3:18 am

Re: UC Irvine ASW

Post by lawgeekgrl » Mon Mar 26, 2012 8:59 pm

Good job, Deus! I feel like I missed more than I would have liked to, but I really couldn't make it on Sat.

Anyhow, thank you for giving us the full picture :)

Seriously? What are you waiting for?

Now there's a charge.
Just kidding ... it's still FREE!


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