Michigan Preview Experience Forum

(Where, When and What Did You Think)
herecomesthesun

Bronze
Posts: 320
Joined: Sun Jan 31, 2016 2:02 pm

Re: Michigan Preview Experience

Post by herecomesthesun » Sun Apr 09, 2017 11:09 pm

gonna come off like a jackass myself but if you're that worried about it, you shouldn't come to Michigan

Not that people aren't impressive, but we generally don't talk about how impressive we are

fbc669

New
Posts: 11
Joined: Fri Feb 17, 2017 3:28 pm

Re: Michigan Preview Experience

Post by fbc669 » Sun Apr 09, 2017 11:21 pm

cron1834 wrote: Like, wtf else are they supposed to talk to you about?
People talked about a bunch of stuff. Again, everyone was really nice and cool. I just found it awkward at both the berkeley and michigan asw whenever people were like "so have you enrolled here?" and would ask "which schools?" whenever I respond with "not yet, still looking at a bunch of schools." One or two people at both ASWs asked me if and how much scholarship I got in a large group setting. Don't you think that's weird?

Anyways, I appreciate your other input. I'm not trying to be snobby, but I can obviously see why it seems like that. Based on what people are saying I guess that I just had way too high of expectations (not just of UofM but any law school for that matter).

nyu2019maybeplease

Bronze
Posts: 106
Joined: Fri Jul 08, 2016 12:54 pm

Re: Michigan Preview Experience

Post by nyu2019maybeplease » Mon Apr 10, 2017 11:02 am

Bro if you don't have your LSAT/GPA split tattooed on your forehead you're fucking up.
At the very least, get a pin made. Anything less is disingenuous.
A. Nony Mouse wrote:How exactly does one demonstrate their very impressive background at an ASW, anyway?

nyu2019maybeplease

Bronze
Posts: 106
Joined: Fri Jul 08, 2016 12:54 pm

Re: Michigan Preview Experience

Post by nyu2019maybeplease » Mon Apr 10, 2017 11:09 am

Current student. Respectfully:
1. If the change you're hoping for is that once you get to 1L everyone will talk about how impressive they are, it won't happen. If you're hoping people will talk about their backgrounds, it will absolutely come up, because understanding backgrounds is crucial to understanding viewpoints.
2. If the change you're hoping for is in the god i can't believe i'm writing this 'caliber' of people you're surrounded by, I don't think it will happen. Dean Z picks great classes. I'm confident the 0Ls who attended preview weekend are just as awesome as everyone else here.

Maybe I'm wrong, but I don't think you'll find many Michigan students doing the whole prestige thing. It ain't our vibe, and many people (myself included) turned down higher ranked schools precisely because we wanted to avoid it.. Not a knock on you at all, and I don't see anything wrong with searching for people you're impressed by (if that's what makes you most comfortable in an environment).

Ultimately, go to the school where you feel most comfortable, and don't let anyone tell you you're evaluating what makes you comfortable poorly. You know you better than some random people behind keyboards.
fbc669 wrote:
A. Nony Mouse wrote:How exactly does one demonstrate their very impressive background at an ASW, anyway?
Uhh undergraduate school, impressive work experience, sounding very intelligent, etc.? I know that this post is making me seem like a bad person, which who knows I probably am, but being surrounded by very smart people is an important factor to me.

I am looking for responses that are either from other admitted students who had similar or different experiences at their preview weekends or from current students saying that that will all change once you get to 1L and kids who went to worse undergrad schools do just as well as ivy league kids. Maybe even advice saying "if you really think you would perform better than them in class then you should go because being top of your class at Michigan is better than being middle or bottom of your class at Columbia"

Anon.y.mousse.

Silver
Posts: 599
Joined: Thu Dec 01, 2016 5:35 pm

Re: Michigan Preview Experience

Post by Anon.y.mousse. » Mon Apr 10, 2017 11:28 am

OP sounds like he/she would love the dbag who stood up and announced to the entire auditorium during the dean's town hall that he was "from Cambridge, Massachusetts" as the lead in to his question.

Want to continue reading?

Register now to search topics and post comments!

Absolutely FREE!


blueapple

Silver
Posts: 599
Joined: Thu Dec 20, 2012 10:56 am

Re: Michigan Preview Experience

Post by blueapple » Mon Apr 10, 2017 12:05 pm

fbc669 wrote: I just found it awkward at both the berkeley and michigan asw whenever people were like "so have you enrolled here?" and would ask "which schools?"
As a Michigan grad, I can tell you that when current students ask you which schools you're choosing between it's because Michigan students genuinely want to help you make the best decision for you and help you talk through your options. I'm guessing other admitted students who ask that kind of stuff are just trying to have a conversation with a stranger about something they know they have in common with that stranger.

But anyway, I agree with the people who say if you want to be surrounded by people talking about how awesome they are, Michigan is probably not the place for you. My classmates were very impressive (and still are), but we're more of a "show, don't tell" kind of school.
Last edited by blueapple on Fri Jan 26, 2018 8:10 pm, edited 1 time in total.

Keilz

Gold
Posts: 2322
Joined: Mon Dec 24, 2012 2:35 am

Re: Michigan Preview Experience

Post by Keilz » Mon Apr 10, 2017 8:24 pm

bestwishes wrote:
Keilz wrote: I do think that the type of people I met at Berkeley were different than the people I met at Michigan, but they are different schools with generally similar outcomes because their graduates are just as capable.
If you have time, can you expand on this thought, Keilz? I went to Berkeley's ASW, but couldn't attend the Michigan's. How do you think the people were different between the two?

Thanks :)
Sure! I'm on my phone so excuse any typos and unorganized writing. I got along great with everyone at both ASWs. Huge difference for me was that I didn't meet any Berkeley students or faculty, whereas in Michigan they were throwing themselves at us, and invited us to places. So, I can't speak to how I felt Berkeley students were like. This difference is perhaps due to how the ASWs were set up and organized. Michigan had an all day feel because they had night events and we were all staying at one hotel. There were more women at Berkeley but also Berkeley student body is 60/40 women.


Admits at Berkeley were very polished, and a tad more serious in conversation. Michigan people (and students) were a little more laid back. I feel like most conversations focused on law at both schools, but conversations at Michigan could venture off to other things. There was a raging house party at Michigan, which I couldn't see a lot of Berkeley people enjoying. I feel that the Michigan law campus is super close knit and more college like, with everyone enjoying the school together, whereas Berkeley you find your own smaller groups and stick with them.

Again, I think these differences were largely based on the way the events were structured...they each covered the same information, but the events around the sessions were night and day. Feel free to PM me!

User avatar
proteinshake

Gold
Posts: 4643
Joined: Tue Dec 08, 2015 12:20 pm

Re: Michigan Preview Experience

Post by proteinshake » Mon Apr 10, 2017 8:59 pm

Anon.y.mousse. wrote:OP sounds like he/she would love the dbag who stood up and announced to the entire auditorium during the dean's town hall that he was "from Cambridge, Massachusetts" as the lead in to his question.
didn't someone do this at Chicago? probably the same person :lol:

User avatar
Po$eidon

Bronze
Posts: 300
Joined: Tue Dec 15, 2015 2:03 pm

Re: Michigan Preview Experience

Post by Po$eidon » Mon Apr 10, 2017 9:13 pm

cron1834 wrote:
fbc669 wrote:
LawTweet wrote:
fbc669 wrote:I was just disappointed by my impression of the quality of the admitted (and some current) students. Expected people from very impressive backgrounds because it's a top law school but didn't happen to meet any. Took it down because it was pretty rude of me to say. AA and the school itself were awesome and the people were nice.
Wow, part of why I loved Michigan was because the people seemed so much more chill than those at other schools. At other ASWs I felt like I was getting grilled on my resume and other acceptances and it was super awkward/off-putting.
That killed my vibe at Michigan. Everyone kept asking for a list of places I was considering.
Like, wtf else are they supposed to talk to you about? You seem arrogant and off-putting, like you might not have a lot in common with socially well-adjusted people, so what other obvious things are there to discuss? Plus people like to revisit "choosing" decisions... hence all of the input in that forum section here.

Anyway, there are tons of very smart people at Michigan. I'm sure (based on friends at other schools, large firm experience with other T14 kids, etc.) it's comprised of roughly the same percentage of them as peer T14 schools. It would be patently absurd to think this would be otherwise. The problem is that you're a snob. I'd say, anecdotally, that Ivy undergrad correlated negatively with being on law review here, so it's unclear why this matters anyway (i.e., your screen for "smart" is actually a screen for "wealthy parents" ... granted, these two are connected, but they're definitely not the same thing).
This is exactly how I view the OP

Want to continue reading?

Register for access!

Did I mention it was FREE ?


User avatar
brinicolec

Gold
Posts: 4479
Joined: Wed Jun 29, 2016 7:09 pm

Re: Michigan Preview Experience

Post by brinicolec » Mon Apr 10, 2017 9:26 pm

I think to expect people to be going around bragging about how "smart" they are isn't something you should be doing at ASW - or in LS in general, I'd hope.

It's a top law school. The students are intelligent; they're just not stuffy.

I, personally, was looking for a school where it didn't seem like students were "on" all the time and didn't know how to turn off the law student thing and just go out and enjoy themselves. It sounds like you're looking for the opposite.

Also, people asked me what other places I was considering, but mainly to give me genuine advice (including things like "If X gives you more money, definitely feel free to go there because money DOES matter and you'll get similar opportunities out of that school").

I mean, to each his/her own, but to assume that students aren't intelligent at Michigan is very... I can't even think of the word I want to use... strange... arrogant... elitist... idk.

User avatar
cron1834

Gold
Posts: 2299
Joined: Thu Jan 02, 2014 1:36 am

Re: Michigan Preview Experience

Post by cron1834 » Mon Apr 10, 2017 9:31 pm

Po$eidon wrote:
cron1834 wrote:
fbc669 wrote:
LawTweet wrote: Wow, part of why I loved Michigan was because the people seemed so much more chill than those at other schools. At other ASWs I felt like I was getting grilled on my resume and other acceptances and it was super awkward/off-putting.
That killed my vibe at Michigan. Everyone kept asking for a list of places I was considering.
Like, wtf else are they supposed to talk to you about? You seem arrogant and off-putting, like you might not have a lot in common with socially well-adjusted people, so what other obvious things are there to discuss? Plus people like to revisit "choosing" decisions... hence all of the input in that forum section here.

Anyway, there are tons of very smart people at Michigan. I'm sure (based on friends at other schools, large firm experience with other T14 kids, etc.) it's comprised of roughly the same percentage of them as peer T14 schools. It would be patently absurd to think this would be otherwise. The problem is that you're a snob. I'd say, anecdotally, that Ivy undergrad correlated negatively with being on law review here, so it's unclear why this matters anyway (i.e., your screen for "smart" is actually a screen for "wealthy parents" ... granted, these two are connected, but they're definitely not the same thing).
This is exactly how I view the OP
Right? Law school success, while somewhat random, is much more meritocratic than UG admissions, imo. Whichever school OP goes to, there will be a bunch of state school kids who destroy him on the curve, and perhaps then he will have to change his heuristic.

Anon.y.mousse.

Silver
Posts: 599
Joined: Thu Dec 01, 2016 5:35 pm

Re: Michigan Preview Experience

Post by Anon.y.mousse. » Mon Apr 10, 2017 9:38 pm

proteinshake wrote:
Anon.y.mousse. wrote:OP sounds like he/she would love the dbag who stood up and announced to the entire auditorium during the dean's town hall that he was "from Cambridge, Massachusetts" as the lead in to his question.
didn't someone do this at Chicago? probably the same person :lol:
yes meant at Chicago, oops!

User avatar
MediocreAtBest

Silver
Posts: 632
Joined: Thu Feb 16, 2017 2:51 pm

Re: Michigan Preview Experience

Post by MediocreAtBest » Mon Apr 10, 2017 9:39 pm

OP, maybe you aren't as smart as you think you are. Maybe the kids who are actually smart don't feel the need to prove it to strangers.

Register now!

Resources to assist law school applicants, students & graduates.

It's still FREE!


User avatar
azaleafire

Bronze
Posts: 350
Joined: Sun Feb 07, 2016 3:37 pm

Re: Michigan Preview Experience

Post by azaleafire » Tue Apr 11, 2017 9:07 am

BoyJord wrote:Most disappointing thread ever. Feel like I'm trying to listen to a radio edit of I don't fuck with you.
Underrated comment

User avatar
Future Ex-Engineer

Silver
Posts: 1430
Joined: Tue Nov 22, 2016 3:20 pm

Re: Michigan Preview Experience

Post by Future Ex-Engineer » Tue Apr 11, 2017 9:17 am

OP, please let us know what you end up deciding. I found lots of very interesting people when I went to the March ASW at Michigan, and that helped propel it into my top choices. From the way this has gone, you don't sound like one of those interesting people I met, and tbh you sound like someone I don't want to go to school with.

Pls let me know what school you feel most comfortable with so I know where to avoid.

User avatar
Po$eidon

Bronze
Posts: 300
Joined: Tue Dec 15, 2015 2:03 pm

Re: Michigan Preview Experience

Post by Po$eidon » Tue Apr 11, 2017 9:35 am

cron1834 wrote:
Po$eidon wrote:
cron1834 wrote:
fbc669 wrote:
LawTweet wrote: Wow, part of why I loved Michigan was because the people seemed so much more chill than those at other schools. At other ASWs I felt like I was getting grilled on my resume and other acceptances and it was super awkward/off-putting.
That killed my vibe at Michigan. Everyone kept asking for a list of places I was considering.
Like, wtf else are they supposed to talk to you about? You seem arrogant and off-putting, like you might not have a lot in common with socially well-adjusted people, so what other obvious things are there to discuss? Plus people like to revisit "choosing" decisions... hence all of the input in that forum section here.

Anyway, there are tons of very smart people at Michigan. I'm sure (based on friends at other schools, large firm experience with other T14 kids, etc.) it's comprised of roughly the same percentage of them as peer T14 schools. It would be patently absurd to think this would be otherwise. The problem is that you're a snob. I'd say, anecdotally, that Ivy undergrad correlated negatively with being on law review here, so it's unclear why this matters anyway (i.e., your screen for "smart" is actually a screen for "wealthy parents" ... granted, these two are connected, but they're definitely not the same thing).
This is exactly how I view the OP
Right? Law school success, while somewhat random, is much more meritocratic than UG admissions, imo. Whichever school OP goes to, there will be a bunch of state school kids who destroy him on the curve, and perhaps then he will have to change his heuristic.
I have taught ivy students and I've taught top state school students. The ivies were no smarter and in many cases dumber and less inclined to finish work. They were, however, much richer. The meritocratic nature of LS admissions is something I quite like

User avatar
Po$eidon

Bronze
Posts: 300
Joined: Tue Dec 15, 2015 2:03 pm

Re: Michigan Preview Experience

Post by Po$eidon » Tue Apr 11, 2017 9:42 am

BoyJord wrote:Most disappointing thread ever. Feel like I'm trying to listen to a radio edit of I don't fuck with you.
"This mix is sooo choppy!! And did the DJ really just sample Lucille Bluth to throw in it??"

Get unlimited access to all forums and topics

Register now!

I'm pretty sure I told you it's FREE...


User avatar
poptart123

Silver
Posts: 1157
Joined: Thu Jun 11, 2015 5:31 pm

Re: Michigan Preview Experience

Post by poptart123 » Tue Apr 11, 2017 9:48 am

Anon.y.mousse. wrote:OP sounds like he/she would love the dbag who stood up and announced to the entire auditorium during the dean's town hall that he was "from Cambridge, Massachusetts" as the lead in to his question.
Odd that OP would even consider two PUBLIC schools!

User avatar
BoyJord

Bronze
Posts: 242
Joined: Thu Feb 16, 2017 8:15 pm

Re: Michigan Preview Experience

Post by BoyJord » Tue Apr 11, 2017 11:25 am

azaleafire wrote:
BoyJord wrote:Most disappointing thread ever. Feel like I'm trying to listen to a radio edit of I don't fuck with you.
Underrated comment
Not gonna lie, I needed this recognition

fbc669

New
Posts: 11
Joined: Fri Feb 17, 2017 3:28 pm

Re: Michigan Preview Experience

Post by fbc669 » Tue Apr 11, 2017 1:09 pm

Would some of you find this post as ridiculous if I made it about a mid or lower-tier school I visited? You'd probably agree with or at least understand my concerns.

Anyways, thank you to the other admitted and also the current students offering your helpful perspectives. I appreciate the comments saying that that just isn't the culture at Michigan. I also appreciate the comments from others at the ASW who had different experiences! I really think the issue was that I had unjustifiably high expectations. I didn't think people would drone on about their prep school or ivy league educations or anything like that (and am really glad that no one did)... I just thought that people would talk about stuff like social, legal, or political issues (though one or two people did... while being really obstinate and not seeming to know what they were talking about -- totally inevitable in any setting) or about other "high-minded" things. Now I realize that those topics are probably the types of things people try to avoid talking about at ASWs in order to come off as inoffensive as possible to their potential future classmates.
Last edited by fbc669 on Tue Apr 11, 2017 2:33 pm, edited 1 time in total.

User avatar
proteinshake

Gold
Posts: 4643
Joined: Tue Dec 08, 2015 12:20 pm

Re: Michigan Preview Experience

Post by proteinshake » Tue Apr 11, 2017 2:18 pm

retake for YS

Communicate now with those who not only know what a legal education is, but can offer you worthy advice and commentary as you complete the three most educational, yet challenging years of your law related post graduate life.

Register now, it's still FREE!


User avatar
brinicolec

Gold
Posts: 4479
Joined: Wed Jun 29, 2016 7:09 pm

Re: Michigan Preview Experience

Post by brinicolec » Tue Apr 11, 2017 3:56 pm

fbc669 wrote:Would some of you find this post as ridiculous if I made it about a mid or lower-tier school I visited? You'd probably agree with or at least understand my concerns.

Anyways, thank you to the other admitted and also the current students offering your helpful perspectives. I appreciate the comments saying that that just isn't the culture at Michigan. I also appreciate the comments from others at the ASW who had different experiences! I really think the issue was that I had unjustifiably high expectations. I didn't think people would drone on about their prep school or ivy league educations or anything like that (and am really glad that no one did)... I just thought that people would talk about stuff like social, legal, or political issues (though one or two people did... while being really obstinate and not seeming to know what they were talking about -- totally inevitable in any setting) or about other "high-minded" things. Now I realize that those topics are probably the types of things people try to avoid talking about at ASWs in order to come off as inoffensive as possible to their potential future classmates.
I think it's this and also, many law students seem to like to try to leave the lawyer-mind stuff at the school and have "regular" convos outside of class. Also, since this administration is so polarizing, I don't think it's anyone goal to bring up politics in "getting to know you" convos - or ever really lol.

curry1

Silver
Posts: 884
Joined: Fri May 15, 2015 11:41 am

Re: Michigan Preview Experience

Post by curry1 » Tue Apr 11, 2017 3:59 pm

proteinshake wrote:retake for Y
edit

User avatar
34iplaw

Gold
Posts: 3379
Joined: Wed May 04, 2016 2:55 am

Re: Michigan Preview Experience

Post by 34iplaw » Wed Apr 12, 2017 11:17 am

BoyJord wrote:
azaleafire wrote:
BoyJord wrote:Most disappointing thread ever. Feel like I'm trying to listen to a radio edit of I don't fuck with you.
Underrated comment
Not gonna lie, I needed this recognition
You really know comments. You have the best comments.

I was going to give you your due commendation, but I wanted to try to find a clean version of a rap from the late 90s early 00s to post. I thought 2001 by the Dr. had far more censored song titles, whoops.

User avatar
BoyJord

Bronze
Posts: 242
Joined: Thu Feb 16, 2017 8:15 pm

Re: Michigan Preview Experience

Post by BoyJord » Wed Apr 12, 2017 11:21 am

34iplaw wrote:
BoyJord wrote:
azaleafire wrote:
BoyJord wrote:Most disappointing thread ever. Feel like I'm trying to listen to a radio edit of I don't fuck with you.
Underrated comment
Not gonna lie, I needed this recognition
You really know comments. You have the best comments.

I was going to give you your due commendation, but I wanted to try to find a clean version of a rap from the late 90s early 00s to post. I thought 2001 by the Dr. had far more censored song titles, whoops.
Come to Michigan and we can start an affinity group for heavily censored music

Seriously? What are you waiting for?

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


Post Reply

Return to “Law School Visits”