Duke 3L, Ask Away, Will Try to be Impartial Forum

[3L2014]

Hit me

[Jessasaurus]

Maybe an easy question, but best/worst thing about your school?

[dc91]

How accurate do you think the cost of living numbers are? Why did you choose Duke?

[3L2014]

I think the COL numbers are incredibly accurate, if not a bit inflated. There are a few apartments everyone lives in 1L year, so they charge a bit more (think 880 for a double), but if you wanted, you can find 650 for a double no problem (think 7 min drive to campus). Some people choose to live in really nice places downtown or near campus, and those will be more like 1400 for a double.

[3L2014]

Best thing about the school: the size/camaraderie, everyone knows each other. Princeton Review had us as #1 Quality of Life school, I don't doubt it.

Worst thing: It's still law school, and the job prospects are what they are. Duke does well, but it is not 100%, and that can cause lots of stress.

[patogordo]

can you find mercer on a map

[transferror]

can you find mercer on a map

[SplitMyPants]

Do most people seem to live with roomates 1L year? If so, does the school do anything to facilitate that, or is it mostly through facebook and elsewhere?

Also, the only real downside I noticed, and maybe this isn't actually true, but it seems that everyone is so spread out in their living situation. Other non-urban campuses (in general, not specifically T14 law schools) that I'm familiar with seem to be much more centralized with ample living withing walking distance of both the social scene and classes. It seems that at Duke you have to pick, and even then, if you choose to not be (almost) walking distance to the law school, there seems to be multiple areas to pick from.

I guess I'm just concerned about being the only idiot that is miles from every other 1L, if that's even possible.

[mjr.don]

Honestly, how cut-throat (or otherwise) is the student body at Duke? I realize that everyone is paying a lot of money to get a great education, and people are going to work hard to succeed at that. Do find that your classmates at Duke can do this without losing site of collegiality and camaraderie?

[rickgrimes69]

Honestly, how cut-throat (or otherwise) is the student body at Duke? I realize that everyone is paying a lot of money to get a great education, and people are going to work hard to succeed at that. Do find that your classmates at Duke can do this without losing site of collegiality and camaraderie?

Not at all. People freely share notes and outlines (there are even public outline banks from upperclassmen). There are definitely gunners but they tend to be pretty quiet about it.

[mjr.don]

People looking to do IP work definitely seems to be well represented at Duke. From what you've seen, how well does an IP focus favorably impact the possibility of a 1L SA position?

[jenesaislaw]

Why doesn't the school publish its NALP Report?

[beachbum]

Best: So one thing Duke has going for it that doesn't seem to be overly common among other law schools is a pretty impressive variety of practical corporate-leaning courses. Within reason, if there's a corporate-type class you want to take, you can probably take it here. (Some examples: corporate finance, accounting, securities regulation, derivatives, several different VC/startup-focused courses, several tax-related courses, bankruptcy, several contract drafting courses, negotiation, etc. We also have mini "wintersession" courses which can fill in the gaps that you may have missed elsewhere, like effectively using Excel.) Otherwise, a lot of our big pros have been covered to death elsewhere: collegial student body, nice weather, good* basketball, etc.

Con: Honestly, nothing really jumps out as being definitely worse than other law schools. You'll need a car. You'll graduate with a lot of debt (though, to touch on an earlier question, I found the estimated COA to be considerably higher than what I need). OCI is focused heavily on NYC and, more generally, on the coasts; if you want the Midwest (or even a non-Atlanta southern market), you're going to have to put in some legwork. The law school cafe is brutal, but there are much better options a short walk away. Sometimes we lose in the first round in the NCAA tournament.

[prelaw14]

.

[3L2014]

Do most people seem to live with roomates 1L year? If so, does the school do anything to facilitate that, or is it mostly through facebook and elsewhere?

Also, the only real downside I noticed, and maybe this isn't actually true, but it seems that everyone is so spread out in their living situation. Other non-urban campuses (in general, not specifically T14 law schools) that I'm familiar with seem to be much more centralized with ample living withing walking distance of both the social scene and classes. It seems that at Duke you have to pick, and even then, if you choose to not be (almost) walking distance to the law school, there seems to be multiple areas to pick from.

I guess I'm just concerned about being the only idiot that is miles from every other 1L, if that's even possible.

People congregate in certain apartment complexes 1L year, that's not an issue. Most have roommates, and get them through the facebook group. Everyone lives close enough to campus (for the most part), that its not a big deal. Sure, you could view the lack of urban environment as a downside, cause Durham is certainly not urban (though it can be if you live downtown), but it keeps costs down

[3L2014]

Honestly, how cut-throat (or otherwise) is the student body at Duke? I realize that everyone is paying a lot of money to get a great education, and people are going to work hard to succeed at that. Do find that your classmates at Duke can do this without losing site of collegiality and camaraderie?

I cannot imagine how a school could be less cutthroat. I cannot speak comparatively, but there is no way you could classify Duke has cutthroat

[3L2014]

Why doesn't the school publish its NALP Report?

We don't? That's strange. Couldn't tell you.

[3L2014]

Best: So one thing Duke has going for it that doesn't seem to be overly common among other law schools is a pretty impressive variety of practical corporate-leaning courses. Within reason, if there's a corporate-type class you want to take, you can probably take it here. (Some examples: corporate finance, accounting, securities regulation, derivatives, several different VC/startup-focused courses, several tax-related courses, bankruptcy, several contract drafting courses, negotiation, etc. We also have mini "wintersession" courses which can fill in the gaps that you may have missed elsewhere, like effectively using Excel.) Otherwise, a lot of our big pros have been covered to death elsewhere: collegial student body, nice weather, good* basketball, etc.

Con: Honestly, nothing really jumps out as being definitely worse than other law schools. You'll need a car. You'll graduate with a lot of debt (though, to touch on an earlier question, I found the estimated COA to be considerably higher than what I need). OCI is focused heavily on NYC and, more generally, on the coasts; if you want the Midwest (or even a non-Atlanta southern market), you're going to have to put in some legwork. The law school cafe is brutal, but there are much better options a short walk away. Sometimes we lose in the first round in the NCAA tournament.

As far as that cons beachbum listed--OCI is heavily targeted at DC/NY/TX/CA. But I know people who have had enormous success applying to firms in their home market outside OCI. Of course Chicago/Boston/Southern firms come as well, and if you have ties to those regions, there will be little competition for the firms that do come

[jenesaislaw]

Why doesn't the school publish its NALP Report?

We don't? That's strange. Couldn't tell you.

It is strange. You should ask them why and tell them you're concerned about how not being transparent makes the school look.

[beachbum]

Best: So one thing Duke has going for it that doesn't seem to be overly common among other law schools is a pretty impressive variety of practical corporate-leaning courses. Within reason, if there's a corporate-type class you want to take, you can probably take it here. (Some examples: corporate finance, accounting, securities regulation, derivatives, several different VC/startup-focused courses, several tax-related courses, bankruptcy, several contract drafting courses, negotiation, etc. We also have mini "wintersession" courses which can fill in the gaps that you may have missed elsewhere, like effectively using Excel.) Otherwise, a lot of our big pros have been covered to death elsewhere: collegial student body, nice weather, good* basketball, etc.

Con: Honestly, nothing really jumps out as being definitely worse than other law schools. You'll need a car. You'll graduate with a lot of debt (though, to touch on an earlier question, I found the estimated COA to be considerably higher than what I need). OCI is focused heavily on NYC and, more generally, on the coasts; if you want the Midwest (or even a non-Atlanta southern market), you're going to have to put in some legwork. The law school cafe is brutal, but there are much better options a short walk away. Sometimes we lose in the first round in the NCAA tournament.

As far as that cons beachbum listed--OCI is heavily targeted at DC/NY/TX/CA. But I know people who have had enormous success applying to firms in their home market outside OCI. Of course Chicago/Boston/Southern firms come as well, and if you have ties to those regions, there will be little competition for the firms that do come

Just to clarify: I'm actually someone who did well in the Midwest. It certainly can be done, and I think the Duke name travels exceptionally well. But there are only a small handful of Chicago firms that come to OCI (and only a few firms in total from non-Chicago midwestern cities), compared to hordes from NY and DC. So you'll have to put in the legwork. (To that end, Duke hosts, in conjunction with a few other T14s, an "On Tour" program where interviews are conducted in cities that are not well-represented at OCI. I participated in the Chicago On Tour program and landed a bunch of interviews that way.)

[lawschool22]

Where in the class would you say you generally need to be to realistically target DC biglaw?

[3L2014]

Anywhere in the top33% would give you a decent shot. Top25% and you would be sitting pretty.

[KatyMarie]

Anywhere in the top33% would give you a decent shot. Top25% and you would be sitting pretty.

Similar type question. Where would you say you need to be in the class to target Southeast/Atlanta Big Law (with ties)?

[SplitMyPants]

Anywhere in the top33% would give you a decent shot. Top25% and you would be sitting pretty.

Similar type question. Where would you say you need to be in the class to target Southeast/Atlanta Big Law (with ties)?

+1

[sach1282]

Anywhere in the top33% would give you a decent shot. Top25% and you would be sitting pretty.

Similar type question. Where would you say you need to be in the class to target Southeast/Atlanta Big Law (with ties)?

I'm a 2L at Duke, and from what I've gathered at OCI, with ties you go do southeastern biglaw as long as you're not bottom 1/3.

Also, about collegiality, quality of life, and COL, I couldn't agree more. The COL numbers are WAY over what I need, and even on law review, there aren't any overtly competitive gunners.