UC Davis vs. UC Hastings Forum

[herzchen]

ascheras, i sure hope that someone replies to your question b/c it's a good one and i don't know the answer.

of the 2 schools, i'm only considering davis, and i think that their human/civil rights/PI programs are pretty strong but am not as sure about their int'nat'l law offerings.
i know that they have semester exchange programs in dublin & copenhagen...

[herzchen]

just a link to davis' overview of different areas of concentration -- here, for international law:

http://www.law.ucdavis.edu/academics/in ... lLaw.shtml

have you already looked these programs up on the hastings site? did you find the comparisons similar to e/o (or similarly vague / unconvincing?)?

[itsmebubba]

I've gone to both Davis & Hastings law schools (transferred for a personal reason) and each school has its pros & cons...Since i'm in a good mood, i'll concentrate on the PROS from my experience.

Pros about Davis Law school:
- It is easy to know your fellow classmates and most of our teachers really "cared" that we were learning. They pushed us, but made sure we were getting the material instead of moving on like a train wreck.
- Small, tight knit community. Almost everyone lives near school, but has a short bicycle commute or short car commute, and so it's easy to get together to hang out or study together & form study groups. Easier to stay motivated on studies.
- You get your own personal KEY to the law school! They trust you. Safe atmosphere & ppl study hard...to the wee hrs of the nite if you want.
- Really great for public interest jobs!
- A lot of students know that Davis is ranked slightly higher than Hastings on U.S. News, & they'll bring that up. And you don't have to deal with the constant question of "Isn't your school known to be hella competitive?"
- Great for getting a job in Sac! Good reputation across Bay Area too.
- Free printing for all your mega outlines, notes, everything! You'll realize what a great plus that is until you actually have to pay for every page that you print at Hastings...
- Very easy to get involved w/campus orgs since they meet during lunch & provide pizza galore & everyone attends, including your friends.
There's more, but will move on to Hastings...

Some Pros about Hastings:
- It is easier to separate your personal life from your top-law-schools.com and not live & breathe law school 24 hrs.
Unless you live at the Tower (the big dorm next to the school), most ppl are commuter students so it's easy to keep your anonymity when you want to & keep your sanity when law school gets tough, especially your 1st year!
- #1 Moot Ct program ranking in nation!
- 84% bar passage rate is equal to Boalt...only 2nd to UCLA this yr.
- Many more students to meet...buildings are bigger than Davis...more access to fun activities in SF and around the Bay Area. Doesn't smell like cows after you work out at the gym in Davis.
- Bigger alumni network. SF judges tend to rank Hastings students higher than Davis students...
- Lots of oppy's for judicial clerkships in the Fed & State ct bldgs within walking distance from the school.
- Free yoga classes, Beer on the Beach, free ice cream socials, etc. are fun...
- Career Center is ALWAYS sponsoring activities on campus to help you get jobs, Awesome guest speakers always come to campus, etc.
- LEOP program helps under-represented minorities & obstacle-overcoming students who show promise for a legal career w/slightly lower scores --> this program is awesome for the legal profession & needed! This might explain Hastings' slightly lower rankings & why it might be tougher for non-LEOP students to get into Hastings even with their impressive scores.
- There's more, but this is getting too long.

[ascheras]

hey herzchen,

yeah, i've looked at both hastings and davis for international law. both don't say too much to really distinguish between them. 2 things that i found during my search that i liked:

(1) hastings allows you to do any credible law study abroad program through the school.

(2) however, because davis is a multi-college university, one could double major (e.g. in international relations, a un language or two, etc). this puts it at an advantage over hastings.

itsmebubba :

what are the real downfalls between the two, besides location? is there any merit to hastings's crazy competetive rep?

[ascheras]

some other interesting differences:


Davis Attrition Rates for 2005-2006 Full- and Part-time Students
Percent of students discontinuing law school:
- First-year students: 9.3%
- Second-year students: 0.5%
- Third-year students: N/A
- Fourth-year students: N/A
- Men: 3.1%
- Women: 3.5%



Hastings Attrition Rates for 2005-2006 Full- and Part-time Students
Percent of students discontinuing law school:
- First-year students: 4.9%
- Second-year students: 5.1%
- Third-year students: 0.3%
- Fourth-year students: N/A
- Men: 3.5%
- Women: 3.5%

SOURCE: 2008 US News.
]

[herzchen]

even though i didn't apply to hastings and don't regret that decision, it's nice to read itsmebubba's pros lists for both schools.
personally, i have a feeling i'll thrive in a more nurturing environment than it seems like hastings offers, and since i don't already have a strong network of friends/contacts in SF itself, i don't think i'd be too happy around a buttload of students that are commuting and want to remain anonymous while around campus.

but that's just me; i can DEFINITELY see why someone who doesn't have my needs and hankering to live closer to davis/sac might choose hastings over davis!

bubba's mentioning of the cow smell tickled my funny bone--i grew up in davis and tended not to notice that smell unless i was passing right near the dairy / cow corral;
but after having lived in LA, berlin, austin, etc. for several years and returning for short stays, i found the smell out in the wide open space around farms & stuff more noticeable (e.g. between north davis and the sacto airport; and i'm not talking about that strong, offensive manteca smell but rather one that is much more subtle and not nausea-inducing!!) than when i *lived* around there.

to some extent, just being around greenery & open space in the central valley contrasted starkly to my other living experiences, and i realized i'd kinda missed it.
wow, i sound like a nostalgic(, pathetic?) 'cow'girl!

bottom line: i'll gladly take the faint smell of cow or dirt over LALAland's smell of exhaust/pollution!!

umm, but back to the point of this thread: ASCHERAS, do you mean to suggest that davis law students canNOT either participate in one of the school's own exchange programs (abroad) or in another accredited program/school's?? because i got a different impression from emailing someone... here, this is -verbatim- what the director of int'nat'l progs @davis wrote to me:
Yes, it is possible for a UC Davis School of Law JD student to participate in another school’s study abroad program. There are many such programs during the year and over the summers. When you begin to formulate more specific plans after you arrive at Davis, you will want to meet with Assistant Dean . . . who must give final approval to all academic programs abroad.

and if by 'double majoring' at davis you mean getting an M.A. & J.D., you're right, that might be an incentive for some persons.

[davisharvardofwinestudy]

New US NEWS RANKING 2009

Hastings >>>>>>Davis

Davis ranked 44th

[high4ever2008]

I'm curious which people think is the better school. I know UC Davis has a bit higher USNEWS ranking and LSAT scores, but do the big California law firms prefer it over Hastings? Was anybody accepted to both and decided to go to one of the two? If so, I definitely be interested in learning why.

UC Hastings has better biglaw placement than UC Davis (but not by that much) and more prestige in the legal world (but not by that much). However, both schools have good reputations in CA and place well for CA biglaw. They are one of the best choices in CA in terms of biglaw placement, prestige (the UC affiliation is great), and are a bargain in terms of tuition. I know several people who chose UC Hastings/Davis over USC who are very happy with their decision. They all got CA biglaw and saved thousands on tuition. Good luck.