American University WCL TLS Class of 2011 Forum

[longhorngirl]

Just wondering if I have any future classmates out there! Anyone know if they are going for sure? Any clue about housing/roommates/etc?

I am looking for a roommate but heard something about a housing fair in the Spring. Anyone know anything about this?

[el_che]

I'm undecided, but it might be hard to swallow 50 g's a year when I have scholarships at other schools...so we'll see!

[Jaha13]

I'm in the same boat... Accepted but offered no money. Offered $$ at Temple and Drexel (I'm from New Jersey). So not sure what I will do yet, waiting to hear from some of my reach schools (I am around the bottom 25% of GPA and LSAT for Notre Dame and GWU, going to see if I get into either of those or George Mason).

[URMhopes]

I love American! Just waiting on a couple reaches but I think I'll probably commit soon.

[longhorngirl]

Have you decided to commit yet??

[jatuab]

In, but hoping to be a Dawg next August. If not, see you all there!

[frogman]

Still waiting to hear back. Got some good scholarships from other schools so I'm not so sure. I'm interested in working for the State Department afterwards. Where are you others hoping to work aftwerwards?

[law2006]

Looks like ill be there this year.

I got my acceptance 2 weeks ago. coming from CA, but still waiting on a few reaches.
Tuition increase gets instated this year, a nice 2,000 jump for us incoming students.

[URMhopes]

[lawbutterfly11]

unless the WL dam breaks at W&M, or Mason decides to let me in (no desision yet), il be there!

anyone gonna be at ASD this weekend?

[GHH923]

I'll be there Friday, but am not fully committed yet. Looking forward to it!

[savdav]

Can anybody who went to the ASW comment on their reactions/opinions?

[pamar]

I just submitted my deposit!

[Captbblbeard]

I'll be there PT in the fall!

[pamar]

has anyone gotten/heard anything after submitting the deposit?!

[EddiesGirl29]

.

[Captbblbeard]

I received an email from Brooke Sandoval which linked to the WCL blog. Apparently they will be posting everything from registration deadlines to housing information on there.

[GHH923]

I received an email from Brooke Sandoval which linked to the WCL blog. Apparently they will be posting everything from registration deadlines to housing information on there.

Same here. First news since depositing.

[Captbblbeard]

Has anyone gotten the new AU email about fin aid? From my understanding of it they are saying everything is going through the dept of education now. Is this right? What does this mean?

[URMhopes]

As I understand it, DirectLoans is a lender from the Department of Education and the only lender AU will be using for federal loans (subsidized and unsubsidized Stafford loans).

For Gradplus and any other private loans you can still choose any other lender. There is a list on their financial aid wsite for these lenders.

I consolidated all my loans from undergraduate with them (DirectLoans) and make a monthly payment online. In my experience, the process of repayment and consolidation has been really easy and clear so I was glad to hear that they were using DirectLoans as the lender.

The important points are that you must:

a. (re)accept your Stafford loans online (http://my.american.edu)
b. complete a Direct Loan Master Promissory Note (MPN) online a (http://dlenote.ed.gov)

peace,

URMHOPES

[SandyOConny]

has anyone thought about starting a facebook group for the WCL 2011 class??

[lawbutterfly11]

I started one, WCL class of 2011, but then somebody else has one started too, that they posted on the blog .. maybe we can use both?

[dman789]

Hello, I am a WCL 3L, woot!
Just a few quick words of warning of 1Ls: parking can be sucky at WCL because, to move AU's law school from the main campus a half mile up the hill, they had to sign all kinds of agreements with the neighbors in Spring Valley to not have tons of student parking around. I never had a car coming from the west coast, but some of my roommates got mad parking tickets and we were almost a mile from campus and walked!
WCL has lots of good things though: lots of clinics, classes offered both fall and spring, lots of coursework in most all practice areas of law, and other intangibles like a good cheap grocery store and a few other stores, cleaners, banks, etc nearby. So even if you are in a bit of an isolated section of DC, there is some retail around for food and such.
WCL has lots of bright students, and since it is a bigger law school, people who went to undergrad everywhere. Including people like me, from Seattle, but went to a small liberal arts college in California. There's sizable populations of students from all over the country which is great, and your classmates will impress you with their smarts. I thought I was good compared to my WCL classmates at policy arguments since I had a interdisciplinary economics/politics/philosophy major at my undergrad, but others wowed me with their quantitative abilities and their knowledge of the world in general. However, I will say this: some majors are better suited to law school than others: economics, hard sciences people seem to do well. Those who majored in psych and English are fine too but might want to brush up on quantitative things a bit to get even more of the the experience. Law is very interdisciplinary so those who had a good variety of undergrad courses I think do better, but I am also biased having gone to a small liberal arts school.
Make sure to check out other things in DC too. Smithsonian museums are free, as is the National Gallery of Art, and even the AU main campus has a good fitness center and fairly new art building with cool exhibitions in its museum that change fairly often. So make sure to get out of the law library once in a while, and also take advantage of the lunch hour talks frequently given at WCL (with free food, often pizza, and you learn something).
Finally, make sure to get those final promissory note agreement forms and other online finaid acceptances done quick, as well as final undergrad transcripts if applicable. Don't want a ton of paperwork getting you down the first week or two of school. Finding housing is work enough.

[URMhopes]

thanks dman789!