Texas Class of 2012 Forum

[penni_rose]

Please, all you have to do to compete with Leslie is walk around town in a bra. I saw him the other day... always a fun distraction during a company lunch.

[Esc]

Regarding the part-time work deal, there are strict limits on the number of hours we can work in our first year, as working is discouraged. My opinion is that in law school, our future opportunities will be determined by the grades we receive and the activities we participate in, so why would you want to risk your future for a few part-time dollars? Not worth it. Instead of working part-time, I'd rather spend 10-20 hours a week doing practice tests or preparing for law review write-on.

Thanks for the advice Esc. This is a hard decision for me because I think my living expenses will come to around $20K per year. So I'm looking at a debt load of around $60K if I don't work. That seems a bit ridiculous to me in light of the fact that I have a full scholarship. I make about $40/hour, so we're talking about more than a few part-time dollars. Working 10 hours a week would guarantee that I can graduate debt free. However, if I do not work, there is no guarantee that I'll finish near the top of our class or that I will make law review. So this is why the decision is so tough. I have a guarantee on one side and only a possibility on the other. Am I willing to give up a guarantee of no debt for a chance at law review? Also, there is always the possibility that I could be organized enough to work and accomplish my academic goals.

If anyone else has thoughts on this, please help me out!

$20k/year for living expenses seems awfully high....are you going to be paying rent by yourself, or are you splitting it with a significant other/roommate? I'm going halfsies on rent with my SO and I'm estimating expenses of ~12k/year for books, rent, bills, food, etc.

[JazzOne]

Regarding the part-time work deal, there are strict limits on the number of hours we can work in our first year, as working is discouraged. My opinion is that in law school, our future opportunities will be determined by the grades we receive and the activities we participate in, so why would you want to risk your future for a few part-time dollars? Not worth it. Instead of working part-time, I'd rather spend 10-20 hours a week doing practice tests or preparing for law review write-on.

Thanks for the advice Esc. This is a hard decision for me because I think my living expenses will come to around $20K per year. So I'm looking at a debt load of around $60K if I don't work. That seems a bit ridiculous to me in light of the fact that I have a full scholarship. I make about $40/hour, so we're talking about more than a few part-time dollars. Working 10 hours a week would guarantee that I can graduate debt free. However, if I do not work, there is no guarantee that I'll finish near the top of our class or that I will make law review. So this is why the decision is so tough. I have a guarantee on one side and only a possibility on the other. Am I willing to give up a guarantee of no debt for a chance at law review? Also, there is always the possibility that I could be organized enough to work and accomplish my academic goals.

If anyone else has thoughts on this, please help me out!

$20k/year for living expenses seems awfully high....are you going to be paying rent by yourself, or are you splitting it with a significant other/roommate? I'm going halfsies on rent with my SO and I'm estimating expenses of ~12k/year for books, rent, bills, food, etc.

My SO and I will split some expenses, but I'm a non-trad, and I have more financial obligations than most law students. I have two car payments, two dogs, insurance, etc. $20K is a realistic estimate. I could probably get by on less, but I'm using a high estimate in case something unexpected comes up.

[de5igual]

Please, all you have to do to compete with Leslie is walk around town in a bra. I saw him the other day... always a fun distraction during a company lunch.

* googles leslie & austin tx *

edit: results: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leslie_Cochran

[Esc]

Regarding the part-time work deal, there are strict limits on the number of hours we can work in our first year, as working is discouraged. My opinion is that in law school, our future opportunities will be determined by the grades we receive and the activities we participate in, so why would you want to risk your future for a few part-time dollars? Not worth it. Instead of working part-time, I'd rather spend 10-20 hours a week doing practice tests or preparing for law review write-on.

Thanks for the advice Esc. This is a hard decision for me because I think my living expenses will come to around $20K per year. So I'm looking at a debt load of around $60K if I don't work. That seems a bit ridiculous to me in light of the fact that I have a full scholarship. I make about $40/hour, so we're talking about more than a few part-time dollars. Working 10 hours a week would guarantee that I can graduate debt free. However, if I do not work, there is no guarantee that I'll finish near the top of our class or that I will make law review. So this is why the decision is so tough. I have a guarantee on one side and only a possibility on the other. Am I willing to give up a guarantee of no debt for a chance at law review? Also, there is always the possibility that I could be organized enough to work and accomplish my academic goals.

If anyone else has thoughts on this, please help me out!

$20k/year for living expenses seems awfully high....are you going to be paying rent by yourself, or are you splitting it with a significant other/roommate? I'm going halfsies on rent with my SO and I'm estimating expenses of ~12k/year for books, rent, bills, food, etc.

My SO and I will split some expenses, but I'm a non-trad, and I have more financial obligations than most law students. I have two car payments, two dogs, insurance, etc. $20K is a realistic estimate. I could probably get by on less, but I'm using a high estimate in case something unexpected comes up.

Ah, ok, 20k makes more sense when you start bringing car payments and the like into the mix. I'm getting rid of my old vehicle when school starts, and will be relying on bicycle and public transportation. That will take my transportation costs to essentially $0.

[de5igual]

Ah, ok, 20k makes more sense when you start bringing car payments and the like into the mix. I'm getting rid of my old vehicle when school starts, and will be relying on bicycle and public transportation. That will take my transportation costs to essentially $0.

how easy will it be to get around austin w/o a car? i'm debating whether i should bring one

[Zojirushi]

The bus is neither great nor awful, but the city is pretty bike friendly. The buses are reliable, but they are...buses. If you do not mind riding on a few hills, biking beats traffic and the bus 90% of the time. Virtually everything is within ~5 miles of campus. Plenty of bike lanes, and people are used to driving with cyclists.

[Esc]

The bus is neither great nor awful, but the city is pretty bike friendly. The buses are reliable, but they are...buses. If you do not mind riding on a few hills, biking beats traffic and the bus 90% of the time. Virtually everything is within ~5 miles of campus. Plenty of bike lanes, and people are used to driving with cyclists.

Yup. I don't foresee myself actually needing a car for anything, and I don't want to have to dole out money to pay for parking, gas, maintenance, insurance, etc.

[penni_rose]

The need for a car depends on where you live. I live way NW. My husband works up there. I'll be taking the bus to school, but would need a car to get groceries and stuff (and to get to the nearest Park and Ride). When I lived closer to campus in UG, I only used my car on the weekends (generally to drive to Dallas).

[JazzOne]

The bus is neither great nor awful, but the city is pretty bike friendly. The buses are reliable, but they are...buses. If you do not mind riding on a few hills, biking beats traffic and the bus 90% of the time. Virtually everything is within ~5 miles of campus. Plenty of bike lanes, and people are used to driving with cyclists.

Yup. I don't foresee myself actually needing a car for anything, and I don't want to have to dole out money to pay for parking, gas, maintenance, insurance, etc.

Esc, there is no way I can get rid of either of my vehicles. I have equity in one, but it's automatic, and that's the one my SO drives. I would love to sell my car (manual), but I am a bit upside down on the loan, so I'm stuck with the car. Now that you know about my financial obligations, would that change your advice about working a part-time job? I don't mean to keep bugging you about this, but I have to make some decisions pretty soon. The sticky point to me is that the job is guaranteed but the extra study time doesn't guarantee me anything in terms of class rank or grades. I hate trading sure things for chances.

[penni_rose]

I wouldn't work the first year (at least not right away). The advice I've gotten from a lot of people is that law school is really hard. See how much time you need to put into it before you get a job. That's what I did in grad school too. I tried it out for a semester, figured out I had a lot more free time than I thought and got a full-time job the next semester. Don't recommend working full-time. It sucked, even in an easy MA program designed for professionals. I understand your situation. I have some pressing financial issues as well, but it would be very hard to work, so I'm not doing it until I know what I've gotten myself into.

[Esc]

The bus is neither great nor awful, but the city is pretty bike friendly. The buses are reliable, but they are...buses. If you do not mind riding on a few hills, biking beats traffic and the bus 90% of the time. Virtually everything is within ~5 miles of campus. Plenty of bike lanes, and people are used to driving with cyclists.

Yup. I don't foresee myself actually needing a car for anything, and I don't want to have to dole out money to pay for parking, gas, maintenance, insurance, etc.

Esc, there is no way I can get rid of either of my vehicles. I have equity in one, but it's automatic, and that's the one my SO drives. I would love to sell my car (manual), but I am a bit upside down on the loan, so I'm stuck with the car. Now that you know about my financial obligations, would that change your advice about working a part-time job? I don't mean to keep bugging you about this, but I have to make some decisions pretty soon. The sticky point to me is that the job is guaranteed but the extra study time doesn't guarantee me anything in terms of class rank or grades. I hate trading sure things for chances.

I definitely see why you want/need to work, especially as the car debt could easily put your expenses over the cost of attendance and might force you to go for ridiculously expensive private loans. I'm afraid this is really up to you....do you feel like you can work part-time without having your grades suffer? Its true that there is no guarantee that you will score at the top of the class if you don't work, but there is no guarantee that you won't score at the bottom of the class if you do work. Also, are you willing to give up at least some (or most) of your social time?

Personally, in your situation, I think I would take the financial hit, take out the loans, and not risk my grades and future opportunities. Your scholly means that even with higher living expenses, you are still going to end up with a lot less debt than most people.

I'm also not sure of UT's policies on letting first year students work. The website http://www.utexas.edu/law/depts/sao/aca ... fwork.html only says

Law students are strongly advised that they should not work while in their first year and that they should not work more than fifteen hours a week while in their second and third years.

I don't know if there are any actual enforced limits on this, or if these guidelines are just strongly recommended but not mandatory. I've heard that there are actual limits, but you would need to contact the student affairs office for a direct answer. You probably (definitely) should talk to them (if you haven't already) before you make your decision.

[OperaAttorney]

Law students are strongly advised that they should not work while in their first year and that they should not work more than fifteen hours a week while in their second and third years.

I don't know if there are any actual enforced limits on this, or if these guidelines are just strongly recommended but not mandatory. I've heard that there are actual limits, but you would need to contact the student affairs office for a direct answer. You probably (definitely) should talk to them (if you haven't already) before you make your decision.

I've heard different stories regarding work for first-year students. But students "work" around these rules all the time--they just remain tight-lipped about it.

For most of undergrad, I've held a Sunday morning paid-chorister gig. There's rehearsal (1.5 to 2 hrs) on Thursdays and church service on Sundays (2 to 2.5 hrs). I intend to have a similar gig during law school. But I doubt it would be a problem. Rehearsing once a week will be a welcome vocal exercise, as I imagine that I'll devote most of my free time during the week to studying. And singing in church on Sunday morning--when I'd otherwise be sleeping--just means I'll be putting my Sunday morning hours (8 am to 11 am) to good use.

[Esc]

Law students are strongly advised that they should not work while in their first year and that they should not work more than fifteen hours a week while in their second and third years.

I don't know if there are any actual enforced limits on this, or if these guidelines are just strongly recommended but not mandatory. I've heard that there are actual limits, but you would need to contact the student affairs office for a direct answer. You probably (definitely) should talk to them (if you haven't already) before you make your decision.

I've heard different stories regarding work for first-year students. But students "work" around these rules all the time--they just remain tight-lipped about it.

For most of undergrad, I've held a Sunday morning paid-chorister gig. There's rehearsal (1.5 to 2 hrs) on Thursdays and church service on Sundays (2 to 2.5 hrs). I intend to have a similar gig during law school. But I doubt it would be a problem. Rehearsing once a week will be a welcome vocal exercise, as I imagine that I'll devote most of my free time during the week to studying. And singing in church on Sunday morning--when I'd otherwise be sleeping--just means I'll be putting my Sunday morning hours (8 am to 11 am) to good use.

I intend to sleep my ass off every Sunday morning. But singing is good, too. No Verdi, though, please.

[OperaAttorney]

Law students are strongly advised that they should not work while in their first year and that they should not work more than fifteen hours a week while in their second and third years.

I don't know if there are any actual enforced limits on this, or if these guidelines are just strongly recommended but not mandatory. I've heard that there are actual limits, but you would need to contact the student affairs office for a direct answer. You probably (definitely) should talk to them (if you haven't already) before you make your decision.

I've heard different stories regarding work for first-year students. But students "work" around these rules all the time--they just remain tight-lipped about it.

For most of undergrad, I've held a Sunday morning paid-chorister gig. There's rehearsal (1.5 to 2 hrs) on Thursdays and church service on Sundays (2 to 2.5 hrs). I intend to have a similar gig during law school. But I doubt it would be a problem. Rehearsing once a week will be a welcome vocal exercise, as I imagine that I'll devote most of my free time during the week to studying. And singing in church on Sunday morning--when I'd otherwise be sleeping--just means I'll be putting my Sunday morning hours (8 am to 11 am) to good use.

I intend to sleep my ass off every Sunday morning. But singing is good, too. No Verdi, though, please.

I usually sing for United Methodist or Episcopalian churches. They pay well. They also avoid Verdi, usually.

[JazzOne]

Hey gang. I got an email this morning indicating that I had received another scholarship from UT! Did anyone else get the Thompson & Knight Foundation Scholly?

[joesrevenge]

Hey gang. I got an email this morning indicating that I had received another scholarship from UT! Did anyone else get the Thompson & Knight Foundation Scholly?

Unfortunately no. Now I am going to be checking my emails a little more the next few days.

[JazzOne]

Hey gang. I got an email this morning indicating that I had received another scholarship from UT! Did anyone else get the Thompson & Knight Foundation Scholly?

I kind of regretted posting this when I got home for lunch and read it. TLS is fairly anonymous, and I sometimes forget that I will be a classmate of yours in a few short months. I wasn't trying to brag, and I hope when you all meet me you will see that I'm not an arrogant individual. I was genuinely happy when I got the email, and I just wanted to share it. The truth of the matter is that I'm shocked about my cycle, and I am so excited about LS.

[de5igual]

i hope they stop giving out $$ to c/o 2012 people and save it for people in the next cycle

[penni_rose]

No hard feelings at all. I'd be excited too. Hell, I was excited when I heard I got GRANT money.

[JazzOne]

No hard feelings at all. I'd be excited too. Hell, I was excited when I heard I got GRANT money.

I still haven't gotten my award letter from financial aid. I called this week, and they told me that the undergrads had priority because they had a decision deadline on May 1. Um, wasn't the LS seat deposit due before that? LOL, I just asked the guy to get on it.

[blackknight]

I kind of regretted posting this when I got home for lunch and read it. TLS is fairly anonymous, and I sometimes forget that I will be a classmate of yours in a few short months. I wasn't trying to brag, and I hope when you all meet me you will see that I'm not an arrogant individual. I was genuinely happy when I got the email, and I just wanted to share it. The truth of the matter is that I'm shocked about my cycle, and I am so excited about LS.

You arrogant prick.

But really congrats. I wish I could have gotten some of that foundation. My last name makes up half of it and that should count for something.

[OperaAttorney]

Hey gang. I got an email this morning indicating that I had received another scholarship from UT! Did anyone else get the Thompson & Knight Foundation Scholly?

I kind of regretted posting this when I got home for lunch and read it. TLS is fairly anonymous, and I sometimes forget that I will be a classmate of yours in a few short months. I wasn't trying to brag, and I hope when you all meet me you will see that I'm not an arrogant individual. I was genuinely happy when I got the email, and I just wanted to share it. The truth of the matter is that I'm shocked about my cycle, and I am so excited about LS.

No worries. I don't know about the other TLS posters....but I'm still holding you to your promise to make amazing pizza from scratch for the TLS gang.

[Esc]

Hey gang. I got an email this morning indicating that I had received another scholarship from UT! Did anyone else get the Thompson & Knight Foundation Scholly?

I kind of regretted posting this when I got home for lunch and read it. TLS is fairly anonymous, and I sometimes forget that I will be a classmate of yours in a few short months. I wasn't trying to brag, and I hope when you all meet me you will see that I'm not an arrogant individual. I was genuinely happy when I got the email, and I just wanted to share it. The truth of the matter is that I'm shocked about my cycle, and I am so excited about LS.

We know who you are. That shadow you see in the parking garage is not your imagination.

Flexes brass knuckles

lol, seriously dude, congratulations. We're happy for you, and I certainly understand scholly jubilence.

[OperaAttorney]