University of Oregon Law Class of 2012 Forum

[platicus]

hey platicus. i've always liked your avatar. come hang out with us on saturday night.

Probably shouldn't hang out on Saturday, I'm bringing my wife and baby. I will however consider a potential TLS study group formation... and yes, i'm from Portland (area). I haven't checked yet, but what time are we supposed to be there?

[kimber1028]

hey platicus. i've always liked your avatar. come hang out with us on saturday night.

Probably shouldn't hang out on Saturday, I'm bringing my wife and baby. I will however consider a potential TLS study group formation... and yes, i'm from Portland (area). I haven't checked yet, but what time are we supposed to be there?

Yes... I don't know if a baby in the bar would be the best idea! The TLS study group is a good idea. The event starts at one, so I'm going to be there by about 12:30 or so. Parking's difficult to find, so make sure you allow time for that (though it may be less crowded on a Saturday afternoon).

[platicus]

so what did everyone think of the Admitted Students Day??? I really enjoyed myself, especially the Q & A session. I'm still not too fond of Eugene, though it's starting to grow on me. I did, however, like the bike-friendliness of the area, and the free bus pass is kind of neat.

[kimber1028]

so what did everyone think of the Admitted Students Day??? I really enjoyed myself, especially the Q & A session. I'm still not too fond of Eugene, though it's starting to grow on me. I did, however, like the bike-friendliness of the area, and the free bus pass is kind of neat.

I loved it! I was glad to see the apparent accessibility of the faculty. The students all seemed to be highly motivated, and it didn't feel like an intensely competitive atmosphere, though there is clearly a common desire to do well. I was able to get all of my questions answered, and was satisfied with the answers I received.

What don't you like about Eugene? It's definitely smaller than Portland, but I've always liked the atmosphere there.

[platicus]

What don't you like about Eugene? It's definitely smaller than Portland, but I've always liked the atmosphere there.

I can't really put my finger on it. Maybe it's just me adjusting to a new location. The school was a lot of fun, both the Law building and the rest of campus. Lot's of joggers everywhere, my wife and I could barely walk down the sidewalk!

[DCDuck]

Would anyone mind sharing their experience at admitted students day for those of us who couldn't make it? What questions did you have that got answered (or not)? Does it seem like a good school for areas of law other than environmental? What was the drink of choice at the after-gathering? Was there a good turnout?

Please share anything that would allow me to live vicariously through your experience. Thanks!

[kimber1028]

Would anyone mind sharing their experience at admitted students day for those of us who couldn't make it? What questions did you have that got answered (or not)? Does it seem like a good school for areas of law other than environmental? What was the drink of choice at the after-gathering? Was there a good turnout?

Please share anything that would allow me to live vicariously through your experience. Thanks!

I have a lot of info to share, so I will post when my midterm is over this afternoon. In the meantime, do you have any questions you'd like answered? I asked quite a few.

I will say now that I was extremely impressed with the information given and the way the ASD was conducted. There was a good turnout. My drink of choice is a Tokyo Tea... that held true for the bar afterwards, though I did have a few shots. I think most of our fellow students were drinking beer, except for a few who ordered different mixed drinks.

I did get the impression that UO is well-known for several other areas of law, and I spoke at length with the Dean about this... more on this later, though. Must study and ignore TLS for a few more hours!

[DCDuck]

Let's see. I'm particularly interested in international law. I know that there is an international law journal, but the class offerings in that field seem sparse. Did that come up at all? And how was the library, and does it seem that it is used mostly by law students, or by the undergrad and general public, as well? Other than that, just a general overview, or anything you found interesting would be nice. Is the basketball hoop still there?

[DCDuck]

And good luck on your midterm!

[Cal4future]

Notre Dame shocked me with a late admittance. I was really looking forward to Oregon but I can't pass up ND!

Thanks too all who helped answer all of my questions about UO and Eugene. Good luck in law school!

GO IRISH! (I'll still secretly be rooting for the ducks too)

[kimber1028]

Let's see. I'm particularly interested in international law. I know that there is an international law journal, but the class offerings in that field seem sparse. Did that come up at all? And how was the library, and does it seem that it is used mostly by law students, or by the undergrad and general public, as well? Other than that, just a general overview, or anything you found interesting would be nice. Is the basketball hoop still there?

International law actually didn't come up at all that I can recall, and my specific program questions were all focused on tax. However, I do know that there is a Statement of Completion available in the subject, so you can choose it as a focus. They also have a joint degree program in International Studies and Law, if you want to pursue that. I would imagine that the Statement of Completion coupled with participation on the International Law Review would suffice as well as any similar program at another school, unless it was extremely highly ranked.

The library seemed like it was being used primarily by law students. Quite honestly, when I was in undergrad, I would occasionally use the law library, but only because it was generally empty and quiet--the atmosphere hasn't changed. I've never known the general public to use the library, honestly. As far as the actual facilities, the library was very expansive and well-designed. They also have private study rooms available for use, though my tour guide said they are typically hard to get during finals. The basketball hoop is still there, and apparently basketball is the most competitive law school activity, according to the Dean of Admissions' speech.

As far as other interesting information....

• The Dean told me that it is possible to concentrate in more than one subject, so two or more Statements of Completion can be received, as long as one is willing to write the accompanying papers for each subject.
• The first-year books are sold in boxes, and each 1L picks up a box at orientation, upon which the bill is posted to your student account. There is also a list serve of current law students selling their books, so you can check that, purchase books included in your box, and return the corresponding books to the bookstore for an account credit.
• Study groups are common and recommended for at least the first term, though several students commented that it depends on the individual after the basics are grasped.
• Nearly all of the students in the 2011 class were able to pick up legal employment for their 1L summer. If they are not working in a legal capacity over the summer, the students are taking classes at UO or studying abroad.
• Students are able to organize new co-curricular groups if desired (I don't have specifics on this, though--I would imagine there's a specific process to follow).
• The staff for LR and the journals is chosen through a write-on competition; there is no opportunity to simply grade on.
• Students I spoke with (specifically 3Ls) are working throughout the Northwest (OR/WA) following graduation, as well as in Colorado (the EIC of LR has an appellate clerkship in Denver) and Utah specifically. These were the locations mentioned by the 5 or 6 different 3Ls I had an opportunity to speak with.
• 10-15% of the class gets jobs through OCI, though the others who spoke (ranging from top 20% to the median or so) haven't had a problem getting summer employment, as mentioned above.

I'm in class now, so I don't have access to the notes I took while I was there, but I will look when I get home and post more if there is anything of interest. These were the main points I could recall off the top of my head. Like I said before, I asked a lot of questions, so if anyone wants anything specific answered, I may have some information for you. I hope this helps! Oh, and I'm sorry there are no pictures--we forgot the camera in Portland, so we weren't able to take any.

[aquitaine]

Hi all, got accepted to UofO about a week ago and decided to drive up from Northern California for the ASD. Kimber cover a lot of the information I wrote down. Would add that the students felt the estimated living was fairly accurate or a little bit high, that people were finding apartments for 300 with a roommate to a high of 700 a month for a single. Down side of housing according to my panel was that if your single forget about student graduate house, only couples and families get off the list. The consensus was you need to ride a bike to school or show up early as parking was very limited, and that you should not buy an expensive bike as bike theft is very common. The impression I got in regard to summer jobs was that anyone who wanted one could get one, if you couldn’t find a job go bug professors and they would find one for you. I didn’t really hear much about LR or moot court it didn’t seem like they were talking up their programs. They did seem very willing to help create programs and work with individual students if a student has a different interest from the normal track, the example by the Dean of Admission was railroad law, when I talked to a couple professors later they all back up that they would help tailor programs to students interest.That’s all I can think of, off the top of my head will try and add more later.

[stewcaton]

I want to thank everyone for providing such great information in regard to ASD and U of O in general. I will be attending Oregon this fall. After visiting beautiful Eugene this past weekend, I shudder to think that I strongly considered going to the mideast/east coast or some other schools in California (no offense to those schools). I look forward to meeting everyone as the semester begins. I admit that I am going to miss obsessing over TLS as well all the abbreviations I finally understand Go Ducks!!!

[northwestguy]

I will almost certainly be attending UO next fall.

Can anybody tell me if there is special motorcycle parking on campus? I would prefer to ride my motorcycle to campus, assuming it is not raining hard.

[wanderingpie]

There are motorcycle spots on campus, but you have to buy a permit to use them. $81 for a yearly permit in 08-09. There are some free spots for bikes just off campus, but as far as I have seen, these are on the west side of the university (on Kincaid), while the law school is on the east (Agate). A 10-15 minute walk each way if you want to go cheap.

[ShelleyVA]

What don't you like about Eugene? It's definitely smaller than Portland, but I've always liked the atmosphere there.

I can't really put my finger on it. Maybe it's just me adjusting to a new location. The school was a lot of fun, both the Law building and the rest of campus. Lot's of joggers everywhere, my wife and I could barely walk down the sidewalk!

FWIW there was a HUGE track meet at Hayward Field across the street from the law school that day. There are a lot of joggers in Eugene but that day was NOT the norm and a lot of the joggers generally stick to the Amazon trail and other less congested areas.

[icarter]

Congrats to everyone going to UofO Law next year! I am currently living in Eugene and about to graduate undergrad before moving to Colorado for Law School.

If anyone is looking for a room to rent let me know via PM. I have a great house in South Eugene (need a car or be willing to take the bus to get to class. Its about a 7-8 minute drive; 2 miles to campus) with 3 bedrooms and 2 baths. My fiancee is going to be living in the house until she graduates next June so we are looking for just one roommate to share it with her for the year. The place is fully furnished and has a 2 car garage, nice backyard with BBQ and bright sunny office. Its in a quite safe residential neighborhood as well so no loud partying or distracting noises! Not 420 friendly and no smoking (highly sensitive allergies to cigarette smoke). Rent is 500/mth inclusive of utilities (cable & internet included!)

Good luck and congrats again to everyone!

[iggabugga]

Congrats on getting in Class of 2012!

I'm a prospective student who once skied Mt. Hood in the summer and really enjoyed my time in Oregon. Also I'm tired of the East coast and liked going to UG in Colorado (Boulder), but need a new scene that is not quite as party central as Boulder. Somewhere that people aspire to more than ski-bums but less than DRs. Because the only people who can afford to live the life in Boulder are those two professions (I exaggerate, but you get the gist). The coast of OR is pretty too. A couple of Questions, if you don't mind:

Q1. Why Univ. of OR rather than Lewis and Clark? They seem to have similar Median GPA/LSAT.

Q2. Did you apply to both Univ. of OR and L/C or had you decided on one ahead of time regardless of scholarship/aid?
Q3. If you got aid, was it based on your LSAT? I got a 160 but might try to retake. (GPA 3.4 from U of Colorado)

Q3. Are there many bugs in OR? during the year because of all the Rain? I dont like muggy bug-laden weather. Just wondering if I should go further north to Seattle.
Q4. Is Eugene dog-friendly? I have one that must come with me. Don't want to have to pay exorbitant rent just to find a place that accepts them.
Q5. Can you find any good bands coming through Eugene ever?
Q6. Anything else to add to your decision? Class size? Faculty -student ratio?
Q7. What field of law do you plan to follow?


Oh and

THANKS!