Villanova 2013 Forum

[mikeyp]

hey all,

i'm a 1L at villanova, if anyone has any questions, feel free to ask! i'd prefer to keep the questions in the thread for everyone's benefit.

and yes, the food in the cafeteria is not the best around, heh.

I was just wondering if you could talking about the work load? How rigorous is the day-to-day work, time commitment etc. thanks a lot.

a lot. more than a full time commitment. but its very satisfying, too. its hard to get a handle on in the beginning, but after a month or so you will really get used to it. first half of the semester i was able to get all my work done mon-fri (generally) and have saturdays and sundays free. but as you get to the halfway point and you need to start outlining, and the memo is due, you'll be adding another day, minimum. when you approach finals, you'll be going nonstop essentially 7 days per week.

but it all depends on how well you want to do.

and keep in mind, all the friends you make at school will be doing the same thing, so it's not like have another option! so you'll get used to it, because you have to but trust me, we always find time to get our drink on

[mikeyp]

Thanks! Hopefully Nova will start around the same time this year. They gave us so little information in the letter I feel like I don't know much more than when I applied.

Here's another question: How competitive are the students with each other and what sort of GPA is needed to be in the top 10% of the class? Also how hard is it to get on the Law Review if you are not in the top 10%?

well, for my 1L class, without getting into the details because i dont care to disclose it for fear of breaking some sort of rule, there are roughly 260 people, and between 20-30 of them are in the top 10%.

law review is more complicated here. for argument's sake, let's assume they pick 20 people from the 1L class (i have no idea how many they actually guess). they will take the top 10 automatically and offer them a spot. the other 10 spots are up for grabs by ANYONE in the class. they hold a writing competition over the summer before 2L and choose the ten best from there for the remaining spots.

you need to go into law school with the mindset that you will NOT be perfect. a lot of us, myself include, got used to getting 4.0's in undergrad if we put some effort into it. it does NOT work that way anymore. a lot of people were unpleasantly surprised, again, myself included. not to say i did bad, because i'm happy with what i got, but i'm going to need a near 4.0 this semester to make law review. in short, just be prepared that it is going to be VERY different. go into it with an open mind, expect to work hard, don't expect perfection, and you should be ok. remember, while generally more work = better grades, that's not necessarily true anymore (although there is still a correlation).

[03121202698008]

Thanks! Hopefully Nova will start around the same time this year. They gave us so little information in the letter I feel like I don't know much more than when I applied.

Here's another question: How competitive are the students with each other and what sort of GPA is needed to be in the top 10% of the class? Also how hard is it to get on the Law Review if you are not in the top 10%?

well, for my 1L class, without getting into the details because i dont care to disclose it for fear of breaking some sort of rule, there are roughly 260 people, and between 20-30 of them are in the top 10%.

law review is more complicated here. for argument's sake, let's assume they pick 20 people from the 1L class (i have no idea how many they actually guess). they will take the top 10 automatically and offer them a spot. the other 10 spots are up for grabs by ANYONE in the class. they hold a writing competition over the summer before 2L and choose the ten best from there for the remaining spots.

you need to go into law school with the mindset that you will NOT be perfect. a lot of us, myself include, got used to getting 4.0's in undergrad if we put some effort into it. it does NOT work that way anymore. a lot of people were unpleasantly surprised, again, myself included. not to say i did bad, because i'm happy with what i got, but i'm going to need a near 4.0 this semester to make law review. in short, just be prepared that it is going to be VERY different. go into it with an open mind, expect to work hard, don't expect perfection, and you should be ok. remember, while generally more work = better grades, that's not necessarily true anymore (although there is still a correlation).

Edit: Drunk math fail

[mikeyp]

Umm, if there are 260 people wouldn't 50.6 people be the top 10%?

No. I have the grade distribution sitting in front of me. I'm not sure where you got that number, either.

Besides, 260 x 10% = 26.

[D. H2Oman]

The last two posts do not reflect well on Villanova.

[mikeyp]

The last two posts do not reflect well on Villanova.

I'm not sure I understand...Why don't you elaborate for us "lay" people.

[03121202698008]

The last two posts do not reflect well on Villanova.

I'm not sure I understand...Why don't you elaborate for us "lay" people.

I think he was referring to the 50.6 being 10% of 260 comment. That is a mystery to me as well although I don't see how that has any impact on Villanova. Thanks for all your help answering questions!

Haha...drunk math. Don't know how the hell I came up with that number.

[mikeyp]

The last two posts do not reflect well on Villanova.

I'm not sure I understand...Why don't you elaborate for us "lay" people.

I think he was referring to the 50.6 being 10% of 260 comment. That is a mystery to me as well although I don't see how that has any impact on Villanova. Thanks for all your help answering questions!

Haha...drunk math. Don't know how the hell I came up with that number.

ahahaha nice

[Kevin3960]

anybody close to finalizing Villanova?

[jlnoa0915]

Waiting on scholarship/financial aid info from schools before I make any decisions but its in my top 5 of places to go.

Edit: Also found some decently affordable 2-3 bedroom apts in the area which will help my decision.

[mikeyp]

Waiting on scholarship/financial aid info from schools before I make any decisions but its in my top 5 of places to go.

Edit: Also found some decently affordable 2-3 bedroom apts in the area which will help my decision.

http://www.law.villanova.edu/Student%20 ... using.aspx = very helpful

[jbarl1]

Question...

I am applying for one of the scholarships listed on Villanova's web page that says I "need to submit a personal statement describing in detail your eligibility under the stated criteria." Should I mail this personal statement along with my financial aid application? Any opinions?

[superflush]

Question...

I am applying for one of the scholarships listed on Villanova's web page that says I "need to submit a personal statement describing in detail your eligibility under the stated criteria." Should I mail this personal statement along with my financial aid application? Any opinions?

what are the stated criteria?

[jbarl1]

Question...

I am applying for one of the scholarships listed on Villanova's web page that says I "need to submit a personal statement describing in detail your eligibility under the stated criteria." Should I mail this personal statement along with my financial aid application? Any opinions?

what are the stated criteria?

That I be from a certain geographic area, have academic merit and financial need. My personal statement is short, about three paragraphs, and outlines where I am from/went to UG and my academic achievements.

[superflush]

Question...

I am applying for one of the scholarships listed on Villanova's web page that says I "need to submit a personal statement describing in detail your eligibility under the stated criteria." Should I mail this personal statement along with my financial aid application? Any opinions?

what are the stated criteria?

That I be from a certain geographic area, have academic merit and financial need. My personal statement is short, about three paragraphs, and outlines where I am from/went to UG and my academic achievements.

So this is separate from a regular personal statement, right?

[jbarl1]

Question...

I am applying for one of the scholarships listed on Villanova's web page that says I "need to submit a personal statement describing in detail your eligibility under the stated criteria." Should I mail this personal statement along with my financial aid application? Any opinions?

what are the stated criteria?

That I be from a certain geographic area, have academic merit and financial need. My personal statement is short, about three paragraphs, and outlines where I am from/went to UG and my academic achievements.

So this is separate from a regular personal statement, right?

Yeah this is specifically for one of their institutional scholarships.

[superflush]

Yeah this is specifically for one of their institutional scholarships.

Okay, so this stuff: http://www.law.villanova.edu/Admissions ... ships.aspx

Yea, I would just send it with your application for the scholarships.

Does anyone know of people getting money without applying for scholarships/financial aid .. (ie. just getting money after being accepted) ???

[mikeyp]

Does anyone know of people getting money without applying for scholarships/financial aid .. (ie. just getting money after being accepted) ???

Yes, those notices are sent out in a month or so.

[lameduck]

For those of you who already received your acceptance package, what is the seat deposit deadline for VLS? I just found out I was accepted via status checker and 'Nova is definitely one of my top choices but scholly $$ matters. Do you guys think we'll get $$ info before the deposits are due?

[jbarl1]

For those of you who already received your acceptance package, what is the seat deposit deadline for VLS? I just found out I was accepted via status checker and 'Nova is definitely one of my top choices but scholly $$ matters. Do you guys think we'll get $$ info before the deposits are due?

Seat deposits are due April 15th and I have heard that scholarship information comes out on the 15th of February.

[TWoodWil]

For those of you who already received your acceptance package, what is the seat deposit deadline for VLS? I just found out I was accepted via status checker and 'Nova is definitely one of my top choices but scholly $$ matters. Do you guys think we'll get $$ info before the deposits are due?

Seat deposits are due April 15th and I have heard that scholarship information comes out on the 15th of February.

According to the Admissions Office, the first set of scholarship information is being mailed out on the 15th. It's to be seen if only some will be in that mailing or if all those already admitted will get word.

[Kevin3960]

hey all,

i'm a 1L at villanova, if anyone has any questions, feel free to ask! i'd prefer to keep the questions in the thread for everyone's benefit.

and yes, the food in the cafeteria is not the best around, heh.

How do you feel about the career prospects coming out? For those who want to stay in PA and work in Philly is it a relatively smooth transition getting a job?

[mikeyp]

How do you feel about the career prospects coming out? For those who want to stay in PA and work in Philly is it a relatively smooth transition getting a job?

i'm still a 1L so i have little experience with getting jobs. but they do have a LOT to offer here even for 1Ls. the internal job postings totalled almost 100 for 1Ls, with hundreds more available in the fall for 2 and 3Ls. a bunch of 1Ls have been lucky get jobs, second interviews, and i secured myself a paying job this summer too! so i've had a good experience with the job search, but the economy does play a negative factor (although i have nothing to compare it to).

bottom line is if you work hard, get good grades, and have good interview skills, you should not have a problem securing a job in philly. villanova has an enormous alumni network, and they are very keen on other villanova students.

now if only they could boost the food quality! thankfully theres plenty of places to eat around here

[anthonyc350]

Will be able to attend villanova! So happy, I love the area, philly and the school. Either going to live in Radcliff House or Whitehall/Korman. PM with housing help please!

[Headybrah]

how did you hear about $?

I was admitted super early and hoping for big $