Hastings Class of 2015 Forum

[Lasers]

i'll also offer whatever outlines i have to anyone interested. same teachers as lisa. you should probably refer to her outlines since she's a baller, but i'd like to think i did alright myself.

[splitsplat]

i'll also offer whatever outlines i have to anyone interested. same teachers as lisa. you should probably refer to her outlines since she's a baller, but i'd like to think i did alright myself.

understatement.

#5 at T40s, top 1.2% (not to be uber specific or anything), top in section. 3.965

[lisavj]

i'd like to think i did alright myself.

A+ no? always wanted one of those.

[Lasers]

all i can say is that current hastings tlsers are going to be spoiled.

lots of rising 2L hastings students on here did very, very well.

[Lasers]

i'd like to think i did alright myself.

A+ no? always wanted one of those.

i guess we can't always get everything we want.

[sinkorswm]

Looking for housing in the tower??

I'm a rising 2L who will probably be vacating my studio in the tower for next year. I will be making my decision in the next few days, and then letting them know. Most likely a 5th floor, very quiet (no construction noise!!) studio with three huge windows and lots of light will be available next year. I signed a lease for 1050 a month.

PM me if you are interested, and I will hook you up with Pansy (the housing manager) if I decide to move (very likely!!).

[elisedfra]

i'd like to think i did alright myself.

A+ no? always wanted one of those.

Well, I would be happy to take advice from both of you/obtain some great notes before classes begin. Thanks for offering!

[sinkorswm]

Hello all,

I am moving out of the tower on 7/28 and have many items for sale, including:

250 Freezer -- perfect for the tower
125 Breakfast bar cart
60 Microwave
40 Humidifier
15 George Foreman Grill
15 Metal microwave/kitchen shelf
10 Trash can
10 Toaster oven

If you are interested, please PM me for more details. If you will not be moving into the tower until after I leave we may be able to work something out so that it will be waiting for you when you arrive.

Thanks!

[a male human]

Agreed with the two posters who are spitting out the cold, raw truth. Half the people I know from the class above me (class of 2012) have no jobs lined up. Some people in my year on the flagship journal barely got jobs after finals. You're competing with at least Boalt, Stanford and not to mention hundreds of your fellow classmates (this got better for the incoming class whose class size was cut by 20%), not counting GGU, SCU and Davis who likely want to work somewhere in NorCal. Boalt alone will take about half the open spots in the Bay Area.

People say "oh the economy is improving~" but they've been saying that for the past 2 years. I don't foresee the legal market picking up dramatically for at least another 5 years. The type of people who get respectable jobs at Hastings are those who could have been admitted to Boalt (i.e., stellar undergrad GPA & LSAT, work experience, advanced degrees). Some transfer out, but some stay and be competitive with Boalt/Stanford. The rest are left to fend for themselves and pretend the career office will be of any help.

A flicker of optimism: I'll say that most of us do find a legal summer gig at some point, maybe as late as June. But this is easier to do than acquiring a paid, full-time, post-grad job. I was lucky to get an in-house position through a job fair in spring. I actually got screened out initially because they were looking for someone with at least an M.S., so I guess you need something else than just credentials these days.

I realize most of you have decided to come, and I'm sure some of you will come out all right. I just wanted to express my current outlook. I'll probably see some of you after school starts and APALSA holds these happy hours and the annual bonfire, and I'll say the same things in person.

Also, if anyone else can see this topic on LinkedIn, it's called "Does Hastings provide a good value to current students?"
http://www.linkedin.com/groupItem?view= ... rGkgaQrlk1
Most grads, even those from two decades ago, disagree.

[Mick Haller]

well, I know "don't go" type of advice is generally frowned upon in c/o 20xx threads, but I agree with the poster above. Hastings' placement at present isn't much better than most private T2s, so if you have large scholarship offers, you should strongly consider them.

When we were applying, the most recent employment data (2007-2008) showed about 70% employed full time in JD-required positions. That has since dipped to nearly 40%. Large and medium firm placement has dropped from 33% in 2007, down to less than 10% in 2012.

Those numbers mean that for the majority of students, there's little practical difference between Hastings and, say, Loyola, USD, USF, etc.

[a male human]

I still think you should still come if you really want to learn about the law and take the risk of not finding high-paying work, kind of like most admitteds' undergrad background. During orientation, the dean or whoever told us that if we were in it for the money, we should step out of the room right then. I was one of those who should have, and his seemingly dramatic words turned out to be actually the right advice.

Also a fair warning about finances: I have a lingering suspicion that many/most of the merit scholarship recipients were bunched into one section, like mine. We were known for taking up half the library study rooms (rest occupied by the 4 other 1L sections, 2Ls and 3Ls). Only 5 of us showed up at the 1L dodgeball tournament, and other sections had to lend us members. My section represented the highest % of 2L staff members in our flagship journal, HLJ. So if you got a scholly, beware. You will likely have a tougher time compared to your peers, yet be compared with them when ranked by the school. Many will lose the chance to renew their scholarship because of this.

Moreover, my grant was not increased in proportion to my needs and tuition increase. I have way less cash available this year, my EFC is 0 (compared to over 15k last year). Tuition went up 15%. Despite that, my grant went up just a bit over 6%. I got a vague response out of one of my questions when I asked the finaid office why. I'm guessing the money is being saved to recruit students who had strong LSATs (and maybe put them in one section to save more money the next year). Especially since most alumni are hesitant to donate anything to this school.

Come if you want to learn about the legal theory and practice, and you are confident about your finances.

[splitsplat]

To the dude above, the merit scholarships at Hastings only require a 2.0 GPA for renewal so I'm not sure what the point of stacking sections would be.

[ilovesf]

I've never heard of rumors of section stacking. I didn't go to the dodgeball tournament. I didn't go because I was studying or being a gunner, I didn't go because a
Dodgeball tournament sounds really lame.

[splitsplat]

Dodge ball tournament sounds fun as shit. When else would you get to peg fats and gunners.

[Lasers]

How do you know the percentage of 2Ls from your section that made HLJ?

Edit: damn phone...

[ilovesf]

Dodge ball tournament sounds fun as shit. When else would you get to peg fats and gunners.

Well it exists for people like you who think it sounds awesome, but I prefer just ignoring them and doing my own thing. And chances are, if you are going to all these things, you are also probably a gunner. Lots of the gunners in my section did these kinds of things.

[a male human]

To the dude above, the merit scholarships at Hastings only require a 2.0 GPA for renewal so I'm not sure what the point of stacking sections would be.

It's not automatic. You also have to write essays and/or demonstrate academic achievement. My grades sucked, so I didn't bother. It's extra good if you're part of a group who's shown commitment to diversity or have lived in a certain area. Section stacking was just speculation on my part based on a few convos.

Probably the same with HLJ apportionment. Just from rumors and perhaps exaggerations, maybe because my section had a bunch of sniper types.

[hiima3L]

Just wanna say I think everyone should read this guy's post: http://top-law-schools.com/forums/viewt ... 2&t=186892

IMO, it's spot-on for Hastings students.

[lisavj]

I'm not sure about section-stacking.

Our section was pretty sure we were the gunner section. I heard people say as much. We def were not - I'll PM you why if you're really curious.

I do know that in an odd twist of fate my LWR section had at least three people with 4.0s, five cali award winners (three at the start of semester two), and at least three of the top six people in our section (though my educated guess is four). Most of us voluntarily signed up to be in the same Moot Ct. class .

[ilovesf]

I'm not sure about section-stacking.

Our section was pretty sure we were the gunner section. I heard people say as much. We def were not - I'll PM you why if you're really curious.

I do know that in an odd twist of fate my LWR section had at least three people with 4.0s, five cali award winners (three at the start of semester two), and at least three of the top six people in our section (though my educated guess is four). Most of us voluntarily signed up to be in the same Moot Ct. class .

I don't talk bout grades with people really so I have no idea who the top people in the section were or their gpas, though I could probably guess based on calis and who is transferring out. My lwr had 4 Cali people (including the lwr Cali) and I thought we were all pretty cool and laid back. I think every section thinks they are the gunner section, I don't really think there was one section that outgunned the rest.

[DildaMan]

Federal Income Tax was the gunner class. -_- Aside from that, everything else felt pretty balanced.

[reasonable troll]

Federal Income Tax was the gunner class. -_- Aside from that, everything else felt pretty balanced.

credited. sincerely hoping that i never have another class with some of the more insufferable contributors from tax.

[ilovesf]

Federal Income Tax was the gunner class. -_- Aside from that, everything else felt pretty balanced.

credited. sincerely hoping that i never have another class with some of the more insufferable contributors from tax.

Sweet. I'm happy I'm taking tax next semester do all the tax gunners wont be there.

[a male human]

Federal Income Tax was the gunner class. -_- Aside from that, everything else felt pretty balanced.

Ironically, I did the best in that class (even though it was a B lol).

[DildaMan]

^ Did you end up with an IP SA position for this summer? I got crapped on 1L, but I'm getting a lot more love this year.