Cornell Law Class of 2015 Forum

[msblaw89]

Alright here it goes.... I was actually pleasantly surprised by Cornell. Most of the 1L's and other Cornell students lead me to believe that Cornell really was in the MIDDLE OF NOWHERE and that you would have to trek 30 miles in a blizzard just got get to a gas station. Not the case at all. Ithaca actually looks like a great place and there is plenty to do. The restaurants are delish ( Taste of Thai, The Nines, Boat yard Grill) and all have a great ambiance. Ithaca commons is really neat as well. It is a strip of specialty shops, restaurants, and bars. It has everything you need...it might not be right across the street from the school, but one mile is hardly "inaccessible" especially if you have a car. About one mile from the school is Wegmas' ( freaking awesome) a super Walmart, PetsMart, Lowes, Panera, Chipotle, Taco Bell McDonals, Verizon, CVS, K-Mart, Bed Bath and Beyond, Staples....you get the picture. And they are all int eh same shopping plaza. Ithaca is also more crowded that I thought it would be. Now, if you are coming from Los Angeles or NYC, I can see why you would think this is in the middle of nowhere and such a small town. For me, I came from UF which in essence is a collegetown. Aside from the one mall, movies, restaurants, bars, and the school...there isn't a whole lot. In my opinion, Ithaca actually has more to do then Gainesville, FL. So, maybe that is why I think Ithaca isn't really that small. Obviously I wasn't here during the winter, but as long as the inside is warm...I don't anticipate frolicking in the snow for any length of time.
The school itself is beautiful. When you walk into the school you just feel...smart. I went to Vandy's ASW, and even though there is only a 2 rank difference between the two schools, I felt like Cornel was MILES ahead. Vanderbilt would certainly be more user friendly because the students are more party focused and possible Nashville is easier to navigate, but once you get acclimated to the streets and where everything is in Ithaca I don't think it would be a problem. Also, the student body was not monastic. There is a good, diversified mix, but everyone was generally friendly. I was sitting in on Clermont's class and the two girls next to me were txt messaging and what not. Seems like they are all pretty normal and not crazy academics. Next to Caucasian, I think Asian is the next largest ethnic group.
Overall, I was pleasantly surprised. Before visiting and going off just what everyone at TLS said, I was ready to write Cornell off and go to Vanderbilt. Just goes to show you will never have a complete understanding of the school unless you go visit. Don't always go off of what other people say because Ithaca may be a boring, small town to some...but to me it was an upgrade. PM if you have any additional questions.

I agree with pretty much everything you said. And I think Ithaca is pretty awesome.

hehe

juuuust wait

Elaborate...

[Arbiter213]

juuuust wait

Elaborate...

She's just a curmudgeon.

[Ghghghhhg2000]

does anyone know if Cornell matches other T14 scholarship offers

[paulshortys10]

How was ASW? Any TLS'ers meet up?

[msblaw89]

How was ASW? Any TLS'ers meet up?

Did you miss my superlong post 2 above this one?

[paulshortys10]

How was ASW? Any TLS'ers meet up?

Did you miss my superlong post 2 above this one?

I didn't see anything relevant to ASD besides the bit on the class you took. It seemed like your personal review of Ithaca. Were there any speakers? Did you have a student panel speak to you? What were you guys fed?

[msblaw89]

How was ASW? Any TLS'ers meet up?

Did you miss my superlong post 2 above this one?

I didn't see anything relevant to ASD besides the bit on the class you took. It seemed like your personal review of Ithaca. Were there any speakers? Did you have a student panel speak to you? What were you guys fed?

We were fe NY bagels, NY deli sandwiches, and NY pizza. Dean Greiger emphasized going to an elite law school in this market. Dean DeRosa spoke about career services. He said you can practice in any city with a Cornell degree (not just NYC) so long as you start networking early. He anticipates hiring to increase... Sensing about 75-80% students to biglaw. He said about 5% below the historian average of 85%. The student panel talking about Ithaca being smaller than NYC, which is good for studying... Less distractions. Students still have a life and watch hockey games, go to bars, and play intermurals. There are a few gunners, but for the most part everyone is mellow.

[moneybagsphd]

Still waiting on finaid.

[paulshortys10]

How was ASW? Any TLS'ers meet up?

Did you miss my superlong post 2 above this one?

I didn't see anything relevant to ASD besides the bit on the class you took. It seemed like your personal review of Ithaca. Were there any speakers? Did you have a student panel speak to you? What were you guys fed?

We were fe NY bagels, NY deli sandwiches, and NY pizza. Dean Greiger emphasized going to an elite law school in this market. Dean DeRosa spoke about career services. He said you can practice in any city with a Cornell degree (not just NYC) so long as you start networking early. He anticipates hiring to increase... Sensing about 75-80% students to biglaw. He said about 5% below the historian average of 85%. The student panel talking about Ithaca being smaller than NYC, which is good for studying... Less distractions. Students still have a life and watch hockey games, go to bars, and play intermurals. There are a few gunners, but for the most part everyone is mellow.

Sounds like you guys got the same treatment we did, except for the better food you got. Thanks

[Lawbro]

Still waiting on finaid.

Same here, but apparently its coming "soon". If I got a dime for every time I heard that...

[Unagi]

Still waiting on finaid.

Same here, but apparently its coming "soon". If I got a dime for every time I heard that...

+1
Is today the deposit deadline for us, even if we haven't heard about finaid?

[Lawbro]

No, it's a week after we get finaid

[Unagi]

No, it's a week after we get finaid

Thanks! Is this written anywhere? I have already looked but I can't find it...

[Green Glass Windows]

No, it's a week after we get finaid

Thanks! Is this written anywhere? I have already looked but I can't find it...

They said it several times at ASD, and I got written confirmation of it when I emailed them about a week ago asking about it. I haven't found that info anywhere else...

[Unagi]

No, it's a week after we get finaid

Thanks! Is this written anywhere? I have already looked but I can't find it...

They said it several times at ASD, and I got written confirmation of it when I emailed them about a week ago asking about it. I haven't found that info anywhere else...

Thanks!!!
I didn't go to ASD and they haven't answered my email yet! Less stressed now!

[Mr. Somebody]

This was my impression, and this is all compared to the other T14's I've visited

Good:

- Current students I met were all fairly friendly, smart, mature (despite the fact that Cornell skews younger).
- The building itself is beautiful as is the overall campus.
- The 2L's (and 1L's) I talked to seemed very upbeat about big law prospects. 3L's were a lot more cautious.
- All the admits I met were cool although I got tired of chit chatting about law school towards the end (been to too many of these!).
- There seemed to be plenty to do in Collegetown and everything you needed was accessible there.
- There was definitely a strong sense of community and if you're looking for that campus vibe this is a good place to go.
- I did not get the "we are all super collegial" "we love our law school!" etc etc overbearing professions like I got at other ASW's. Current students sold their school by talking about its reputation, quality of the education, placement, and so on. This may be a negative for some people.

Bad:

- I agree that parts of the law school seem a little dated and dreary
- Hughes was horrible, but I was expecting that. The quality of the housing in the Collegetown area is really poor for what you're paying. This was a major turn-off for me and probably the main reservation I have when it comes to Cornell.
- Don't go there if you want PI? There wasn't even a PI session in the ASD program. No discussion of the LRAP program either, unless I missed it.
- As far as the admits I didn't really meet anyone who was really excited about going to Cornell. People either had big schollies so they were forced into considering it, or it was the best school they could get into. I don't know what kind of effect this has on the student body....
- Dean DeRosa was projecting 80% getting placed into biglaw. I guess I wasn't really following him, because he spent time talking about how the market has changed and hiring will never get back to what it was, but according to one of the above posts the historical average is 85%. Is that even statistically significant? That's like 10 students... so I didn't get the point there. He spent too much time talking about the OCI process which is really unnecessary at this point IMO.

I have more but I don't want to risk outing myself..... and I will probably be attending!

[msblaw89]

This was my impression, and this is all compared to the other T14's I've visited

Good:

- Current students I met were all fairly friendly, smart, mature (despite the fact that Cornell skews younger).
- The building itself is beautiful as is the overall campus.
- The 2L's (and 1L's) I talked to seemed very upbeat about big law prospects. 3L's were a lot more cautious.
- All the admits I met were cool although I got tired of chit chatting about law school towards the end (been to too many of these!).
- There seemed to be plenty to do in Collegetown and everything you needed was accessible there.
- There was definitely a strong sense of community and if you're looking for that campus vibe this is a good place to go.
- I did not get the "we are all super collegial" "we love our law school!" etc etc overbearing professions like I got at other ASW's. Current students sold their school by talking about its reputation, quality of the education, placement, and so on. This may be a negative for some people.

Bad:

- I agree that parts of the law school seem a little dated and dreary
- Hughes was horrible, but I was expecting that. The quality of the housing in the Collegetown area is really poor for what you're paying. This was a major turn-off for me and probably the main reservation I have when it comes to Cornell.
- Don't go there if you want PI? There wasn't even a PI session in the ASD program. No discussion of the LRAP program either, unless I missed it.
- As far as the admits I didn't really meet anyone who was really excited about going to Cornell. People either had big schollies so they were forced into considering it, or it was the best school they could get into. I don't know what kind of effect this has on the student body....
- Dean DeRosa was projecting 80% getting placed into biglaw. I guess I wasn't really following him, because he spent time talking about how the market has changed and hiring will never get back to what it was, but according to one of the above posts the historical average is 85%. Is that even statistically significant? That's like 10 students... so I didn't get the point there. He spent too much time talking about the OCI process which is really unnecessary at this point IMO.

I have more but I don't want to risk outing myself..... and I will probably be attending!

Patina mentioned that Cornell has an " excellent LRAP program" and it can be found on the website or you can e-mail her

[Mr. Somebody]

This was my impression, and this is all compared to the other T14's I've visited

Good:

- Current students I met were all fairly friendly, smart, mature (despite the fact that Cornell skews younger).
- The building itself is beautiful as is the overall campus.
- The 2L's (and 1L's) I talked to seemed very upbeat about big law prospects. 3L's were a lot more cautious.
- All the admits I met were cool although I got tired of chit chatting about law school towards the end (been to too many of these!).
- There seemed to be plenty to do in Collegetown and everything you needed was accessible there.
- There was definitely a strong sense of community and if you're looking for that campus vibe this is a good place to go.
- I did not get the "we are all super collegial" "we love our law school!" etc etc overbearing professions like I got at other ASW's. Current students sold their school by talking about its reputation, quality of the education, placement, and so on. This may be a negative for some people.

Bad:

- I agree that parts of the law school seem a little dated and dreary
- Hughes was horrible, but I was expecting that. The quality of the housing in the Collegetown area is really poor for what you're paying. This was a major turn-off for me and probably the main reservation I have when it comes to Cornell.
- Don't go there if you want PI? There wasn't even a PI session in the ASD program. No discussion of the LRAP program either, unless I missed it.
- As far as the admits I didn't really meet anyone who was really excited about going to Cornell. People either had big schollies so they were forced into considering it, or it was the best school they could get into. I don't know what kind of effect this has on the student body....
- Dean DeRosa was projecting 80% getting placed into biglaw. I guess I wasn't really following him, because he spent time talking about how the market has changed and hiring will never get back to what it was, but according to one of the above posts the historical average is 85%. Is that even statistically significant? That's like 10 students... so I didn't get the point there. He spent too much time talking about the OCI process which is really unnecessary at this point IMO.

I have more but I don't want to risk outing myself..... and I will probably be attending!

Patina mentioned that Cornell has an " excellent LRAP program" and it can be found on the website or you can e-mail her

Ok, my bad, must have been half-asleep. But the lack of discussion of it is still telling - not that I care personally, as I don't plan on doing PI.

[horrorbusiness]

This was my impression, and this is all compared to the other T14's I've visited

Good:

- Current students I met were all fairly friendly, smart, mature (despite the fact that Cornell skews younger).
- The building itself is beautiful as is the overall campus.
- The 2L's (and 1L's) I talked to seemed very upbeat about big law prospects. 3L's were a lot more cautious.
- All the admits I met were cool although I got tired of chit chatting about law school towards the end (been to too many of these!).
- There seemed to be plenty to do in Collegetown and everything you needed was accessible there.
- There was definitely a strong sense of community and if you're looking for that campus vibe this is a good place to go.
- I did not get the "we are all super collegial" "we love our law school!" etc etc overbearing professions like I got at other ASW's. Current students sold their school by talking about its reputation, quality of the education, placement, and so on. This may be a negative for some people.

Bad:

- I agree that parts of the law school seem a little dated and dreary
- Hughes was horrible, but I was expecting that. The quality of the housing in the Collegetown area is really poor for what you're paying. This was a major turn-off for me and probably the main reservation I have when it comes to Cornell.
- Don't go there if you want PI? There wasn't even a PI session in the ASD program. No discussion of the LRAP program either, unless I missed it.
- As far as the admits I didn't really meet anyone who was really excited about going to Cornell. People either had big schollies so they were forced into considering it, or it was the best school they could get into. I don't know what kind of effect this has on the student body....
- Dean DeRosa was projecting 80% getting placed into biglaw. I guess I wasn't really following him, because he spent time talking about how the market has changed and hiring will never get back to what it was, but according to one of the above posts the historical average is 85%. Is that even statistically significant? That's like 10 students... so I didn't get the point there. He spent too much time talking about the OCI process which is really unnecessary at this point IMO.

I have more but I don't want to risk outing myself..... and I will probably be attending!

Patina mentioned that Cornell has an " excellent LRAP program" and it can be found on the website or you can e-mail her

Ok, my bad, must have been half-asleep. But the lack of discussion of it is still telling - not that I care personally, as I don't plan on doing PI.

i think there's a connection between biglaw/hiring being talked about a lot and LRAP/PI being largely ignored. my general impression is that cornell is a funnel for students into NYC biglaw, and if you want something else, there's probably a school that would be better at getting you there.

[Lacepiece23]

Was anybody else wondering how the one Dean got the numbers for big law? I know he mentioned 55% last year and 85% from the year before and they were going to get back to 80% soon. These numbers seemed a little high maybe he was factoring in some people that went to larger midsize firms? JW

[top30man]

Was anybody else wondering how the one Dean got the numbers for big law? I know he mentioned 55% last year and 85% from the year before and they were going to get back to 80% soon. These numbers seemed a little high maybe he was factoring in some people that went to larger midsize firms? JW

If I recall, and I had them explained to me by someone in the office in a small meeting (I didn't go to asw) there are two caveats:
They are for firms 100 lawyers or more (NLJ250 big law starts around 160 iirc).
They are SAs, not permanent offers. Is that what everyone else thought? Please correct me if I misunderstood.

[Lacepiece23]

Was anybody else wondering how the one Dean got the numbers for big law? I know he mentioned 55% last year and 85% from the year before and they were going to get back to 80% soon. These numbers seemed a little high maybe he was factoring in some people that went to larger midsize firms? JW

If I recall, and I had them explained to me by someone in the office in a small meeting (I didn't go to asw) there are two caveats:
They are for firms 100 lawyers or more (NLJ250 big law starts around 160 iirc).
They are SAs, not permanent offers. Is that what everyone else thought? Please correct me if I misunderstood.

That makes sense... actually because if he said that 95% of SA's get Biglaw offers and I'm pretty sure 76% got it in 2010 then the numbers would line up especially if there were some firms that were not NLJ250 but over 100 associates thrown into the mix.

[Mr. Somebody]

...PMed

[Mr. Somebody]

Also, just to be clear, the "80%" figure being thrown around is DeRosa's projection of how many people will get biglaw for class of 2013.

[FlanAl]

That number should just be for SAs. As far as pi goes I actually think its a good school. Number one the lrap doesn't force you to be on it for 10 years like almost every other top school. Number 2 because the school is so big law focused the pi office can give you a lot of help and attention. Number 3 because of the big law focus the alums in pi are extremely enthusiastic, they'll get a couple emails every few years vs. say a Berkeley alum who gets like 50 every year for the sf defenders office.