Top Law Schools

Sup. Lifelong Texas fan (didn't attend for UG though). 99% will be in Austin next year.

I visited earlier in the semester, enjoyed my time there. Went on a student-led tour, sat in on a class, and walked around the campus for a bit. Austin was/is awesome, I could definitely see myself spending three (or more?) years there.

Hey guys, Texas 3L here. Congrats on choosing UT! I'm happy to answer questions if you want, particularly about out-of-stater issues. There are quite a few of us on TLS, so hopefully others will chime in as well. If you're still considering UT, I can also speak to that.

UT 1L here. I'd be happy to chime in if I can answer any of your questions as well, though I can't promise that I'll be able to check on this thread very often.

What would you guys recommend for housing? I'd like to save as much money possible and I'd also be interested in finding roommates. Does UT hook you up with ways to find roommates or are you kind of on your own?

Keef wrote:What would you guys recommend for housing? I'd like to save as much money possible and I'd also be interested in finding roommates. Does UT hook you up with ways to find roommates or are you kind of on your own?

UT will provide ways to get in touch with potential roommates on the freshlaw site. I found my 1L roommate that way, and we got a really nice ~$1,100 2BR/2BA apartment in Hyde Park. Tip for out-of-staters: find someone who's in Austin over the summer, or a former UT undergrad who knows the area. Although I don't live in Hyde Park anymore, it's a great place to start looking.

Do most of the students live pretty close to the law campus? I'm guessing most stay away from living in West Campus.
I noticied there's some apartments super close to the law school on Red River, any thoughts on that area?

StylinNProfilin wrote:Do most of the students live pretty close to the law campus? I'm guessing most stay away from living in West Campus.
I noticied there's some apartments super close to the law school on Red River, any thoughts on that area?

I know one 3L who lives in West Campus, but only because he's owned a condo there since before LS. I would not recommend it. But I do know a bunch of people who live in some of the apartments on Red River. They're generally not the comfiest apartments, and you may pay a bit of a premium for convenience. But if you're dead-set on a 10-minute walk to school, they're definitely worth looking into.

Other popular and nicer, if a bit pricier, apartments close by include the Triangle on Guadalupe (where lots of law students live) and the Mosaic at Mueller (where my wife and I have lived for a couple years). Might be a good idea to prioritize convenience your first year, then see what else is out there once you settle into Austin and have a chance to visit some classmates' places. It's really nice to be within walking distance to at least one bar or restaurant, and to have easy accessibility to most of your friends' places near the law school.

I don't really recommend downtown or South Austin. Traffic would become a hassle getting to and from school, and it's a lot more expensive to live downtown.

Thanks! Yeah definitely no on south austin. I lived on Riverside for undergrad and it was such a pain.

Basically everything philosoraptor said. North Campus is a great place to start looking. There are a lot of apartment complexes that are within walking distance of the law school (you're not really going to ever need to go anywhere other than the law school, so that's the most important thing). I have an apt that's walking distance, and I can tell you that it's super convenient. Parking at UT can be a bit of a pain, so it's nice to not have to worry about getting up to school earlier and getting a spot. Most of the law students I know live somewhere in North Campus.

I wouldn't really recommend West Campus. Most undergrads live there and it can be a little loud sometimes. But the main problem is it's kind of far from the law school. It's a good 25 minute walk and personally, I prefer to avoid relying on the shuttle system (although the UT/Austin public transportation is quite good). Really, if you're starting this early, it shouldn't be a big deal finding a good location for your apartment. Also keep in mind that with a lot of the apartments, a lot of your money is going into the location.

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read2465 wrote:I'm really interested in going to UT--it's a great fit in a lot of ways.

I'm having a hard time finding data on how difficult it would be to get some sort of federal job after--policy advising, State Department, etc. I'm seeing that it's not the *most* portable in terms of firms, but would there be a huge disadvantage coming from Texas with federal aspirations? I'm sorry if this is the wrong board for this type of question!

Don't know if Texas would disadvantage you per se but TLS wisdom says its extremely hard to get jobs like that coming from Harvard, Yale, and Stanford let alone anywhere else. You would probably need to be tippy top if the class at UT and still then it's no guarantee. Not to mention the chance of that happening is slim. It's great to have that as a goal but try to be open to other career paths because most people will never get there.

read2465 wrote:I'm really interested in going to UT--it's a great fit in a lot of ways.

I'm having a hard time finding data on how difficult it would be to get some sort of federal job after--policy advising, State Department, etc. I'm seeing that it's not the *most* portable in terms of firms, but would there be a huge disadvantage coming from Texas with federal aspirations? I'm sorry if this is the wrong board for this type of question!

It is a mistake to go to UT if you're dead-set on landing in DC public-interest or government work. OCS will bend over backward to help people get big firm jobs anywhere or public-interest or government jobs in Texas, but you're on your own when it comes to public service anywhere else. If you're sure you want DC, go to Georgetown or GW instead.

Hai gaiz.

AFS wrote:Basically everything philosoraptor said. North Campus is a great place to start looking. There are a lot of apartment complexes that are within walking distance of the law school (you're not really going to ever need to go anywhere other than the law school, so that's the most important thing). I have an apt that's walking distance, and I can tell you that it's super convenient. Parking at UT can be a bit of a pain, so it's nice to not have to worry about getting up to school earlier and getting a spot. Most of the law students I know live somewhere in North Campus.

I wouldn't really recommend West Campus. Most undergrads live there and it can be a little loud sometimes. But the main problem is it's kind of far from the law school. It's a good 25 minute walk and personally, I prefer to avoid relying on the shuttle system (although the UT/Austin public transportation is quite good). Really, if you're starting this early, it shouldn't be a big deal finding a good location for your apartment. Also keep in mind that with a lot of the apartments, a lot of your money is going into the location.

I'm moving to Austin next month and was wondering what people thought about living further North (near Gateway/North Burnet) since it seems to be on the UT Shuttle route?

rhcp47 wrote:I'm moving to Austin next month and was wondering what people thought about living further North (near Gateway/North Burnet) since it seems to be on the UT Shuttle route?

I don't see why you'd want to do this, since you can find affordable housing in nice neighborhoods much closer to campus. Unless you, e.g., have a family and want to be away from the college/grad school/downtown scene, there's a risk that you'll feel isolated early on if you live that far away. Makes it a hassle to meet up with friends and go out to things like society events and bar reviews.

Also, MoPac sucks. Can't emphasize that enough.

philosoraptor wrote:

rhcp47 wrote:I'm moving to Austin next month and was wondering what people thought about living further North (near Gateway/North Burnet) since it seems to be on the UT Shuttle route?

I don't see why you'd want to do this, since you can find affordable housing in nice neighborhoods much closer to campus. Unless you, e.g., have a family and want to be away from the college/grad school/downtown scene, there's a risk that you'll feel isolated early on if you live that far away. Makes it a hassle to meet up with friends and go out to things like society events and bar reviews.

Also, MoPac sucks. Can't emphasize that enough.

Yeah, it won't be just me alone and we don't want to be right in the thick of things. 8 miles from the campus doesn't seem like a lot, but then again I'm coming from a place where it takes you at least 30-40 mins to go anywhere. Do any married students or parents have any experiences living further away or advice/tips?

Hopefully not the only Ag in the class

I can't decide if I want to move closer to campus...I currently live in South Austin. Thoughts anyone?

GirlStop wrote:I can't decide if I want to move closer to campus...I currently live in South Austin. Thoughts anyone?

Depends on how much money, time, and effort it will cost you to find a new place and move, and on how far away you are now. If your old lease is up regardless or you have a good lead on a new place, I'd say consider it. There's definitely value in being only a mile or so from campus, especially when you're a 1L. Then again, if you already know Austin well, it won't be as tough a transition.

philosoraptor wrote:

GirlStop wrote:I can't decide if I want to move closer to campus...I currently live in South Austin. Thoughts anyone?

Depends on how much money, time, and effort it will cost you to find a new place and move, and on how far away you are now. If your old lease is up regardless or you have a good lead on a new place, I'd say consider it. There's definitely value in being only a mile or so from campus, especially when you're a 1L. Then again, if you already know Austin well, it won't be as tough a transition.

I see... thank you

AggieF&F wrote:Hopefully not the only Ag in the class

I'm one of 3 Ags in my small section (of 25), so you probably won't be alone.

Anyways, I'm a 1L there now and am happy to answer questions. I'll be more likely to answer PMs, but I'll try to look around here from time to time.

Hello!!!!!!

I've already been checking out condo complexes in north campus

Finally checking in. 99% gonna be at UT next year barring an unforeseen full ride offer somewhere. Preeeeeetty pumped to get to Austin

Anyone here going to the reception for Houston area students on steak & BJ day?