Wake Law Students taking Questions!!! Forum

[tstyler98]

Thanks so much for the pics. It looks pretty nice. Quick question...you mentioned the student lounge. Is there a kitchenette area with a fridge and microwave to store and cook food we bring with us? I'm assuming there is since most schools have at least one, but I wanted to check. I like to make large batches of food and eat the leftovers throughout the week.

[whenpigsfly]

Thanks so much for the pics. It looks pretty nice. Quick question...you mentioned the are where the mailboxes are and is a good place to eat. Is there a kitchenette area with a fridge and microwave to store and cook food we bring with us? I'm assuming there is since most schools have at least one, but I wanted to check. I like to make large batches of food and eat the leftovers throughout the week.

Yes - right out of the frame there are two microwaves and a coffee maker. And there is a fridge, but it's located in the basement where the SBA offices are. But yeah, leftovers, soups, and frozen meals are what a lot of people do for lunch. There is also a cafeteria in the building behind ours, which is closed for the semester, but will be back up and running for the fall semester.

[bludvl_prelaw]

How are job prospects outside of North Carolina? I just got accepted to Wake...I'm actually a North Carolina native, but if I go to wake, I may try to explore job options in the Northeast.

[lsatClay]

I just got my admission letter. Wake is in my top 5 now, now I'm waiting for scholarship info. When does that usually come out? 3.41/171 w/need, so I got a decent shot at some money, right? Thanks for any feedback.

[S de Garmeaux]

What is rent (average) for a single room? shared?

[Margo1020]

How are job prospects outside of North Carolina? I just got accepted to Wake...I'm actually a North Carolina native, but if I go to wake, I may try to explore job options in the Northeast.

I know a couple 1Ls who are working for judges in DC over the summer. It's still early and most people are just now starting to interview for summer jobs.

As far as employers who come to campus, most of those are NC or very near NC. But, the alumni network is strong and I think there are excellent opportunities outside of NC. Sometimes you just have to look on your own and make connections in the area you are targeting (as opposed to waiting for them to come to Wake, with the economy, firms are not traveling as much).

[Margo1020]

What is rent (average) for a single room? shared?

A room in a shared house or apartment could range from $350-450. I think if you want a 1 bedroom apartment it's around $650-850 depending on how nice the place is.

[KansasSplitter]

Are the LRW classes p/f or are they graded?

Gracias in advance.

[katiebth]

mine was graded. Writing was the bulk of the grade and research filled in the remainder. I think it was 85/15%, but that could be wrong.

[Nicholasnickynic]

My fiancee and I will be visiting Wake on February 15. we were thinking about checking out the downtown area after ASD (asd ends at 2:00).

What's the deal with Winston-Salem's downtown?

Do you drive around it?
Or can you park somewhere and walk? If so, where should we park?

Is there anywhere we should NOT go? (As in we will get mugged and killed?).

What do you guys think of the downtown area?

Thanks

[whenpigsfly]

What is rent (average) for a single room? shared?

A one bedroom at a Crowne Complex will run you in the 700s. I pay on the low end of that and have 900 wonderful sq. feet all to myself. COL is super cheap around here, despite what Wake may be projecting. 20k is just wrong.

I just got my admission letter. Wake is in my top 5 now, now I'm waiting for scholarship info. When does that usually come out? 3.41/171 w/need, so I got a decent shot at some money, right? Thanks for any feedback.

You should get some $$$, for sure. If you applied later in the cycle, you'll likely have to wait a bit until others withdraw, but you will be getting some money.

How are job prospects outside of North Carolina? I just got accepted to Wake...I'm actually a North Carolina native, but if I go to wake, I may try to explore job options in the Northeast.

I know a couple 1Ls who are working for judges in DC over the summer. It's still early and most people are just now starting to interview for summer jobs.
As far as employers who come to campus, most of those are NC or very near NC. But, the alumni network is strong and I think there are excellent opportunities outside of NC. Sometimes you just have to look on your own and make connections in the area you are targeting (as opposed to waiting for them to come to Wake, with the economy, firms are not traveling as much).

While a lot of the OCI employers are NC based, we also have interview programs outside the area - I know there is a DC focused one, as well as one in New England. Since I'm a year up on Margo, a large chunk of my year already have their summer jobs, and they are pretty across the board location wise, from TN, to PA, to CA, to TX.

[S de Garmeaux]

I am going to be in WS for the scholar day on Friday and was hoping to get some suggestions on how to spend that night.

food, bar/pub/loung/clubs?

specifically, if there are any places to avoid (too over priced, pretentious, etc.)

[PirateCap'n]

How is the parking at WF? I know there's a big lot just down the hill from the law school building. Is that where everyone parks? (I've gone through the entire thread and didn't see this mentioned.)

[lishi]

That is the main parking lot. The fee for the entire school year is $500 to park in that lot. If you park there without a pass you'll get a $20 ticket. There is also another lot right outside the campus. It's called the God lot because it is a church parking lot. That parking lot is free and you can walk from there to school in five minutes.

If you want to pay for parking you just apply for it online. I haven't heard of anyone not getting a paid parking pass if they wanted one.

[PirateCap'n]

That is the main parking lot. The fee for the entire school year is $500 to park in that lot. If you park there without a pass you'll get a $20 ticket. There is also another lot right outside the campus. It's called the God lot because it is a church parking lot. That parking lot is free and you can walk from there to school in five minutes.

If you want to pay for parking you just apply for it online. I haven't heard of anyone not getting a paid parking pass if they wanted one.

Good to know. Thanks!

[flowerpot]

How would you guys describe the workload at Wake Forest?

[lishi]

How would you guys describe the workload at Wake Forest?

This question is a bit hard to answer because we can't really compare it to other schools. It's definitely a lot of work. I wasn't too shocked because I was expecting it, but if you think it's going to be a like undergrad you're wrong.

Your first year expect your assignments to take you at least 3 hours a day, and that is just reading assignments. As you go on you'll get faster, but in the beginning it'll take a while. It's definitely not unmanageable, but expect to cut out some tv/nap time

[Tave]

I'm going to go out on a limb here and suggest that people attending Wake expand their housing search to include areas outside the Crowne trio (and outside Deacon Ridge for that matter).

Most of my friends live in those apartment complexes, and with one or two exceptions, all are jealous of my living situation/location. Winston is a really easy city to get around in--I live right off downtown and it takes me all of 5-10 minutes to drive to campus. None of the people who live at the Crowne apartments is able to walk to campus, so what's the difference between 3 minutes?

Furthermore, the area around Wake is mostly residential, so there's not a whole lot to do in the immediate vicinity of campus. I can walk or catch a $4 cab-ride to all the bars and restaurants downtown, no sweat.

Moreover, rent for my apartment--$450/month--is much cheaper than rent at the Crownes. I live in a house sectioned into 3 apartments in a nice neighborhood, and I know there are a lot of those kinds of arrangements available if you're interested in them. I'd suggest starting your search in West End.

[tarheel87]

Could someone speak on the competitiveness at Wake? I've heard some things here and there but I'm not sure.

[jlnoa0915]

Thanks for all the great info!

[whenpigsfly]

Could someone speak on the competitiveness at Wake? I've heard some things here and there but I'm not sure.

Again, since there's no real point of comparison, it's a little tough, but I'd say it isn't a huge thing here. Obviously, because it is law school, and because ninety percent of people will finish outside of the top ten percent, there is competition, but there isn't much of a competitive overtone - at least up until the week before finals. I've never encountered a "missing book from the library" or "missing page from the book" situation, and expect it to continue that way.

[PirateCap'n]

Does anyone know about the scholarship retention rate? It seems that a lot of the people this year have a top 2/3 requirement for the scholarship. Just wondering if any of the current students have any experience with the situation/know if this is a reasonable requirement.

[tstyler98]

Does anyone know about the scholarship retention rate? It seems that a lot of the people this year have a top 2/3 requirement for the scholarship. Just wondering if any of the current students have any experience with the situation/know if this is a reasonable requirement.

I'm not a current student, so I can't speak to the retention rate or anything specific. But the fact that they only require one to stay in the top 2/3 to retain the scholarship, and keep half the scholarship if they fall below that but maintain good academic standing. Compared to most schools, that is pretty good. Most schools require at least top 1/2 (many higher than that), and you lose it completely if you fall below that requirement.

For Wake, with a class size of approximately 150, you basically have to be in the top 100 of the class. (Section-wise, better than approximately 17 students, if grades are pretty even between the sections.)

The only thing that would make it more difficult was if they stacked sections, placing all of those with scholarships in one (or two) sections so that they guaranteed people would lose their scholarships. I can't really see Wake doing that, but I'm not in a position to say whether they do or not.

[gogo]

can any of you current wake students comment on the portability of a wake law degree to DC? Are there good summer and career prospects for students wanting to be in DC?

[tarheel87]

Do Wake Law students generally go out much or tailgate during football season or that kind of thing? I mean for law students. I realize no one's going to be going crazy but it would be nice to have some social time with other law students (especially for football!).