Northwestern 1L/2L/3L/Grads Taking Questions and Challenges Forum

[KremeCheez]

Anyone have perspective on if BA with Litvak is that much better than with Silver?

A great deal better.

I didn't hate BA with Silver...

[Mullens]

Hello all, hope you're off to a great start to the new semester! I'll be attending Northwestern this fall and couldn't be more excited! I had a few questions that you guys may be able to answer:

1) I know it's early to think about housing, but what living spaces do you guys recommend that would be within the $600 range (either w or w/o roommates)? Also, what have your experiences been like so far: how'd you find a roommate? What apts./living spaces did you like or not like? ect.

2) In general, what would you recommend sharpening up/doing before I arrive? I've been applying to as many scholarships as possible, but other than that I'm pretty bored now not having to make any more decisions lol. How can I use the time I have before school to it's best? Just chill?

3) After reading these forums, I have a better idea of where I'd like my career to go (ideally). I'm incredibly interested in clerking and will likely pursue this area for initial post-grad opportunities. Is there a lot of support given/resources available to those who wish to pursue clerking? Also, does anyone here have any insight into the Center for Wrongful Convictions and Supreme Court clinic offerings at Bluhm?

4) Should one worry about the location they'd like to practice in during their 1L? I have no clue as to where I'd like to post up for the rest of my life. I currently live in and have ties in the south, but I don't see myself wanting to come back anytime in the immediate future (~10 yrs.). I lived in / really enjoyed DC and NYC, but would probably prefer to experience something new after graduation (part of NU's appeal was getting to experience Chicago!). I'll be long distance from my SO, but I envision that she'll have a good deal of mobility. Does this lack of certainty in my post-grad destination matter?

Thanks!

1) I'm not sure you're going to be able to find anything within a 30 minute commute of the law school in that price range. There are cheaper apartments in northern lakeview around Irving Park Rd. where you can take an express bus to the school in about 25-30 minutes and that might be your best bet. I would look at housing in chicago on a site like padmapper to get an idea for rent prices in different neighborhoods. Then, use google maps to see how long it takes to get to school from various locations. I highly recommend living within 30 minutes of school because you're going to be very busy 1L and will not want to waste all that time everyday commuting. Most 1Ls live within walking distance to school, but the rents in Streeterville are more in the $1200+ range. Most other law students either live in Streeterville or live north of the school in Old Town/Lincoln Park/Lakeview. Generally, the farther north you get the cheaper it is.

2) There's really nothing you can do to prepare for 1L. Some people will recommend reading Getting to Maybe or reading through the guides here though I don't think it's necessary. The only thing you could do is work on your typing speed because it can impact your performance on exams.

3) There is support and resources for people who want to clerk. You have to have pretty good grades for those resources to matter so at this point it should be considered a nice goal, but something that you will not know is realistically attainable until you get your 1L grades. I'm not too knowledgeable on the clinics.

4) I would advise you get a more concrete idea by the end of first semester 1L. Where you work during your first summer can have an impact on how believable your interest is to certain markets during OCI. For example, Chicago firms are going to be skeptical if you say you want to work in Chicago and your only tie here is Northwestern Law if you work in a different city that summer. Especially because a lot of Northwestern 1Ls they interview work in Chicago that summer. You should have an even better idea before OCI (end of 1L summer) because you have to bid on law firms by office location.

[Asia101]

A word of caution to my other LLM students: do not take Horwich! Many people asked me about this, so I thought this was a good place to inform people.

[suppy183]

A word of caution to my other LLM students: do not take Horwich! Many people asked me about this, so I thought this was a good place to inform people.

Not an LLM, but why?

[Asia101]

Because JDs have a huge advantage with Horwich because he speaks so fast and there is so much work (and it's so difficult). I thought TLS was the best way to pass that message along.

[KremeCheez]

Because JDs have a huge advantage with Horwich because he speaks so fast and there is so much work (and it's so difficult). I thought TLS was the best way to pass that message along.

Fairly disturbed by the notion that LLMs should avoid classes that are a lot of work and difficult...
I mean, I get the speaks fast problem, but c'mon now.

[KremeCheez]

Shouldn't this thread be full of 1Ls fretting about Fall grades at this point?

[Chrstgtr]

Is there a big difference in whether take ethics with Foster or Mucham?

[czpczp]

Shouldn't this thread be full of 1Ls fretting about Fall grades at this point?

soon, very soon.

[personofinterest]

people need to start dropping from classes with just over 40 people. curves are the devil.

[franklyscarlet]

Is there a big difference in whether take ethics with Foster or Mucham?

Don't know much about foster, but Wendy Muchman is super sweet. Her class isn't hard but she takes attendance and docks for skipping, so my grade suffered a little because I was a lazy waste of space.

[KremeCheez]

Is there a big difference in whether take ethics with Foster or Mucham?

Don't know much about foster, but Wendy Muchman is super sweet. Her class isn't hard but she takes attendance and docks for skipping, so my grade suffered a little because I was a lazy waste of space.

I'm pretty sure Muchman and Foster work on their curriculum together. I think the syllabuses are the same—assignments, grade break-down, attendance policy, etc. I think both get generally positive reviews. I had Foster and don't have any complaints.

So no, probably not a big difference.

[SaltySailor123]

Does anyone have any experience with the Entrepreneurship Clinic? I'm specifically interested in the grading and whether an A+ is possible...

[FloridaCoastalorbust]

The firms I applied to want to see my transcript. I'd like to send it ASAP. My understanding is that b/c NU doesn't rank GPAs (at least says it doesn't) I can't say to a firm when I pass along my transcript "top x%/top x people" right? I have seen rayiner's NU GPA estimation (below) but it would seem inappropriate to use that as a basis for my percentile and then to tell firms that, no?

4.00+ - top 3-5 people
3.85+ - top 10%
3.75+ - top 15%
3.65+ - top 25%
3.50+ - top 35%
3.30-3.40 - median
3.20 - 3.30 - slightly below median
3.00 - 3.20 - quite below median

[bk1]

Do not tell them an estimate. NU doesn't give official ranks so you can't say anything at all.

[crumb cake]

.

[FloridaCoastalorbust]

Do not tell them an estimate. NU doesn't give official ranks so you can't say anything at all.

cool thanks bk1

[Man from Nantucket]

Does anyone have any experience with the Environmental Law Colloquium? Just looking for an easy two credit course with generous grading.

[Desert Fox]

Does anyone have any experience with the Environmental Law Colloquium? Just looking for an easy two credit course with generous grading.

If it's dana and barsa still teaching it, then you have found it.

[rinkrat19]

Does anyone have any experience with the Environmental Law Colloquium? Just looking for an easy two credit course with generous grading.

If it's dana and barsa still teaching it, then you have found it.

I thought it had a fair amount of work, though.

[feralinfant]

So I feel like there was little info on TLS regarding Trial Ad (ITA) with Lubet and Co. and I figure I'll post my experience for collective widom since TLS has proven useful time and again over the years.

I had some anxiety about the adjuncts and the black box grading in the class, and in my opinion my fears turned out to be all too well grounded. This class required a fair amount of prep and work every week, and yet I feel I had very little control over my final grade in this class, which ended up lower than I'd like, and in my opinion, lower than I deserved. I know at least a few other close friends who feel similarly and at 4 credits a lower grade is a bummer. Contributing to the lack of control, at least as perceived by me, are (1) Not being given any indication of the rubrics used by adjuncts to evaluate you, in other words, not knowing "how" you are graded in the breakouts, (2) Not being given any indication of how these evaluations might be normalized (or not) within breakout groups and between them, (3) Not being given any indication of your progress or lack thereof throughout the semester. I felt my bench trial went very well, and I thought I did well at the jury trial based on my own self-evaluation and adjunct comments, and based on the classmates I was able to observe in the semester I would have thought I was competitive for a better grade, especially since Lubet's emphasis on the lack of a curve suggests that he's not stingy with A's. I have no idea what I could have done differently.

Ultimately though, just the experience of getting on your feet in a trial setting was valuable for me, though I'm not sure there's something inherently special about the program run at NU besides some cool adjuncts. I'm happy I got those experiences and the grade is not really that big of a deal looking at the big picture.

The class seems to me like a gamble at best, especially if you have certain goals (like a narrow path to latin honors) but i'm curious about the actual grade distribution, as well as the experiences of people who did better than me, so I'd be interested to hear from any posters with other perspectives.

tl;dr- ITA is good on your feet experience, but lacks transparency regarding any of the metrics used to evaluate your grade and you need to be comfortable with that randomness.

[nretsewhtroN]

Digging around for a little info while balancing some personal issues. What grades make order of the coif? Around what grade point is highest after 1L? 3L? What grades allow someone to transfer to a top three school? Do people often transfer? What grades are needed for clerkships?

[Uncurved]

The whole class gift bit seems generally removed from reality.

[FloridaCoastalorbust]

The whole class gift bit seems generally removed from reality.

srsly

[Desert Fox]

The whole class gift bit seems generally removed from reality.

explain