UVA Law Students Taking Questions Forum

[t14green]

Anybody know when/how/where the Graduation cocktail party photos will be uploaded?

All are up at this link: https://www.flickr.com/photos/uvalaw/albums/

[Yardbird]

Anyone know when official transcripts will have degrees listed? All my grades are in but the transcript is still lacking the degree conferral (which I need for my summer advance).

"Final Grades: Final Grades for the Spring 2016 term are due to SRO from the faculty by Wednesday June 8th. As a result, your degree may not be officially conferred on your record until after this date.

· Transcripts: After all final grades are in, and your degree is officially conferred by the University’s Registrar Office (UREG), you will see the degree conferral on your transcript. In order to monitor when your degree will be officially conferred on your transcript, please monitor your unofficial transcript via SIS – which mirrors your official transcript – to see when the conferral and degree date are posted."

Thanks!

Now get back to Barbri.

[wilt]

I just got off the waitlist for UVA so 2 q's. is it very small town? how does it compare to Ithaca? bc there's a reason i didn't go to cornell and i dont have a chance to visit UVA. also, how fratlife is it like? is there anything to do besides drink? this somewhat follows from the first q. thanks.

[North]

When did you guys get diplomas in the mail last year or the year before? Trying to scope out sales on frames at Micheal's.

[TasmanianToucan]

I just got off the waitlist for UVA so 2 q's. is it very small town? how does it compare to Ithaca? bc there's a reason i didn't go to cornell and i dont have a chance to visit UVA. also, how fratlife is it like? is there anything to do besides drink? this somewhat follows from the first q. thanks.

I've never lived there so I can't really compare, but based on my short impression of Ithaca Charlottesville is somewhat bigger. It still feels like a fairly small town, but it's only a 1.5 hour drive to Richmond and a 2.5 hour drive to DC so it's not that hard to get away for a weekend early in the semester.

I've only ever been a student at one law school, but based on comparisons with friends at different schools UVA is more social than most. Sure, plenty of that involves bar review nights at Bilt or other bar-related weekend stuff, but not everyone is part of that scene by any stretch. I'm not much of a corner rat and I still found a really nice group of people I like, even being married (which generally makes the frattiest people not want to be friends with you, I think.)

There are plenty of things to do, especially if you like being outdoors or for some reason want to fill your spare time with more law school related stuff.

[sj0101]

...

[5ky]

When did you guys get diplomas in the mail last year or the year before? Trying to scope out sales on frames at Micheal's.

we got ours at graduation. make sure you get the bigger size frame, uva's diplomas are massive

[5ky]

Finished 1L with 3.23. Where does that put me? Bottom 25%? Bottom 35%?

probably bottom 20% to 25%

[North]

Finished 1L with 3.23. Where does that put me? Bottom 25%? Bottom 35%?

Right on the line between bottom third and middle third, maybe a little lower on the 1L curve. I got above-market-paying biglaw with exactly your GPA and didn't even bid NY (which was admittedly a bad decision that worked out). Bid NY and secondary markets that you have ties to. Mass mail everywhere else like crazy over the summer. You're going to have to hustle hard, but it can work out.

[North]

When did you guys get diplomas in the mail last year or the year before? Trying to scope out sales on frames at Micheal's.

we got ours at graduation. make sure you get the bigger size frame, uva's diplomas are massive

Wait, they actually handed you your personal diploma at graduation? That's pretty cool. They definitely did not do that for us.

[5ky]

When did you guys get diplomas in the mail last year or the year before? Trying to scope out sales on frames at Micheal's.

we got ours at graduation. make sure you get the bigger size frame, uva's diplomas are massive

Wait, they actually handed you your personal diploma at graduation? That's pretty cool. They definitely did not do that for us.

you're making me second guess myself, but i'm pretty sure yeah. it came in a cardboard tube, it definitely wasn't mailed to me

[wilt]

I just got off the waitlist for UVA so 2 q's. is it very small town? how does it compare to Ithaca? bc there's a reason i didn't go to cornell and i dont have a chance to visit UVA. also, how fratlife is it like? is there anything to do besides drink? this somewhat follows from the first q. thanks.

I've never lived there so I can't really compare, but based on my short impression of Ithaca Charlottesville is somewhat bigger. It still feels like a fairly small town, but it's only a 1.5 hour drive to Richmond and a 2.5 hour drive to DC so it's not that hard to get away for a weekend early in the semester.

I've only ever been a student at one law school, but based on comparisons with friends at different schools UVA is more social than most. Sure, plenty of that involves bar review nights at Bilt or other bar-related weekend stuff, but not everyone is part of that scene by any stretch. I'm not much of a corner rat and I still found a really nice group of people I like, even being married (which generally makes the frattiest people not want to be friends with you, I think.)

There are plenty of things to do, especially if you like being outdoors or for some reason want to fill your spare time with more law school related stuff.

Thank you, this is a hard decision to make without being able to visit. I am definitely worried about making friends/finding a social scene that works for me but this gives me more hope. I actually have a friend there who just got married so maybe that's more common, idk. anyway, thanks!

[sj0101]

...

[North]

Thanks! I'm planning on bidding NY and secondary markets in SE I have ties to.

Yeah I ended up in the southeast.

I do have a question about mass mailing: When should I start? I've heard both "ASAP" and wait until July. What do you think?

I defer to the TLS hivemind on that one. I massmailed late and not enough. Maybe July 1?

Thanks again, and I'm glad that everything worked out for you!

So am I, it could very easily have went the other way. I think 5ky told me to drop out around this time two year's ago, lol, and that wasn't bad advice when I was paying sticker. Just prepare for what could be a very dispiriting and nerve wracking year or two.

[TasmanianToucan]

Thank you, this is a hard decision to make without being able to visit. I am definitely worried about making friends/finding a social scene that works for me but this gives me more hope. I actually have a friend there who just got married so maybe that's more common, idk. anyway, thanks!

No problem! Pretty much the only people I've met here who seemed unhappy for reasons not related to academics were people who aren't satisfied unless they're living in a huge city. Then again, I haven't met everybody/talked to everyone I know about their happiness level, so who knows.

[sj0101]

...

[andthenIwaslike]

Thank you, this is a hard decision to make without being able to visit. I am definitely worried about making friends/finding a social scene that works for me but this gives me more hope. I actually have a friend there who just got married so maybe that's more common, idk. anyway, thanks!

No problem! Pretty much the only people I've met here who seemed unhappy for reasons not related to academics were people who aren't satisfied unless they're living in a huge city. Then again, I haven't met everybody/talked to everyone I know about their happiness level, so who knows.

Also, Charlottesville definitely has the... I don't know, the soul of a big city, or at least a coastal city, at times. Like, sure, people are nice, you can drive across the whole town in fifteen minutes, but there was also an elderly couple doing a "performance art" piece on the downtown mall last weekend where they were blindfolded and encouraging strangers to hug them. There are dozens of great restaurants, and it's incredibly easy to eat vegetarian here. For a little town in Central Virginia, it's surprisingly... crunchy.

[Yardbird]

I just got off the waitlist for UVA so 2 q's. is it very small town? how does it compare to Ithaca? bc there's a reason i didn't go to cornell and i dont have a chance to visit UVA. also, how fratlife is it like? is there anything to do besides drink? this somewhat follows from the first q. thanks.

I've never lived there so I can't really compare, but based on my short impression of Ithaca Charlottesville is somewhat bigger. It still feels like a fairly small town, but it's only a 1.5 hour drive to Richmond and a 2.5 hour drive to DC so it's not that hard to get away for a weekend early in the semester.

I've only ever been a student at one law school, but based on comparisons with friends at different schools UVA is more social than most. Sure, plenty of that involves bar review nights at Bilt or other bar-related weekend stuff, but not everyone is part of that scene by any stretch. I'm not much of a corner rat and I still found a really nice group of people I like, even being married (which generally makes the frattiest people not want to be friends with you, I think.)

There are plenty of things to do, especially if you like being outdoors or for some reason want to fill your spare time with more law school related stuff.

Thank you, this is a hard decision to make without being able to visit. I am definitely worried about making friends/finding a social scene that works for me but this gives me more hope. I actually have a friend there who just got married so maybe that's more common, idk. anyway, thanks!

There is a scene for everyone. You will make friends easier at UVa than any other school, guaranteed. I know plenty of people who avoided the fratty scene and did their own thing. I was friends with them and hung out with them a lot. I also went to bar events every now and then. Basically, just be you and you’ll find similar people to hang out with. The Mormon presence at UVa is a an example of individuals who don’t drink hanging out a lot together.

[Br3v]

I just got off the waitlist for UVA so 2 q's. is it very small town? how does it compare to Ithaca? bc there's a reason i didn't go to cornell and i dont have a chance to visit UVA. also, how fratlife is it like? is there anything to do besides drink? this somewhat follows from the first q. thanks.

I wouldn't be too concerned about the nature of the town, it's only three years. Charlottesville is fun though. Are you receiving any scholarship money from either school? I think that should be more important.

[wilt]

There is a scene for everyone. You will make friends easier at UVa than any other school, guaranteed. I know plenty of people who avoided the fratty scene and did their own thing. I was friends with them and hung out with them a lot. I also went to bar events every now and then. Basically, just be you and you’ll find similar people to hang out with. The Mormon presence at UVa is a an example of individuals who don’t drink hanging out a lot together.

Thanks! I've been getting the vibe that UVA is very social and a friendly place and I love that about it. I also like the people i know who go to UVA a lot as well. and yay Mormons!

[wilt]

I just got off the waitlist for UVA so 2 q's. is it very small town? how does it compare to Ithaca? bc there's a reason i didn't go to cornell and i dont have a chance to visit UVA. also, how fratlife is it like? is there anything to do besides drink? this somewhat follows from the first q. thanks.

I wouldn't be too concerned about the nature of the town, it's only three years. Charlottesville is fun though. Are you receiving any scholarship money from either school? I think that should be more important.

Thanks, and I have scholarship money from both. I'm also not considering Cornell anymore, I'm deposited at CLS rn. Where I'm living for the next three years is a pretty important factor for me.

[Br3v]

I just got off the waitlist for UVA so 2 q's. is it very small town? how does it compare to Ithaca? bc there's a reason i didn't go to cornell and i dont have a chance to visit UVA. also, how fratlife is it like? is there anything to do besides drink? this somewhat follows from the first q. thanks.

I wouldn't be too concerned about the nature of the town, it's only three years. Charlottesville is fun though. Are you receiving any scholarship money from either school? I think that should be more important.

Thanks, and I have scholarship money from both. I'm also not considering Cornell anymore, I'm deposited at CLS rn. Where I'm living for the next three years is a pretty important factor for me.

Absent some characteristic that many incoming students don't have (like you have children or something and you want good schools) what I am saying is that where you spend the three years shouldn't be given as much weight as you are giving it. Listen I love UVA and Charlottesville, but this is a business decision and you should treat it as such. Its not like you are choosing between LA and Antartica. You will have fun in both places.

What/where do you want to do after law school?

[wilt]

Absent some characteristic that many incoming students don't have (like you have children or something and you want good schools) what I am saying is that where you spend the three years shouldn't be given as much weight as you are giving it. Listen I love UVA and Charlottesville, but this is a business decision and you should treat it as such. Its not like you are choosing between LA and Antartica. You will have fun in both places.

What/where do you want to do after law school?

Sorry, I don't mean to be rude but I've had this conversation plenty of times on TLS. I am a fool to not attend Cornell or wherever I get the most money I think it was but I do have personal reasons for putting more consideration into this beyond just strictly finances. It matters to me what the place I attend is like, and yeah, I'll inevitably end up in biglaw. Thanks though!

[An0n]

Does anyone know about when and how we find out about Coif?

[5ky]

Email after graduation. Can be as late as September