University of Texas 1L Taking Questions Forum

[TheIdiot]

I have a question for you 1 and 2Ls. I've got a family and so I'm trying to figure out how to juggle everything. How much time do you spend on campus each day? I've heard people from some schools tell me you practically live at the law school, and obviously that's not ideal for someone in my position.

thanks!!

Like Esc mentioned, you don't need to be at campus outside of actual classes. I study primarily at home because 1) I'm most comfortable here, and 2) it allows me to see my 3 girls during my breaks. BUT, I see them much less than I would prefer. For me, it's actually not so much juggling as simply cutting out family time to make time for law school. Other parents may have a different perspective, but for me, there's simply no way I could juggle, in the sense that I could have quality time with both. So I have chosen to focus on school, at least the first year. It sucks but it's a trade-off. Just keep in mind: law school, at least good grades, requires a significant amount of work. Once you get started and figure out the pace, you'll be able to decide exactly how you want to strategize. As long as you come up with something [i.e. take the task seriously] you'll be fine.

[TheIdiot]

Hey guys, trying to decide between UVA and UT right now (weigh in here!) and feeling myself inching closer and closer to going with staying in Texas and spending the next 3 years in Austin.

With that said, what would some of you current students say is your biggest complaint/the biggest negatives about UT?

I guess my only complaint has to do with the 1L summer job situation. Now, 90% of this is my fault, so keep that in mind.

Here’s some background. I need a summer job that pays something, so I don’t have to uproot my family for the summer. So, I didn’t apply for judicial internships because they don’t pay and are not covered by the Law School Fellowship Program. Similarly, after the deadline for applying for this $4000 fellowship passed [and I didn’t have a public interest/gov gig secured] I had to focus on paying jobs.

However, it turns out that you can get academic credit for both judicial internships and non-profit/gov internships and thus, get financial aid that actually exceeds the $4000 fellowship grant. Granted, it’s a loan and not a grant, but hey, it’s a huge deal [at least for me]. Had I known this going in, I would have definitely applied for judicial internships and would not have stopped my non-profit/gov job search. Hopefully, it will work out in the end. If not, we’ll just couch surf at Operas for the summer.

So, I guess I would have liked a little more hand-holding regarding the 1L summer job situation. Of course, if you know this going in, you’ll be fine. So, I guess this is not so much a critique as a chance to learn from my mistake. Speaking of which, I would also recommend, wherever you go, to take advantage of your winter break and get a bunch of applications ready to roll. I thought I would have time to do this throughout the spring but I was wrong. Drafting a cover letter to each of these places takes time, and time is hard to come by during the semester.

I also would have liked a stronger focus on legal writing, but it sounds as though they fixed that.

Sorry I can’t be of more help in terms of negatives. Good luck with your decision.

[countbizaller]

I have a question for you 1 and 2Ls. I've got a family and so I'm trying to figure out how to juggle everything. How much time do you spend on campus each day? I've heard people from some schools tell me you practically live at the law school, and obviously that's not ideal for someone in my position.

thanks!!

From a 2L perspective, you might spend more time on campus depending on your extracurriculars. Journal work can add a big chunk of time on campus as well as stuff like moot court/mock trial practice, RAing, TQing, or whatever other organization you end up running. In general, me and my friends have been spending a lot more time on campus this year than our 1L year because of all this and the fact that it sucks to go home when you need to come right back in an hour anyway. But all this is voluntary. You can also do as little as you want and completely disappear. I know a few guys who've done this.

[soonergirl]

Like Esc mentioned, you don't need to be at campus outside of actual classes. I study primarily at home because 1) I'm most comfortable here, and 2) it allows me to see my 3 girls during my breaks. BUT, I see them much less than I would prefer. For me, it's actually not so much juggling as simply cutting out family time to make time for law school. Other parents may have a different perspective, but for me, there's simply no way I could juggle, in the sense that I could have quality time with both. So I have chosen to focus on school, at least the first year. It sucks but it's a trade-off. Just keep in mind: law school, at least good grades, requires a significant amount of work. Once you get started and figure out the pace, you'll be able to decide exactly how you want to strategize. As long as you come up with something [i.e. take the task seriously] you'll be fine.

thanks! How old are your girls? (You can pm if you don't like to post stuff like that.)

[bricklac]

Thanks for all of the answers in this thread. Can I ask what the point is of this whole "mentor" thing? I'm a little older and not particularly interested in having a 23-year-old tell me what to do.

[yournamehere]

age doesn't matter at all when you get to law school -- you're a 1L and you pretty much don't know anything. An attitude of "I'm older and I know better" can land you in hot water really quickly. Don't dismiss anyone just because they happen to be young.

I found that having a mentor was helpful in a lot of ways. Someone around to make sure that you understood how to take notes, how to outline, etc. was really valuable.

Finally, all the mentor events are optional. You don't have to go to any if you don't want.

[Esc]

age doesn't matter at all when you get to law school -- you're a 1L and you pretty much don't know anything. An attitude of "I'm older and I know better" can land you in hot water really quickly. Don't dismiss anyone just because they happen to be young.

I found that having a mentor was helpful in a lot of ways. Someone around to make sure that you understood how to take notes, how to outline, etc. was really valuable.

Finally, all the mentor events are optional. You don't have to go to any if you don't want.

Yeah, no one tells you what to do or forces you to participate, but they are always there if you need to ask Qs, which can be invaluable for navigating through the innumerable deadlines and tasks one needs to complete in law school (and I'm not talking about classwork).

[JazzOne]

Thanks for all of the answers in this thread. Can I ask what the point is of this whole "mentor" thing? I'm a little older and not particularly interested in having a 23-year-old tell me what to do.

I'm older too, but the mentors are very helpful. They certainly won't tell you what to do. Section events are completely voluntary.

[bricklac]

Thanks all. I didn't mean to come off as "I'm older and I know better", but I phrased my first post poorly. I suppose I'm just old and grumpy, and might be likely to have a personality clash with the sort of person the law school might choose as a mentor. Good to know that attendance isn't mandatory at mentor events.

[Esc]

Thanks all. I didn't mean to come off as "I'm older and I know better", but I phrased my first post poorly. I suppose I'm just old and grumpy, and might be likely to have a personality clash with the sort of person the law school might choose as a mentor. Good to know that attendance isn't mandatory at mentor events.

nah, the mentors are chill. no one is going to try to force you to do anything you don't want to.

[hownowbrowncow]

I was wondering if any current 1Ls or 2Ls can elaborate on their experience with summer job hunting?

Many thanks to all the UT law students for answering questions. Y'all are a huge help!

[Pearalegal]

So....after a very enjoyable two days in Austin but horrible luck with apartments, can anyone recommend any apt buildings/management companies, whatever?

Plllllease?

[Daico]

So....after a very enjoyable two days in Austin but horrible luck with apartments, can anyone recommend any apt buildings/management companies, whatever?

Plllllease?

Aspenwood apartments at 4539 Guadalupe [across the street from the triangle] is pretty decent, ~$675 for a 1 bedroom/1 bath, 600 sq. ft, ~$15 more for water/wastewater/trash, stove could be larger, PM if you want to know anything else.

[windowshopper]

.

[Esc]

Has it been your experience that students admitted with lower LSAT scores generally are on the bottom of the class? I'm a URM, who was accepted with lower LSAT, and I'm afraid that I'm going to shoot myself in the foot (with respect to job prospects after graduation, etc)? Any opinions?

hard to say. People are usually pretty hush-hush about grades. I wouldn't worry about LSAT as predictor of law school success, though.

[nukelaloosh]

Hey guys, trying to decide between UVA and UT right now (weigh in here!) and feeling myself inching closer and closer to going with staying in Texas and spending the next 3 years in Austin.

With that said, what would some of you current students say is your biggest complaint/the biggest negatives about UT?

I guess my only complaint has to do with the 1L summer job situation. Now, 90% of this is my fault, so keep that in mind.

Here’s some background. I need a summer job that pays something, so I don’t have to uproot my family for the summer. So, I didn’t apply for judicial internships because they don’t pay and are not covered by the Law School Fellowship Program. Similarly, after the deadline for applying for this $4000 fellowship passed [and I didn’t have a public interest/gov gig secured] I had to focus on paying jobs.

However, it turns out that you can get academic credit for both judicial internships and non-profit/gov internships and thus, get financial aid that actually exceeds the $4000 fellowship grant. Granted, it’s a loan and not a grant, but hey, it’s a huge deal [at least for me]. Had I known this going in, I would have definitely applied for judicial internships and would not have stopped my non-profit/gov job search.

Does this mean that you are technically "enrolled" during the summer according to the law school?

[jaxon05]

In response to the mentor questions (although it seems as though you have gotten some answers already), I wanted to add my two cents since I am going to be a mentor next year. Really a mentor's purpose is meant to ease the transition into law school, whether it's straight from undergrad or after working for many years and coming back to school. We're meant only to answer your questions, provide you with the information you need, and be there for you if you need any help. It's actually an enjoyable experience for mentors and their "mentees." However, a mentor is only as useful as you need them to be, and you don't have to see them more than a few times a semester if you don't want to (but I'll hope you want to

Bottom Line: Mentors are a neat part of the program, but don't feel compelled to take part (although I strongly encourage it since it makes law school a slightly more fun place to be).

Sorry if this is TLDR. If anyone has any other questions, I'd be happy to help out!

[bricklac]

In response to the mentor questions (although it seems as though you have gotten some answers already), I wanted to add my two cents since I am going to be a mentor next year. Really a mentor's purpose is meant to ease the transition into law school, whether it's straight from undergrad or after working for many years and coming back to school. We're meant only to answer your questions, provide you with the information you need, and be there for you if you need any help. It's actually an enjoyable experience for mentors and their "mentees." However, a mentor is only as useful as you need them to be, and you don't have to see them more than a few times a semester if you don't want to (but I'll hope you want to

Bottom Line: Mentors are a neat part of the program, but don't feel compelled to take part (although I strongly encourage it since it makes law school a slightly more fun place to be).

Sorry if this is TLDR. If anyone has any other questions, I'd be happy to help out!

Thanks for the response. I'm wondering now if perhaps I might have misunderstood the program. Are mentors chosen on the basis of academic performance?

[Pearalegal]

Thanks for the response. I'm wondering now if perhaps I might have misunderstood the program. Are mentors chosen on the basis of academic performance?

For heavens sake, its a nice program meant to aid in answering any questions about student life and classes, organize events where students can get to know one another, ect. They're there to give advice as students who have been through 1L. No matter how old you are, you haven't been a 1L yet, and they'll be able to answer some questions and provide some guidance if needed.

It sounds like a good program that helps everyone get to know one another, maybe feel a little more comfortable starting law school and have some fun.

I don't think you need to be taking this so seriously.

[Olive]

I don't think you need to be taking this so seriously.

It seems he's just asking sincere questions, some of which I would like to know the answer to myself.


Thanks again to the UT students for answering all our questions.

[yournamehere]

I was wondering if any current 1Ls or 2Ls can elaborate on their experience with summer job hunting?

Many thanks to all the UT law students for answering questions. Y'all are a huge help!

I went through the public interest oci in january, applied to a bunch of spots, got a couple interviews, nailed an interview and landed an unpaid internship that I'm really excited about. I then ran for a Texas Law Fellowship and won, so I secured a $4000 stipend for the summer.

I didn't apply to any firms or judges.

[Pearalegal]

I don't think you need to be taking this so seriously.

It seems he's just asking sincere questions, some of which I would like to know the answer to myself.


Thanks again to the UT students for answering all our questions.

Apologies if I came off negative. After the poster's earlier comments, he seemed quite worried and down on the program, as if it his participating in it was weighing on him. Didn't think he needed to be worrying about anything like that!

[Olive]

I went through the public interest oci in january, applied to a bunch of spots, got a couple interviews, nailed an interview and landed an unpaid internship that I'm really excited about. I then ran for a Texas Law Fellowship and won, so I secured a $4000 stipend for the summer.

I didn't apply to any firms or judges.

Was there anything in particular you did that you think helped you secure the fellowship? If I remember correctly it seems they hand out less than 30 of these, correct? Are there many other sources of funding for unpaid public interest internships?


Secondly, can anyone speak to the JD/Ph.D. program at UT? I've read what I can find about it on the UT website but hearing some personal perspectives would be great. Thanks in advance.

[Pearalegal]

Secondly, can anyone speak to the JD/Ph.D. program at UT? I've read what I can find about it on the UT website but hearing some personal perspectives would be great. Thanks in advance.

Which Ph.D.? I researched the government one a bit. I'm also curious how much wiggle room is given on combining a Masters withe a JD that doesn't have a formal program.

[yournamehere]

I went through the public interest oci in january, applied to a bunch of spots, got a couple interviews, nailed an interview and landed an unpaid internship that I'm really excited about. I then ran for a Texas Law Fellowship and won, so I secured a $4000 stipend for the summer.

I didn't apply to any firms or judges.

Was there anything in particular you did that you think helped you secure the fellowship? If I remember correctly it seems they hand out less than 30 of these, correct? Are there many other sources of funding for unpaid public interest internships?

pretty much asking everyone i knew to donate and vote for me. The TLF system is kind of dysfunctional, I don't really want to get into it.