Michigan 1Ls/2Ls/3Ls taking questions Forum

[DrStudMuffin]

Hi all - thanks for doing this.

I saw this asked elsewhere but don't remember seeing an answer. Is it accurate that the curve is being bumped up for the class of 2016 and later? Do you think this could have a positive effect (even if it's a very small one) on employment prospects?

Bumping primarily so this doesn't get lost on the previous page.

[gnuwheels]

Hi all - thanks for doing this.

I saw this asked elsewhere but don't remember seeing an answer. Is it accurate that the curve is being bumped up for the class of 2016 and later? Do you think this could have a positive effect (even if it's a very small one) on employment prospects?

Bumping primarily so this doesn't get lost on the previous page.

The curve has already been bumped. It went from ~3.19 to ~3.33. It will almost definitely have a positive effect on employment prospects and I think this is one of the reasons the school did it. IIRC, in exchange for making the curve more generous, they also made honors requirements less generous, so there is a bit of a tradeoff. I don't know enough about what they changed about honors reqs to make a definitive statement though. Overall I'd say its a good thing.

[OfThriceandTen]

This curve is bullshit and everyone knows it. I blame Northwestern and their insane grade inflation. tbf Class of 2016 gets a huge fucking bump though, before at least some contingent of employers realize wtf happened. And they might feel more generous being back in the LC for OCI.

Whoever asked about Boston, man, I don't know a single soul going to Boston. I know a few who tried and got shut out. But that's pretty anecdotal. I'm guessing our east coast peers place more in New England.

[Otunga]

Whoever asked about Boston, man, I don't know a single soul going to Boston. I know a few who tried and got shut out. But that's pretty anecdotal. I'm guessing our east coast peers place more in New England.

I suppose one should expect that. As someone who has little to no interest in NYC, it's got to be a risky proposition to have Boston biglaw as your #1 goal at Michigan LS, unless of course your loans are manageable with small law, in which case you wouldn't have to do NYC biglaw.

[cslouisck]

Whoever asked about Boston, man, I don't know a single soul going to Boston. I know a few who tried and got shut out. But that's pretty anecdotal. I'm guessing our east coast peers place more in New England.

I suppose one should expect that. As someone who has little to no interest in NYC, it's got to be a risky proposition to have Boston biglaw as your #1 goal at Michigan LS, unless of course your loans are manageable with small law, in which case you wouldn't have to do NYC biglaw.

Are you not interested in NYC or is it that you categorically don't want to work in biglaw? If it's the latter, then I don't see Michigan being more useful to you than BU would be, particularly if BU gives you a lot more money. That said, if you want to keep both your geographic and employment options open, then Michigan will better serve you, assuming the cost is right.

FWIW, I chose Michigan over both CCN and the best school in the non-Midwestern secondary market where I want to work and got my first choice for (unpaid) 1L summer employment back there. Honestly, though, that doesn't mean much, since everything comes down to OCI, so you might find these two links helpful:
https://www.law.umich.edu/careers/class ... fault.aspx
https://www.law.umich.edu/careers/types ... theWeb.pdf

Looks like 24 Michigan grads went to MA between 2009 and 2012.

Edit: dates for data.

[Lightworks]

Sorry if this has been covered already, but how successful were you all with negotiating scholarships? How much of an increase did you get, and what kind of competing offers did it take to get that increase?

[cslouisck]

Sorry if this has been covered already, but how successful were you all with negotiating scholarships? How much of an increase did you get, and what kind of competing offers did it take to get that increase?

I tried in person and got a straight up, "we don't negotiate," though I've heard some indirect stories of persistent people getting bumped up. Haven't seen that personally, though.

For reference, I had a half ride at Michigan, competing with 1/2 at UVA, 1/4 at NYU (and nothing at Columbia), and roughly 2/3rds at Texas and my state flagship.

[thechancellor]

Sorry if this has been covered already, but how successful were you all with negotiating scholarships? How much of an increase did you get, and what kind of competing offers did it take to get that increase?

Interested in more answers to this as well

[betsyanna]

All,

I'm an MLaw 2010 graduate with a condo in Ann Arbor that I'm looking to rent, starting this summer or fall. I've been renting it to another MLaw student from 2011-present, but he's graduating this May.

The condo is in Woodland Mews, which is a couple miles south of campus. It's 1BR/1 bath/950 sq. ft. All the appliances were new in 06-07. My husband and I lived there for about five years, including while I was in law school. We loved the location--about a block from a good grocery store, coffee shop, drug store, dry cleaner's, and bakery. I drove to the commuter parking lot when I was in school--it's maybe a 2 mile drive, takes about 5 minutes if you get stuck at the lights. From the commuter lot, there's a free shuttle that drops off at the law school.

I'm asking $975 for rent. PM me if you're interested, and I can send you some pictures.

[umichman]

Hey MLAW students, have you heard of any of your peers being a Residential Advisor for the Undergrad during their first year of law school? If not, do you know if this is allowed/ possible?

[eljefe1]

Whoever asked about Boston, man, I don't know a single soul going to Boston. I know a few who tried and got shut out. But that's pretty anecdotal. I'm guessing our east coast peers place more in New England.

I suppose one should expect that. As someone who has little to no interest in NYC, it's got to be a risky proposition to have Boston biglaw as your #1 goal at Michigan LS, unless of course your loans are manageable with small law, in which case you wouldn't have to do NYC biglaw.

Are you not interested in NYC or is it that you categorically don't want to work in biglaw? If it's the latter, then I don't see Michigan being more useful to you than BU would be, particularly if BU gives you a lot more money. That said, if you want to keep both your geographic and employment options open, then Michigan will better serve you, assuming the cost is right.

FWIW, I chose Michigan over both CCN and the best school in the non-Midwestern secondary market where I want to work and got my first choice for (unpaid) 1L summer employment back there. Honestly, though, that doesn't mean much, since everything comes down to OCI, so you might find these two links helpful:
https://www.law.umich.edu/careers/class ... fault.aspx
https://www.law.umich.edu/careers/types ... theWeb.pdf

Looks like 24 Michigan grads went to MA between 2009 and 2012.

Edit: dates for data.

LOL one grad presumably from boston went to michigan only to be catapulted to Louisianan. CRAWFEEESH

[OfThriceandTen]

LOL one grad presumably from boston went to michigan only to be catapulted to Louisianan. CRAWFEEESH

probably a clerkship.

[EEguy5]

So where does the majority of 1L nightlife take place, more in the undergrad bar areas around S University, or more around main street area? Looking for an apartment and trying to get input on convenience between living west of campus vs south of campus, given equal walking distance to the law school. Any other considerations to factor in?

[oblig.lawl.ref]

IME people live all over the place. I think the majority of people I know stick to the South U area though. It's really close to campus and where most of the action is. Housing is kind of generally overpriced imo (not the bars) and sucks when undergrads are finishing finals in the middle or yours. Some people live in Kerrytown for a little more quiet and a little nicer of a neighborhood but it's not really that close to school.

ETA: also I assume a lot of your classmates will be in the lawyers club, so South U area would be the best bet.

[OfThriceandTen]

So where does the majority of 1L nightlife take place, more in the undergrad bar areas around S University, or more around main street area? Looking for an apartment and trying to get input on convenience between living west of campus vs south of campus, given equal walking distance to the law school. Any other considerations to factor in?

biggest consideration is that undergrads aren't on the same schedule and don't have the same responsibilities and so they're loud. very loud. when you don't necessarily want them to be. ideal for me to balance proximity to law school, relative sanctuary from undergrads and being closer to downtown than south U will take you anywhere from madison/monroe (near phid), up packard to 5th or 4th, down division and some of those side streets [jefferson, thompson], and then william. i'd say friends with the most ideal location are those on william near state, although you're gonna be paying for that location and of course it's not a total shield from the noise.

[EEguy5]

So where does the majority of 1L nightlife take place, more in the undergrad bar areas around S University, or more around main street area? Looking for an apartment and trying to get input on convenience between living west of campus vs south of campus, given equal walking distance to the law school. Any other considerations to factor in?

biggest consideration is that undergrads aren't on the same schedule and don't have the same responsibilities and so they're loud. very loud. when you don't necessarily want them to be. ideal for me to balance proximity to law school, relative sanctuary from undergrads and being closer to downtown than south U will take you anywhere from madison/monroe (near phid), up packard to 5th or 4th, down division and some of those side streets [jefferson, thompson], and then william. i'd say friends with the most ideal location are those on william near state, although you're gonna be paying for that location and of course it's not a total shield from the noise.

Thank you both for the reply. That's very good to know and I think I'd also rather be in a quieter area.

[stewart23]

I'm looking for a Michigan student/grad to shed some light on career prospects and/or paths for those who are not interested in Big Law. I'm more interested in a competitive DA's office or USAO. What does a career path look like for achieving these positions? What kind of government positions are the 7% of graduates landing? Is GPA a huge factor in getting those jobs? Are others using clerkships/Big Law as a career path toward achieving government positions? My cost of attending is looking like it will be about 100k, and I'm just trying to determine how big of a gamble that is if I'm hoping to avoid Big Law. Hope this makes sense, and thanks in advance.

[billables247]

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[yost]

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[peasandcarrots]

Can any current students give some info on the write-on competition for MLR? I looked back a few years in this thread and it sounds like it goes about ten days after finals. Is it safe to assume it'll be over by May 18 next year? I don't want to sign up to be a wedding attendant in the middle of that. (Or do I? Tell me if I'm being over zealous with this.)

[aladdinismyprince]

Can any current students give some info on the write-on competition for MLR? I looked back a few years in this thread and it sounds like it goes about ten days after finals. Is it safe to assume it'll be over by May 18 next year? I don't want to sign up to be a wedding attendant in the middle of that. (Or do I? Tell me if I'm being over zealous with this.)

It's been over a year since I completed the write-on, so some other students will hopefully confirm what I am saying, but the write-on generally starts on the last day of finals (which is a Thursday) and the ends the second Monday afterwards. So this year, it started May 8 and ended May 19.

As long as you very productive during the rest of write-on, you should be able to be a wedding attendant. I had to turn in my write-on application a little early (I started work before the competition period was over), and I didn't feel pressed for time at all. Good luck.

[peasandcarrots]

Can any current students give some info on the write-on competition for MLR? I looked back a few years in this thread and it sounds like it goes about ten days after finals. Is it safe to assume it'll be over by May 18 next year? I don't want to sign up to be a wedding attendant in the middle of that. (Or do I? Tell me if I'm being over zealous with this.)

It's been over a year since I completed the write-on, so some other students will hopefully confirm what I am saying, but the write-on generally starts on the last day of finals (which is a Thursday) and the ends the second Monday afterwards. So this year, it started May 8 and ended May 19.

As long as you very productive during the rest of write-on, you should be able to be a wedding attendant. I had to turn in my write-on application a little early (I started work before the competition period was over), and I didn't feel pressed for time at all. Good luck.

Thank you, that's really helpful!

[Emperor of Ice-Cream]

Is it possible to eat in the LC dining room regularly - even daily - without living in the LC? Anyone done this? I've searched through old threads, but the information is either out of date or inconclusive.

[Entchen]

Is it possible to eat in the LC dining room regularly - even daily - without living in the LC? Anyone done this? I've searched through old threads, but the information is either out of date or inconclusive.

If you bring a lunch of your own, a friend can sign you in as a guest. You can also pay to eat their meals, but I think they are pretty expensive. I don't think you can get a meal plan if you are not a resident, but I guess you could ask?

[Emperor of Ice-Cream]

Is it possible to eat in the LC dining room regularly - even daily - without living in the LC? Anyone done this? I've searched through old threads, but the information is either out of date or inconclusive.

If you bring a lunch of your own, a friend can sign you in as a guest. You can also pay to eat their meals, but I think they are pretty expensive. I don't think you can get a meal plan if you are not a resident, but I guess you could ask?

Thanks, Entchen!