Penn Students Taking Questions Forum

[PennBull]

I'm a 1L, but after the first week of classes, feeling a bit meh about the elective classes. Any upperclassmen here have any general thoughts/input on either admin, environmental, or bankruptcy? (or their respective professors, Zaring, Coglianese, Skeel)

Much thanks!

Take whatever has the best outlines and don't do the reading

I know there's a couple good outlines for bankruptcy and environmental out there

[swoozie]

Thanks guys. That was very helpful.

[bobbyflayed]

looking for apts atm...pros/cons of living in Center City vs University City? I'm looking to spend under 1000 on a studio in a decent building. thanks,

[Nelson]

looking for apts atm...pros/cons of living in Center City vs University City? I'm looking to spend under 1000 on a studio in a decent building. thanks,

What you're looking for is much easier to find in University City. It's harder to find a studio at that price in Center City itself. You could in a border neighborhood of Center City but that tends to involve a bigger hike to the school. I used to think differently, but I would recommend that people who are unfamiliar with Philly and coming in for the first time should just live in University City. The landlords there are familiar with the needs of students, prices are lower, and you're guaranteed to end up living close to a decent sized percentage of the 1L class.

[AlexGrace]

So, my grades are less than stellar... B, B+, B+... and I was wondering if anyone had any insight into what median is? I feel like I must be below median, and I guess I'm wondering if that's a bad place to be at this point, or if it matters less than I feel like it does.

[johnnyutah]

So, my grades are less than stellar... B, B+, B+... and I was wondering if anyone had any insight into what median is? I feel like I must be below median, and I guess I'm wondering if that's a bad place to be at this point, or if it matters less than I feel like it does.

What's your 4th grade?

[HeavenWood]

So, my grades are less than stellar... B, B+, B+... and I was wondering if anyone had any insight into what median is? I feel like I must be below median, and I guess I'm wondering if that's a bad place to be at this point, or if it matters less than I feel like it does.

What's your 4th grade?

Penn has cut back to three doctrinal courses for fall semester 1Ls (property was given the nix and is now a spring semester elective).

No one knows for certain, but based on past distributions, the median, while presumably aimed at being a B+, has probably been slightly below (there are usually more discretionary C's than discretionary A+'s in a given course). But in eliminating a doctrinal course, this year's median will probably be closer to 3.33 (or however you/law firms personally calculate GPA, because Penn does not) on the button.

I wouldn't be worried about two B+'s and a B. You're not very far below the median as it is, and after conferencing with professors, you should be able to formulate a game plan and improve come spring exams. And even if you got a repeat of your fall grades, you still probably wouldn't be screwed for the 2L OCI/job hunt season (though obviously, the higher your grades, the better off you're likely to be).

tl;dr: you can/should aim to do better, but there's no reason to panic at this stage.

[Wholigan]

So, my grades are less than stellar... B, B+, B+... and I was wondering if anyone had any insight into what median is? I feel like I must be below median, and I guess I'm wondering if that's a bad place to be at this point, or if it matters less than I feel like it does.

Under the old system, I have seen it claimed without much controversy that 3 B+ and a B was median. Although your grades are slightly lower due to lack of a 4th class, I wouldn't be surprised if your set of grades was median, but with more people above you than below you. 3 grades isn't really enough to create a lot of separation. I don't think it's a bad place to be at all in terms of having job options open.

[r6_philly]

Ahh grade discussion season. I really don't think anything short of 2 B- would really hurt you a lot in 1L summer job. Get your butts working harder this semester and get your grades up this semester and OCI will be fine. Most people have a mix of B/B+/A-.

[AlexGrace]

Thanks for the responses... I'm definitely going to work harder and try to learn from last semester.

[westphillybandr]

What range of firms can you get with median grades?

[r6_philly]

What range of firms can you get with median grades?

Pretty much anything. More likely outside of V10 with a few firms out (there are a few firms that are absolutely grade-centric but those are the exceptions). Your transcript is only one factor. It is obviously easier, comparatively, with better grades.

[francesfarmer]

What's up with TollRAP II? Are people worried about it?

[VictoryGin]

..

[Nelson]

What's up with TollRAP II? Are people worried about it?

It's pretty similar to most other schools that have gone to an IBR-based model as opposed to the old model where the schools ran their own LRAPs (I think the only exceptions to this are HYS). It's better in the sense that it's a lot more generous in terms of the amount of income you can earn than the old model, it's worse in that it comes with all the downsides of IBR forgiveness (if you don't hang in there for 10 years in PI, you could potentially owe a lot of money). Some people like to spin conspiracy theories about IBR forgiveness, but I doubt that Penn would leave public interest grads hanging even if Congress pulled the plug.

[AlexGrace]

So, my grades are less than stellar... B, B+, B+... and I was wondering if anyone had any insight into what median is? I feel like I must be below median, and I guess I'm wondering if that's a bad place to be at this point, or if it matters less than I feel like it does.

Hey there. I'm also a Penn 1L and I got the same grades. I'm definitely not super excited about it, but it could be a lot worse. I get the feeling that we're just a touch below median, but it's hard to say, because we've only had three classes! That's not a very large sample.

I was a little discouraged, because I felt as though I worked incredibly hard, felt great about both Torts and Civ Pro, and I was sure I would at least have one A/A- grade- I'm sure you felt the same. We're gonna be fine though, keep your head up! (Or down, in the books)

Thanks. =) I had the same feelings, but I guess it's just more motivation - I know now that I should change my strategy and keep working hard, just some other way... Good luck!

[hume85]

How do Penn students without ties to Philadelphia fare when bidding on Philly firms? What can someone without ties do to send a convincing signal to Philly firms that they want to stay in Philly?

[SaintsTheMetal]

So when should one realistically look to start locking down housing? Other the the crazy expensive large complexes, sometime in April/May seem right for a July/August move in? That'd be approx. 3 months before move-in..

[Nelson]

So when should one realistically look to start locking down housing? Other the the crazy expensive large complexes, sometime in April/May seem right for a July/August move in? That'd be approx. 3 months before move-in..

Wait until May at least. June is fine for August move in. If you start looking in April a lot of places won't even know what's available since a lot of leases turn over on an academic calendar. Bigger buildings you can probably start earlier.

[Nelson]

How do Penn students without ties to Philadelphia fare when bidding on Philly firms? What can someone without ties do to send a convincing signal to Philly firms that they want to stay in Philly?

My understanding (1L) is that working here 1L summer plus median grades and a good interview is enough. But most people don't want to stay when similar grades can get you NYC.

[hume85]

How do Penn students without ties to Philadelphia fare when bidding on Philly firms? What can someone without ties do to send a convincing signal to Philly firms that they want to stay in Philly?

My understanding (1L) is that working here 1L summer plus median grades and a good interview is enough. But most people don't want to stay when similar grades can get you NYC.

Thank you for the insight.

[hume85]

What are some of the best bars for a craft beer drinker to get a beer in Philadelphia? TYIA.

[No13baby]

What are some of the best bars for a craft beer drinker to get a beer in Philadelphia? TYIA.

Try Local 44 in West Philly, Monk's Cafe in Rittenhouse, Standard Tap in Northern Liberties, or Kraftwork in Fishtown.

[r6_philly]

How do Penn students without ties to Philadelphia fare when bidding on Philly firms? What can someone without ties do to send a convincing signal to Philly firms that they want to stay in Philly?

My understanding (1L) is that working here 1L summer plus median grades and a good interview is enough. But most people don't want to stay when similar grades can get you NYC.

Takes a lot of luck - Philly was not hiring much this year and turned out to be much more competitive than people expected.

[wert3813]

Why did the Phillies seem to have no strategy this off season?