UVA Law Students Taking Questions Forum

[Kohinoor]

Has anyone you've talked to had anything very negative to say about anything?

I was kinda mystified and even a little frustrated that I couldn't get anyone to say anything substantively bad about UVA. I even spoke to a 3L who doesn't have a job lined up yet, she still seemed pleased.

It's a top school that attracts the kind of people that would like it here. I wouldn't be surprised if 80+% of the student body truly loves loves loves it here. The other 20% aren't seeking you out, probably aren't participating in any panels, and might lie to you for the lulz even if questioned.

Substantively bad things about UVA:
cafeteria selection is lacking, prices are high, and it closes shockingly early
student store could carry more student goods and less sweatshirts. also closes very early.
no free coffee
food choice in town is sparse
library closes early considering that law students burn the midnight oil

[suspicious android]

Substantively bad things about UVA:
cafeteria selection is lacking, prices are high, and it closes shockingly early
student store could carry more student goods and less sweatshirts. also closes very early.
no free coffee
food choice in town is sparse
library closes early considering that law students burn the midnight oil

That's it, I'm going to GULC.

[dailygrind]

traffic can also be surprisingly awful.

[r6_philly]

traffic can also be surprisingly awful.

It took me 3 hours to get through DC to get down there on Thur, so I can live with the "traffic".

[YCrevolution]

..

[paulinaporizkova]

Has anyone you've talked to had anything very negative to say about anything?

I was kinda mystified and even a little frustrated that I couldn't get anyone to say anything substantively bad about UVA. I even spoke to a 3L who doesn't have a job lined up yet, she still seemed pleased.

i went to the student panel (m-z) and i thought a bit of truth came out when someone asked about ease of getting jobs. they basically said, yeah things are not ideal now, they'll be better for you, and probably even better for the class after you. but then again, of those 4 people, one was on LR, one was a Dillard (sp?), one was a JD/MBA, and the last one (2L i think) appeared to have a job lined up but i can't be sure. she said she was "on a journal" as well

ETA: r6 you were at that panel, you remember anything else?

[BruceWayne]

Other negatives: People can be very passive aggressive intense. In other words, they'll say things like "I haven't read a case in weeks" and "I went to feb club every night last week" but then you'll see them at the library reading at 6AM and when they show up to the final they have a 80 page made from scratch outline etc.

Curve gives too much power to professors. Professors can give ANY grade they want to an individual as long as the overall mean for the class is a 3.3; so they could give out 2 D's as long as the overall mean is a 3.3 This is something that no other top 10 does. The other top 10s mandate the number of A's A-'s B+s B's etc. that a teacher can give out. I believe the other top 10s don't even allow grades below a B- without requesting permission from the academic office. UVA is not like this.

Most of the school year the temperature is below 50 degrees.

[BruceWayne]

Has anyone you've talked to had anything very negative to say about anything?

I was kinda mystified and even a little frustrated that I couldn't get anyone to say anything substantively bad about UVA. I even spoke to a 3L who doesn't have a job lined up yet, she still seemed pleased.

i went to the student panel (m-z) and i thought a bit of truth came out when someone asked about ease of getting jobs. they basically said, yeah things are not ideal now, they'll be better for you, and probably even better for the class after you. but then again, of those 4 people, one was on LR, one was a Dillard (sp?), one was a JD/MBA, and the last one (2L i think) appeared to have a job lined up but i can't be sure. she said she was "on a journal" as well

ETA: r6 you were at that panel, you remember anything else?

Heavily dependent on grades. If you've got a 3.5 you're golden etc.

[paulinaporizkova]

Has anyone you've talked to had anything very negative to say about anything?

I was kinda mystified and even a little frustrated that I couldn't get anyone to say anything substantively bad about UVA. I even spoke to a 3L who doesn't have a job lined up yet, she still seemed pleased.

i went to the student panel (m-z) and i thought a bit of truth came out when someone asked about ease of getting jobs. they basically said, yeah things are not ideal now, they'll be better for you, and probably even better for the class after you. but then again, of those 4 people, one was on LR, one was a Dillard (sp?), one was a JD/MBA, and the last one (2L i think) appeared to have a job lined up but i can't be sure. she said she was "on a journal" as well

ETA: r6 you were at that panel, you remember anything else?

Heavily dependent on grades. If you've got a 3.5 you're golden etc.

yeh i know that. my point was that i think these were all top of the class types and they were still a bit hesitant. i mean, i can see the reasons why obviously (trying to get people to enroll) which is why i spent my time here trying to read between the lines

[paulinaporizkova]

Other negatives: People can be very passive aggressive intense. In other words, they'll say things like "I haven't read a case in weeks" and "I went to feb club every night last week" but then you'll see them at the library reading at 6AM and when they show up to the final they have a 80 page made from scratch outline etc.

Curve gives too much power to professors. Professors can give ANY grade they want to an individual as long as the overall mean for the class is a 3.3; so they could give out 2 D's as long as the overall mean is a 3.3 This is something that no other top 10 does. The other top 10s mandate the number of A's A-'s B+s B's etc. that a teacher can give out. I believe the other top 10s don't even allow grades below a B- without requesting permission from the academic office. UVA is not like this.

Most of the school year the temperature is below 50 degrees.

i heard of a mythical professor who only gives out A's and C's (that slipped out at the panel, i think the girl wished she would have put her foot in her mouth)

however i suppose this could also be an advantage too because it's (technically) easier to get an A than at a school with a strict curve because the prof can give out more A's. i suppose the opposite is true as well

[jcunni5]

Other negatives: People can be very passive aggressive intense. In other words, they'll say things like "I haven't read a case in weeks" and "I went to feb club every night last week" but then you'll see them at the library reading at 6AM and when they show up to the final they have a 80 page made from scratch outline etc.

Curve gives too much power to professors. Professors can give ANY grade they want to an individual as long as the overall mean for the class is a 3.3; so they could give out 2 D's as long as the overall mean is a 3.3 This is something that no other top 10 does. The other top 10s mandate the number of A's A-'s B+s B's etc. that a teacher can give out. I believe the other top 10s don't even allow grades below a B- without requesting permission from the academic office. UVA is not like this.

Most of the school year the temperature is below 50 degrees.

This. I love UVA but it's actually kind of bothersome that some of the most hardcore grinders act like they don't do anything or give a shit, i wouldn't care if they didn't say anything but they almost make a point to try to pretend like they don't do shit.... (this really isn't that big of deal haha but its just kind of a weird part of the culture)

[paulinaporizkova]

Other negatives: People can be very passive aggressive intense. In other words, they'll say things like "I haven't read a case in weeks" and "I went to feb club every night last week" but then you'll see them at the library reading at 6AM and when they show up to the final they have a 80 page made from scratch outline etc.

Curve gives too much power to professors. Professors can give ANY grade they want to an individual as long as the overall mean for the class is a 3.3; so they could give out 2 D's as long as the overall mean is a 3.3 This is something that no other top 10 does. The other top 10s mandate the number of A's A-'s B+s B's etc. that a teacher can give out. I believe the other top 10s don't even allow grades below a B- without requesting permission from the academic office. UVA is not like this.

Most of the school year the temperature is below 50 degrees.

This. I love UVA but it's actually kind of bothersome that some of the most hardcore grinders act like they don't do anything or give a shit, i wouldn't care if they didn't say anything but they almost make a point to try to pretend like they don't do shit.... (this really isn't that big of deal haha but its just kind of a weird part of the culture)

i would imagine that would happen everywhere though, except maybe Chicago

also, UVa sells its LS culture as laid back, collegial, not as cutthroat (at least those were main selling points i picked up yesterday) so it doesn't surprise me the current students have bought into this as well

[Kohinoor]

yeh i know that. my point was that i think these were all top of the class types and they were still a bit hesitant. i mean, i can see the reasons why obviously (trying to get people to enroll) which is why i spent my time here trying to read between the lines

The people you really want to talk to and never will get to during ASW are kids up and down the curve looking for work. Nature of the game. Charlottesville has inexplicable power outages.

[BruceWayne]

i heard of a mythical professor who only gives out A's and C's (that slipped up at the panel, i think the girl wished she would have put her foot in her mouth)

however i suppose this could also be an advantage too because it's (technically) easier to get an A than at a school with a strict curve because the prof can give out more. i suppose the opposite is true as well

yeh i know that. my point was that i think these were all top of the class types and they were still a bit hesitant. i mean, i can see the reasons why obviously (trying to get people to enroll) which is why i spent my time here trying to read between the lines

I don't know what else to tell you then. That's just the way it is. If your grades aren't good you're going to have a much harder time getting a job. If they are good you're going to have a much harder time.

This. I love UVA but it's actually kind of bothersome that some of the most hardcore grinders act like they don't do anything or give a shit, i wouldn't care if they didn't say anything but they almost make a point to try to pretend like they don't do shit.... (this really isn't that big of deal haha but its just kind of a weird part of the culture)

Frankly, it's one of the most annoying things about the school. I would actually prefer if they just didn't say anything, or even if they were just realistic and honest about it. People actually go out of their way to make it seem like they don't study that much when it's pretty obvious that they study to an almost fanatical amount. But like you said it's a part of the UVA culture.

[Kohinoor]

Other negatives: People can be very passive aggressive intense. In other words, they'll say things like "I haven't read a case in weeks" and "I went to feb club every night last week" but then you'll see them at the library reading at 6AM and when they show up to the final they have a 80 page made from scratch outline etc.

Curve gives too much power to professors. Professors can give ANY grade they want to an individual as long as the overall mean for the class is a 3.3; so they could give out 2 D's as long as the overall mean is a 3.3 This is something that no other top 10 does. The other top 10s mandate the number of A's A-'s B+s B's etc. that a teacher can give out. I believe the other top 10s don't even allow grades below a B- without requesting permission from the academic office. UVA is not like this.

Most of the school year the temperature is below 50 degrees.

i heard of a mythical professor who only gives out A's and C's (that slipped out at the panel, i think the girl wished she would have put her foot in her mouth)

however i suppose this could also be an advantage too because it's (technically) easier to get an A than at a school with a strict curve because the prof can give out more A's. i suppose the opposite is true as well

I could imagine a clinic prof giving out either As or Cs. I don't think clinics are curved. The broad curve profs turn out to be even more vicious than you think. You start out with a prof who gives out A+'s and C-'s and you're going to get law review people after those A+'s which leaves regular people wondering who those C's are going to.

[pjo]

Has anyone you've talked to had anything very negative to say about anything?

I was kinda mystified and even a little frustrated that I couldn't get anyone to say anything substantively bad about UVA. I even spoke to a 3L who doesn't have a job lined up yet, she still seemed pleased.

i went to the student panel (m-z) and i thought a bit of truth came out when someone asked about ease of getting jobs. they basically said, yeah things are not ideal now, they'll be better for you, and probably even better for the class after you. but then again, of those 4 people, one was on LR, one was a Dillard (sp?), one was a JD/MBA, and the last one (2L i think) appeared to have a job lined up but i can't be sure. she said she was "on a journal" as well

ETA: r6 you were at that panel, you remember anything else?

Heavily dependent on grades. If you've got a 3.5 you're golden etc.

How much of the graduating class is really unemployed though? I just have a really tough time believing that ppl graduating from a T10 who really try to find work can't find anything, regardless of grades. I understand if there's a decent amount of people below median that are underemployed but are there really people who truly tried to find some type of legal work and have zero job options?

[Kohinoor]

How much of the graduating class is really unemployed though? I just have a really tough time believing that ppl graduating from a T10 who really try to find work can't find anything, regardless of grades. I understand if there's a decent amount of people below median that are underemployed but are there really people who truly tried to find some type of legal work and have zero job options?

There is nobody who is unemployed that couldn't find work for 20-30k somewhere.

[vamedic03]

Other negatives: People can be very passive aggressive intense. In other words, they'll say things like "I haven't read a case in weeks" and "I went to feb club every night last week" but then you'll see them at the library reading at 6AM and when they show up to the final they have a 80 page made from scratch outline etc.

Curve gives too much power to professors. Professors can give ANY grade they want to an individual as long as the overall mean for the class is a 3.3; so they could give out 2 D's as long as the overall mean is a 3.3 This is something that no other top 10 does. The other top 10s mandate the number of A's A-'s B+s B's etc. that a teacher can give out. I believe the other top 10s don't even allow grades below a B- without requesting permission from the academic office. UVA is not like this.

Most of the school year the temperature is below 50 degrees.

i heard of a mythical professor who only gives out A's and C's (that slipped out at the panel, i think the girl wished she would have put her foot in her mouth)

however i suppose this could also be an advantage too because it's (technically) easier to get an A than at a school with a strict curve because the prof can give out more A's. i suppose the opposite is true as well

I could imagine a clinic prof giving out either As or Cs. I don't think clinics are curved. The broad curve profs turn out to be even more vicious than you think. You start out with a prof who gives out A+'s and C-'s and you're going to get law review people after those A+'s which leaves regular people wondering who those C's are going to.

Clinics are curved.

[r6_philly]

Frankly, it's one of the most annoying things about the school. I would actually prefer if they just didn't say anything, or even if they were just realistic and honest about it. People actually go out of their way to make it seem like they don't study that much when it's pretty obvious that they study to an almost fanatical amount. But like you said it's a part of the UVA culture.

I don't doubt that there are people who are not giving the whole story, but I fail to see why it should affect how I view the school - or why it should bother anyone.

No one I have ever worked with honestly told me how much they work - nor should they - so I don't really think that's the big deal if someone don't disclose that.

[Kohinoor]

Frankly, it's one of the most annoying things about the school. I would actually prefer if they just didn't say anything, or even if they were just realistic and honest about it. People actually go out of their way to make it seem like they don't study that much when it's pretty obvious that they study to an almost fanatical amount. But like you said it's a part of the UVA culture.

I don't doubt that there are people who are not giving the whole story, but I fail to see why it should affect how I view the school - or why it should bother anyone.

No one I have ever worked with honestly told me how much they work - nor should they - so I don't really think that's the big deal if someone don't disclose that.

not talking about how much you work =/= talking constantly about how much you don't work and haven't opened a book in two months.

[Brock2010]

How much of the graduating class is really unemployed though? I just have a really tough time believing that ppl graduating from a T10 who really try to find work can't find anything, regardless of grades. I understand if there's a decent amount of people below median that are underemployed but are there really people who truly tried to find some type of legal work and have zero job options?

There is nobody who is unemployed that couldn't find work for 20-30k somewhere.

What percentage of the class is going for biglaw anyways?

[Kohinoor]

How much of the graduating class is really unemployed though? I just have a really tough time believing that ppl graduating from a T10 who really try to find work can't find anything, regardless of grades. I understand if there's a decent amount of people below median that are underemployed but are there really people who truly tried to find some type of legal work and have zero job options?

There is nobody who is unemployed that couldn't find work for 20-30k somewhere.

What percentage of the class is going for biglaw anyways?

[Brock2010]

How much of the graduating class is really unemployed though? I just have a really tough time believing that ppl graduating from a T10 who really try to find work can't find anything, regardless of grades. I understand if there's a decent amount of people below median that are underemployed but are there really people who truly tried to find some type of legal work and have zero job options?

There is nobody who is unemployed that couldn't find work for 20-30k somewhere.

What percentage of the class is going for biglaw anyways?

Lol ok well how well do you have to do to get biglaw?/ How much time do you study in a week?

[r6_philly]

not talking about how much you work =/= talking constantly about how much you don't work and haven't opened a book in two months.

But why does it matter? Your future is not dependent upon how much the next guy work or not work.

[jcunni5]

not talking about how much you work =/= talking constantly about how much you don't work and haven't opened a book in two months.

But why does it matter? Your future is not dependent upon how much the next guy work or not work.

b/c I don't like to hear BS, if you wanna gun that's great but either own up to it or keep it quiet, there's no point in trying to convince people otherwise its kinda weird and just annoying especially when it's obvious what they're doing , look i agree tho i would not factor this observation in your decision and in the end it only matters to me as much as having an annoying coworker or something would