NYU Law 2L taking questions..... Forum

[lsathalon]

Do students with significant others tend to live farther away from the law school? Is socializing geared towards the single-bar set or do married law students have opportunities to get to know their classmates outside of a lecture-setting?

There isn't a set answer to this. Married people were overall slightly more likely to live farther away, but it was mostly because married law student were more likely to already be living in NY before school, so they already had their apartment in some other part of the city and didn't want to move downtown.

The level of social participation of married people varies greatly. I lived in family housing with my husband and socialized outside of class/study group a lot. So many people are married or in serious relationships that your spouse is usually welcome at social events, and my husband ended up becoming good friends with some of my classmates. However, a lot of married law students treat law school more like a job, and they don't socialize much at night. It's a personal choice, and whichever way you want to handle law school is perfectly appropriate.

[MiracleMile777]

Do students with significant others tend to live farther away from the law school? Is socializing geared towards the single-bar set or do married law students have opportunities to get to know their classmates outside of a lecture-setting?

I had a significant other during my 1L year and I lived in the dorms (by myself). I'm guessing you mean if you live with your significant other....if that's the case, then yea, from my experience (speaking to those who are living with their SO) those people tend to live farther away from the school than those of us who haven't taken that step.

I think that the second part of the question really comes down to prioritizing. I wouldn't say that socializing is geared towards the single-bar set...it just so happens that most of the people who go out and socialize are single. I definitely didn't go out and socialize as much as my single friends, just b/c I ended up trying to balance being in a relationship and being in school, and all the going out had to take a back seat. My advice when it comes to this sort of stuff is to make school and the relationship (if its serious) the top 2 priorities (they'll constantly be fighting for the #1 spot - or at least they were in my case), and then find time when its really convenient for you to go out. I think if you establish that mindset before you start school, you wont feel as much pressure to go out all the time. Just make the decision and go with it.

But there are still ample opportunities to get to know classmates - it just comes down to whether you want to make that a priority...and I totally agree that its a personal choice.

Did you work or do any volunteer work during 1L? Or school groups? Is there time for that kind of thing, and are there opportunities available?

The school was pretty clear that they thought we should get involved in school activities second semester of 1L year. I really believe that this is a smart decision - it just takes a while to get settled in law school, and you're classes have to come before these activities.

I followed that advice and became much more involved in school groups during second semester. At that point I felt much more at ease, and understood what needed to get done. As you go along you'll realize that you just get much more efficient at handling your school work, which will end up freeing you up for the stuff you want to do outside of the classroom.

There's definitely time for that thing...but just to reiterate...I definitely would be cautious about being the person who goes out and joins every student group out there - maybe one or two, and then branch out second semester. NYU has a ton of student groups - basically everything you can think of - so if thats something that you're interest in, this is the place to be.

[neyaae]

I just bought a Toshiba Satellite less than two years ago, but am thinking about taking out the extra loans to buy a MacBook Pro...not sure if it is worth it or not, any thoughts?

[Renne Walker]

. . . NYU has countless mixers with these firms that take place throughout the year, and I've had some friends that have secured 1L summer biglaw jobs simply by hitting these up.....

The mixers certainly sound interesting.

Are they organized by the school or by the firm, or firms? Just NYU at the mixers, or are other schools also in attendance? I’ll stop asking questions and let you elaborate! Thanks.

[MiracleMile777]

I just bought a Toshiba Satellite less than two years ago, but am thinking about taking out the extra loans to buy a MacBook Pro...not sure if it is worth it or not, any thoughts?

I definitely noticed that a vast majority of people in my section used Macs. Ultimately, I don't think it really matters. Its not like having a certain computer is gonna give you a better shot at geting an A or something like that.

I think that if you're thinking about getting a new computer - get a new computer. I got a new one before starting school, and I'm happy I did.

The one thing I will say is that I have heard some people complain about setting up their non-mac computer (connecting it to the network in the beginning of the year), but whatever difficulty they did have took like 30 minutes to get resolved.

I think that its a personal decision - one thats not gonna really help/hurt what counts - so if you're OK spending the extra cash or taking out a larger loan to make the purchase...I'd do it. You only start law school once (I'm hoping)....so buy yourself a present - why not.

. . . NYU has countless mixers with these firms that take place throughout the year, and I've had some friends that have secured 1L summer biglaw jobs simply by hitting these up.....

The mixers certainly sound interesting.

Are they organized by the school or by the firm, or firms? Just NYU at the mixers, or are other schools also in attendance? I’ll stop asking questions and let you elaborate! Thanks.

The firms organize the mixers in terms of the location, picking the menu, getting the drinks, and sending us e-mails, etc etc. All that NYU does is basically have us RSVP for the mixer on simplicity.

To give some more info on the mixers - they usually take place at a bar, or sometimes even at the firm - and its just filled with appetizers and alcohol. Its a good time, but the novely goes away pretty quickly - so after a couple, you'll probably stop going to them. After the initial excitement is gone, I'd just hit up the firms that look really good to you. In the beginning of the semester, I was going to every single mixer like it was going out of style (they take place in bunches). But after the first couple of weeks, I only went to one mixer for the rest of the year.

From what I've experienced, the firms generally devote a night only to NYU students. There are some firms that make it a city wide affair, but that's not the norm. Its definitely harder to talk to people at those events cause there just ends up being like 100-200 1Ls in the room (when it was just NYU - I dont think that more than 100 ever went to the events).

So I'd definitely advise you to go to these events, but don't be surprised if they lose their appeal about a month into second semester