Temple 1L Taking Questions Forum

[Justathought]

Well the campus itself (including the area immediately surrounding the school) is great. There are a plethora of dining options (seriously, if you count the food trucks, you could eat at a new place everyday for two months), the campus gyms are pretty solid, parking is good if you have a permit, mass transit is great, and the campus bar is a good place to hangout after handing in a memo or finishing an exam.

However, if you stray even a few blocks from the campus the area becomes, what I would deem, one of the worst in the country. Its just awful.

Fortunately, most students live in Center City, and it is a great place to call home. I'm from NYC, so I know a good city when I see one; Philadelphia fits the bill. It has everything you could want and more. If you enjoy urban environments, then Philadelphia is a great place to study law and launch a career.

[Easy-E]

Well the campus itself (including the area immediately surrounding the school) is great. There are a plethora of dining options (seriously, if you count the food trucks, you could eat at a new place everyday for two months), the campus gyms are pretty solid, parking is good if you have a permit, mass transit is great, and the campus bar is a good place to hangout after handing in a memo or finishing an exam.

However, if you stray even a few blocks from the campus the area becomes, what I would deem, one of the worst in the country. Its just awful.

Fortunately, most students live in Center City, and it is a great place to call home. I'm from NYC, so I know a good city when I see one; Philadelphia fits the bill. It has everything you could want and more. If you enjoy urban environments, then Philadelphia is a great place to study law and launch a career.

Thanks for the answers! Both of my undergrad schools were located adjacent to rougher areas, so I'm familiar with that whole situation. I've heard mixed reviews about Philly life, but I'll chalk this one up to the "for" category. I appreciate the info.

[johnnyutah]

However, if you stray even a few blocks from the campus the area becomes, what I would deem, one of the worst in the country.

I don't know if I'd go that far.

[HeavenWood]

However, if you stray even a few blocks from the campus the area becomes, what I would deem, one of the worst in the country.

I don't know if I'd go that far.

Among neighborhoods within larger cities, it's probably up there.

[Justathought]

North of Susquehanna is wild, though still probably not as bad as Camden. Its tough to rank areas definitively, but it seems like I'm always reading a temple alert email about a shooting or robbery, and many times the alert involves a student (though rarely in regard to shootings).

Maybe I'm being too hard on the area, but it is bad, very bad in fact. Still, as I've said before, the campus is great. In addition, the Temple police force and Philadelphia police force really work to keep the streets in and around Temple extra safe. Unless I'm walking to my car late at night, I always feel extremely safe.

[llachans]

How LGBT friendly is the campus and surrounding area? Are there any gay bars downtown?

What markets does Temple feed into? If it helps, I plan on becoming a prosecutor.

Do 1Ls easily secure internships?

How competitive would you characterize the students?

Thanks for the help!

[Justathought]

Working on my final memo now, so I'll have to be brief. If you have any more questions please don't hesitate to ask; I'll check back here tomorrow.

How LGBT friendly is the campus and surrounding area? Are there any gay bars downtown?

Very friendly. I know quite a few openly gay students and there seems to be a very active Outlaw society. Outside of school the city of Philadelphia is very LGBT friendly. The Washington Square West neighborhood has a booming LGBT community, and I'm quite sure you'll find more than a few gay bars downtown. In fact, I know a couple of female friends who went to one last week.

What markets does Temple feed into? If it helps, I plan on becoming a prosecutor.

Philadelphia, the surrounding suburbs, and Wilmington Delaware. The school is fairly beloved around these parts, but obviously its influence wanes substantially as you distance yourself from Philly. As for prosecutors, Temple has one of the best trial advocacy programs in the country and very a strong connection to the Philadelphia D.A. office. Temple is a really solid choice for aspiring prosecutors interested in working in or around Philadelphia.

Do 1Ls easily secure internships?

Can't say, but I've heard good things from upperclassmen since I've been here. However, I'm certain almost no one gets a big firm 1L job.

How competitive would you characterize the students?

Not as competitive as I expected, but now that the semester is moving full steam ahead its starting to get a bit more intense. A lot of people are working very hard, but many more are concerned with maintaining balance in their lives.

Thanks for the help!

No problem!

[llachans]

As for prosecutors, Temple has one of the best trial advocacy programs in the country and very a strong connection to the Philadelphia D.A. office. Temple is a really solid choice for aspiring prosecutors interested in working in or around Philadelphia.

That's really helpful information and definitely good to hear! Thanks again : ) I'm sure I'll have more questions as the application process continues.

[Cornelius]

Figured this would be a good place to ask:

on the character & fitness portion of the Temple application, do minor traffic violations (i.e. no points, only a fine) require a "yes" answer? I emailed admissions to ask, and all they sent back was the wording already on the application:

"disclose any criminal convictions or pending criminal charges."

[Justathought]

Not sure, but I don't think so. Let me get back to you on that one.

[Justathought]

Polled a number of students; all said "No need to disclose minor traffic violations that only result in a fine." Too busy/lazy to ask administrators this week(it requires going to another building and sitting in a waiting room), but once I work up the energy, I'll get you an official answer.

[Cornelius]

Polled a number of students; all said "No need to disclose minor traffic violations that only result in a fine." Too busy/lazy to ask administrators this week(it requires going to another building and sitting in a waiting room), but once I work up the energy, I'll get you an official answer.

Thanks!

[arvcondor]

However, if you stray even a few blocks from the campus the area becomes, what I would deem, one of the worst in the country.

I don't know if I'd go that far.

Would also not go that far.

Also, to echo Hobbes, Litigation Basics was such a monotonous bore that even my crim law professor described it as "grim."

Everything else you said is credited, especially:

[Philly] has everything you could want and more. If you enjoy urban environments, then Philadelphia is a great place to study law and launch a career.

[Honeysuckle]

What sort of class rank would I need to transfer from BC/BU to Temple? Is such a downward transfer a foolish idea, or is it reasonable since I am dead-set on the Philly market (which is notoriously insular from what I read)? I know that transfers usually end up paying sticker, but I am a PA resident and could live with my folks in Philly 'burbs, so tuition and cost of living will be reasonable. Also, I'm not sure if this matters, but my numbers are above both of Temple's 75th %iles.

[Honeysuckle]

However, if you stray even a few blocks from the campus the area becomes, what I would deem, one of the worst in the country.

I don't know if I'd go that far.

I believe Rutgers-Camden gets that "honor".

[r6_philly]

However, if you stray even a few blocks from the campus the area becomes, what I would deem, one of the worst in the country.

I don't know if I'd go that far.

Among neighborhoods within larger cities, it's probably up there.

I concur. And I am from West Philly.

[r6_philly]

However, if you stray even a few blocks from the campus the area becomes, what I would deem, one of the worst in the country.

I don't know if I'd go that far.

I believe Rutgers-Camden gets that "honor".

No I actually felt better in Camden. Something about North Philly.

[beach_terror]

What sort of class rank would I need to transfer from BC/BU to Temple? Is such a downward transfer a foolish idea, or is it reasonable since I am dead-set on the Philly market (which is notoriously insular from what I read)? I know that transfers usually end up paying sticker, but I am a PA resident and could live with my folks in Philly 'burbs, so tuition and cost of living will be reasonable. Also, I'm not sure if this matters, but my numbers are above both of Temple's 75th %iles.

What? If you're deadset on Philly, don't go to BC/BU. If you got BC/BU, don't transfer down to Temple. You're talking about percentiles, so it sounds like you're a 0L. Temple's transfer requirements are top 20% after 1L, IIRC.

[Honeysuckle]

What sort of class rank would I need to transfer from BC/BU to Temple? Is such a downward transfer a foolish idea, or is it reasonable since I am dead-set on the Philly market (which is notoriously insular from what I read)? I know that transfers usually end up paying sticker, but I am a PA resident and could live with my folks in Philly 'burbs, so tuition and cost of living will be reasonable. Also, I'm not sure if this matters, but my numbers are above both of Temple's 75th %iles.

What? If you're deadset on Philly, don't go to BC/BU. If you got BC/BU, don't transfer down to Temple. You're talking about percentiles, so it sounds like you're a 0L. Temple's transfer requirements are top 20% after 1L, IIRC.

Nope, just a home-sick 1L here. "Dead-set" was a bit strong; I just have close affinity/ties to the Philly area.

[johnnyutah]

Nope, just a home-sick 1L here. "Dead-set" was a bit strong; I just have close affinity/ties to the Philly area.

Then don't worry about transferring. Got any lawyers in your circle of friends and family?

[Honeysuckle]

Nope, just a home-sick 1L here. "Dead-set" was a bit strong; I just have close affinity/ties to the Philly area.

Then don't worry about transferring. Got any lawyers in your circle of friends and family?

Yes, though they don't work in practice areas that I am particularly interested in.

On top of the unanticipated homesickness bug, I'm a little worried that Philly employers might question my commitment to the region based on my decision to go to school in Boston, despite my having grown up and worked there. Like I said before, the market it really insular. Temple would end up being cheaper (not to mention providing easier networking opportunities in the market I hope to work in), though thanks to a sizable merit scholarship from BC/BU, I won't be crushed with an insane amount of debt if I stay. I did get accepted to Temple as an 0L, but I choose BC/BU because of overall stronger ranking, reputation, LRAP, etc. Is a downward transfer ever a smart idea, it it ends up being cheaper and the school is in a market that I strongly have a preference for?

If (and that's a very big if, considering the arbitrariness of law school grading) I end up top 5-10%, of course Penn comes into play. Obviously nothing I can bank on, no matter how hard I work.

[Wholigan]

Nope, just a home-sick 1L here. "Dead-set" was a bit strong; I just have close affinity/ties to the Philly area.

Then don't worry about transferring. Got any lawyers in your circle of friends and family?

Yes, though they don't work in practice areas that I am particularly interested in.

On top of the unanticipated homesickness bug, I'm a little worried that Philly employers might question my commitment to the region based on my decision to go to school in Boston, despite my having grown up and worked there. Like I said before, the market it really insular. Temple would end up being cheaper (not to mention providing easier networking opportunities in the market I hope to work in), though thanks to a sizable merit scholarship from BC/BU, I won't be crushed with an insane amount of debt if I stay. I did get accepted to Temple as an 0L, but I choose BC/BU because of overall stronger ranking, reputation, LRAP, etc. Is a downward transfer ever a smart idea, it it ends up being cheaper and the school is in a market that I strongly have a preference for?

If (and that's a very big if, considering the arbitrariness of law school grading) I end up top 5-10%, of course Penn comes into play. Obviously nothing I can bank on, no matter how hard I work.

What kind of work do you want to do in Philly? If you want a shot at big law, most of the large law firms have a few BU/BC grads. You might even hurt your chances by transferring to Temple. When they do OCI at Temple, they are coming in to screen top 20-25%, and I don't know how transfers fit into that. You should probably find someone from this year's transfer class and see how they did.

[beach_terror]

What kind of work do you want to do in Philly? If you want a shot at big law, most of the large law firms have a few BU/BC grads. You might even hurt your chances by transferring to Temple. When they do OCI at Temple, they are coming in to screen top 20-25%, and I don't know how transfers fit into that. You should probably find someone from this year's transfer class and see how they did.

I'm a Villanova bro, but I just wanted to chime in and say 20-25% is a high estimate. I'd say the big firms are looking 15-20%, with only the top 15% having a serious shot. At least that's how it is here. I'm sure Temple is the same.

If you want biglaw, I'd stay. If you want PI, call the office you're interested in and ask them for advice IMO.

[Wholigan]

What kind of work do you want to do in Philly? If you want a shot at big law, most of the large law firms have a few BU/BC grads. You might even hurt your chances by transferring to Temple. When they do OCI at Temple, they are coming in to screen top 20-25%, and I don't know how transfers fit into that. You should probably find someone from this year's transfer class and see how they did.

I'm a Villanova bro, but I just wanted to chime in and say 20-25% is a high estimate. I'd say the big firms are looking 15-20%, with only the top 15% having a serious shot. At least that's how it is here. I'm sure Temple is the same.

If you want biglaw, I'd stay. If you want PI, call the office you're interested in and ask them for advice IMO.

I could be wrong - I don't go to Temple, so I'm not sure. I was just guessing that with hiring up a little this year, it might be possible to get a couple of screeners just outside of 20%.

[beach_terror]

What kind of work do you want to do in Philly? If you want a shot at big law, most of the large law firms have a few BU/BC grads. You might even hurt your chances by transferring to Temple. When they do OCI at Temple, they are coming in to screen top 20-25%, and I don't know how transfers fit into that. You should probably find someone from this year's transfer class and see how they did.

I'm a Villanova bro, but I just wanted to chime in and say 20-25% is a high estimate. I'd say the big firms are looking 15-20%, with only the top 15% having a serious shot. At least that's how it is here. I'm sure Temple is the same.

If you want biglaw, I'd stay. If you want PI, call the office you're interested in and ask them for advice IMO.

I could be wrong - I don't go to Temple, so I'm not sure. I was just guessing that with hiring up a little this year, it might be possible to get a couple of screeners just outside of 20%.

I agree to an extent, I'm just saying the screeners don't necessarily reflect great offer chances. The firms that typically have two interview rooms (Blank, Stradley, Pepper, Fox, etc.) all interview 30-40 candidates, but the ones that end up getting the gig are the top 3-5% of the class, from this year + the last few years. Class sizes are still pretty conservative at 10-15 on average for the big firms.