Bored GULC 3L Taking Questions Forum

EzraFitz · Post by **EzraFitz** » Tue May 26, 2015 1:47 pm

GULCPerson wrote:
buckiguy_sucks wrote:How do 1L (big law) SAs work if most people are getting SA's through OCI?
You send your resume to every firm recruiter email address you can get your hands on, and every Symplicity post there is, on the very first day that OCS tells you you're allowed to do so (some time in December). You won't even have grades at that point, but you can send those along in mid-late January when they're released.

Mostly though, the answer is they don't. 1L biglaw SAs are unicorn jobs.

One note: GULC releases fall grades late. Expect to have some 1L SA jobs closed because of this, it is inevitable. So unfortunately, don't expect much. But send out endless apps nonetheless. At worst, you'll network very well (I have 4 callbacks for next summer set up already because of it).

POTUSorSCOTUS · Post by **POTUSorSCOTUS** » Tue May 26, 2015 1:48 pm

Rate my Class Schedule (* = P/F)

1.) Fall – 12 credits
a. *Securities Regulation (4 credits – M & W – 9-11) – 12/11
b. Externship (3 credits)
c. 14th Amendment Seminar (3 credits – Thursday – 10-12) – WR
d. Accounting for Lawyers (2 credits – Monday – 3:30-5:30) – 12/16
2.) Spring – 13 credits
a. Takeovers, M&A (2 credits – Wednesday – 11:10-1:10) – TK
b. Externship (3 credits)
c. Corp Transactions: Negotiating the Deal and Drafting the Documents (3 credits – T & W – 6-7:25) – Paper
d. Emerging Growth Companies and their Venture Capital Financing Seminar (2 credits – R – 5:45-7:45) – TK
e. *Corp Finance (3 credits – M & W – 9:35-11) – 5/4

TLSModBot · Post by **TLSModBot** » Tue May 26, 2015 1:54 pm

I'm also aiming for Sec Reg and Accounting for lawyers - so obvi they're good choices.

I think Takeovers, M&A is preferable to regular M&A (at least with Thompson - that guy was... Interesting). Unless it's 3 credits worth of work for only 2 credits. Then yuck.

POTUSorSCOTUS · Post by **POTUSorSCOTUS** » Tue May 26, 2015 2:03 pm

zacharus85 wrote:I'm also aiming for Sec Reg and Accounting for lawyers - so obvi they're good choices.

I think Takeovers, M&A is preferable to regular M&A (at least with Thompson - that guy was... Interesting). Unless it's 3 credits worth of work for only 2 credits. Then yuck.

I was gna take M&A w/ Thompson, but I'd rather use my P/F on Corp Finance. Does anyone happen to know if we elect a course to be P/F, but we end up doing well and getting a grade (e.g., A-), does that course count towards our 7 credit P/F limit?

GULCPerson · Post by **GULCPerson** » Tue May 26, 2015 2:13 pm

POTUSorSCOTUS wrote:
zacharus85 wrote:I'm also aiming for Sec Reg and Accounting for lawyers - so obvi they're good choices.

I think Takeovers, M&A is preferable to regular M&A (at least with Thompson - that guy was... Interesting). Unless it's 3 credits worth of work for only 2 credits. Then yuck.
I was gna take M&A w/ Thompson, but I'd rather use my P/F on Corp Finance. Does anyone happen to know if we elect a course to be P/F, but we end up doing well and getting a grade (e.g., A-), does that course count towards our 7 credit P/F limit?

Yes, it counts towards your 7 credit limit even if you hit your target grade.

justonemoregame · Post by **justonemoregame** » Tue May 26, 2015 9:13 pm

supersplittysplitter wrote:
justonemoregame wrote:For your elective, I'd recommend something that will be beneficial groundwork going forward. If you're interested in code-based courses, (Enviro, Labor, Health, many other topics), do Admin or Reg State, I-law would be good to have for...I-law like courses, and it's even a prereq. for some, so it's useful in terms of 2L schedule flexibility if you have it out of the way. You're not escaping gunners in 1L, don't make your decision based on that.

is there any area of law that has a reputation for not attracting gunners?

Not a whole area that I've heard about. Certain classes have a reputation as attracting gunners, but the way the pass / fail system works at Gtown, you might be able to cop a good grade in a notoriously "difficult" class since many others have heard the same thing and thus elect to take the course pass / fail, and perhaps they don't try as hard as they otherwise would because they're upperclassmen, have SAs, and a P doesn't affect the gpa.

POTUSorSCOTUS · Post by **POTUSorSCOTUS** » Thu May 28, 2015 6:51 pm

How retarded would I be to turn down a clinic (7 credits) in favor of taking more classes + externship?

I heard clinics are huge GPA boosters, so I'd like to up my GPA after receiving 2 B's last semester. On the other hand, I really enjoy taking classes and want to be well-balanced so I am taking a lot of corp-related courses. HOWEVER, this is 3L so I feel like I need to be 3loling a bit more...

comments, suggestions??? Not sure what to do

GULCPerson · Post by **GULCPerson** » Thu May 28, 2015 8:50 pm

POTUSorSCOTUS wrote:How retarded would I be to turn down a clinic (7 credits) in favor of taking more classes + externship?

I heard clinics are huge GPA boosters, so I'd like to up my GPA after receiving 2 B's last semester. On the other hand, I really enjoy taking classes and want to be well-balanced so I am taking a lot of corp-related courses. HOWEVER, this is 3L so I feel like I need to be 3loling a bit more...

comments, suggestions??? Not sure what to do

If the most important thing is to boost your GPA, clinic is objectively the better choice. But there's nothing wrong with taking enjoyable classes (especially if you can swing one of them pass-fail) and an externship if you'll be happier that way. I did the latter my 3L year and don't regret it. But I was also in a position where a few extra hundredths of a GPA point would not have made much difference. You might not be.

kray · Post by **kray** » Thu Jun 18, 2015 2:41 pm

Any insight on Professors Molot or Hasnas?

GULCPerson · Post by **GULCPerson** » Thu Jun 18, 2015 4:53 pm

kray wrote:Any insight on Professors Molot or Hasnas?

TIL we have professors named Molot and Hasnas.

chuckbass · Post by **chuckbass** » Thu Jun 18, 2015 5:43 pm

Any transfers with comments on transitioning? I'm really social so I'm not super worried about getting involved and meeting people, but I'll be basically doing the first semester from home due to medical conditions so I'm going to miss the majority of the efforts to incorporate transfers I'm assuming.

BmoreOrLess · Post by **BmoreOrLess** » Thu Jun 18, 2015 9:08 pm

kray wrote:Any insight on Professors Molot or Hasnas?

Hasnas for Torts? Good guy, good teacher. Take good notes on how he analyzes his hypos, and make sure you understand how to take his exams. He doesn't like a lot of extra shit, and his exams are long enough where you'll get killed if you don't pay close attention to specifically where he wants you to do a deep analysis.

TLSModBot · Post by **TLSModBot** » Thu Jun 18, 2015 9:12 pm

GULCPerson wrote:
kray wrote:Any insight on Professors Molot or Hasnas?
TIL we have professors named Molot and Hasnas.

kray · Post by **kray** » Thu Jun 18, 2015 9:21 pm

BmoreOrLess wrote:
kray wrote:Any insight on Professors Molot or Hasnas?
Hasnas for Torts? Good guy, good teacher. Take good notes on how he analyzes his hypos, and make sure you understand how to take his exams. He doesn't like a lot of extra shit, and his exams are long enough where you'll get killed if you don't pay close attention to specifically where he wants you to do a deep analysis.

Yup, torts. Awesome, thanks!

Hand · Post by **Hand** » Tue Jun 23, 2015 12:04 pm

How soon can you apply for an RA gig? Papa needs money to pay that DC rent.

TLSModBot · Post by **TLSModBot** » Tue Jun 23, 2015 12:15 pm

Hand wrote:How soon can you apply for an RA gig? Papa needs money to pay that DC rent.

Do you mean 'research assistant'? There's no time limit aside from the start of the semester.

It's a very informal and stilted process - most RA hires I know (myself included) met with or knew the professor first and indicated mutual interest in an RA role rather than go through some formal process.

buckiguy_sucks · Post by **buckiguy_sucks** » Tue Jun 23, 2015 12:18 pm

Post removed.

TLSModBot · Post by **TLSModBot** » Tue Jun 23, 2015 12:26 pm

buckiguy_sucks wrote:
Capitol_Idea wrote:
Hand wrote:How soon can you apply for an RA gig? Papa needs money to pay that DC rent.
Do you mean 'research assistant'? There's no time limit aside from the start of the semester.

It's a very informal and stilted process - most RA hires I know (myself included) met with or knew the professor first and indicated mutual interest in an RA role rather than go through some formal process.
Do people do these first semester (directed at others since zacharus is PT but tagging you in the post in case you actually know) or is TCR to just focus on school for first semester

Full timers should answer but I haven't seen any 1L (and VERY few 1E) RA's. Grades are just way more important and you won't really know a professor well enough to be able to judge who you'd want to work for until at least 1L spring.

I do know a ton of professors since I'm married to a GULC sort-of prof / research person (and have taken a buttload of classes). So feel free to PM me with specific questions or if you want a hookup with the profs I know.

Hand · Post by **Hand** » Tue Jun 23, 2015 12:39 pm

Capitol_Idea wrote:
buckiguy_sucks wrote:
Capitol_Idea wrote:
Hand wrote:How soon can you apply for an RA gig? Papa needs money to pay that DC rent.
Do you mean 'research assistant'? There's no time limit aside from the start of the semester.

It's a very informal and stilted process - most RA hires I know (myself included) met with or knew the professor first and indicated mutual interest in an RA role rather than go through some formal process.
Do people do these first semester (directed at others since zacharus is PT but tagging you in the post in case you actually know) or is TCR to just focus on school for first semester
Full timers should answer but I haven't seen any 1L (and VERY few 1E) RA's. Grades are just way more important and you won't really know a professor well enough to be able to judge who you'd want to work for until at least 1L spring.

I do know a ton of professors since I'm married to a GULC sort-of prof / research person (and have taken a buttload of classes). So feel free to PM me with specific questions or if you want a hookup with the profs I know.

Thanks, will do once I've looked a little more closely into who I'd be interested in working for.

buckiguy_sucks · Post by **buckiguy_sucks** » Tue Jun 23, 2015 12:42 pm

Post removed.

TLSModBot · Post by **TLSModBot** » Tue Jun 23, 2015 12:49 pm

buckiguy_sucks wrote:
Capitol_Idea wrote: I do know a ton of professors since I'm married to a GULC sort-of prof / research person (and have taken a buttload of classes). So feel free to PM me with specific questions or if you want a hookup with the profs I know.
I thought that kind of thing only happened in erotic-novellas

Well we were together before and both ended up at GULC along different tracks. I do not advocate trying to get dates with current faculty.

GULCPerson · Post by **GULCPerson** » Tue Jun 23, 2015 2:41 pm

Capitol_Idea wrote:
buckiguy_sucks wrote:
Capitol_Idea wrote:
Hand wrote:How soon can you apply for an RA gig? Papa needs money to pay that DC rent.
Do you mean 'research assistant'? There's no time limit aside from the start of the semester.

It's a very informal and stilted process - most RA hires I know (myself included) met with or knew the professor first and indicated mutual interest in an RA role rather than go through some formal process.
Do people do these first semester (directed at others since zacharus is PT but tagging you in the post in case you actually know) or is TCR to just focus on school for first semester
Full timers should answer but I haven't seen any 1L (and VERY few 1E) RA's. Grades are just way more important and you won't really know a professor well enough to be able to judge who you'd want to work for until at least 1L spring.

Full-timer. I'm not aware of any 1L RA. On the student's side it's probably not a great idea for GPA purposes, but from the professor's perspective, what reason would they possibly have to hire you? I stumbled into an RA position sight unseen through symplicity my first summer, but at least then the professor had grades to go off of. You've never even sat in a law school class, so I imagine professors would have some skepticism about your ability to actually do legal research and produce memos or whatever.

That's not personal, it would be true for any first-semester 1L, and it's true even though first semester classes don't really teach you anything that would enable you to be a more valuable RA next semester.

Hand · Post by **Hand** » Tue Jun 23, 2015 4:45 pm

GULCPerson wrote:
Capitol_Idea wrote:
buckiguy_sucks wrote:
Capitol_Idea wrote:
Hand wrote:How soon can you apply for an RA gig? Papa needs money to pay that DC rent.
Do you mean 'research assistant'? There's no time limit aside from the start of the semester.

It's a very informal and stilted process - most RA hires I know (myself included) met with or knew the professor first and indicated mutual interest in an RA role rather than go through some formal process.
Do people do these first semester (directed at others since zacharus is PT but tagging you in the post in case you actually know) or is TCR to just focus on school for first semester
Full timers should answer but I haven't seen any 1L (and VERY few 1E) RA's. Grades are just way more important and you won't really know a professor well enough to be able to judge who you'd want to work for until at least 1L spring.
Full-timer. I'm not aware of any 1L RA. On the student's side it's probably not a great idea for GPA purposes, but from the professor's perspective, what reason would they possibly have to hire you? I stumbled into an RA position sight unseen through symplicity my first summer, but at least then the professor had grades to go off of. You've never even sat in a law school class, so I imagine professors would have some skepticism about your ability to actually do legal research and produce memos or whatever.

That's not personal, it would be true for any first-semester 1L, and it's true even though first semester classes don't really teach you anything that would enable you to be a more valuable RA next semester.

Yeah sure, that makes sense; I do have considerably more research experience than the average incoming student, so there's that. Are there other ways to get an RA position besides reaching out to professors and through symplicity? I know at some schools the library people are basically in charge of the whole operation; do they play any role in it at GULC?

awoodard · Post by **awoodard** » Tue Jun 23, 2015 5:08 pm

GULC full-time rising 2L here. This is anecdata, but every single RA I know got their position either through doing well in a professor's class, reaching out through symplicity, or otherwise reaching out to the professor via email or other means. The library folks are great, but probably won't help you find an RA position. Sometimes they are in the know about which professors might want assistants, but I've never heard of an RA getting hired because of such a connection. Unless your prior research experience is actual legal research, a professor is extremely unlikely to hire a 1L; and even then, they do like to see grades before hiring someone, which you wouldn't have til Spring anyway.

It bears repeating that TCR is to focus on grades 1L year. I know it seems like you'll have free time to have an RA position, but 1L and especially 1L spring--which is probably the earliest you could get hired for--is extraordinarily hectic and stressful, at least in my and my friends' experiences. You have a heavier course load for spring, will be stressed by summer job apps, etc. I'd wait til at least 1L summer to go for an RA job.

All that being said, if you're interested in an RA position for 1L summer/2L year, getting to know your profs and showing interest in certain practice areas through your extracurriculars is a good way to go about it.

TLSModBot · Post by **TLSModBot** » Tue Jun 23, 2015 5:10 pm