Columbia students taking questions Forum

[AndyMcNally]

Thanks piccolittle! So I guess nothing east of Morningside Park for me (female) but will think about 125th despite the dead bodies . Still hoping to hear from UAH or to find something nice and affordable on the UWS.

[Bronck]

Thanks piccolittle! So I guess nothing east of Morningside Park for me (female) but will think about 125th despite the dead bodies . Still hoping to hear from UAH or to find something nice and affordable on the UWS.

Anything south of 125th is fine. Even north of 125th (to 145th) isn't that bad if you have any sort of street smarts. Don't let the recent shootings bother you -- it was a dispute between two sets of drug dealers (and the shooting occurred in a car with windows up). It happened on one of the least frequented blocks of MH as well.

[AndyMcNally]

Thanks Bronck. Alsways good to hear the opinion of people familiar with the area. I normally would check out the area myself but I am still abroad. Would you say that an apartment right on 125th / Amsterdam belongs rather to the north or to the south securitywise? I would like to be able to walk home from public transportation at night.

[Bronck]

Thanks Bronck. Alsways good to hear the opinion of people familiar with the area. I normally would check out the area myself but I am still abroad. Would you say that an apartment right on 125th / Amsterdam belongs rather to the north or to the south securitywise? I would like to be able to walk home from public transportation at night.

125th and Amsterdam to the south is the General Grant Housing projects (which are pretty tame), so you'd be looking at the north side of 125th. Is the area "safe" like the area surrounding Columbia? No, but it's not exactly dangerous either -- though there can be a bit of loitering around that area and the shops are a little dumpy looking. You should be fine with some street smarts. The 1 train drops you off literally one block away.

Honestly, it's hard to say because I don't know your comfort level, experience in urban environments, etc.

[kwais]

I have a pretty high tolerance for less than posh neighborhoods, but I would say that the corners of 125th and amsterdam are not great. even one block south is better. But that corner is very busy and the north side is very sketchy. lots of boarded up windows and a smelly chicken coop. If anything you want to go a little further towards 137th and city college. that's just my opinion though. oh and where those murders happened, that's where I lived last year, its a great area (usually)

[Bronck]

^ To add onto that, if you're willing to commute a bit more, you could try looking north of the 160s and west of Broadway (Inwood, Washington Heights). Only look west of Broadway though. If you go to the east, it's a bit shadier (the Audubon corridor is particularly nasty). The rent is generally pretty cheap.

North of 168th (I believe), the A train stations are west of Broadway and the 1 train stations are east of Broadway. The A train would drop you off east of Morningside Park while the 1 train would obviously drop you off on Broadway right by the main campus.

[Elendil]

Hey everyone - I'm an incoming CLS 1L. I've read through this entire thread (extremely helpful, btw!) but I haven't seen this asked yet:

Would somebody mind laying out what their typical daily schedule was like during first semester 1L? I'm most interested in things like earliest classes, Mondays and Fridays, etc. I know this is going to vary depending on your study habits and whatever else, but I would just like to get an example or two directly from students. I would really appreciate it, and thanks again for fielding questions!

[swc65]

Hey everyone - I'm an incoming CLS 1L. I've read through this entire thread (extremely helpful, btw!) but I haven't seen this asked yet:

Would somebody mind laying out what their typical daily schedule was like during first semester 1L? I'm most interested in things like earliest classes, Mondays and Fridays, etc. I know this is going to vary depending on your study habits and whatever else, but I would just like to get an example or two directly from students. I would really appreciate it, and thanks again for fielding questions!

I think the earliest class is Crim at 8am- only one section had that time-slot last year (i think). MY schedule was 9-4 mon-thurs both semesters during 1L. There are no classes from 12-1:15, there are tons of events during that time with free food.

[redsoxfan2495]

Hey everyone - I'm an incoming CLS 1L. I've read through this entire thread (extremely helpful, btw!) but I haven't seen this asked yet:

Would somebody mind laying out what their typical daily schedule was like during first semester 1L? I'm most interested in things like earliest classes, Mondays and Fridays, etc. I know this is going to vary depending on your study habits and whatever else, but I would just like to get an example or two directly from students. I would really appreciate it, and thanks again for fielding questions!

My schedule went like this:

Civ Pro: 9:30 - 10:30 M - Th
Contracts: 1:20 - 2:40 M-W
Property: 2:50 - 4:10 M-W

LPW: 1:40 - 2:40 Th
Research: 11:00 - 11:50 Th

Essentially I had three tough days each week (MTW). By the time I walked out of Civ Pro at 10:30 Thursday morning I was basically done for the week. LPW and Legal Research are pass/fail and you generally don't have to do much to prepare for them.

Notice that you'll have enormous amounts of time outside of class to get your work done. Honestly, if you structure your time well it's possible to keep up with school and have a decent amount of time to relax and enjoy yourself. At some point you'll have to start preparing for finals and your free time will shrink drastically, but until then things aren't so bad.

[viking138]

Hey everyone - I'm an incoming CLS 1L. I've read through this entire thread (extremely helpful, btw!) but I haven't seen this asked yet:

Would somebody mind laying out what their typical daily schedule was like during first semester 1L? I'm most interested in things like earliest classes, Mondays and Fridays, etc. I know this is going to vary depending on your study habits and whatever else, but I would just like to get an example or two directly from students. I would really appreciate it, and thanks again for fielding questions!

My schedule went like this:

Civ Pro: 9:30 - 10:30 M - Th
Contracts: 1:20 - 2:40 M-W
Property: 2:50 - 4:10 M-W

LPW: 1:40 - 2:40 Th
Research: 11:00 - 11:50 Th

Essentially I had three tough days each week (MTW). By the time I walked out of Civ Pro at 10:30 Thursday morning I was basically done for the week. LPW and Legal Research are pass/fail and you generally don't have to do much to prepare for them.

Notice that you'll have enormous amounts of time outside of class to get your work done. Honestly, if you structure your time well it's possible to keep up with school and have a decent amount of time to relax and enjoy yourself. At some point you'll have to start preparing for finals and your free time will shrink drastically, but until then things aren't so bad.

I was even more concentrated than that. My schedule for fall term was:
Contracts 9:10-10:30 MTW
Civ Pro 1:20-2:40 MTW
Torts 2:50-4:10 MTW
LRW Th 9:10-10:10
Research Th 11:10-12:10

Spring term I can't recall as well, sorry! It was less regular, with a very different MW vs TTh schedule.

[BrightLine]

Message to 0L's: There will be no shortage of people telling you what to do or offering you advice. This will range from professors to student services to 2L/3L's to lawyers to friends and family etc. The key is to listen, take everything in, and come up with a strategy that will work for you.

1L is open ended and unguided so there is a temptation to find comfort in doing what everyone else is doing. Resist that temptation. 1L is characterized by people working inefficiently and often stupidly. It is essential to find the balance between doing what conventional wisdom dictates and what you think will work for you. Don't do things because you think it is what law students do. Remember, you arent trying to be just like everyone else. In theory, you are trying to do better than that, right?

There is no one right way to do 1L, but there are plenty of wrong ways. Here are 3 examples. You are doing law school wrong if
1) You spend all day at a table on the 2nd floor of JG with a book open.
2) You spend as much time thinking/talking about Law School as you do your courses.
3) You spend more time worrying about cold calling than exams.

[timbs4339]

Message to 0L's: There will be no shortage of people telling you what to do or offering you advice. This will range from professors to student services to 2L/3L's to lawyers to friends and family etc. The key is to listen, take everything in, and come up with a strategy that will work for you.

1L is open ended and unguided so there is a temptation to find comfort in doing what everyone else is doing. Resist that temptation. 1L is characterized by people working inefficiently and often stupidly. It is essential to find the balance between doing what conventional wisdom dictates and what you think will work for you. Don't do things because you think it is what law students do. Remember, you arent trying to be just like everyone else. In theory, you are trying to do better than that, right?

There is no one right way to do 1L, but there are plenty of wrong ways. Here are 3 examples. You are doing law school wrong if
1) You spend all day at a table on the 2nd floor of JG with a book open.
2) You spend as much time thinking/talking about Law School as you do your courses.
3) You spend more time worrying about cold calling than exams.

+1

[thunderflesh]

Message to 0L's: There will be no shortage of people telling you what to do or offering you advice. This will range from professors to student services to 2L/3L's to lawyers to friends and family etc. The key is to listen, take everything in, and come up with a strategy that will work for you.

1L is open ended and unguided so there is a temptation to find comfort in doing what everyone else is doing. Resist that temptation. 1L is characterized by people working inefficiently and often stupidly. It is essential to find the balance between doing what conventional wisdom dictates and what you think will work for you. Don't do things because you think it is what law students do. Remember, you arent trying to be just like everyone else. In theory, you are trying to do better than that, right?

There is no one right way to do 1L, but there are plenty of wrong ways. Here are 3 examples. You are doing law school wrong if
1) You spend all day at a table on the 2nd floor of JG with a book open.
2) You spend as much time thinking/talking about Law School as you do your courses.
3) You spend more time worrying about cold calling than exams.

Couldn't agree more.

[jungminnee]

Are there course evaluations available? If so, are comments, ratings, etc. included?

I tried googling Columbia course evaluations and it does take me to a page, but once I select certain courses to look at, all I get is general info regarding logistics of the course. Any guidance would be appreciated!

[bhan87]

Are there course evaluations available? If so, are comments, ratings, etc. included?

I tried googling Columbia course evaluations and it does take me to a page, but once I select certain courses to look at, all I get is general info regarding logistics of the course. Any guidance would be appreciated!

The full evaluations are on Lawnet, which includes pretty extensive comments on the courses. You may need to wait to access this though because if I recall correctly, they give the incoming 1Ls Lawnet-lite for awhile.

P.S. that doesn't stop you from asking a current student to look up some courses for you.

[jungminnee]

Are there course evaluations available? If so, are comments, ratings, etc. included?

I tried googling Columbia course evaluations and it does take me to a page, but once I select certain courses to look at, all I get is general info regarding logistics of the course. Any guidance would be appreciated!

The full evaluations are on Lawnet, which includes pretty extensive comments on the courses. You may need to wait to access this though because if I recall correctly, they give the incoming 1Ls Lawnet-lite for awhile.

P.S. that doesn't stop you from asking a current student to look up some courses for you.

Thank you! I checked Lawnet and was able to get to the evaluations. They even have pie charts!

[twiffy]

hey guys, thanks for answering questions. I've skimmed through this entire thread and it seems as if everyone is interested in academics, career, and housing. I actually wanted to ask about the social scene at Columbia. My ug is a pretty big and notorious party school.

While I by no means plan to continue my drunken debauchery into law school, i will have spent 4 years with extremely social party animals who are drunk 4 days a week with loose morals when it comes to drugs and alcohol, and i don't want to be in for a huge culture shock.

i want to ask:

1. what are the people at Columbia like socially? nerdy? outgoing? wild? timid?

2. what do you guys do for fun? and how much time do you actually have for fun during law school? are most people the "lets have movie night" type or "lets go to the bars/clubbing" type?

3. also, as a law student, do you have time to work while going to school? and if yes, what kind of jobs? minimum wage servers and cashiers?

[kwais]

hey guys, thanks for answering questions. I've skimmed through this entire thread and it seems as if everyone is interested in academics, career, and housing. I actually wanted to ask about the social scene at Columbia. My ug is a pretty big and notorious party school.

While I by no means plan to continue my drunken debauchery into law school, i will have spent 4 years with extremely social party animals who are drunk 4 days a week with loose morals when it comes to drugs and alcohol, and i don't want to be in for a huge culture shock.

i want to ask:

1. what are the people at Columbia like socially? nerdy? outgoing? wild? timid?

2. what do you guys do for fun? and how much time do you actually have for fun during law school? are most people the "lets have movie night" type or "lets go to the bars/clubbing" type?

3. also, as a law student, do you have time to work while going to school? and if yes, what kind of jobs? minimum wage servers and cashiers?

1. There is every type of person at Columbia. I think the class of 2014 leans more outgoing than nerdy, though we have plenty of both. What I found is that of a class of 400, the same 100-150 go out. Another 150 go out but rarely. Then there will be few faces you see at the end of 1L and you are like "that person goes here?" Whatever group you want to find you will find.

2. There are potlucks, movie people, lots of sports, and plenty of bar/club opportunities and plenty of time to take advantage. I went to a serious party UG and except for the month before exams, you can party as hard at CLS as you could anywhere. Doesn't mean many people do, but you certainly could.

3. I know no one in the 1L class who worked. It's really not a good idea. 2L is supposedly just as busy if not more, but others can opine on that. I would think 3L year might be the time to work if you were so inclined.

One note. It could change from year to year. For instance, class of 2014 is pretty outgoing and a few upperclassmen told me that we were more so than their year.

[bhan87]

1. There is every type of person at Columbia. I think the class of 2014 leans more outgoing than nerdy, though we have plenty of both. What I found is that of a class of 400, the same 100-150 go out. Another 150 go out but rarely. Then there will be few faces you see at the end of 1L and you are like "that person goes here?" Whatever group you want to find you will find.

2. There are potlucks, movie people, lots of sports, and plenty of bar/club opportunities and plenty of time to take advantage. I went to a serious party UG and except for the month before exams, you can party as hard at CLS as you could anywhere. Doesn't mean many people do, but you certainly could.

3. I know no one in the 1L class who worked. It's really not a good idea. 2L is supposedly just as busy if not more, but others can opine on that. I would think 3L year might be the time to work if you were so inclined.

One note. It could change from year to year. For instance, class of 2014 is pretty outgoing and a few upperclassmen told me that we were more so than their year.

Pretty much this. Highly recommend you join student organizations if you want to be socially active.

Also, DON'T THINK ABOUT WORKING. Whatever money you can make working part time is not going to be as valuable as 1. time to study, 2. participating in out-of-class activities at CLS (there are TONS), 3. socializing with your classmates, and 4. time to study. Your schedule will be pretty hectic without you worrying about another job. Possible exception is if you work as a TA or RA your 2L / 3L year, in which case your job is directly related to law school anyhow.

[stej94]

Message to 0L's: There will be no shortage of people telling you what to do or offering you advice. This will range from professors to student services to 2L/3L's to lawyers to friends and family etc. The key is to listen, take everything in, and come up with a strategy that will work for you.

1L is open ended and unguided so there is a temptation to find comfort in doing what everyone else is doing. Resist that temptation. 1L is characterized by people working inefficiently and often stupidly. It is essential to find the balance between doing what conventional wisdom dictates and what you think will work for you. Don't do things because you think it is what law students do. Remember, you arent trying to be just like everyone else. In theory, you are trying to do better than that, right?

There is no one right way to do 1L, but there are plenty of wrong ways. Here are 3 examples. You are doing law school wrong if
1) You spend all day at a table on the 2nd floor of JG with a book open.
2) You spend as much time thinking/talking about Law School as you do your courses.
3) You spend more time worrying about cold calling than exams.

Couldn't agree more.

Thanks everyone for answering all these questions, I was also interested in the social aspect, but no need to ask again, however, would anyone care to elaborate on the above response, as people keep seem to agreeing on it.

[viking138]

Message to 0L's: There will be no shortage of people telling you what to do or offering you advice. This will range from professors to student services to 2L/3L's to lawyers to friends and family etc. The key is to listen, take everything in, and come up with a strategy that will work for you.

1L is open ended and unguided so there is a temptation to find comfort in doing what everyone else is doing. Resist that temptation. 1L is characterized by people working inefficiently and often stupidly. It is essential to find the balance between doing what conventional wisdom dictates and what you think will work for you. Don't do things because you think it is what law students do. Remember, you arent trying to be just like everyone else. In theory, you are trying to do better than that, right?

There is no one right way to do 1L, but there are plenty of wrong ways. Here are 3 examples. You are doing law school wrong if
1) You spend all day at a table on the 2nd floor of JG with a book open.
2) You spend as much time thinking/talking about Law School as you do your courses.
3) You spend more time worrying about cold calling than exams.

Couldn't agree more.

Thanks everyone for answering all these questions, I was also interested in the social aspect, but no need to ask again, however, would anyone care to elaborate on the above response, as people keep seem to agreeing on it.

1) The second floor of JG is a terrible place to do work. People will stop by and chat with you. If I want to type up notes and be open to chatting, I'll sit there. You're kidding yourself, though, if you think you're getting work done efficiently there.

2) Law School as a proper noun as opposed to law school. Some people get so caught up in the Law School-ness of law school that they ignore the most important part -- your classes. If you've seen Paper Chase, it's like how the main character gets obsessed with the professor (although apparently that helps him bang the prof's daughter and get an A in the class, but they took some artistic license there I'd say). Don't obsess over Law School.

3) I hope this one is obvious. Cold calling has NOTHING to do with exam performance or grades. So why would you care? Prepare for the exam, not to be cold called. That means don't spend an hour on each case briefing it so that you can answer any possible question you might get cold called on because it's just not helpful or useful.

[piccolittle]

Message to 0L's: There will be no shortage of people telling you what to do or offering you advice. This will range from professors to student services to 2L/3L's to lawyers to friends and family etc. The key is to listen, take everything in, and come up with a strategy that will work for you.

1L is open ended and unguided so there is a temptation to find comfort in doing what everyone else is doing. Resist that temptation. 1L is characterized by people working inefficiently and often stupidly. It is essential to find the balance between doing what conventional wisdom dictates and what you think will work for you. Don't do things because you think it is what law students do. Remember, you arent trying to be just like everyone else. In theory, you are trying to do better than that, right?

There is no one right way to do 1L, but there are plenty of wrong ways. Here are 3 examples. You are doing law school wrong if
1) You spend all day at a table on the 2nd floor of JG with a book open.
2) You spend as much time thinking/talking about Law School as you do your courses.
3) You spend more time worrying about cold calling than exams.

Couldn't agree more.

Thanks everyone for answering all these questions, I was also interested in the social aspect, but no need to ask again, however, would anyone care to elaborate on the above response, as people keep seem to agreeing on it.

What can we say? The advice on TLS is pretty much on point when it comes to CLS. Many of my friends spent forever doing the reading and worrying about being ready for class, but either did not or could not grasp that the exam was a totally different beast, and it was the only thing that mattered. So many people sit around with a book open, or spend the whole day in the library, but what they're really doing is watching Downton Abbey or HIMYM on their laptops. Study smart, not hard.

In terms of social life, I got lucky and found maybe the drunkest group of friends at school. We had a lot of parties and everyone was pretty happy. We also had a disproportionate number of Law Review members relative to the rest of the class, so don't think you need to be an inefficient shut-in to do well. Some of the highest-GPA people I know are also the most social. As kwais said, it really just depends what your class is like and the kind of person you are. If you are a partier, you will find like-minded people at CLS. And if you don't, come hang out with my friends!

[alpha kenny body]

Where's the nicest area to live in the Columbia area closest to the law school? Price not being an issue.

[twiffy]

Pretty much this. Highly recommend you join student organizations if you want to be socially active.

Also, DON'T THINK ABOUT WORKING. Whatever money you can make working part time is not going to be as valuable as 1. time to study, 2. participating in out-of-class activities at CLS (there are TONS), 3. socializing with your classmates, and 4. time to study. Your schedule will be pretty hectic without you worrying about another job. Possible exception is if you work as a TA or RA your 2L / 3L year, in which case your job is directly related to law school anyhow.

oh good to know. i worked part time all throughout my undergrad and i expected to do the same in law school. guess i gotta start saving my money now

[piccolittle]

Where's the nicest area to live in the Columbia area closest to the law school? Price not being an issue.

The 16th Street studio/1 bedroom block is right across the street, but I recommend the 400 block on 115th St. I like having roommates, and the apartments are big. There's a nice community of people in each building - it's fun to have neighbors you get to know and have parties with etc. It's only a block away.