Vanderbilt 1L Taking Questions Forum

[fingersxd]

More generally, how easy is it to live in Nashville w/out a car?

[pleasetryagain]

So I am planning on living as very close to the law school but I can't for the life of me find the nearest grocery store. I searched on google but all I get are places 2 miles away or more. Not really that far away, is it? I found a list in the Obiter Dictum but all of those are far from where I am planning on living without a car.

grocery shopping in the city sucks. w/o a car you are pretty much limited to harris teeter (not bad but sometimes expensive and abuot a mile from the school on 21st), and apple market (on west end but a shithole and expensive). Kroger is close but I wouldn't consider it walking. Metro transit is pretty good during the day and I know someone that used to take it to wal-mart (abuot 15 minutes away via highway) w/ a rollie suitcase and buy his supplies a month at a time. Its tough and annoying even with a car, w/o is going to be a bitch but its definitely doable if you don't mind walking/biking n ridiculous heat (and arent buying anything frozen), taking the bus, or bumming rides from people 9everyone shops.. have someone text you when they plan to go - dont be the dick that takes longer than everyone else)

More generally, how easy is it to live in Nashville w/out a car?

Its not. Public trans is decent but it still sucks to take - though I believe it is free for Vandy students. Biking is not bad and bikers don't care to ride in the middle of the street as if they were a car (you're not a car-you can only do 15-25mph). I will say that, depending on how far you live from the school, everything you need is in walking distance for the most part. I know some people whom I fully believe have never left the mile radius around the school. However, Nashville is so spread out that there will definitely be many times that you really wish you had a car. Cabs and zip cars are also a good option if you have the money.

Bottom line: I lived without a car for the frist semester here and walked everywhere int he shitty, wet, icy, Nashville winter. Its not fun and havnig a car is better (as always) but you can do without one. Just don't think it'll be as easy as living in a place like NY w/o one.

This is a grammatical mess but I needed a break from write-on. Good luck!

[gogators]

So I am planning on living as very close to the law school but I can't for the life of me find the nearest grocery store. I searched on google but all I get are places 2 miles away or more. Not really that far away, is it? I found a list in the Obiter Dictum but all of those are far from where I am planning on living without a car.

grocery shopping in the city sucks. w/o a car you are pretty much limited to harris teeter (not bad but sometimes expensive and abuot a mile from the school on 21st), and apple market (on west end but a shithole and expensive). Kroger is close but I wouldn't consider it walking. Metro transit is pretty good during the day and I know someone that used to take it to wal-mart (abuot 15 minutes away via highway) w/ a rollie suitcase and buy his supplies a month at a time. Its tough and annoying even with a car, w/o is going to be a bitch but its definitely doable if you don't mind walking/biking n ridiculous heat (and arent buying anything frozen), taking the bus, or bumming rides from people 9everyone shops.. have someone text you when they plan to go - dont be the dick that takes longer than everyone else)

More generally, how easy is it to live in Nashville w/out a car?

Its not. Public trans is decent but it still sucks to take - though I believe it is free for Vandy students. Biking is not bad and bikers don't care to ride in the middle of the street as if they were a car (you're not a car-you can only do 15-25mph). I will say that, depending on how far you live from the school, everything you need is in walking distance for the most part. I know some people whom I fully believe have never left the mile radius around the school. However, Nashville is so spread out that there will definitely be many times that you really wish you had a car. Cabs and zip cars are also a good option if you have the money.

Bottom line: I lived without a car for the frist semester here and walked everywhere int he shitty, wet, icy, Nashville winter. Its not fun and havnig a car is better (as always) but you can do without one. Just don't think it'll be as easy as living in a place like NY w/o one.

This is a grammatical mess but I needed a break from write-on. Good luck!

Harris Teeter is fine. It's really not that expensive for the most part (obviously every chain has certain items more expensive than another). It's not too far of a walk although it depends on where exactly you're living. However, I must disagree with the second answer. I have some friends who've never had a car in Nashville and could care less. They manage to get all around Nashville just fine and have no real problems. Of course, they sometimes get a courtesy ride home or w/e but you'd get that no matter what the circumstances. It all kind of depends on how you're used to living and what you're comfortable with.

[bigjinjapan]

Can anybody comment on living in the Midtown/Downtown area? I'd prefer a newer, loft-style place and most seem to be clustered over there. I found a couple buildings that look nice, but if there are specific recommendations I'd be interested to hear them, regardless of the location.

http://www.velocityinthegulch.com/

[gogators]

Can anybody comment on living in the Midtown/Downtown area? I'd prefer a newer, loft-style place and most seem to be clustered over there. I found a couple buildings that look nice, but if there are specific recommendations I'd be interested to hear them, regardless of the location.

http://www.velocityinthegulch.com/

I would not recommend Velocity just because it seems to always be dead. If you like that area the Icon seems better and I've heard positive reviews. Rhythm is closer to the law school and seems to be a nice choice and of course the closest is Adelcia which is right next to the law school (and where Taylor Swift lives). Any of the ones I've named seems to be nice. The last, which I don't necessarily think is the same as the others but close is Bristol at Broadway. Not a huge buidling, but around the same price and close to the law school. This past year a ton of 2L's lived there.

[drylo]

Can anybody comment on living in the Midtown/Downtown area? I'd prefer a newer, loft-style place and most seem to be clustered over there. I found a couple buildings that look nice, but if there are specific recommendations I'd be interested to hear them, regardless of the location.

http://www.velocityinthegulch.com/

I would not recommend Velocity just because it seems to always be dead. If you like that area the Icon seems better and I've heard positive reviews. Rhythm is closer to the law school and seems to be a nice choice and of course the closest is Adelcia which is right next to the law school (and where Taylor Swift lives). Any of the ones I've named seems to be nice. The last, which I don't necessarily think is the same as the others but close is Bristol at Broadway. Not a huge buidling, but around the same price and close to the law school. This past year a ton of 2L's lived there.

Agree with all of that. I wouldn't necessarily say not to live in Velocity, but I definitely would not buy in Velocity. The Gulch is a great area, but they just built too many condos there about three or four years ago.

[Emma1]

..

[doublefocus4]

Could anyone familiar with the Nashville area comment on the traffic situation (esp. in the mornings) on the I-40? I'm thinking of renting at the Grande View apt complex (7100 Sonya Dr) and was wondering how bad driving to school would be.

[gogators]

Could anyone familiar with the Nashville area comment on the traffic situation (esp. in the mornings) on the I-40? I'm thinking of renting at the Grande View apt complex (7100 Sonya Dr) and was wondering how bad driving to school would be.

That sounds like an awful drive. I don't typically drive on I-40 in the mornings but I know traffic supposedly gets pretty bad. You could take Charlotte Pike but then you're at stop lights the whole way. Personally, I would attempt to live closer to campus.

[drylo]

Could anyone familiar with the Nashville area comment on the traffic situation (esp. in the mornings) on the I-40? I'm thinking of renting at the Grande View apt complex (7100 Sonya Dr) and was wondering how bad driving to school would be.

That sounds like an awful drive. I don't typically drive on I-40 in the mornings but I know traffic supposedly gets pretty bad. You could take Charlotte Pike but then you're at stop lights the whole way. Personally, I would attempt to live closer to campus.

I don't know about that, actually. I have been on 1-40 (not nearly that far on I-40, but down around downtown) some mornings this summer and it's not bad. You should periodically check Google maps during drive time and turn on the traffic feature and see how traffic flow is. It might not be that bad. You would probably want to take 40 to 440 to West End (or maybe 21st, but you may not want to drive though Hillsboro Village).

[gogators]

Could anyone familiar with the Nashville area comment on the traffic situation (esp. in the mornings) on the I-40? I'm thinking of renting at the Grande View apt complex (7100 Sonya Dr) and was wondering how bad driving to school would be.

That sounds like an awful drive. I don't typically drive on I-40 in the mornings but I know traffic supposedly gets pretty bad. You could take Charlotte Pike but then you're at stop lights the whole way. Personally, I would attempt to live closer to campus.

I don't know about that, actually. I have been on 1-40 (not nearly that far on I-40, but down around downtown) some mornings this summer and it's not bad. You should periodically check Google maps during drive time and turn on the traffic feature and see how traffic flow is. It might not be that bad. You would probably want to take 40 to 440 to West End (or maybe 21st, but you may not want to drive though Hillsboro Village).

A friend of mine wrote this to someone else:

Well... there are times of the day its good, and times of the day its not great. Id avoid rush hour: 7-9:30 am, and 3-6 pm. The HOV lane is my best friend, so carpool, any car 2+ passengers is allowed in it. It will save you a huge headache. The traffic INTO Nashville is the worst in the morning, and OUT the worst in the afternoon. I recommend living as close to school as possible, because there will be days you have to run to school to read real quickly or you'll oversleep. Plus the drive is hard on gas if you live about 20 min away!

[fingersxd]

I know we have mostly 1L's here, but do we have any information as to how the 2L SA class did this year? What are the numbers for v10, v25, v50, v100 and/or nlj 250.

[gogators]

I know we have mostly 1L's here, but do we have any information as to how the 2L SA class did this year? What are the numbers for v10, v25, v50, v100 and/or nlj 250.

I don't have any numbers yet. Maybe Career Services will tell us how we did in the fall. Or maybe another 2L on here knows.

[drylo]

I know we have mostly 1L's here, but do we have any information as to how the 2L SA class did this year? What are the numbers for v10, v25, v50, v100 and/or nlj 250.

I don't have any numbers yet. Maybe Career Services will tell us how we did in the fall. Or maybe another 2L on here knows.

Like gogators, I'm a 2L, and I have no idea. I will say anecdotally that pretty much all my good friends (but certainly not everybody at the school) ended up with firm jobs they were happy with--that is not to say that they are all NLJ250, though, and definitely not necessarily Vault firms. Take me, for example--I bid on exactly zero firms in any city that pays above $120k market. I'm pretty sure that that criteria right there would eliminate all Vault firms. I was picky from the start (too picky probably, in hindsight--although it worked out fine for me), but I got a couple NLJ250 offers. I am working for one NLJ250 firm this summer and one non-NLJ250 (but market-paying) firm.

[thelawyler]

So I guess the question begs: are you and all your good friends in the upper end of the grade curve?

[lawloser22]

.

[drylo]

So I guess the question begs: are you and all your good friends in the upper end of the grade curve?

Lol, the inevitable question... Yeah, probably so. I don't know all the specifics but I know that the group I am talking about runs the gamut from pretty much top of the class to probably around median (or a bit higher). So, yes, all probably in the top half. It's obviously true that you will have a rougher go of it from the bottom part of the class, and there are always outliers on both ends (pretty good grades and no job; not so good grades and good job). But in the absence of 2L OCI stats, I can only give you my anecdotes.

[gogators]

How do Vandy transfers do?

At jobs? Well I have a few friends who are transfers and they have had a harder time than others admittedly. All have jobs this summer, and typically in places they will enjoy. However, not all are with firms, and most positions were not garnered through OCI. I would equate their position as equal to those in the bottom half of the class, fair or unfair as it may be. However, like I said, every transfer I know has a job their happy with and has unequivocally said they were glad about the decision to transfer.

[gogators]

So I guess the question begs: are you and all your good friends in the upper end of the grade curve?

Lol, the inevitable question... Yeah, probably so. I don't know all the specifics but I know that the group I am talking about runs the gamut from pretty much top of the class to probably around median (or a bit higher). So, yes, all probably in the top half. It's obviously true that you will have a rougher go of it from the bottom part of the class, and there are always outliers on both ends (pretty good grades and no job; not so good grades and good job). But in the absence of 2L OCI stats, I can only give you my anecdotes.

Personally, I have friends that range from the very top of the class to the very bottom. Again, I don't have stats, just my own personal knowledge and experience. I would guess roughly half of people got jobs either through OCI or directly because of it. The other half, spent a great deal of time, long into the spring, to get their current summer jobs. However, I don't know anyone who is either unhappy with the position they got or didn't get something period. I chalk that up to Vandy's reputation for spitting our great lawyers and employers willingness to take chances on us. One positive note about the jobs though: I know that many people are almost secretively happy about the job situation, because if they didn't get the firm job this summer, it was an excuse to maybe take an unpaid job that they really were interested in. Without the job problem, they would have to take the 2L firm job because otherwise a firm really wouldn't hire 3Ls. But firms are hiring 3Ls in record numbers and the stats are only going up.

NOTE: I have a theory, which may ultimately prove invalid. If I was a firm, I think I would cut back costs in the future by more or less getting rid of my 2L summer program in favor of only hiring 3Ls. When firms hire 3Ls, they do on a needs basis. Why should I as a firm have 30 SAs, offer 28 positions because its expected, and then have to find a place for them to practice. Instead, hire 3Ls as needed, and save a ton of money on the summer program. With the number of firms not hiring 2Ls last summer, and pushing the hiring to the 3Ls this fall, I ultimately think a major change in mid-market/mid-firm hiring could take place in the years to come. Just my 2 cents.

[fingersxd]

How do Vandy transfers do?

At jobs? Well I have a few friends who are transfers and they have had a harder time than others admittedly. All have jobs this summer, and typically in places they will enjoy. However, not all are with firms, and most positions were not garnered through OCI. I would equate their position as equal to those in the bottom half of the class, fair or unfair as it may be. However, like I said, every transfer I know has a job their happy with and has unequivocally said they were glad about the decision to transfer.

This seems a bit different (and yes, I recognize that it's largely anecdotal), than what I have heard at most other schools where transfers seem to do fairly well. Then again, that scenario is largely when T30 students mvoe up to the T14, and I'm not sure what caliber schools ppl are transferring from, so maybe top grades at schools outside the t30 just aren't super impressive?

[theturkeyisfat]

I know we have mostly 1L's here, but do we have any information as to how the 2L SA class did this year? What are the numbers for v10, v25, v50, v100 and/or nlj 250.

I don't have any numbers yet. Maybe Career Services will tell us how we did in the fall. Or maybe another 2L on here knows.

Like gogators, I'm a 2L, and I have no idea. I will say anecdotally that pretty much all my good friends (but certainly not everybody at the school) ended up with firm jobs they were happy with--that is not to say that they are all NLJ250, though, and definitely not necessarily Vault firms. Take me, for example--I bid on exactly zero firms in any city that pays above $120k market. I'm pretty sure that that criteria right there would eliminate all Vault firms. I was picky from the start (too picky probably, in hindsight--although it worked out fine for me), but I got a couple NLJ250 offers. I am working for one NLJ250 firm this summer and one non-NLJ250 (but market-paying) firm.

you split your summer?

[drylo]

I know we have mostly 1L's here, but do we have any information as to how the 2L SA class did this year? What are the numbers for v10, v25, v50, v100 and/or nlj 250.

I don't have any numbers yet. Maybe Career Services will tell us how we did in the fall. Or maybe another 2L on here knows.

Like gogators, I'm a 2L, and I have no idea. I will say anecdotally that pretty much all my good friends (but certainly not everybody at the school) ended up with firm jobs they were happy with--that is not to say that they are all NLJ250, though, and definitely not necessarily Vault firms. Take me, for example--I bid on exactly zero firms in any city that pays above $120k market. I'm pretty sure that that criteria right there would eliminate all Vault firms. I was picky from the start (too picky probably, in hindsight--although it worked out fine for me), but I got a couple NLJ250 offers. I am working for one NLJ250 firm this summer and one non-NLJ250 (but market-paying) firm.

you split your summer?

Correct.

[fingersxd]

I've long wondered, how exactly do you go about splitting the summer? Why would anyone willingly hire for only 5 or 6 weeks? And how much value is actually added by splitting in this way? Wouldn't the resume boost be somewhat off set simply by virtue of not having been in one place long enough to make strong connections, get recommendations and really learn the ins and outs?

[Grizz]

I've long wondered, how exactly do you go about splitting the summer? Why would anyone willingly hire for only 5 or 6 weeks? And how much value is actually added by splitting in this way? Wouldn't the resume boost be somewhat off set simply by virtue of not having been in one place long enough to make strong connections, get recommendations and really learn the ins and outs?

Sometimes it's the market. Many Southern firms traditionally hire for 6 wks.

[lostinspace]

splitting is great - doubles your offer chances!