WUSTL Recent Grad (and others) Taking Questions Forum

[romothesavior]

Do they give away free coffee on campus?

Not that I'm aware of. Just free booze on Friday afternoons, which is preferable anyways.

[Michael Bluth]

Do they give away free coffee on campus?

Not that I'm aware of. Just free booze on Friday afternoons, which is preferable anyways.

Every Friday? If so, that's fairly awesome. What kinds of stuff do they generally have (presumably Bud Light and such but what about wine, liquor, etc.)? And is it just a random social event or is it more of a group meetings/speakers type thing?

/thanks in advance!

[Total Litigator]

The free beer on Fridays is a reoccurring Happy Hour which a different student group hosts every Friday. For the most part the beer selection is completely Anheuser Busch products (bud, bud light, bud select), cheap wines (were you expecting free Chateau Lafite 1787?) and soda (for those who don't drink presumably). Sometimes they may run out of wine, but the beer and soda are virtually limitless for the two hour / hour and a half happy hour).

The free beer is awesome, make no mistake. A great place to start your Friday night if you have plans later that night (even if your plans are watching TV and crashing).

As far as free coffee goes... no you usually have to pay for it. The law school "cafeteria" will sell you a good sized coffee for a 1.20, but you can get it for 80 cents if you bring your own thermos. I say usually because there are so many random events going on around the law school which leave coffee and such out in the hallway, that you can usually grab a free coffee as you walk down a hallway at least once a week.

[Michael Bluth]

The free beer on Fridays is a reoccurring Happy Hour which a different student group hosts every Friday. For the most part the beer selection is completely Anheuser Busch products (bud, bud light, bud select), cheap wines (were you expecting free Chateau Lafite 1787?) and soda (for those who don't drink presumably). Sometimes they may run out of wine, but the beer and soda are virtually limitless for the two hour / hour and a half happy hour).

The free beer is awesome, make no mistake. A great place to start your Friday night if you have plans later that night (even if your plans are watching TV and crashing).

As far as free coffee goes... no you usually have to pay for it. The law school "cafeteria" will sell you a good sized coffee for a 1.20, but you can get it for 80 cents if you bring your own thermos. I say usually because there are so many random events going on around the law school which leave coffee and such out in the hallway, that you can usually grab a free coffee as you walk down a hallway at least once a week.

Thanks. Yeah, that sounds pretty cool. Can't think of a better way to get over the work week than to have a few free beers. Even if they are AB products.

/beer snob

[chrisbru]

Thanks. Yeah, that sounds pretty cool. Can't think of a better way to get over the work week than to have a few free beers. Even if they are AB products.

/beer snob

As a fellow beer snob, I appreciate Bud beers for what they are... Cheap, light beers. Sure, I'd love to drink one of my favorites, but if I'm tailgating or going out during school there will be mostly Bud Light. It's not worth the extra $$.

[Jackson Pollock]

As a fellow beer snob, I appreciate Bud beers for what they are... Cheap, light beers. Sure, I'd love to drink one of my favorites, but if I'm tailgating or going out during school there will be mostly Bud Light. It's not worth the extra $$.

+1

I won't complain about free beer.

Although when I actually start making decent money post-law school, it's nice imported beer for me from then on.

[beachbum]

Ya'll should try some of the local beers. Schlafly is fantastic (the pale ale is a staple of many bars/restaurants around here), and O'Fallon is pretty solid, too.

[chrisbru]

+1

I won't complain about free beer.

Although when I actually start making decent money post-law school, it's nice imported beer for me from then on.

Nooooooo. Imported beer is good if it's from Germany, but you can support the US and have some amazing craft brews. Anything out of Washington/Oregon or Colorado is likely delicious, and the midwest has a few as well (see: Boulevard, Goose Island, Grain Belt).


ETA:

Ya'll should try some of the local beers. Schlafly is fantastic (the pale ale is a staple of many bars/restaurants around here), and O'Fallon is pretty solid, too.

Oh yeah. Small local breweries FTW.

[beachbum]

+1

I won't complain about free beer.

Although when I actually start making decent money post-law school, it's nice imported beer for me from then on.

Nooooooo. Imported beer is good if it's from Germany, but you can support the US and have some amazing craft brews. Anything out of Washington/Oregon or Colorado is likely delicious, and the midwest has a few as well (see: Boulevard, Goose Island, Grain Belt).

FWIW, Goose Island is technically an AB product now. (Free Goose Island FTW?)

[romothesavior]

Ya'll should try some of the local beers. Schlafly is fantastic (the pale ale is a staple of many bars/restaurants around here), and O'Fallon is pretty solid, too.

+1, Schlafly Pale Ale is outstanding. I drink it regularly.

Also, if you're going to school in Anheuser-Busch Hall, you shouldn't expect anything but Bud products at Happy Hour. And if you're gonna live in St. Louis, you gotta develop a little love and loyalty for AB products. There are economy class beers, and good beers. Whenever I go economy, I drink Budweiser. Gotta rep for the 314.

[splitmuch]

What is this talk about AB beers?

Everything I've seen mentioned is an Inbev product...

[splitmuch]

+1

I won't complain about free beer.

Although when I actually start making decent money post-law school, it's nice imported beer for me from then on.

Nooooooo. Imported beer is good if it's from Germany, but you can support the US and have some amazing craft brews. Anything out of Washington/Oregon or Colorado is likely delicious, and the midwest has a few as well (see: Boulevard, Goose Island, Grain Belt).


ETA:

Ya'll should try some of the local beers. Schlafly is fantastic (the pale ale is a staple of many bars/restaurants around here), and O'Fallon is pretty solid, too.

Oh yeah. Small local breweries FTW.

Boulevard. Repping the 816. Biggest American owned brewery in Missouri!

[beachbum]

What is this talk about AB beers?

Everything I've seen mentioned is an Inbev product...

Low blow.

Edit: There's also speculation that ABInbev will make moves to purchase SABMiller in the near future. So then every beer will be an AB beer!

[stolli]

taggggggggg

[crit_racer]

Visited Wash U recently and was extremely impressed w/ the facilities, the student body, etc. It was everything I could have wanted from a law school. The kids were friendly and seemed very bright, and the professor of the class I sat in on was engaging and not at all up tight. Much more relaxed vibe than I expected from a law class.

Unfortunately, I was really disappointed w/ St. Louis. That city is BLEAK. Lots of boarded up houses/buildings. It's a little bit like Detroit in that way. I'm used to living in the new South, which is characterized by rapid development, an abundance of young people and a generally energetic feel. I love some of the older American cities, but St. Louis just had this kind of irrelevant feel to it, like it was a relic of a bygone era. I honestly felt a little depressed being there. I didn't see hardly any young people other than at Wash U. I explored the CWE, South City, Clayton and (of course) U-City.

I donno, I guess if I go to WUSTL it will definitely be for the school and not the city. Not to be a downer, but I think anyone who hasn't visited ought to. Especially if you're used to living in any kind of progressive urban center. I can't say enough good things about the school, though, really.

Current students, do you find that the amount of time you spend at school negates the negative aspects of the city, or do you like the city? I know 1L will pretty much be a wash, but I figure 2L and 3L years I'll have at least a little bit of time to get out and about, and I want to be in a place that I like.

[JCougar]

Current students, do you find that the amount of time you spend at school negates the negative aspects of the city, or do you like the city? I know 1L will pretty much be a wash, but I figure 2L and 3L years I'll have at least a little bit of time to get out and about, and I want to be in a place that I like.

I dunno, I guess I don't feel like it's all that bad. Between the Loop, the Central West End, the Grove, and downtown, I feel like there's plenty of urban-progressiveness here.

I haven't really gone out for the last three weeks though, except for about an hour here or there to get a drink. Law school is a lot of work.

But I grew up in Milwaukee, which isn't exactly the coolest place to hang out, either. I guess it depends on what you're used to. But I've lived in Chicago for 4 years, too, and I don't feel like St. Louis is horrible in comparison. Also, I just moved here from the "new South." I prefer old brick buildings to manufactured homes that all look the same any day. I like the people here, too. Where are you from in the "new South"? I don't equate New South with a lot of young people...when you say "New South," I think of retiring baby boomers, bland strip malls, and zero public transportation. Unless you are talking about Austin -- in which case there isn't going to be a single city in this country that compares.

[crit_racer]

Current students, do you find that the amount of time you spend at school negates the negative aspects of the city, or do you like the city? I know 1L will pretty much be a wash, but I figure 2L and 3L years I'll have at least a little bit of time to get out and about, and I want to be in a place that I like.

I dunno, I guess I don't feel like it's all that bad. Between the Loop, the Central West End, the Grove, and downtown, I feel like there's plenty of urban-progressiveness here.

I haven't really gone out for the last three weeks though, except for about an hour here or there to get a drink. Law school is a lot of work.

But I grew up in Milwaukee, which isn't exactly the coolest place to hang out, either. I guess it depends on what you're used to. But I've lived in Chicago for 4 years, too, and I don't feel like St. Louis is horrible in comparison. Also, I just moved here from the "new South." I prefer old brick buildings to manufactured homes that all look the same any day. I like the people here, too. Where are you from in the "new South"? I don't equate New South with a lot of young people...when you say "New South," I think of retiring baby boomers, bland strip malls, and zero public transportation. Unless you are talking about Austin -- in which case there isn't going to be a single city in this country that compares.

yeah Austin is actually where I'm from, so that is my basis of comparison. But I also just visited ATL, which seemed to have a lot more going on as well.

[Hannibal]

During my WUSTL visit, I saw a whole lot of young people both on the Loop and at CWE. It definitely wasn't like San Francisco where the club areas are teeming with young people, but I think that says more about how a city smaller than SF, Atlanta, etc, will have a more mixed of a nightlife population. It just can't match the energy of the biggest cities.

I definitely agree with your thoughts that it seems like a city past its peak. I liked that part of it. Like how in a post apocalyptic wasteland you can have all the mac and cheese you want because everyone is dead and the shelves are full of it. Awesome comparison, I know.

[stratocophic]

During my WUSTL visit, I saw a whole lot of young people both on the Loop and at CWE. It definitely wasn't like San Francisco where the club areas are teeming with young people, but I think that says more about how a city smaller than SF, Atlanta, etc, will have a more mixed of a nightlife population. It just can't match the energy of the biggest cities.

I definitely agree with your thoughts that it seems like a city past its peak. I liked that part of it. Like how in a post apocalyptic wasteland you can have all the mac and cheese you want because everyone is dead and the shelves are full of it. Awesome comparison, I know.

Fallout FTW

[lawlcat4179]

Hey, question for the WUSTL crowd. I just contacted a firm that I am interested in working at when I graduate, and they said that if I go to Wash U I would need at least a 3.4 GPA to be considered. Could any current students roughly approximate what kind of a class rank that would be? I'd imagine somewhere above median after 1L year, but are we talking top third, top quarter, etc. Plus doesn't Wash U use some weird grading scale? I was surprised when they said 3.4 because as far as I know Wash U doesn't use a 4.0 scale. Ugh, if someone could try to help me with this confusion it would be greatly appreciated.

[Stephanie13]

Visited Wash U recently and was extremely impressed w/ the facilities, the student body, etc. It was everything I could have wanted from a law school. The kids were friendly and seemed very bright, and the professor of the class I sat in on was engaging and not at all up tight. Much more relaxed vibe than I expected from a law class.

Unfortunately, I was really disappointed w/ St. Louis. That city is BLEAK. Lots of boarded up houses/buildings. It's a little bit like Detroit in that way. I'm used to living in the new South, which is characterized by rapid development, an abundance of young people and a generally energetic feel. I love some of the older American cities, but St. Louis just had this kind of irrelevant feel to it, like it was a relic of a bygone era. I honestly felt a little depressed being there. I didn't see hardly any young people other than at Wash U. I explored the CWE, South City, Clayton and (of course) U-City.

I donno, I guess if I go to WUSTL it will definitely be for the school and not the city. Not to be a downer, but I think anyone who hasn't visited ought to. Especially if you're used to living in any kind of progressive urban center. I can't say enough good things about the school, though, really.

Current students, do you find that the amount of time you spend at school negates the negative aspects of the city, or do you like the city? I know 1L will pretty much be a wash, but I figure 2L and 3L years I'll have at least a little bit of time to get out and about, and I want to be in a place that I like.

I'm from Dallas and so I felt the same way when I first came here for school. There are things to do here and it can be however fun of a city as you make it. I feel that way about most cities really. I guess to me, the city only hits me as depressing and past its peak when you first come. After that, you hardly notice it, and it's just like any other mid-size city. And there are charms to seeing old style architecture versus cookie cutter houses. The building I live in was built in the 1920s and to me that's really cool after coming from a city where most things were built generally after the 70/80s if that.

[romothesavior]

Current students, do you find that the amount of time you spend at school negates the negative aspects of the city, or do you like the city? I know 1L will pretty much be a wash, but I figure 2L and 3L years I'll have at least a little bit of time to get out and about, and I want to be in a place that I like.

If you hang out in Clayton, the Loop, CWE, Wash Ave, or Laclede's Landing, you won't notice this at all. Just steer clear of Grand Avenue, and I don't recommend living near the Loop. But most of the places where I hang out, eat out, and drink are all pretty fun little urban areas. Definitely not a hopping night scene, but there is plenty to do.

[seatown12]

Saint Louis is not a destination city; if you want to be in a place that you can get really excited about living for three years you shouldn't come here.

That said, it's not a hellhole either. The people who complain the most about Saint Louis are the ones who only go to the same 3 shitty bars every weekend. There are some cool spots and fun things to do here, there just aren't as many as in other cities and you have to get out there to find them.

The closest thing to what you are probably looking for is Wash Ave downtown. Like other people have said, however, there's no part of Saint Louis that can compare to the main nightlife districts in bigger cities.

Also there's a massive difference between the winter and warmer months here. It's like most of Saint Louis hibernates until Cardinals Opening Day.

[Total Litigator]

Hey, question for the WUSTL crowd. I just contacted a firm that I am interested in working at when I graduate, and they said that if I go to Wash U I would need at least a 3.4 GPA to be considered. Could any current students roughly approximate what kind of a class rank that would be? I'd imagine somewhere above median after 1L year, but are we talking top third, top quarter, etc. Plus doesn't Wash U use some weird grading scale? I was surprised when they said 3.4 because as far as I know Wash U doesn't use a 4.0 scale. Ugh, if someone could try to help me with this confusion it would be greatly appreciated.

Absolutely no idea how to specifically and determinatively answer this question. Wash U uses a Chicago style grading system (70 to 100, median 87). What they probably generally mean is top third. I think 3.4 generally equates to top 1/3 and Wash U's peer schools. In any case, if you get top third at Wash U you get a nice little "cum laude" on your diploma, so that should be good enough to at least get your resume looked at. Top 1/3 roughly equates to an 89.25.

Maybe we could better answer your question if you told us generally what kind of firm this is; NLJ 250? V50? Boutique Firm?

[TatteredDignity]

In the vein of WUSTL's grading system...

To me, it seems like there is a lot of room for crazy things to happen. For example, the median is 87. 90 Would represent an A at most places, right? Maybe 92/93 for an A+? So, what if a prof goes wild and gives people 99/100s. This is then averaged into the student's other grades, and gives a huge boost. So it seems like a top score can really make more of a difference than say, an A+ at another school. Is that right?