Texas 1L taking questions, 2010-'11 edition Forum

[JazzOne]

Welcome noobs! UT is the shizzzz! Don't be scared off by the ugly building. We have amazing professors, a terrific student body, excellent job and clerkship placement, and a fun location.

[BeachandRun23]

Welcome noobs! UT is the shizzzz! Don't be scared off by the ugly building. We have amazing professors, a terrific student body, excellent job and clerkship placement, and a fun location.

I know I sounds like a suck-up but I really didnt think the building was that ugly. The auditorium was desperately in need of a remodeling, but otherwise the atrium, classrooms, library and hallways were pretty nice. Plus they had a couple of courtyards outside (one by the cafeteria and one by the entrance) that I thought were pretty cool. I dont mind the building. Its not hogwarts, but its fairly modern and doesnt look like a highschool.

[Guchster]

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[awilson11]

Hey, I am in Austin for the OMV tomorrow, and I just went out with a friend from Texas who goes to St. Edwards. He made it seem like Texas Relay Weekend is some terrifying thing to stay away from, but he has a bit of a streak in him that I don't necessarily have regarding these things. I want to go out tomorrow and it not being a normal Austin crowd isn't really a deterrent to me. Any thoughts?

[awilson11]

Hey, I am in Austin for the OMV tomorrow, and I just went out with a friend from Texas who goes to St. Edwards. He made it seem like Texas Relay Weekend is some terrifying thing to stay away from, but he has a bit of a streak in him that I don't necessarily have regarding these things. I want to go out tomorrow and it not being a normal Austin crowd isn't really a deterrent to me. Any thoughts?

I should clarify a little, he is implying that it's a more dangerous weekend than normal, but more so that I will stick out on 6th Street because of the crowd that will and won't be going out downtown this weekend. That's more what I am wondering about. Do people stay away from 6th Street this weekend?

[radio-edit]

Hey, I am in Austin for the OMV tomorrow, and I just went out with a friend from Texas who goes to St. Edwards. He made it seem like Texas Relay Weekend is some terrifying thing to stay away from, but he has a bit of a streak in him that I don't necessarily have regarding these things. I want to go out tomorrow and it not being a normal Austin crowd isn't really a deterrent to me. Any thoughts?

I should clarify a little, he is implying that it's a more dangerous weekend than normal, but more so that I will stick out on 6th Street because of the crowd that will and won't be going out downtown this weekend. That's more what I am wondering about. Do people stay away from 6th Street this weekend?

--LinkRemoved--

http://www.texasexes.org/alcalde/feature.asp?p=4422

Neither of those means people don't avoid Sixth Street, but those who do for any reason other than disliking crowds are kind of dumb.

[Marionberry]

Hey, I am in Austin for the OMV tomorrow, and I just went out with a friend from Texas who goes to St. Edwards. He made it seem like Texas Relay Weekend is some terrifying thing to stay away from, but he has a bit of a streak in him that I don't necessarily have regarding these things. I want to go out tomorrow and it not being a normal Austin crowd isn't really a deterrent to me. Any thoughts?

I should clarify a little, he is implying that it's a more dangerous weekend than normal, but more so that I will stick out on 6th Street because of the crowd that will and won't be going out downtown this weekend. That's more what I am wondering about. Do people stay away from 6th Street this weekend?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gfsvh0tB ... ure=fvwrel (the 1:06-1:20ish mark is a pretty good snapshot)

You don't want to be going near downtown this weekend...unless you bringin your slab out.

[Marionberry]

--LinkRemoved--

http://www.texasexes.org/alcalde/feature.asp?p=4422

Neither of those means people don't avoid Sixth Street, but those who do for any reason other than disliking crowds are kind of dumb.

Have you been in town for Relays weekend? The APD was being pretty diplomatic in that article, given the sensitivity some people have about Relays weekend and the obvious element of race. There's plenty of legitimate reasons to not go out this weekend beyond disliking crowds. Last year or the year before, I think, someone got shot in the parking lot of the Cheesecake Factory. Shit like that doesn't happen on any other weekend. I'm not saying that it's not safe, because generally speaking it probably is, but it's definitely only going to be enjoyable/comfortable for people who are in to a very specific kind of scene.

[awilson11]

Thanks, all the feedback has been helpful. It sounds to me like a music festival in my home town that attracts a HUGE number of people that wouldn't otherwise be caught dead in the area, and there is always a weeklong spike in drug use/police enforcement in the area. Obviously this isn't a perfect comparison, but anytime you import a large number of people who don't live or frequent an area for a short time, I guess it's a recipe for some kind of unusual problems.

[Marionberry]

Thanks, all the feedback has been helpful. It sounds to me like a music festival in my home town that attracts a HUGE number of people that wouldn't otherwise be caught dead in the area, and there is always a weeklong spike in drug use/police enforcement in the area. Obviously this isn't a perfect comparison, but anytime you import a large number of people who don't live or frequent an area for a short time, I guess it's a recipe for some kind of unusual problems.

If you're in town, even if you don't go downtown, you'll get a better idea of what it is. The cars are everywhere, and the "stuntin"(swerving from lane to lane, parking cars in the middle of intersections and getting out, hanging out of windows, etc) can be pretty irritating, and often dangerous. I think the city is trying to find a way of handling the event without pissing anyone off, especially after the controversy around the Highland mall closing two years ago. We'll see, supposedly they are having the "Urban Music Festival" at Auditorium Shores this year, as an attempt to turn the revelry into a sanctioned event, ala ACL or other festivals. I will be interested to see if this works at all, as historically this crowd has not been inclined to pay for events/cover charges, which is why a lot of businesses actually operate at a loss if they stay open this weekend. Emo's closed down last year I think for this reason. Campus, where the relays are actually held, is usually fine, if not a little packed. Most of the people in town come to party and couldn't care less about the athletics.

[lisjjen]

Here's a question. How many attending have visited Vandy too?

[mz253]

I have a question about parking. I'm looking at the C+ parking permit. It seems that all parking lots are pretty far from the law school. Do people park their car and then take the shuttle?

Is it easy to find parking if I get in around 9 AM?

[keayts]

I have a question about parking. I'm looking at the C+ parking permit. It seems that all parking lots are pretty far from the law school. Do people park their car and then take the shuttle?

Is it easy to find parking if I get in around 9 AM?

Most people who drive to school park in metered parking spots on Dean Keeton Street, right in front of the law school. I know there are a few garages nearby, but I don't recall where exactly they are. There's also a house right across the street from the law school that was a converted from a violin shop, and the people leasing the house rent out spaces in their parking lot throughout the year.

Since I've always lived within a few blocks of school, I have no idea how early you have to arrive to get parking. But IIRC, with few exceptions, the earliest a class meets is 9:30AM, so I'm guessing if you get there at around 9am you should be able to find parking. But someone who's had to drive to school will be better able to answer that question.

[awilson11]

Here's a question. How many attending have visited Vandy too?

I have been in Austin since Wednesday and I am flying to Nashville tomorrow

[Richie Tenenbaum]

I have a question about parking. I'm looking at the C+ parking permit. It seems that all parking lots are pretty far from the law school. Do people park their car and then take the shuttle?

Is it easy to find parking if I get in around 9 AM?

If you want to drive to class everyday, get a year pass to San Jacinto Garage. It is the parking garage next to the school and it is worth the $500 or $600 it costs to have the convenience of knowing there will be an open spot. Spots go fast though. I would call the garage and ask when passes go on sale and try to get one the day of.

[mz253]

Hmm, so do most people bike to school? Or take the shuttle? I thought driving would be the easiet way to get around in Texas. (Sorry I've never been to TX before and all I heard about TX is it's a big state and you cannot live there without a car

[keayts]

I've been answering a few questions that have been PM'ed to me. Since the answers to these questions could benefit viewers of this thread, and the person sending me these questions has granted me permission to do so, I'm posting the questions and answers in this thread.

How do you think of the career services office? Are they very helpful? Vanderbilt has 7 employees and UT has 7 in their offices, but UT has twice as many students as Vanderbilt. So I wonder how much personal attention UT students get from the career counselors?

Most people you know, do they get summer internships/jobs with the help of the career services or they are mostly on their own?

Thanks!

I'd say CSO does a very good job. You're right in that the lower CSO employee-to-student ratio at Vandy would permit them to spend more time with students, but I've never had problems making appointments to see counselors within a week or so. They are very good about going over resumes and such, which they can do via email if they can't see you immediately, and are more than happy to set up and critique videotaped mock interview sessions. And CSO has a database of resources available for all students, including interview and resume-writing guides.

I'm not really sure how the summer hiring for 1Ls is working at this point. When I was a 1L, I sent my resume out to all the firms I could, since most of them weren't coming to spring OCI (on-campus interview program) due to the bursting of the subprime bubble (that had occurred mid fall semester). At that point in time, firms were being extremely conservative in selecting summer associates, since the high degree of economic uncertainty posed by the subprime fallout (especially high at that point as people hadn't yet understood what had happened with Wall Street) made projecting their hiring needs extremely difficult; even Harvard Law School's 1L class was struggling to land 1L positions (my ex-1L-roommate's now-fiancee was a HLS 3L who did recruiting for her firm). But I think nowadays, more employers are coming to 1L spring OCI, and more employers are holding receptions for 1Ls during the winter break, so the need to do a mailout on your own is lessened. Regarding 1L summer hiring, UT CSO procures opportunities by setting up spring OCI and notifying 1Ls of non-OCI job postings (including government and judicial internships) and law firm receptions. But some people do get jobs through mailing out their resumes on their own or leveraging personal connections.

[keayts]

I wonder what's the parking sitution like for the law school? I feel I will live in North Campus/Hyde Park. I was looking at Google Map and it doesn't look like walking distance to me. Does that mean that I should just drive to the school every day? Is so, is it easy to find a parking spot on campus. I looked at the parking map and I couldn't find that many parking space.

Do people take the shuttle at all? Are they convenient?

Hey, no big deal. Do you mind if I post your questions and my answers to the thread, so other people can make use of this information as well? I'm a little surprised that nobody has started a facebook group for the UTLaw class of 2014, quite frankly; one has arisen for every class up until this point.

I answered your parking situation question in the thread. If you're living in the Hyde Park neighborhood, you can easily bike to school; I know people who live around 40th street who can bike to school within 15 minutes or so. You can buy a saddlebag/rack system for your bike if you're concerned about transporting casebooks to/from school (I used one of these: http://www.topeak.com/products/Bags/MTXTrunkBagDXP - bought off ebay, of course) and you can leave the books in your locker while at school. There are places a little closer to campus as well; I lived in the 31st street condos as a 1L and biking from there to school took about 10 minutes, and biking from the Grand Oak complex, where I lived as a 2L, took about the same amount of time. From those areas, you could walk to school as well.

I do know quite a few people take the shuttles and from what I can tell, they're quite convenient, coming very frequently during the mornings and afternoons. You can find schedules and maps at --LinkRemoved--.

[keayts]

Also, in terms of bars/clubs, where do most law students hang out? Do people cab to those places? or they drive? or they walk?

Ah, I've never been to Austin so I'm trying to figure out what area I should live to have a good balance of academic and social life. haha

The Crown and Anchor pub is a popular hangout spot, as are Posse East and JP's Java. All three spots are located in the same area just north of the law school. Crown and Posse East have a good selection of beers and good drink specials, and JP's has one of the only 2 Clover coffee machines in Texas (the other one is in downtown Austin). You can easily walk to these spots, since they're about 3 blocks from campus.

Every Thursday night until the weeks immediately preceding finals, the Student Bar Association sponsors a gathering at the local bars called the "bar review." These typically take place at bars on 6th street, the main strip of bars in Austin. Some of them take place on "east 6th", which is the part of 6th east of guadalupe, where mostly undergrads hang out. And some of them take place on "west 6th", which is the part of 6th street west of Guadalupe, where mostly grad students and young professionals hang out. The west 6th bars tend to be nicer, but also more expensive.

You could live downtown if you wanted to be closer to the bar scene, but that would complicate getting to/from school, especially during rush hour. Most people drive or cab to downtown (which 6th street is a part of), since it's really not within walking distance of campus; you could also take the bus downtown and cab back. Driving to bar review isn't recommended unless you have a designated driver, though, since although street parking is free everywhere after 5:30pm, the city does check meters on Friday morning, so you won't be able to park your car downtown overnight unless you want to pick it up very early Friday morning. Of course, leaving your car downtown is feasible if you're checking out the bars on Friday or Saturday night, since street parking is free on the weekends. You'd still have to bum a ride or bus to your car the next day, though.

[nonprofit-prophet]

I wonder what's the parking sitution like for the law school? I feel I will live in North Campus/Hyde Park. I was looking at Google Map and it doesn't look like walking distance to me. Does that mean that I should just drive to the school every day? Is so, is it easy to find a parking spot on campus. I looked at the parking map and I couldn't find that many parking space.

Do people take the shuttle at all? Are they convenient?

Hey, no big deal. Do you mind if I post your questions and my answers to the thread, so other people can make use of this information as well? I'm a little surprised that nobody has started a facebook group for the UTLaw class of 2014, quite frankly; one has arisen for every class up until this point.

It's been up for a while

http://www.facebook.com/home.php?sk=gro ... 9539050563

[Shem]

Just got back to Philly after spending the weekend in Austin - hands down I have never taken to a city as quickly as this. I love Austin - and this is coming from someone who has had the good fortune of living all over the world - Manhattan, Atlanta, Paris, Geneva, Mexico, Philly, DC, VA. There is no place more conducive to living and studying law (except maybe the Bay Area, but that dream has died)

I am withdrawing from Georgetown and other offers for which I received scholarships, and I am going to UT. I enjoyed the prospectives I met at the OMV - I hope you all join me in this decision. I thought the relays gave the whole city a fun vibe - it's great to see the energy. 6th street reminded me of Ocean Drive in Miami, or Bourbon St. No shootings, just some brawls, don't be scured. I tried to explore every neighborhood to get a feel for it, as well as talk to as many locals as I could. Everyone loves this place, from the cab drivers to the waiters- and of course our man- Larry Sager. The city was extremely easy to traverse sans automobile, but Ill definitely be bringing the jeep down. I really liked the feel over by west 3rd st. and the south congress area.

What a place. Besides sucking massively- I think law school is going to be great.

[CMDantes]

Just got back to Philly after spending the weekend in Austin - hands down I have never taken to a city as quickly as this. I love Austin - and this is coming from someone who has had the good fortune of living all over the world - Manhattan, Atlanta, Paris, Geneva, Mexico, Philly, DC, VA. There is no place more conducive to living and studying law (except maybe the Bay Area, but that dream has died)

I am withdrawing from Georgetown and other offers for which I received scholarships, and I am going to UT. I enjoyed the prospectives I met at the OMV - I hope you all join me in this decision. I thought the relays gave the whole city a fun vibe - it's great to see the energy. 6th street reminded me of Ocean Drive in Miami, or Bourbon St. No shootings, just some brawls, don't be scured. I tried to explore every neighborhood to get a feel for it, as well as talk to as many locals as I could. Everyone loves this place, from the cab drivers to the waiters- and of course our man- Larry Sager. The city was extremely easy to traverse sans automobile, but Ill definitely be bringing the jeep down. I really liked the feel over by west 3rd st. and the south congress area.

What a place. Besides sucking massively- I think law school is going to be great.

I love hearing this.

Glad you made that decision!

[lisjjen]

Just got back to Philly after spending the weekend in Austin - hands down I have never taken to a city as quickly as this. I love Austin - and this is coming from someone who has had the good fortune of living all over the world - Manhattan, Atlanta, Paris, Geneva, Mexico, Philly, DC, VA. There is no place more conducive to living and studying law (1) except maybe the Bay Area, but that dream has died

I am withdrawing from Georgetown and other offers for which I received scholarships, and I am going to UT. I enjoyed the prospectives I met at the OMV - I hope you all join me in this decision. I thought the relays gave the whole city a fun vibe - it's great to see the energy. 6th street reminded me of Ocean Drive in Miami, or Bourbon St. (2) No shootings, just some brawls, don't be scured. I tried to explore every neighborhood to get a feel for it, as well as talk to as many locals as I could. Everyone loves this place, from the cab drivers to the waiters- and of course (3) our man- Larry Sager. The city was extremely easy to traverse sans automobile, but Ill definitely be bringing the jeep down. I really liked the feel over by west 3rd st. and the south congress area.

What a place. (4) Besides sucking massively- I think law school is going to be great.

1) A lot about Austin really reminds me of San Fran. The one thing that city lacks is a beach.
2) I was told by a number of current students that the city is most dangerous during the relay. So imagine that fun vibe without the brawls. (SXSW is livelier anyway)
3) It was such a close decision for me that I would be going to Vandy without Dean Sager.
4) +1

[zengyy]

I am wondering how the sections work. Are you assigned to a particular section and can only take the courses for that section, or you have the freedom to choose which professor's class to take if there are more than one professors teaching the same course?

Since my background is science and law school is totally new to me, are there any suggestions on how to prepare for 1L? Maybe some books recommended to read? Thanks.

[keayts]

I am wondering how the sections work. Are you assigned to a particular section and can only take the courses for that section, or you have the freedom to choose which professor's class to take if there are more than one professors teaching the same course?

All 1Ls take the same 6 substantive courses during the course of the year: contracts, federal civil procedure, property, torts, criminal law, and constitutional law. 3 of these classes will be taken during the fall and the remaining 3 will be taken during the spring. Different large sections of 100 students will be taking combinations of these courses each semester; one section may be taking contracts, torts, and con law while another section may be taking crim, torts, and property. Even if the sections are taking the same 3 courses in a given semester, they will be taking them with different professors. Also, during both fall and spring semester of your first year, you will be required to take a 2 credit legal research and writing class each semester, which will be taught to your entire large section. You will have the same large section through both semesters of 1L year. You have no choice in professors or class scheduling for your 6 core classes or for your legal research and writing class.

In addition, during the fall semester, one of these 6 classes will be taught in a smaller section of ~25 students, and will be worth 5, rather than 4, credits. This small section will be comprised of approximately 1/4 of the students in the large section

I believe you can, if you want to, take an elective spring semester of 1L year, though I highly recommend against this so you can focus on your other classes. If you do decide to take an elective, you have the freedom to select a course from a list of 1L-permissible courses.

Since my background is science and law school is totally new to me, are there any suggestions on how to prepare for 1L? Maybe some books recommended to read? Thanks.

I recommend reading the first 1/3 or so of Planet Law School and getting the course supplements the book suggests that you obtain. If you read the book, please take its criticisms of the case method with a grain of salt; law school isn't nearly as bad as the book makes it seem. That said, its advice on how to prepare is fairly solid.

I also highly recommend signing up for the LEEWS exam prep program, since it addresses how to take issue-spotter exams, which will be the predominant type of exam you will see at law school. I ended up as Grand Chancellor of the 2011 class and that achievement was due in no small part to the LEEWS program.

The program is especially crucial for people with a scientific background, since some scientists and engineers from very good schools (e.g. MIT, Stanford) do poorly in law school because they don't recognize that the study of law is less about learning facts (which is the case with, say, medical school) and more about learning and applying logic, or they don't recognize that the law may not provide a black-and-white answer in all cases, which is usually the case with math problems, but sometimes a bounded "gray" answer. The LEEWS program and Planet Law School will do a better job at explaining these issues than I will, so I recommend that you take a look at both resources.