UVA Law Students Taking Questions Forum

[beebela]

I bet this has been discussed earlier ITT but I don't feel like sorting through 200+ pages of stuff...is all the UVA law softball talk true? Does it get pretty competitive?

[thesealocust]

Yes and no. Those who take it seriously take it very seriously, those who take it drunkenly take it very drunkenly, and those who just do it for fun just do it for fun. Not everybody does it, but there's a ton of opportunity to get involved as little or as much or with as much beer as you'd like.

[Geneva]

Tell me why I should choose UVA over Michigan and Berkeley assuming 1) I don't care where I end up working, 2) equal COA

[Cavalier]

Tell me why I should choose UVA over Michigan and Berkeley assuming 1) I don't care where I end up working, 2) equal COA

Visit the three schools and then make a decision.

[Geneva]

Tell me why I should choose UVA over Michigan and Berkeley assuming 1) I don't care where I end up working, 2) equal COA

Visit the three schools and then make a decision.

That is the plan. I'm also trying to get a clear read on whether or not Berkeley's grading system puts students at an advantage for OCIs. Given that law school grades seem to be unpredictable and there has to be a bottom 50%, it almost seems smart to choose a grading system where it's almost impossible to get lower than a Pass/aka median (in the eyes of employers). Thoughts?

[t14fanboy]

This thread is so long. I have a question for the regulars on this thread: How'd you do at OCI? Happy with the number biglawl offers? And if possible where you stood in the class (top third, etc).

[Julio_El_Chavo]

This thread is so long. I have a question for the regulars on this thread: How'd you do at OCI? Happy with the number biglawl offers? And if possible where you stood in the class (top third, etc).

I did well. I was happy with the number of offers I got. Top 15-25%.

[RVP11]

This thread is so long. I have a question for the regulars on this thread: How'd you do at OCI? Happy with the number biglawl offers? And if possible where you stood in the class (top third, etc).

I did well. I was happy with the number of offers I got. Top 15-25%.

Well, happy, top 20%.

[Doritos]

I don't see how this is going to be helpful. Didn't you already commit to come here? The better your grades the better your chances are of getting lots and lots of offers and callbacks and whatnot.

[BruceWayne]

That is the plan. I'm also trying to get a clear read on whether or not Berkeley's grading system puts students at an advantage for OCIs. Given that law school grades seem to be unpredictable and there has to be a bottom 50%, it almost seems smart to choose a grading system where it's almost impossible to get lower than a Pass/aka median (in the eyes of employers). Thoughts?

That's totally correct. But the only thing about that is that the schools is going to have to have a very strong reputation for that sort of grading system to fly with employers. It;s not clear as to whether Boalt falls into that category.

[Geneva]

I don't see how this is going to be helpful. Didn't you already commit to come here? The better your grades the better your chances are of getting lots and lots of offers and callbacks and whatnot.

plenty of people reading this thread didn't already commit to uva. the fact that there is a $2500/month paid fellowship program freaks me out. what proportion of the class of 2011 is on this fellowship and where can 0Ls find honest employment stats? job prospects will weigh heavily in my decision on where to matriculate.

[Geneva]

That is the plan. I'm also trying to get a clear read on whether or not Berkeley's grading system puts students at an advantage for OCIs. Given that law school grades seem to be unpredictable and there has to be a bottom 50%, it almost seems smart to choose a grading system where it's almost impossible to get lower than a Pass/aka median (in the eyes of employers). Thoughts?

That's totally correct. But the only thing about that is that the schools is going to have to have a very strong reputation for that sort of grading system to fly with employers. It;s not clear as to whether Boalt falls into that category.

Fair. I get thrown off by the fact that Boalt has so much lay prestige and such a low acceptance rate. Somehow people seem to be way more impressed with my Berkeley acceptance than Mich/VA despite the fact that Mich/VA are peer schools.

[ahnhub]

That is the plan. I'm also trying to get a clear read on whether or not Berkeley's grading system puts students at an advantage for OCIs. Given that law school grades seem to be unpredictable and there has to be a bottom 50%, it almost seems smart to choose a grading system where it's almost impossible to get lower than a Pass/aka median (in the eyes of employers). Thoughts?

A Boalt 2L commented on the system:

No doubt there are some downsides to the HH/H/P system. The odds of being above median in all your classes and ending up with a P is slim, but not insignificant. But there are positive effects that, in my mind, are worth those costs. And if you do happen to be one of those folks who would be below median (I know, not a one of us thinks it will be us) you at least still have some shot without having the negative indications a traditional transcript would have.

--He says later that basically it helps people who are around bottom 1/3 at the expense of people at median by blurring the distinction. (60% of all grades are P, so more than half of every class gets the same Pass grade. It hurts people who might have snuck into the top 50% with a B+, and helps people below them).

[FloridaCoastalorbust]

How important (if at all) is it to live near the school during 1L? Will I be socially out of touch so far away? Will the inconvenience of the distance to the library suck? Vacillating between a nice place about 10 minutes drive away versus Ivy.

[desertlaw]

Driving isn't really a pain if you're okay with not being at the social-center of 1L life (Ivy). It also means you don't have to walk to school, which can sometimes be a pain depending on the weather.

[Doritos]

I don't see how this is going to be helpful. Didn't you already commit to come here? The better your grades the better your chances are of getting lots and lots of offers and callbacks and whatnot.

plenty of people reading this thread didn't already commit to uva. the fact that there is a $2500/month paid fellowship program freaks me out. what proportion of the class of 2011 is on this fellowship and where can 0Ls find honest employment stats? job prospects will weigh heavily in my decision on where to matriculate.

I get the sense that the average GPA of TLS posters skews kinda high so asking how people with good grades did is only going to tell you so much. A lot of this has to do with what you want to do with your degree. Public interest and non-big firm work tends to hire later (some after you pass the bar). It depends on a multitude of factors but my sense is that hiring is up from last year. Top 1/3 aka a 3.4 should be legit for NYC biglaw of course there are stories of success and failure above and below that mark. Median here should get you working at a firm that pays you plenty of money if you bid smart and work at getting a job. Obviously below median its harder but its still quite doable. Work experience is a plus, being brown is a plus, being charming/attractive is a plus, etc. etc. I don't think this is anything you can't find by looking through the OCI results thread in the legal employment forum. Being Class of 2011 sucks worse than being Class of 2015, at least as things are right now. Europe could explode, there could be a nuclear winter, etc. but things are getting better as far as I can tell. If you aren't sure about law school don't come. Go get a job. You'll be more marketable when/if you come to law school. My general advice to people is to not go straight to law school but if you are dead set on it, it's hard to beat UVa.

[jawsthegreat]

I don't see how this is going to be helpful. Didn't you already commit to come here? The better your grades the better your chances are of getting lots and lots of offers and callbacks and whatnot.

plenty of people reading this thread didn't already commit to uva. the fact that there is a $2500/month paid fellowship program freaks me out. what proportion of the class of 2011 is on this fellowship and where can 0Ls find honest employment stats? job prospects will weigh heavily in my decision on where to matriculate.

I get the sense that the average GPA of TLS posters skews kinda high so asking how people with good grades did is only going to tell you so much. A lot of this has to do with what you want to do with your degree. Public interest and non-big firm work tends to hire later (some after you pass the bar). It depends on a multitude of factors but my sense is that hiring is up from last year. Top 1/3 aka a 3.4 should be legit for NYC biglaw of course there are stories of success and failure above and below that mark. Median here should get you working at a firm that pays you plenty of money if you bid smart and work at getting a job. Obviously below median its harder but its still quite doable. Work experience is a plus, being brown is a plus, being charming/attractive is a plus, etc. etc. I don't think this is anything you can't find by looking through the OCI results thread in the legal employment forum. Being Class of 2011 sucks worse than being Class of 2015, at least as things are right now. Europe could explode, there could be a nuclear winter, etc. but things are getting better as far as I can tell. If you aren't sure about law school don't come. Go get a job. You'll be more marketable when/if you come to law school. My general advice to people is to not go straight to law school but if you are dead set on it, it's hard to beat UVa.

tl;dr, come to UVA

[Puttanesca]

How important (if at all) is it to live near the school during 1L? Will I be socially out of touch so far away? Will the inconvenience of the distance to the library suck? Vacillating between a nice place about 10 minutes drive away versus Ivy.

I'm a 1L and live about 10-15 minutes away from school. I haven't found it to be a problem at all. I think as long as you try to get to know your sectionmates and maybe get involved in a few extracurricular activities, you will be fine socially. The only issue with living farther away might be getting back from drinking related events since cabs will be more expensive and you might not have anyone to split costs with.

I don't study at the library unless I am already at school (do most of my studying at home), but since you would be living only 10 minutes away, I don't think it would be that much of a hassle to get to the library. If you lived at Ivy, you would have to walk 10-15 minutes to get to the library, so either way you'll be spending about the same amount of time getting there.

[dixon02]

How important (if at all) is it to live near the school during 1L? Will I be socially out of touch so far away? Will the inconvenience of the distance to the library suck? Vacillating between a nice place about 10 minutes drive away versus Ivy.

I'm a 1L and live about 10-15 minutes away from school. I haven't found it to be a problem at all. I think as long as you try to get to know your sectionmates and maybe get involved in a few extracurricular activities, you will be fine socially. The only issue with living farther away might be getting back from drinking related events since cabs will be more expensive and you might not have anyone to split costs with.

I don't study at the library unless I am already at school (do most of my studying at home), but since you would be living only 10 minutes away, I don't think it would be that much of a hassle to get to the library. If you lived at Ivy, you would have to walk 10-15 minutes to get to the library, so either way you'll be spending about the same amount of time getting there.

Agree with this. Fellow 1L who lives ~10 minutes away. It's not hard to be social if you want to be. That said, if I were young and single (I'm 5 years out of undergrad and live with my SO), I'd probably just live at Ivy for 1L. The library stuff is pretty irrelevant. You can park anywhere after 5pm, including two lots that are really close to the library, so it's pretty easy if you prefer to come back to school to do your work at night.

[Heat]

How important (if at all) is it to live near the school during 1L? Will I be socially out of touch so far away? Will the inconvenience of the distance to the library suck? Vacillating between a nice place about 10 minutes drive away versus Ivy.

I'm a 1L and live about 10-15 minutes away from school. I haven't found it to be a problem at all. I think as long as you try to get to know your sectionmates and maybe get involved in a few extracurricular activities, you will be fine socially. The only issue with living farther away might be getting back from drinking related events since cabs will be more expensive and you might not have anyone to split costs with.

I don't study at the library unless I am already at school (do most of my studying at home), but since you would be living only 10 minutes away, I don't think it would be that much of a hassle to get to the library. If you lived at Ivy, you would have to walk 10-15 minutes to get to the library, so either way you'll be spending about the same amount of time getting there.

Agree with this. Fellow 1L who lives ~10 minutes away. It's not hard to be social if you want to be. That said, if I were young and single (I'm 5 years out of undergrad and live with my SO), I'd probably just live at Ivy for 1L. The library stuff is pretty irrelevant. You can park anywhere after 5pm, including two lots that are really close to the library, so it's pretty easy if you prefer to come back to school to do your work at night.

I agree as well. I'm 15 minutes away or so when there isn't any traffic.

[desertlaw]

How important (if at all) is it to live near the school during 1L? Will I be socially out of touch so far away? Will the inconvenience of the distance to the library suck? Vacillating between a nice place about 10 minutes drive away versus Ivy.

I'm a 1L and live about 10-15 minutes away from school. I haven't found it to be a problem at all. I think as long as you try to get to know your sectionmates and maybe get involved in a few extracurricular activities, you will be fine socially. The only issue with living farther away might be getting back from drinking related events since cabs will be more expensive and you might not have anyone to split costs with.

I don't study at the library unless I am already at school (do most of my studying at home), but since you would be living only 10 minutes away, I don't think it would be that much of a hassle to get to the library. If you lived at Ivy, you would have to walk 10-15 minutes to get to the library, so either way you'll be spending about the same amount of time getting there.

Agree with this. Fellow 1L who lives ~10 minutes away. It's not hard to be social if you want to be. That said, if I were young and single (I'm 5 years out of undergrad and live with my SO), I'd probably just live at Ivy for 1L. The library stuff is pretty irrelevant. You can park anywhere after 5pm, including two lots that are really close to the library, so it's pretty easy if you prefer to come back to school to do your work at night.

I agree as well. I'm 15 minutes away or so when there isn't any traffic.

Want to consider how important saving money on cabs is going to be, as well as how important it is that Wings Over is able to find your apartment at 1 in the morning. amirite, Doritos?

[t14fanboy]

I don't see how this is going to be helpful. Didn't you already commit to come here? The better your grades the better your chances are of getting lots and lots of offers and callbacks and whatnot.

Just to get a sense of how hard I should be gunning as a 1L to get that biglawl offer (although I understand that time spent studying may not perfectly correlate with better grades).

[jawsthegreat]

I don't see how this is going to be helpful. Didn't you already commit to come here? The better your grades the better your chances are of getting lots and lots of offers and callbacks and whatnot.

Just to get a sense of how hard I should be gunning as a 1L to get that biglawl offer (although I understand that time spent studying may not perfectly correlate with better grades).

If by not correlate perfectly, you mean absolutely no correlation that is perceivable w/o measured study, then yea, you're correct.

[jkpolk]

Anybody know what the timeline for getting into Ivy looks like? Will April/May be too late to snag a 2BR?

[005618502]

I don't see how this is going to be helpful. Didn't you already commit to come here? The better your grades the better your chances are of getting lots and lots of offers and callbacks and whatnot.

Just to get a sense of how hard I should be gunning as a 1L to get that biglawl offer (although I understand that time spent studying may not perfectly correlate with better grades).

If by not correlate perfectly, you mean absolutely no correlation that is perceivable w/o measured study, then yea, you're correct.

XEOH85 might say different :p lol