NYU 1L Taking Questions Forum

[novaman3]

I'll do my best any questions about NYU. I know how much this forum helped me through the application process and would like to do my part to give back to the community.

[Veyron]

Sweet, what do I need to rank in the class to feel comfortable about getting biglaw in a 2ndary market to which I have ties?

[AliceB]

I'm not from NYC and I didn't got to HPY. My numbers are not a shoe in material at NYU. But I really am interested in attending the school. How can I make this clear after I've submitted my application? Would a visit help? I don't want to write a LOCI as I haven't heard anything from NYU, yea or nea. Any advice?

[Veyron]

^ I'm not OP but I've never heard of anyone being YP'd at NYU. I don't think your dedication to the school will be an issue.

[novaman3]

Sweet, what do I need to rank in the class to feel comfortable about getting biglaw in a 2ndary market to which I have ties?

There aren't any hard numbers, but the Class of 2011 was hit hard and the consensus seems to be 2012 will be at least slightly better as uncertainty regarding the economy has been reduced and work has picked up in some sectors. I can't really say anything about secondary markets, though I have heard that some like Atlanta and Charlotte have been doing horribly. As for what class rank you need to feel comfortable, I am not sure since I'm just a 1L who hasn't gone through EIW yet and we don't like talking about grades. Sorry I couldn't be more helpful.

I'm not from NYC and I didn't got to HPY. My numbers are not a shoe in material at NYU. But I really am interested in attending the school. How can I make this clear after I've submitted my application? Would a visit help? I don't want to write a LOCI as I haven't heard anything from NYU, yea or nea. Any advice?

Call me jaded, but I think the application process runs largely by the numbers. Don't worry about not going to a fancy ivy league school for undergrad. I went to a state school (there is nothing wrong with state schools, btw) and so did many of my classmates.

I think that visiting the school would marginally help you, but I'm not sure if visiting the school would help you significantly. That being said, you can get quite a bit of access to the school if you decide to show up on a weekday. I visited the law school during college (but I didn't indicate it on my application) and I was able to sit in on a Crim Law class without any scheduling. If you are in the North East, I would take a trip to the city to visit, but if you are farther away and won't be in the area for any other reason, it might not be worth it. That being said, Greenwich Village may be enough of a reason to visit NYC alone

I think the best thing for you to do is to lay out specific reasons why you want to come to NYU in your LOCI.

[neimanmarxist]

How accessible are the professors?

What is the environment like? Are people really competitive, or does everyone get along?

Are there beautiful places to study?

How many people get on journals, & what's the process? (write on, grade on? combination?)

[neimanmarxist]

p.s. thanks!

[buddyblack]

What has your impression of your classmates been in terms of camaraderie and competition? How varied is your class in terms of their opinions, backgrounds, legal/social interests, ages, professionalism, etc.? Why did you choose NYU and would you still make the same decision?

Thanks!

[novaman3]

How accessible are the professors?

What is the environment like? Are people really competitive, or does everyone get along?

Are there beautiful places to study?

How many people get on journals, & what's the process? (write on, grade on? combination?)

The professors are fairly accessible. They all have regular office hours and there is a program where you can sign up to go to lunch with your professors along with a group of students. Some are more responsive than others, but I never felt like I was unable to reach one of my professors if I wanted to.

Contrary to all the horror stories you might have heard, the students at NYU are relatively relaxed. Make no mistake, everyone here works hard since there is so much work to do for classes, extracurriculars, and jobs, but people aren't trying to climb over each other at all costs. Since we're a bunch of dirty hippies (jk), the attitude is to be nice and help your classmates since these are the folks you will be working in your industry after you graduate and some may become very influential people. There's no need to be burning bridges to get a slight leg up.

The law library is nice, though I don't personally study there. What is truly beautiful is the undergraduate library - Bobst. It goes up a dozen floors or so and one side of the building faces Washington Square and there are tables where you can study and enjoy the view. During the fall, I read in Washington Square Park, but it is distracting with all the folk singers doing their thing.

Regarding journals, there is a writing competition that lasts for 2 weeks after finals at the end of 1L year (I have yet to do this). You will receive a packet with a bunch of material and you are to write a memo about a topic related to the material. There is also a bluebooking exercise. You get on law review by either having kick ass grades, writing really well, or both. There are also some spots reserved for diversity. As for the other journals, there is a ranking process. With some journals, all that you need to get on them is to not screw up the writing competition and rank them high on your list. I have heard that if you want to get into A journal, with no preference for which one, you will be able to.

[novaman3]

What has your impression of your classmates been in terms of camaraderie and competition? How varied is your class in terms of their opinions, backgrounds, legal/social interests, ages, professionalism, etc.? Why did you choose NYU and would you still make the same decision?

Thanks!

I haven't really seen much blatant competition (or even subtle competition). Gunners are frowned upon here.

As you would expect, most of the student body here is far to the left. The conservatives/libertarians are definitely in the minority, and though they do speak up in class, I think it would be nicer if there was a larger mix of political viewpoints. Classes are just more interesting that way. Students come from pretty diverse geographic locations and backgrounds. Most students are either coming straight from undergrad or 1-2 years out. There are a good number of students who are in their late 20s and there is one guy in my section who is in his late 30s. A fair amount of students here seem to have no interest in working in biglaw whatsoever. This may be just 1L naivete or discouragement due to the economy, but a lot of them seem really committed and actually have backgrounds in public interest doing things like working for the ACLU.

I chose NYU because I wanted to live in New York and because of the employment prospects. After being here for half a year, I wouldn't change my choice, though I would add to the list of reasons why. The faculty here is absolutely outstanding. We have people who are at the top of the field like Arthur Miller and Richard Epstein. The clinics here are fabulous, the people here are wonderful, there are plenty of student groups that you can participate in to get experience from the start (Unemployment Action Center, domestic violence abuse, debtor's rights, etc.), and if you are in biglaw, firms host events in the area where they essentially shower you with free food and booze at places well above a student's price range in the hopes that you bid on them during EIW.

[neimanmarxist]

thank you so much for your answers. you're making it so much more "concrete" for me

[CG614]

Question about OCI for 1L summer. I was told to start applying to firms early in my first semester by someone at another school. Would this translate for an NYU student? How hard has it been for other 1Ls to secure summer associate positions? Any advice or information on this process would be appreciated. Thanks!

[nixxers]

Where do you live? Where do most of the people you know live? And where are you living next year?

Did you turn down any other schools/fatty scholarships? Why?

What are you doing this summer?

Is it easy to have a social life and meet people even though the university is really spread out and doesn't have a real campus?

What's your favorite class?


Thank you for taking questions!!!

[novaman3]

Question about OCI for 1L summer. I was told to start applying to firms early in my first semester by someone at another school. Would this translate for an NYU student? How hard has it been for other 1Ls to secure summer associate positions? Any advice or information on this process would be appreciated. Thanks!

Yes, you should apply as early as possible (late in your Fall semester) if you are looking for a summer associateship for 1L summer. This seems strange because at that point you don't have any of your grades, but there are some diversity internships available with early deadlines in November/December. I don't personally know anyone who has a biglaw job for the summer, but I know people who have gotten offers from smaller firms. Getting a 1L firm job is incredibly difficult. Even in the good times, only 10% or so of 1Ls had firm jobs and now, that number is probably far lower now. There were a few firm job postings for 1Ls during Spring OCI, but I did not apply to them. Common knowledge here is to take a public interest job for your 1L summer since you will (hopefully) be working for a firm 2L summer and this will be your only chance to do something like this outside of a clinic or externship.

Where do you live? Where do most of the people you know live? And where are you living next year?

Did you turn down any other schools/fatty scholarships? Why?

What are you doing this summer?

Is it easy to have a social life and meet people even though the university is really spread out and doesn't have a real campus?

What's your favorite class?


Thank you for taking questions!!!

I live in D'Ag and I would guess about 60% of students live in either Mercer or D'Ag. Next year, I will either be living in Mercer or some place of campus. The school is giving you a free month of rent if you stay at a school apartment next year, so I'll be getting a discount though it will still be more expensive than if I moved to Williamsburg.

I turned down a few other T14 schools with scholarships to come here for the reasons I talked about in an above post.

Right now, I have two public interest offers for this summer and will likely take one working for the government. If you'd like more information about this, PM me.

NYU's undergrad campus is really spread out, but not the law school. Vanderbilt Hall, where all your 1L classes will be, is right across the street from D'Ag where most of the 1Ls live. Furman Hall, where the clinics and many upper level classes are held, is only one block away. There are a ton of events hosted by various student groups like SBA parties every Thursday (with free drink tickets) and the ALSAs usually have parties. When you get to your spring semester, you will find that after you become disillusioned with the quantity of law firm cocktail receptions, they turn into parties since they have open bars. So, with all these things going on, it's not too hard to meet people and socialize.

During last semester, I felt that I didn't really venture out beyond my little section of the Village much since everything that I need is right there. There are probably over 2 dozen bars and even more restaurants within 5 minutes of the law school. However, this semester, I have been exploring the city a lot more and there are tons of things to do.

My favorite class so far has got to be Civil Procedure, but solely because Arthur Miller taught it. Civ Pro itself is a fairly boring subject, so it is quite a testament to Miller's capacity as a professor that I would say that this was my favorite class. In case you didn't know, Arthur Miller was the basis for one of the scary professors in the book 1L (I didn't read it). The first couple weeks of class, he did everything in his power to scare the crap out of us, but eased up some after that. Miller essentially wrote the amendments to many of the federal rules and knows so much about the material, but what made the class great was that he actually had a sense of humor and he told us anecdotes about cases that he argued and the dynamics of the legal profession.

[bwana73]

Thanks so much for answering questions. This is really helpful. I am thinking about living in Brooklyn next year. Do you suggest any areas? What train should I live close to?

[novaman3]

Thanks so much for answering questions. This is really helpful. I am thinking about living in Brooklyn next year. Do you suggest any areas? What train should I live close to?

I know someone who lives in Williamsburg and have been there a few times. It's a great area and if you can get 4 other people, you can rent out a loft for about $800/mo. I would recommend living near the L or F train, but that's just because that's all I'm familiar with. The A, C, D, and E trains go to Brooklyn and stop by West 4th St in Manhattan, which is one block away from NYU Law, but I haven't traveled to downtown Brooklyn much and from what I have seen, it isn't as nice as Williamsburg. You can get apartments for even cheaper in Bushwick or Bed-Stuy, but those neighborhoods can get rough.

[twistedwrister]

Hi all. I don't want to hijack the thread in any way, but I'm a 2L at NYU and would be happy to answer any 2L-related questions you might have.

[jpfrawg]

I'm also a 1L here that lives in D'ag, and had Miller. I'll check back from time to time to try to answer questions. I don't know much about the admissions process here - I came in ED. I won't answer every question - the best questions are those that are targeted and non-procedural. FYI, I am pretty public-interest minded, so I won't be able to give much feedback on the firm-related aspects of this school.

Just throwing out some leads:
D'ag is great
The consensus seems to be that the CivPro professors here are great
I really like having Admin this semester
My elective - international law - has already come in handy. Don't discount the value of flexibility.