Wisconsin-Madison 1L Taking Questions Forum

[Hippononymous]

I've been here for a full four weeks, so I'm clearly an expert on everything Madison, so shoot.

[CanadianWolf]

Any thoughts about the quality of instruction ? Is legal writing & research taught by a professor, an adjunct or someone with another status ?

[Hippononymous]

Any thoughts about the quality of instruction ? Is legal writing & research taught by a professor, an adjunct or someone with another status ?

I am impressed with all of my instructors. They all have very impressive resumes, and there also seems to be emphasis placed on hiring instructors with real-world experience (instead of just grabbing Yale grads that clerked SCOTUS). I also like the "Law in Action" approach because it's got real-world application. For example, in Contracts we frequently discuss negotiated settlements for breach of contract using remedies as a framework rather than just discussing what legal remedies a non-breaching party would be entitled to (because settling is FAR more common than litigation in practice).

1L students do not take LR&W in their first semester. There seems to be division over whether or not this is a good thing. I think the argument in favor of it is that we get to focus on our first semester without having to do a huge LR&W project. We DO have to write a memo for our small group section, and that process is overseen by LR&W staff, but graded by the small group professor. Seems like they're easing us into it, which is a good thing, but I am nervous about how employers will view this for 1L summer employment, so the jury is still out for me.

[Kaves]

I am a 1L here as well so if anyone has questions feel free to ask about anything school/Madison related.

[tyro]

ETA: Question answered.

[llachans]

Some questions:

- How is the LGBT community there? Are there a good amount of gay bars/nightlife? What about on campus?

- I want to go into criminal law. Generally, how is the job outlook for this? Are 1Ls able to easily secure internships?

- What are the main job markets that WI feeds into?

Thanks!

[SplitHappy1]

Are you going to look for employment out of state? How many of your classmates want to work in Chicago, New York, or on the West Coast? Do you think there will be opportunities for them, even if they're not in the top 2%?

Do extreme splitters (2.x/167+) have a chance at Wisconsin?

[ashley12]

I am a 1L here as well so if anyone has questions feel free to ask about anything school/Madison related.

PM'd

[minnbills]

1. How awesome is Madison?
2. On the same note, are you ever bothered by the raucous undergrads?
3. Do you have a sense for how competitive the student body is?

Thanks!

[theavrock]

1. How awesome is Madison?
2. On the same note, are you ever bothered by the raucous undergrads?
3. Do you have a sense for how competitive the student body is?

Thanks!

Also a 1L here and open to answering any questions public of via PM

1. Madison is amazing. I lived in Milwaukee and visited frequently, but living and studying here is a totally different ballgame and I sometimes kick myself for not doing undergrad here. For a city its size there are more options (food, bars, entertainment) than is warranted by the population. Additionally, the university is awesome. I have lately been trying to get out of the law building more often to study and the unions/state street etc. all just have a great vibe to it. I honestly didn't think I'd love Madison as much as I do but it's great

2. Not really. If you live by campus you'll get that, but I live on the east side of the Capitol. It's about a 12 minute bus ride to campus and there is no sense of crazy undergrads here. I guess what I am saying is you can avoid it if you want to and even then its not that bad. They are fun to watch sometimes...

3. Everyone here is great for the most part. I haven't seen any outward cutthroat behavior and it would surprise me if I saw any. Like everyone says though LS is like HS and everyone has their different groups that they hang out in. That being said everyone is very inclusive and I really enjoy my classmates.

[theavrock]

Some questions:

- How is the LGBT community there? Are there a good amount of gay bars/nightlife? What about on campus?

- I want to go into criminal law. Generally, how is the job outlook for this? Are 1Ls able to easily secure internships?

- What are the main job markets that WI feeds into?

Thanks!

The last bar review we had was sponsored by Q Law (our LGBT student org) and was at a gay bar here. It seems as if there a quite a few options and Madison in generally is pretty liberal. I wish I had more specifics but overall it seems pretty well represented.

The clinical programs, which are ranked very highly, are heavily slanted towards Crim law and prison based programs. Somewhere around 40% of the 1L class do clinicals their first summer. I can't speak to job prospects, but I have a 3L friend who is looking to do crim law and did a clinical and interned with a DA's office. They don't have anything lined up but this is due to some specific circumstances that I don't feel comfortable discussing here. Moral of the story they could have a crim job if they wanted.

Most grads stay in Wisconsin (upwards of 50%) as well as Ill, Mn and other Midwest states. NY, DC and Cali are the next most well represented states.

[theavrock]

Are you going to look for employment out of state? How many of your classmates want to work in Chicago, New York, or on the West Coast? Do you think there will be opportunities for them, even if they're not in the top 2%?

Do extreme splitters (2.x/167+) have a chance at Wisconsin?

Many want to stay in WI, but quite a few have ideas of going to the areas you mention. In a school like WI I don't think its a great idea to come here and not be ok with working WI, but from what I can tell its definitely not impossible to get outside, even for those out of the top of the class.

Just like any school outside of the T-14 if you want to be somewhere specific you're going to have to do the leg work to get there.

I would assume it depends on which side of the 2.5 line you are at. I know classmates under 3.0 who are here, but any insight I have in to this is purely anecdotal.

[Hippononymous]

To further what avrock said on a few things:

We are heavily geared towards Wisconsin. A lot of this is because of diploma privelege; no need to take the bar if we stay in-state. I know several coasties who are planning on returning. I'm thinking that their connections and ties will help them with that... Career services maybe not so much.

We have very highly regarded clinical programs, many of which focus on criminal law. All of the 2Ls that I know that did clinicals said that they were a great experience, and perhaps more importantly, that they were well-received at OCI even for those not interested in Crim as a career.

I personally don't have the same love for Madison as a lot of people here do. I don't hate it, but certain things irritate me. People here can't drive for shit, and there's absolutely no reason for parking to be as much of a clusterfuck as it is. There is constantly construction which never seems to be completed, and the maze of one-way roads around the capitol is a nightmare if you're driving home from bar review with a few in you (note: DON'T DO THIS!).

Having said that, the class is very friendly. There are a few people I don't care for, but that's probably because I'm a prick. Really, the percentage of people I like here is higher than it has been at any job I've ever had.

[tooswolle]

I applied recently and am really interested in the L.E.O program. Can any of you shed some light on it? Is there a good amount of diversity? Also are there a good amount of firms doing O.C.I? Is there enough time in 1L to go tail gating and watching the football games? Any advice would be welcomed!

[tooswolle]

Bump

[tyro]

There is constantly construction which never seems to be completed, and the maze of one-way roads around the capitol is a nightmare if you're driving home from bar review with a few in you (note: DON'T DO THIS!).

I use my GPS on pedestrian mode sometimes

[Hippononymous]

Bump

No need to bump after five hours. We'll get to you.

I'm not in LEO, but I know a bunch of people who are, and it is a pretty diverse group. I'm a white dude, but I'm eligible to join anyways, just chose not to. Same goes for the various student groups; I know non-URM in the Black Law Students Association, non-Jewish in the Jewish Law Students Association, non-LGBT in QLaw, and so on. So there IS plenty of diversity, and it's not limited to a bunch of small groups hanging out only amongst themselves.

1L is what you make of it, and I think that goes for pretty much every school. If you manage your time properly, there's no reason you can't take three hours to watch a football game. Tailgating... Depends on how you do it. A lot of people choose to do their reading on the weekends, so losing a day to drinking and another half day to a hangover isn't a great option. On the flip side, Wisconsin doesn't do LR&W first semester, so there's no big memo to get in the way. You will do a smaller memo as a sort of "getting your feet wet" project in your small group, as well as a midterm, but that's about it. It really feels like they're easing us into the whole experience.

Lots of students have season tickets. They're not easy to get (sold out in 15 minutes this year), but I have seen tickets for every game available for sale on the Facebook page.

[theavrock]

[quote="tooswolle"] Also are there a good amount of firms doing O.C.I? /quote]

From what I could tell OCI picked up last year in relation to the prior year, but this was the case around the country. Most students don't get their jobs via fall OCI. I don't have the numbers in front of me, but I believe CO 2010 was 15-20%.

That being said students are getting jobs other places, but as with most schools outside the T-14 you need to network and take initiative instead of sitting back and waiting CSO to get you a job.

[crit_racer]

Bump

No need to bump after five hours. We'll get to you.

I'm not in LEO, but I know a bunch of people who are, and it is a pretty diverse group. I'm a white dude, but I'm eligible to join anyways, just chose not to. Same goes for the various student groups; I know non-URM in the Black Law Students Association, non-Jewish in the Jewish Law Students Association, non-LGBT in QLaw, and so on. So there IS plenty of diversity, and it's not limited to a bunch of small groups hanging out only amongst themselves.

A white guy joined BLSA? LOLOL

[Hippononymous]

Bump

No need to bump after five hours. We'll get to you.

I'm not in LEO, but I know a bunch of people who are, and it is a pretty diverse group. I'm a white dude, but I'm eligible to join anyways, just chose not to. Same goes for the various student groups; I know non-URM in the Black Law Students Association, non-Jewish in the Jewish Law Students Association, non-LGBT in QLaw, and so on. So there IS plenty of diversity, and it's not limited to a bunch of small groups hanging out only amongst themselves.

A white guy joined BLSA? LOLOL

lol. I didn't. But they recruited me. Face-to-face.

[crit_racer]

w/e...if there was free food involved I'd be down.

[JollyGreenGiant]

there's absolutely no reason for parking to be as much of a clusterfuck as it is.

Pretty much why I dislike Madison.

[theavrock]

there's absolutely no reason for parking to be as much of a clusterfuck as it is.

Pretty much why I dislike Madison.

But really the only place its a cluster is by campus (where it is admittedly a HUGE cluster).

That being said I haven't needed to drive anywhere in Madison besides the grocery store since I've been here. You really don't need a car and parking anywhere other than campus has never been a problem when I've decided to drive. This includes around the Capitol.

[buckythebadger]

Do any of you know how generous Madison is with in state students for scholarships? There is barely any info on LSN to get any sort of idea for us Wisconsinites. I know in state tuition is already pretty cheap, but I'm hoping they still try to throw some incentives to attend next fall.

[Gail]

Do any of you know how generous Madison is with in state students for scholarships? There is barely any info on LSN to get any sort of idea for us Wisconsinites. I know in state tuition is already pretty cheap, but I'm hoping they still try to throw some incentives to attend next fall.

Madison is tight with scholarship money and will only be getting tighter.