Cornell 1L taking questions Forum

[galahad85]

People in this thread - http://www.top-law-schools.com/forums/v ... 1&t=109316 - seem to think that the atmosphere at Cornell is especially competitive. Do you think there's any truth to that?

[awesomepossum]

People in this thread - http://www.top-law-schools.com/forums/v ... 1&t=109316 - seem to think that the atmosphere at Cornell is especially competitive. Do you think there's any truth to that?

I can't speak to whether or not it's especially competitive since I don't go to Cornell (but then again probably neither can anyone who's only been to one law school) but I think folks are talking about this:

http://taxprof.typepad.com/taxprof_blog ... rev-2.html

I guess either people study more at Cornell than anywhere else OR it's just the people who filled out the survey said they study more than the people who filled out the survey at other schools.

[galahad85]

People in this thread - http://www.top-law-schools.com/forums/v ... 1&t=109316 - seem to think that the atmosphere at Cornell is especially competitive. Do you think there's any truth to that?

I can't speak to whether or not it's especially competitive since I don't go to Cornell (but then again probably neither can anyone who's only been to one law school) but I think folks are talking about this:

http://taxprof.typepad.com/taxprof_blog ... rev-2.html

I guess either people study more at Cornell than anywhere else OR it's just the people who filled out the survey said they study more than the people who filled out the survey at other schools.

Hmm, that's strange - Cornell is the only high-ranked school anywhere near the top of that list. I wonder why.

[como]

People in this thread - http://www.top-law-schools.com/forums/v ... 1&t=109316 - seem to think that the atmosphere at Cornell is especially competitive. Do you think there's any truth to that?

Hmmm... It's hard for me to speak on Cornell's relative competitive atmosphere, after all, I've only attended this law school. I will, with full candor, say that there is a fairly substantial number of people who really plug away at work and are pretty serious about law school. I mean, almost everyone is significantly more mentally and motivationally invested than most undergrads, but there are people that just don't 'seem' (I say seem, because I don't know them well enough) to be able to have much fun (at least as I define it). I'm pretty sure that students of this sort are at every major law school, so it might just be the nature of the game.

With that said, I made a really tight group of friends with like interests (mostly drinking) and there are tons of fun people here. Almost everyone I've met here is pretty nice too. Some people just could use to relax a little bit. If you want to meet up on ASD and bounce some questions around, I'm down. PM me or something.

[AngryAvocado]

People in this thread - http://www.top-law-schools.com/forums/v ... 1&t=109316 - seem to think that the atmosphere at Cornell is especially competitive. Do you think there's any truth to that?

I can't speak to whether or not it's especially competitive since I don't go to Cornell (but then again probably neither can anyone who's only been to one law school) but I think folks are talking about this:

http://taxprof.typepad.com/taxprof_blog ... rev-2.html

I guess either people study more at Cornell than anywhere else OR it's just the people who filled out the survey said they study more than the people who filled out the survey at other schools.

Hmm, that's strange - Cornell is the only high-ranked school anywhere near the top of that list. I wonder why.

I'm a little suspicious about the methodology of the survey. Maybe I just missed it, but nowhere did I see a response rate or a explanation of how they solicited responses. For all we know, they could have gotten 2 responses from Cornell from uber gunners. Or they could have gotten a few people in the sample who responded something ridiculous (like "18 hours") and skewed the average. Or they could have walked into the library in Ithaca at midnight and asked the kids drinking Red Bulls in the corner. I honestly wouldn't read too much into it.

That said, I wouldn't be shocked if Cornell is a pretty competitive place. Most people there seem to be eying NYC biglaw (along with the rest of the T14, it seems). But, unlike several other lower T14 and even T20 schools, they lack a strong regional market where they are the big dog. That, plus the fact that I wouldn't be shocked if many people felt sort of lucky to have slid into the T14 and now they need to bust their ass to make the most of the opportunity. All of this is just conjecture, of course, but it's plausible and might explain why Cornell students study a bit more than elsewhere. I just don't think it's as large of a discrepancy as that survey suggests.

[panda]

i second what como said.

i would only add that people here are probably more competitive nowadays with the state of the economy, etc.. people who would normally chill out, are not because they are scared they won't get jobs, esp. seeing the hard time the 2Ls have had. the 2Ls look see how competitive our year is and are pretty surprised..

[fsohn]

i second what como said.

i would only add that people here are probably more competitive nowadays with the state of the economy, etc.. people who would normally chill out, are not because they are scared they won't get jobs, esp. seeing the hard time the 2Ls have had. the 2Ls look see how competitive our year is and are pretty surprised..

Saying Cornell 2Ls had a hard time is like saying Satan is sorta mean. Royally, utterly f'ed doesn't even begin to describe the horrible bait-and-switch I and oodles of my classmates are dealing with.

That said, all y'all 1Ls are gunners. EDIT: I nonetheless hope you all get jobs. No need to have two lost years of Cornell Law graduates.

[sheltron5000]

I have only one thing to say to this: curved grading + type A personalities = competition every time. Cornell is not unique in this.

[panda]

i second what como said.

i would only add that people here are probably more competitive nowadays with the state of the economy, etc.. people who would normally chill out, are not because they are scared they won't get jobs, esp. seeing the hard time the 2Ls have had. the 2Ls look see how competitive our year is and are pretty surprised..

Saying Cornell 2Ls had a hard time is like saying Satan is sorta mean. Royally, utterly f'ed doesn't even begin to describe the horrible bait-and-switch I and oodles of my classmates are dealing with.

That said, all y'all 1Ls are gunners. EDIT: I nonetheless hope you all get jobs. No need to have two lost years of Cornell Law graduates.

ouch. sorry sohn. that sucks. and are we really that much worse than you guys were?

oh, and i hope we get jobs too.

how are you feeling shel? still under the weather?

[grandslam]

I've spent the last two days reading this thread from page one, and it's been super helpful. I'm pretty sure now that Cornell is the one.

I know that financial aid typically doesn't come out until mid-March, but would it be weird if I emailed the financial aid before they made decisions and told them that I am committed to attending Cornell if i can reasonably afford to? I've just gotten super excited about going and it would kill me if I ended up not being able to afford it. (Especially because I am ineligible for federal loans as a non-US citizen.) Would that be too desperate?

[panda]

I've spent the last two days reading this thread from page one, and it's been super helpful. I'm pretty sure now that Cornell is the one.

I know that financial aid typically doesn't come out until mid-March, but would it be weird if I emailed the financial aid before they made decisions and told them that I am committed to attending Cornell if i can reasonably afford to? I've just gotten super excited about going and it would kill me if I ended up not being able to afford it. (Especially because I am ineligible for federal loans as a non-US citizen.) Would that be too desperate?

if you're already accepted, there is no reason for it to be desperate. in my opinion, i would send the email, and say, pretty much what you wrote here. you are dead set on cornell, but want to be able to afford it. can't hurt. the worst they can do is, well, not give you money. but that's the worst case with or without the email.

[Westmalle]

I've spent the last two days reading this thread from page one, and it's been super helpful. I'm pretty sure now that Cornell is the one.

I know that financial aid typically doesn't come out until mid-March, but would it be weird if I emailed the financial aid before they made decisions and told them that I am committed to attending Cornell if i can reasonably afford to? I've just gotten super excited about going and it would kill me if I ended up not being able to afford it. (Especially because I am ineligible for federal loans as a non-US citizen.) Would that be too desperate?

This is what I would do. Once you submit all your FinAid forms, call the FinAid office to confirm that they received everything. Then mention that you are excited to hear back regarding your FinAid package because Cornell is your #1 choice and that you would certainly accept if you got a reasonable package.

Emails are impersonal and easy to ignore. Also, soon after you talk to FinAid, you want them to be able to look at your file and to determine your award.

[grandslam]

I've spent the last two days reading this thread from page one, and it's been super helpful. I'm pretty sure now that Cornell is the one.

I know that financial aid typically doesn't come out until mid-March, but would it be weird if I emailed the financial aid before they made decisions and told them that I am committed to attending Cornell if i can reasonably afford to? I've just gotten super excited about going and it would kill me if I ended up not being able to afford it. (Especially because I am ineligible for federal loans as a non-US citizen.) Would that be too desperate?

if you're already accepted, there is no reason for it to be desperate. in my opinion, i would send the email, and say, pretty much what you wrote here. you are dead set on cornell, but want to be able to afford it. can't hurt. the worst they can do is, well, not give you money. but that's the worst case with or without the email.

Thanks! I'll be giving them them a call tomorrow.

[LeahNic]

i second what como said.

i would only add that people here are probably more competitive nowadays with the state of the economy, etc.. people who would normally chill out, are not because they are scared they won't get jobs, esp. seeing the hard time the 2Ls have had. the 2Ls look see how competitive our year is and are pretty surprised..

Saying Cornell 2Ls had a hard time is like saying Satan is sorta mean. Royally, utterly f'ed doesn't even begin to describe the horrible bait-and-switch I and oodles of my classmates are dealing with.

That said, all y'all 1Ls are gunners. EDIT: I nonetheless hope you all get jobs. No need to have two lost years of Cornell Law graduates.

Not saying I disagree totally with fsohn but don't forget he IS the resident TLS curmudgeon .

I do think the 1L class seems far more competitive, but I guess that makes sense considering the economy.

[cornell1L]

bait and switch implies fraud...who is the fraudulent party here?

[neskerdoo]

bait and switch implies fraud...who is the fraudulent party here?

nobody. the libelous party, however...

[panda]

hi nesker. i haven't exposed you yet.

[abceasy]

Can anyone speak to how OCI was this past year? I know it's been down everywhere. Any insight into how it's gone for people trying to get summer positions?

[como]

Can anyone speak to how OCI was this past year? I know it's been down everywhere. Any insight into how it's gone for people trying to get summer positions?

I've heard it didn't go well.

[fsohn]

Can anyone speak to how OCI was this past year? I know it's been down everywhere. Any insight into how it's gone for people trying to get summer positions?

It was as aweful as you could possibly imagine. The best advice I have is to structure your bidding so that you get as many interviews as you can, with the least-selective firms as you can. Be as conservative as possible, and don't trust anyone telling you anything else.

[panda]

Can anyone speak to how OCI was this past year? I know it's been down everywhere. Any insight into how it's gone for people trying to get summer positions?

It was as aweful as you could possibly imagine. The best advice I have is to structure your bidding so that you get as many interviews as you can, with the least-selective firms as you can. Be as conservative as possible, and don't trust anyone telling you anything else.

Well, tbf, at the firm receptions i've been to until now, they said that the current 2Ls were just really unlucky for their bad timing. But now, most firms are back to hiring normally, and come fall, it should be back to normal.

[LeahNic]

Can anyone speak to how OCI was this past year? I know it's been down everywhere. Any insight into how it's gone for people trying to get summer positions?

It was as aweful as you could possibly imagine. The best advice I have is to structure your bidding so that you get as many interviews as you can, with the least-selective firms as you can. Be as conservative as possible, and don't trust anyone telling you anything else.

It didn't go as well as it would have in a good economy, but I think "awful as you could possibly imagine" is an overstatement. PM me if you want more details.

[lsat_fear]

Did you get a job?

No

Yes

translated

[neskerdoo]

haha

[BlueCivic]

Andy Bernard. How accurate is the portrayal, studentwise?