Penn Students Taking Questions Forum

[Veyron]

This is all making me a lot more nervous about throwing in my deposit tomorrow haha...I'm definitely coming, but man, can't blame a guy for feeling weird about this. It's not a huge shock (props to finding TLS to paint a real picture of the legal market), but still makes a few bells ring.

Don't want to be nervous? Retake --> Apply to Yale. Scratch that, apply to medical school.

Besides, it was better for the class of 2012 than it was for 2011. Hopefully it will be better still for our class and it damn well be better for yours.

[r6_philly]

Scratch that, apply to medical school.

I don't think anyone here can stomach the idea of more loans man.

[pereira6]

This is all making me a lot more nervous about throwing in my deposit tomorrow haha...I'm definitely coming, but man, can't blame a guy for feeling weird about this. It's not a huge shock (props to finding TLS to paint a real picture of the legal market), but still makes a few bells ring.

Don't want to be nervous? Retake --> Apply to Yale. Scratch that, apply to medical school.

Besides, it was better for the class of 2012 than it was for 2011. Hopefully it will be better still for our class and it damn well be better for yours.

Haha my no-nerves option was to take the 120k to Illinois. But it's really not my style to leave anything on the table.

[Veyron]

This is all making me a lot more nervous about throwing in my deposit tomorrow haha...I'm definitely coming, but man, can't blame a guy for feeling weird about this. It's not a huge shock (props to finding TLS to paint a real picture of the legal market), but still makes a few bells ring.

Don't want to be nervous? Retake --> Apply to Yale. Scratch that, apply to medical school.

Besides, it was better for the class of 2012 than it was for 2011. Hopefully it will be better still for our class and it damn well be better for yours.

Haha my no-nerves option was to take the 120k to Illinois. But it's really not my style to leave anything on the table.

Well compared to taking out loans to cover cost of living and then transitioning into a career in unemployment, Penn is a vacation in the Bahamas.

[pereira6]

This is all making me a lot more nervous about throwing in my deposit tomorrow haha...I'm definitely coming, but man, can't blame a guy for feeling weird about this. It's not a huge shock (props to finding TLS to paint a real picture of the legal market), but still makes a few bells ring.

Don't want to be nervous? Retake --> Apply to Yale. Scratch that, apply to medical school.

Besides, it was better for the class of 2012 than it was for 2011. Hopefully it will be better still for our class and it damn well be better for yours.

Haha my no-nerves option was to take the 120k to Illinois. But it's really not my style to leave anything on the table.

Well compared to taking out loans to cover cost of living and then transitioning into a career in unemployment, Penn is a vacation in the Bahamas.

I heard it was one of the fastest growing industries, though. Must be the high salaries.

[Georgiana]

So if you are at median, generally how many of your bids works out? I read the doc a little bit but it doesn't give stats.

What about the regional interviews? How well does it work?

If ITE has taught us anything your callbacks REALLLLLLLLY depend on the market during your OCI.

IMO regional interviews are a good idea because it gives you practice before OCI. If you get a callback from regionals, you can go into OCI knowing that your interviewing probably doesn't suck. If there are regionals in a region you want to be in you should do them. It shows commitment to the region and it saves you some bids for OCI (no need to bid on those same firms again). I did regionals and didn't get a job from it (I really had no ties to the area), but did get a callback out of it and definitely don't regret spending the money to do it.

[Veyron]

So if you are at median, generally how many of your bids works out? I read the doc a little bit but it doesn't give stats.

What about the regional interviews? How well does it work?

If ITE has taught us anything your callbacks REALLLLLLLLY depend on the market during your OCI.

IMO regional interviews are a good idea because it gives you practice before OCI. If you get a callback from regionals, you can go into OCI knowing that your interviewing probably doesn't suck. If there are regionals in a region you want to be in you should do them. It shows commitment to the region and it saves you some bids for OCI (no need to bid on those same firms again). I did regionals and didn't get a job from it (I really had no ties to the area), but did get a callback out of it and definitely don't regret spending the money to do it.

I've heard that few people get an offer thru regionals. Still going to give it a whirl tho. California, here I come!

If ITE has taught us anything your callbacks REALLLLLLLLY depend on the market during your OCI.

Yah, seriously. Every time I talk to a 2L I feel somewhat optimistic. Every time I talk to a 3L, I'm like wholy shit, gonna die!

[Georgiana]

Yah, seriously. Every time I talk to a 2L I feel somewhat optimistic. Every time I talk to a 3L, I'm like wholy shit, gonna die!

Don't let stories/rumors get you down

Step one: Do well this spring (uhhh shouldn't you be studying?)
Step two: Writing competition woooo! So much funnnnnn!!! Don't underestimate the impact of the essay after the editing portion. The reason I'm not on LR is because of that stupid f****** essay (I know my scores bc I'm awesome at finding that stuff out)
Step three: Sleep.
Step four: Fix your resume and make it super pretty (I'm happy to help with this, I've become a resume master over the past year or two)
Step five: Research law firms... lots of them... make spreadsheets and rankings galore.
Step six: Practice interviewing
Step seven: Get a job!
Step eight: Live happily ever after in biglaw...

[Veyron]

Yah, seriously. Every time I talk to a 2L I feel somewhat optimistic. Every time I talk to a 3L, I'm like wholy shit, gonna die!

Don't let stories/rumors get you down

Step one: Do well this spring (uhhh shouldn't you be studying?)
Step two: Writing competition woooo! So much funnnnnn!!! Don't underestimate the impact of the essay after the editing portion. The reason I'm not on LR is because of that stupid f****** essay (I know my scores bc I'm awesome at finding that stuff out)
Step three: Sleep.
Step four: Fix your resume and make it super pretty (I'm happy to help with this, I've become a resume master over the past year or two)
Step five: Research law firms... lots of them... make spreadsheets and rankings galore.
Step six: Practice interviewing
Step seven: Get a job!
Step eight: Live happily ever after in biglaw...

Thanks. After finals I'd love for you to take a look at my resume.

[sfxx]

any Penn students doing a joint MBA/JD?

sorry didn't read thread, if mentioned please direct me to the page #

[run26.2]

Yah, seriously. Every time I talk to a 2L I feel somewhat optimistic. Every time I talk to a 3L, I'm like wholy shit, gonna die!

3Ls did OCI when any turn-around was starting, but firms were waiting around to see if it would last.

We (2Ls) did it when things were looking pretty good and firm business was really picking up and they needed to respond a bit to overcorrections in downsizing. BigLaw bonuses this past year seem to bear this out - firms did really well.

I think firms may have anticipated continued improvement in the economy this past cycle. If the economy continues sideways for awhile, I would expect that firm hiring to slow a bit. I don't think OCI will be bad, but I would expect last years' results to be tempered a bit. in sum, I think current 1Ls will have it easier than 3Ls did but not as easy as 2Ls did.

All the things said earlier apply re: interviewing skills being able to compensate for grades where employers are not overly grade-sensitive. Bid wisely, leverage connections, go to regional programs, etc, etc. And keep expectations realistic: median will still have a pretty good shot at biglaw through OCI. But it may not happen for everyone, which I say because some of this is beyond the control of the job seeker, so don't get too down on yourself if you strike out. You will have to scramble to find other avenues to find employment.

[Veyron]

Yah, seriously. Every time I talk to a 2L I feel somewhat optimistic. Every time I talk to a 3L, I'm like wholy shit, gonna die!

3Ls did OCI when any turn-around was starting, but firms were waiting around to see if it would last.

We (2Ls) did it when things were looking pretty good and firm business was really picking up and they needed to respond a bit to overcorrections in downsizing. BigLaw bonuses this past year seem to bear this out - firms did really well.

I think firms may have anticipated continued improvement in the economy this past cycle. If the economy continues sideways for awhile, I would expect that firm hiring to slow a bit. I don't think OCI will be bad, but I would expect last years' results to be tempered a bit. in sum, I think current 1Ls will have it easier than 3Ls did but not as easy as 2Ls did.

All the things said earlier apply re: interviewing skills being able to compensate for grades where employers are not overly grade-sensitive. Bid wisely, leverage connections, go to regional programs, etc, etc. And keep expectations realistic: median will still have a pretty good shot at biglaw through OCI. But it may not happen for everyone, which I say because some of this is beyond the control of the job seeker, so don't get too down on yourself if you strike out. You will have to scramble to find other avenues to find employment.

You are literally the first person I've spoken to that expects our year to be worse than yours. Why do you think that firms over corrected?

[run26.2]

Yah, seriously. Every time I talk to a 2L I feel somewhat optimistic. Every time I talk to a 3L, I'm like wholy shit, gonna die!

3Ls did OCI when any turn-around was starting, but firms were waiting around to see if it would last.

We (2Ls) did it when things were looking pretty good and firm business was really picking up and they needed to respond a bit to overcorrections in downsizing. BigLaw bonuses this past year seem to bear this out - firms did really well.

I think firms may have anticipated continued improvement in the economy this past cycle. If the economy continues sideways for awhile, I would expect that firm hiring to slow a bit. I don't think OCI will be bad, but I would expect last years' results to be tempered a bit. in sum, I think current 1Ls will have it easier than 3Ls did but not as easy as 2Ls did.

All the things said earlier apply re: interviewing skills being able to compensate for grades where employers are not overly grade-sensitive. Bid wisely, leverage connections, go to regional programs, etc, etc. And keep expectations realistic: median will still have a pretty good shot at biglaw through OCI. But it may not happen for everyone, which I say because some of this is beyond the control of the job seeker, so don't get too down on yourself if you strike out. You will have to scramble to find other avenues to find employment.

You are literally the first person I've spoken to that expects our year to be worse than yours. Why do you think that firms over corrected?

I meant that firms overcorrected in letting too many people go or in scaling back their hiring previously. Firms seem to hire based on anticipated need. I think that the economy was gaining steam prior to the time when we went through OCI and it has lost some of that momentum. I could be wrong about all of this, just my own speculation.

I'm not saying the difference will be great, but I think for Penn and all law schools that continued economic stagnation will mean firms will back off a bit from their hiring when the economy seemed to be gaining steam.

[Veyron]

Yah, seriously. Every time I talk to a 2L I feel somewhat optimistic. Every time I talk to a 3L, I'm like wholy shit, gonna die!

3Ls did OCI when any turn-around was starting, but firms were waiting around to see if it would last.

We (2Ls) did it when things were looking pretty good and firm business was really picking up and they needed to respond a bit to overcorrections in downsizing. BigLaw bonuses this past year seem to bear this out - firms did really well.

I think firms may have anticipated continued improvement in the economy this past cycle. If the economy continues sideways for awhile, I would expect that firm hiring to slow a bit. I don't think OCI will be bad, but I would expect last years' results to be tempered a bit. in sum, I think current 1Ls will have it easier than 3Ls did but not as easy as 2Ls did.

All the things said earlier apply re: interviewing skills being able to compensate for grades where employers are not overly grade-sensitive. Bid wisely, leverage connections, go to regional programs, etc, etc. And keep expectations realistic: median will still have a pretty good shot at biglaw through OCI. But it may not happen for everyone, which I say because some of this is beyond the control of the job seeker, so don't get too down on yourself if you strike out. You will have to scramble to find other avenues to find employment.

You are literally the first person I've spoken to that expects our year to be worse than yours. Why do you think that firms over corrected?

I meant that firms overcorrected in letting too many people go or in scaling back their hiring previously. Firms seem to hire based on anticipated need. I think that the economy was gaining steam prior to the time when we went through OCI and it has lost some of that momentum. I could be wrong about all of this, just my own speculation.

I'm not saying the difference will be great, but I think for Penn and all law schools that continued economic stagnation will mean firms will back off a bit from their hiring when the economy seemed to be gaining steam.

Curses. I guess I'll find out soon enough. At any rate, I'm looking forward to getting out of the classroom and actually working on my primary objective of getting a job.

[gbpackerbacker]

Does anybody have anything to say about the best cell phone provider coverage in the area around UPenn and City Center. I am considering Virgin Mobile. I have Sprint now, but I'd like to find a plan where I could pay less $.

[Georgiana]

Does anybody have anything to say about the best cell phone provider coverage in the area around UPenn and City Center. I am considering Virgin Mobile. I have Sprint now, but I'd like to find a plan where I could pay less $.

I have (and have always had) Verizon... works well but obv not the cheapest option.

Boyfriend has T-Mobile and it works *almost* as well

I've known someone with Sprint... he seemed fine

BFF has ATT bc of iPhone love and it works well

I dont know much about the lesser known providers, but they probably work fine as long as you're in the city, depends on whether you travel to the boonies to visit parents (like I do...)

[khodorko]

Tag

[LSN2014]

Do you think it's safe to live in the Graduate Hospital area? ---Anyone walk there from campus at night and feel ok about it?

[r6_philly]

Do you think it's safe to live in the Graduate Hospital area? ---Anyone walk there from campus at night and feel ok about it?

If you don't live past Christian you are probably fine. I see they station a cop there at the end of the South Street bridge (on the east side) all the time. People bike/jog/walk past there.

I saw a few apartments for rent on 22nd between Pine and Walnut this week. There is usually a good amount of openings between 22nd and the river, between south and Walnut. Don't know much about prices, but it's a really nice area.

[r6_philly]

Does anybody have anything to say about the best cell phone provider coverage in the area around UPenn and City Center. I am considering Virgin Mobile. I have Sprint now, but I'd like to find a plan where I could pay less $.

I've had ATT for the last 15 years, no complaints. A lot of people in the city use Cricket. Don't know about the quality but I think it's pretty cheap.

[TLSNYC]

Couple of quick questions as I look forward to the fall:

1. Are macs compatible with exam software that Penn uses? And I imagine most, if not all, exams are taken on laptops?
2. Are exams generally taken in a big room where everyone brings their laptops or can you take your exam at home? I'm wondering for something of a weird reason -- I have a laptop that isn't 100% dependable and don't want to invest in a new one for a few months, as I generally do most of my work on my desktop at home. I would bring both to law school, but if exams would have to be taken on a laptop, then I'd probably have to reconsider waiting on the laptop.

[Veyron]

Couple of quick questions as I look forward to the fall:

1. Are macs compatible with exam software that Penn uses? And I imagine most, if not all, exams are taken on laptops?

This year, for the first time, yes. Still, the legal world runs on PCs (IBM platforms), save yourself some trouble when you start working and swtich now.

2. Are exams generally taken in a big room where everyone brings their laptops or can you take your exam at home? I'm wondering for something of a weird reason -- I have a laptop that isn't 100% dependable and don't want to invest in a new one for a few months, as I generally do most of my work on my desktop at home. I would bring both to law school, but if exams would have to be taken on a laptop, then I'd probably have to reconsider waiting on the laptop.

Some are in-class, some are takehome. Get the new laptop NOW, I cannot empasise this strongly enough. It is so much easier to start loading the software you need from day 1. Also, Lexis Nexis takes MAD processing power. Besides, do you really want to move your files in the middle of the semester.

I'd keep the old laptop as a backup.

[tipler4213]

How dumb would it be to work part time 1L year?

I have a great job with a company based in NY and DC. They want me to work part time, mainly doing mobile work during law school. I am intrigued b/c it is with very high ranking former government members, and I want to do government after law school. The money would be nice. The continued connections would be great. But I don't want to screw my grades over.

[r6_philly]

How dumb would it be to work part time 1L year?

I have a great job with a company based in NY and DC. They want me to work part time, mainly doing mobile work during law school. I am intrigued b/c it is with very high ranking former government members, and I want to do government after law school. The money would be nice. The continued connections would be great. But I don't want to screw my grades over.

School won't let you.

[tipler4213]

Couple of quick questions as I look forward to the fall:

1. Are macs compatible with exam software that Penn uses? And I imagine most, if not all, exams are taken on laptops?

This year, for the first time, yes. Still, the legal world runs on PCs (IBM platforms), save yourself some trouble when you start working and swtich now.

2. Are exams generally taken in a big room where everyone brings their laptops or can you take your exam at home? I'm wondering for something of a weird reason -- I have a laptop that isn't 100% dependable and don't want to invest in a new one for a few months, as I generally do most of my work on my desktop at home. I would bring both to law school, but if exams would have to be taken on a laptop, then I'd probably have to reconsider waiting on the laptop.

Some are in-class, some are takehome. Get the new laptop NOW, I cannot empasise this strongly enough. It is so much easier to start loading the software you need from day 1. Also, Lexis Nexis takes MAD processing power. Besides, do you really want to move your files in the middle of the semester.

I'd keep the old laptop as a backup.

Wait--having a Mac is seriously a really bad idea?