Penn Students Taking Questions Forum

[staples88]

deleted

[PennBull]

So, you're taking a law school class for fun? Dude, don't do that. And if you insist, take something other than Criminal Law. That shit is way more boring than you'd think.

Also, I might be crazy, but I'm pretty sure those classes are only eligible for law students/LLMs. Probably need to take an elective.

[rogers]

Good advice, Penn Bull. Thanks! Gonna chill and have a lot of a beers. But it's hard, because I (most of us) worked so damn hard and I can see myself ending up anywhere on the grade distribution.

[PennBull]

Good advice, Penn Bull. Thanks! Gonna chill and have a lot of a beers. But it's hard, because I (most of us) worked so damn hard and I can see myself ending up anywhere on the grade distribution.

Post-exams should be the best feeling because you don't have grades yet and there's literally nothing you can do to do any better. Beers need to be drank.

[Nelson]

All of this Robinson talk sounds like a drag.... how does TLS feel about Mooney, Kreimer, and Balganesh?

Balganesh is fantastic.

[dsn32]

All of this Robinson talk sounds like a drag.... how does TLS feel about Mooney, Kreimer, and Balganesh?

Balganesh is fantastic.

Is he a professor that's engaging in class? What's the workload like compared to other classes? I'm more worried about the in-class experience, I've already done all the research on grade distributions and the like....

Also, what's his exam like... the website says its a take-home.... is this a miserable experience?

[Nelson]

All of this Robinson talk sounds like a drag.... how does TLS feel about Mooney, Kreimer, and Balganesh?

Balganesh is fantastic.

Is he a professor that's engaging in class? What's the workload like compared to other classes? I'm more worried about the in-class experience, I've already done all the research on grade distributions and the like....

Also, what's his exam like... the website says its a take-home.... is this a miserable experience?

He's great in class. It's very academic, but a lot of the concepts you talk about in class are transferable to other classes, so I found it practical in the sense that it helped me be better at law school even though the class is as far from practice skills as possible. I think he's pretty engaging as law professors go and there are plenty of old outlines to work from because he teaches property every year. Workload is 1L standard in my opinion. You're only on-call for one class per semester. Last year he gave an in-class exam with word limits, not a take home. I hate take homes, so that would make me less likely to take it.

[dsn32]

All of this Robinson talk sounds like a drag.... how does TLS feel about Mooney, Kreimer, and Balganesh?

Balganesh is fantastic.

Is he a professor that's engaging in class? What's the workload like compared to other classes? I'm more worried about the in-class experience, I've already done all the research on grade distributions and the like....

Also, what's his exam like... the website says its a take-home.... is this a miserable experience?

He's great in class. It's very academic, but a lot of the concepts you talk about in class are transferable to other classes, so I found it practical in the sense that it helped me be better at law school even though the class is as far from practice skills as possible. I think he's pretty engaging as law professors go and there are plenty of old outlines to work from because he teaches property every year. Workload is 1L standard in my opinion. You're only on-call for one class per semester. Last year he gave an in-class exam with word limits, not a take home. I hate take homes, so that would make me less likely to take it.

That sounds pretty ideal in my book. As long as he sticks to the in-class exam, I'll definitely stick with Property next semester. Thanks for the input guys!

[Blackfish]

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[westphillybandr]

Hey all. Found out that I have been accepted to Penn. It's absolutely my top choice, and I was wondering if current students can list their top 5 best things and 5 worst things about Penn. Thanks in advance!

Worst:

1. Exams
2. Writing Competition
3. Exams
4. Legal Writing
5. Exams

[curiousgeorgia]

To piggyback off the housing discussion, how do you suggest going about housing? Just do it from [reliable] hearsay, or go and visit?

As someone looking for a studio under 1K, it seems like The Hub might be a great option. But I want to be sure as quickly as possible, as I see those apartments go fast.

I'm also thinking of just heading up for a day-trip and scouting it out. Is there a realty agency anyone suggests going through, or should I just schedule appointments with the apartments that have made my "list" myself?

Thanks for all the help!

You do not need to go through a realty agency, you can just come up with a list of buildings you would like to take a look at and swing by when you're in town. If you call ahead, you may be able to look at an empty unit (even sometimes without calling), but just looking at the neighborhood/lobby can be helpful.

If you are planning on coming to ASW, we will have a housing panel where current students will speak about the various neighborhoods you can live in (rent, transportation, hot buildings, etc.) that can be a great head start on the apartment-hunting process.

Most of the leases that start in August will not be listed until May or June, so waiting until ASW shouldn't hurt you in any way...but if you're excited and eager to start looking (as I was) you can PM me or any of the current students on the 2017 Facebook group (https://www.facebook.com/groups/1411015949134595/) with what you're looking for and we can help you get started

[curiousgeorgia]

Hey all. Found out that I have been accepted to Penn. It's absolutely my top choice, and I was wondering if current students can list their top 5 best things and 5 worst things about Penn. Thanks in advance!

Worst:

1. Writing competition
2. Exams
3. The seats in the library (you lose circulation after about 4 hours - which I think is secretly an intentional tactic the school employs to prevent students from studying more than 4 hours at a time...)
4. The heating/cooling (wild fluctuations in temperature, be sure to dress in layers)
5. I really can't think of a fifth thing.

Best:

1. The people (students, faculty, staff, all of 'em)
2. The culture (the collegiality schtick isn't a lie, it really is an awesome place to go to school)
3. Free food in the Goat
4. Free food at lunch events
5. Job prospects (this can be a touchy issue, as you may find on some other threads out here, but generally speaking Penn does a great job of marketing its students and helping us get great jobs)

[dsn32]

Hey all. Found out that I have been accepted to Penn. It's absolutely my top choice, and I was wondering if current students can list their top 5 best things and 5 worst things about Penn. Thanks in advance!

Worst:

1. Writing competition
2. Exams
3. The seats in the library (you lose circulation after about 4 hours - which I think is secretly an intentional tactic the school employs to prevent students from studying more than 4 hours at a time...)
4. The heating/cooling (wild fluctuations in temperature, be sure to dress in layers)
5. I really can't think of a fifth thing.

Best:

1. The people (students, faculty, staff, all of 'em)
2. The culture (the collegiality schtick isn't a lie, it really is an awesome place to go to school)
3. Free food in the Goat
4. Free food at lunch events
5. Job prospects (this can be a touchy issue, as you may find on some other threads out here, but generally speaking Penn does a great job of marketing its students and helping us get great jobs)

I second this list. The worst thing is seating in Biddle (studying elsewhere is my go-to), and the best is definitely the culture, even during exams it was not as crazy as I anticipated, and this is invaluable.

[PennBull]

I'm one of those people who really struggles to find shitty things about Penn, mainly because everyone bends over backwards to accommodate you if anything comes up and you need some help. I forgot to register for classes (3LOL) and the registrar helped me out immensely getting in my classes.

But yeah, any negatives associated with Penn have to be the completely fucking ridiculous way the school heats/cools the main lecture halls. The school as a whole is fine, but for some reason the Fitts Auditorium is an oven and the Gittis rooms are refrigerators. Weird.

I really don't like how they put a first-year professor teaching a 1L class this year, and I really feel bad for the students who had him. That's a pretty isolated situation, though.

There are too many people with rolling backpacks. But, for me, one person with a rolling backpack is too many.

Positives:

1.) Definitely, definitely the job prospects. This year's Penn OCI thread is a little more aggressive in their tales of woe (justifiable, not having a job is a stressful situation), but I don't think it's indicative of any downward trend of Penn's stellar private-sector employment. People who struck out are also blasting our CPP office, but the months between OCI and January are a really awkward time for summer employment searches. I think CPP will have many more options and opportunities for 1/2L summers come January.

In any event, I'm getting defensive for no reason; Penn remains a top school for private-sector employment, and our public interest employment has finally gotten competitive with other schools. The classes ahead of mine did not have a lot of resources and opportunities, but a.) Penn has revamped their public interest loan repayment program to be very competitive, and b.) is doing a lot better at getting jobs for the public interest-minded. I personally am NY Biglaw, so this is all anecdotal, but what was once a big worry is now very much a positive thing about Penn's employment. Therefore, Penn remains one of the very few schools I'd pay sticker-price for (granted, I would be nervous doing so).

2.) This is a chill place. We party a lot, especially 1L year, and give you a lot of reasons to do so. Also nobody brings law school outside of the law school; a corny joke might appear every once in a while, but zero people bring up shit that happened in class or the reading material or any other bullshit thing that'll make you want to jump in a wood chipper. I like to think we attract a particular kind of law student that likes that environment, and a student who doesn't like that environment doesn't choose to come here.

3.) The school is really amenable to getting credit in other ways than just taking law classes. You take almost anything in another grad program and get credit for it, or participate in moot courts or mock trials and get credit for that, too. There are tons of clinics and externships for credit, too. In any event, there's a lot of ways to do things other than listen to a fart-sniffing professor drone on for hours about the theories of space law.

4.) The school is huge. Golkin Hall is literally brand-new, and the renovations in Silverman are even more impressive in my opinion. They complete a rectangular school design, with a huge courtyard in the middle. Just a really aesthetically pleasing place to go to every day. Also, speaking of the courtyard, you can borrow a cornhole or ladder golf set from student affairs to take a break and have a beer.

5.) Free food all the time. All. The. Time. This is directly proportional to the fact we have countless student groups that you can be a part of that host different lunch events.

In general, you have to visit here to get the full effect, but we tend to be a really chill, social school. I've never gone to a different law school so I can't say what other schools are like, but I've never heard a school described as chill as frequently as Penn is. I think there's a reason for that.

[POTUS2044]

Does Penn release grades all at once or is it just whenever the profs do it?

Is there somewhere we watch? Canvas or intouch or something?

[PennBull]

Does Penn release grades all at once or is it just whenever the profs do it?

Is there somewhere we watch? Canvas or intouch or something?

It'll come via e-mail with a link to intouch

When the sender is "CITSender," prepare to shit your pants

For 1L grades, they come in relatively quick to one another (i.e. within a 24 hour period), but sometimes a professor is lazy/stupid and takes an extra week or three

[POTUS2044]

Does Penn release grades all at once or is it just whenever the profs do it?

Is there somewhere we watch? Canvas or intouch or something?

It'll come via e-mail with a link to intouch

When the sender is "CITSender," prepare to shit your pants

For 1L grades, they come in relatively quick to one another (i.e. within a 24 hour period), but sometimes a professor is lazy/stupid and takes an extra week or three

thanks bud

[PennBull]

thanks bud

Aye. You got a couple of weeks to wait. Have a beer

[Blackfish]

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[PennBull]

Thanks for the replies above. Penn sounds awesome, and I am looking forward to ASW. Maybe a bit too early, but I am just randomly browsing housing options nearby. Where do 1Ls live generally? CC or UC?

Split 50/50 with some stragglers commuting from the northern suburbs or out near Fishtown (I'm considering Grad Hospital and the like as CC).

Every year people leave UC to CC/other areas, but it starts out pretty even. I did two years of UC and now live on 12th and Spruce.

[OutCold]

I lived on Rittenhouse for the first two years. I currently live out in East Falls, right next to a stop on the Chestnut Hill West line. I'd be happy to talk about either if there is interest.

[Clearly]

The hub, left bank, or 2400 chestnut?

[chuckbass]

The hub, left bank, or 2400 chestnut?

2400 Chestnut.

[PennBull]

The hub, left bank, or 2400 chestnut?

Neither

You can find better for less but if you insist on a doorman 2400 is the better option

[Clearly]

The hub, left bank, or 2400 chestnut?

Neither

You can find better for less but if you insist on a doorman 2400 is the better option

So what's better?