University of Texas 1L Taking Questions Forum

[bmontminy]

It's official, the ED app to UT is in. Wish me luck

[iSpool]

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[goldschlager]

If it helps at all, as a Texas resident, every UT graduate I've met (ages 30-45) are all rolling in the dough and very taken care of. They do all reside in Dallas, however. All of them love the education they got at UT law and had no complaints. Further, I have a question for anyone at UT. Will a 162/3.77 dual finance/econ major even have a chance or should I save my $?

you definitely have a shot, but if you retake and make 165+, you're highly likely to be in and get some $$

[Esc]

If it helps at all, as a Texas resident, every UT graduate I've met (ages 30-45) are all rolling in the dough and very taken care of. They do all reside in Dallas, however. All of them love the education they got at UT law and had no complaints. Further, I have a question for anyone at UT. Will a 162/3.77 dual finance/econ major even have a chance or should I save my $?

you definitely have a shot, but if you retake and make 165+, you're highly likely to be in and get some $$

That's not very accurate. The median LSAT for the class of 2012 is 167. A 162/3.77 won't cut it unless you are URM or have some sort of amazing soft. You are unlikely to get in with less than a 166, and you aren't safely in except with a 167 or above.

[The Zeppelin]

It's official, the ED app to UT is in. Wish me luck

Hopefully you applied yesterday.

[kurama20]

According to this http://taxprof.typepad.com/taxprof_blog ... least.html , UT students study 3.32 hours/day, one of the lowest amongst law school students. Is this generally the case? If so, that's pretty sweet.

I don't think any of those numbers are accurate. Based on hearsay UT's first semester may be a bit lighter than that of other schools, but it is going to vary completely by individual. I study a lot. Other people barely study at all, especially in the beginning of the semester.

I think a better question is this: Is your level of studying atypical at UT or do a lot of people study that intensely?

[yournamehere]

Its really hard to gauge how much people study. i'm almost always at the library, but i tend to be really inefficient about studying. some people study at home by themselves. i think one thing that really makes a difference is that nobody that I talk to spends a lot of time telling everyone else how much they have been studying. By and large, everyone is pretty laid back and I haven't heard of too many people blowing off bar review to study just yet.

[Esc]

Its really hard to gauge how much people study. i'm almost always at the library, but i tend to be really inefficient about studying. some people study at home by themselves. i think one thing that really makes a difference is that nobody that I talk to spends a lot of time telling everyone else how much they have been studying. By and large, everyone is pretty laid back and I haven't heard of too many people blowing off bar review to study just yet.

good point. some people study all the time and others party all the time, but neither group rubs the respective fact in the other's face

[OperaAttorney]

If it helps at all, as a Texas resident, every UT graduate I've met (ages 30-45) are all rolling in the dough and very taken care of. They do all reside in Dallas, however. All of them love the education they got at UT law and had no complaints. Further, I have a question for anyone at UT. Will a 162/3.77 dual finance/econ major even have a chance or should I save my $?

you definitely have a shot, but if you retake and make 165+, you're highly likely to be in and get some $$

That's not very accurate. The median LSAT for the class of 2012 is 167. A 162/3.77 won't cut it unless you are URM or have some sort of amazing soft. You are unlikely to get in with less than a 166, and you aren't safely in except with a 167 or above.

My advice: Spend your money on an application. But make sure you craft a brilliant, compelling PS. You need to distinguish yourself. That's easier said than done.

[Kretzy]

Accepted to Texas last week, and really like the school, though my numbers put me in at higher ranked ones as well. I'm interested in clerkships and eventually academia. Is Texas' push to prepare students for these fields more than just talk?

I was impressed with the 20 COA clerkships this year, but wonder how extensive and long-lasting this push could be.

It'd be really nice to go to a law school where I can say y'all and listen to bluegrass without being judged.

[bmontminy]

It's official, the ED app to UT is in. Wish me luck

Hopefully you applied yesterday.

Yes, it was on Sunday the 1st, just didn't get around to posting till the next day.

[Esc]

Accepted to Texas last week, and really like the school, though my numbers put me in at higher ranked ones as well. I'm interested in clerkships and eventually academia. Is Texas' push to prepare students for these fields more than just talk?

I was impressed with the 20 COA clerkships this year, but wonder how extensive and long-lasting this push could be.

It'd be really nice to go to a law school where I can say y'all and listen to bluegrass without being judged.

The administration and CSO is constantly encouraging everything clerkship-related, and to that end are endlessly encouraging students to take extra writing classes and clinics, so I'd say that they are walking the walk. Apparently they only started pushing hard to get students into clerkships about 5 years ago, when they averaged about 5 CoA clerkships a year. Now the average is 15-20.

[catharsis]

I got into UT (my dream school) and one of my questions was about living. If you wouldnt mind sharing where you live, how much you pay, and whether you like it or not, it would be tremendously helpful once I start looking at housing options.

And thanks for the help guys! This is a tremendously helpful thread

[yournamehere]

re: clerkships

I have no idea if other schools do this or not but there is a big-ass board right in the building's main atrium that lists everyone who is clerking next year. there are 53 names on the list right now but there's space for 80. i really think since UT is pushing for T14, they will continue to push for more and more people to clerk, and to get better quality clerkships as well. another important thing to note is that Texas, as one of the biggest states, has a lot of trial courts and i believe four federal districts. UT is highly regarded in Texas, so the name means a lot.

re: housing

I pay a lot more than most people at about 900ish a month (includes everything except electric). However, I pay so much because (1) I live alone, (2) I'm really, really close to school (a 6 minute walk from door to door, in flipflops), and (3) my place is pretty spacious for a 1 BR and newly renovated. I'm really happy with it. However, if cost is an issue, you could definitely find places about a mile away for much, much cheaper. Also one thing to consider is that cost of living in Texas, even in a city, is far cheaper than the northeast.

[j2d3]

Thanks for posting all this. I'm very interested in Texas now. Much more than I was. I was in Austin for SXSW in 08 and I loved it. Loved the crazy libertarian radio stations, 6th street, the alamo theaters... the whole general atmosphere.

UT & Michigan seem to be the only schools regularly producing scholarly research in areas I'm really excited about (AI and law). Stanford and Berkeley have a great focus on technology but it's more about IP law, which I'm interested in, but not in the typical sense (also I have less chance of getting in there and if I did get in I'd probably have to pay full price). I don't want to prosecute patents for some tech company or be an IP lawyer... I'm interested in *policy* that has to do with technology and the changes that are soon to come, the legal/philosophical dilemmas that we face with trans/posthumanism. They're very into this stuff in Europe but not so much in the US yet... except there are some people who seem as crazy as me writing PhD theses about these things at Michigan and UT. There is a journal called AI and the Law but it's like $600/year to subscribe to. I'm going to see if I can read it at UCLA library.

Anyway - I like that UT is focused on academia and clerkships, I like TX in general, and I like the collegiate atmosphere (rather than cutthroat) you describe.

[Ragnar]

Can one of you 1L's comment on the large class size. I know the societies break it up. How big are the societies? How likely is it that you get to know many people outside of your section? Can you sell me on Texas' big class size as compared to something smaller (like sub 200)? If you want to make an impact it seems like it would be easier in a smaller class. Maybe I'm off base. Fill me in.

[yournamehere]

Big section is ~100, and is broken into 4 small sections of ~25 for one of your three doctrinal courses (e.g., torts, property, contracts, etc). Societies are 2 small sections together, so there are 8 societies total. I am definitely friends with everyone in my small section, and am at least pretty friendly with most of the people in my society's other small section. In terms of people in my big section, I at least know their names. Outside of the society, I know a few people but that is more from clubs and activities and bar review. I know there will be much more mixing between sections in the future once we start to take electives, etc. I think thats pretty much par for the course when you consider we've been in school for only about 2 months.

I really think it just depends on the type of person you are. The small sections are small enough, and you have enough opportunities for interaction (between class 3x a week, society activities, small section activities) that you can make friends with minimal effort (unless you are a jaded antisocial introvert). Shared misery is probably the easiest way to make friends.

I'm not really sure I can sell you on why it's better to have a big class than a smaller class size because I really have no experience with the latter.

Regarding making an impact, top 10% is still a percentage everywhere you go. At UT, it just means there's 40 people instead of 20 people in the top 10%. UT Law has a ton of different clinics, clubs, and journals that are already in place, whereas you might have to start something up or not have that much involvement at a smaller school. I don't know if that gives you more impact or less impact.

Hope this was helpful. and now I am closing TLS and focusing on property.

[kurama20]

Is the competition to get on law review pretty fierce at UT (ie is there a high percentage of the class that competes in the writing competition)?

[countbizaller]

Is the competition to get on law review pretty fierce at UT (ie is there a high percentage of the class that competes in the writing competition)?

Last year, most of the auditorium was full for the write-on info session. Who knows what it will look like this year.

But I would still recommend that everyone interested should give it a shot. On top of the people that don't want to do journal work, there'll always be another chunk of people too tired after exams and getting ready for summer jobs that will decide not to do it too. So even though a lot of people will be competing, it's not like you're up against the entire class.

[ainzabo7]

If it helps at all, as a Texas resident, every UT graduate I've met (ages 30-45) are all rolling in the dough and very taken care of. They do all reside in Dallas, however. All of them love the education they got at UT law and had no complaints.

Great info guys! I'm applying to T8-14, UT, and Vandy. I live in L.A. but I am comfortable with staying in TX after law school. At the end of the day, none of those schools can beat UT when it comes to return on investment (ROI). COL in TX is low, which reduces debt burden, and you can live like a king in TX. As a practicing Financial Advisor, this is huge and students don't account for it enough, especially in such challenging times.

Also, UT dominates the region. Not so for comparable ranked schools like UCLA & USC (both have to compete w/ Stanford & Berkeley).

[Snooker]

If it helps at all, as a Texas resident, every UT graduate I've met (ages 30-45) are all rolling in the dough and very taken care of. They do all reside in Dallas, however. All of them love the education they got at UT law and had no complaints. Further, I have a question for anyone at UT. Will a 162/3.77 dual finance/econ major even have a chance or should I save my $?

You have a shot, but it's not a very strong one. I would prefer if the school would put less emphasis on LSAT scores and more on past achievements and rigor of education. It's much more impressive to see a 3.77/162 who went through a challenging economics and philosophy curriculum from a good school, published portions of his thesis, then worked as a financial analyst for two years, than a 3.2/172 with no real achievements to speak of. If an investment bank would give you serious consideration, then a law school should, as well.

[Snooker]

According to this http://taxprof.typepad.com/taxprof_blog ... least.html , UT students study 3.32 hours/day, one of the lowest amongst law school students. Is this generally the case? If so, that's pretty sweet.

I don't think any of those numbers are accurate. Based on hearsay UT's first semester may be a bit lighter than that of other schools, but it is going to vary completely by individual. I study a lot. Other people barely study at all, especially in the beginning of the semester.

I think a better question is this: Is your level of studying atypical at UT or do a lot of people study that intensely?

It could also be that UT students are anti-competitive, so tend to underestimate their time studied and view themselves as (overly) well-rounded types. A student at Boston or Columbia probably would include higher estimates because the atmosphere is more competitive, and it's more socially acceptable to point out long hours worked.

[Snooker]

Its really hard to gauge how much people study. i'm almost always at the library, but i tend to be really inefficient about studying. some people study at home by themselves. i think one thing that really makes a difference is that nobody that I talk to spends a lot of time telling everyone else how much they have been studying. By and large, everyone is pretty laid back and I haven't heard of too many people blowing off bar review to study just yet.

good point. some people study all the time and others party all the time, but neither group rubs the respective fact in the other's face

I think there's good "academic" reasons to go to bar review, developing your place in the social network of Texas lawyers is relevant.

[Snooker]

Can one of you 1L's comment on the large class size. I know the societies break it up. How big are the societies? How likely is it that you get to know many people outside of your section? Can you sell me on Texas' big class size as compared to something smaller (like sub 200)? If you want to make an impact it seems like it would be easier in a smaller class. Maybe I'm off base. Fill me in.

As above, big section about 95 people, small section around 20, and a writing seminar of 20. I believe when you average it all together, we actually have a lower average class size than Harvard. The small section is very good, you get some real hands-on training there. I personally hope they introduce more small classes and start emphasizing legal training more than other professor obligations.

As for the size of the whole class, I don't think it makes a huge difference. I showed up to a party and there's tons of people there, but I still know where my friends are... It's like living in a small town (Ithaca, NY) compared to a city of over a million (Austin, TX). Even if everyone in the small town knows the other people, you can still have friends in a big city, and it's a more dynamic, vibrant place for the extra population. In general, law schools are small. I wouldn't want an ultra-huge law school. We had a big, dynamic halloween party this year for the law school, with a great contest. Some guys came dressed as several different tetris blocks; others as American gladiators. With half the number of costumes, we wouldn't have these sorts of contestants coming forward.

Bigger is better, basically. I also know lots of people outside my section; in fact about half of my friends are. I think this is a good balance, because we're not all in the same classes.

[kumba84]

Thanks for starting this thread! I'm applying to UT and am wondering if it's a good place to go for environmental law. From my research, there are a lot of classes and the clinic particularly interests me. But when it comes to career options in government/non-profits NOT in Texas (mostly interested in the coasts), how would you rate it?