Vanderbilt Law School - Class of 2020 Forum

[do_me_a_favor]

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[pizzagoblin]

Going to officially accept my full-ride today! I am THRILLED to join the VLS community. Anyone else officially accept yet?

It is a bit daunting to finally close out this long-winded application process. Can't believe today is the day that this journey ends!

[rozes]

for any current Vandy students: is living in east nashville doable for a 1L? stayed in an airbnb there for ASW and really vibed with the area, but I don't wanna feel like i'm a million miles away from everyone else who's just starting out.

As a Nashville native, I probably wouldn't want to make that commute. The traffic would be a nightmare every day trying to get through downtown and onto West End. Just my opinion though!

They could take the bikeway if they're fit enough

Curious about this actually. How bike-friendly is Nashville, particularly at night? Are there dedicated bike lanes? If so, this would open up a new world of housing possibilities for me.

East Nashville seems to only be about 30min away according to Google Maps.

[alpha kenny body]

for any current Vandy students: is living in east nashville doable for a 1L? stayed in an airbnb there for ASW and really vibed with the area, but I don't wanna feel like i'm a million miles away from everyone else who's just starting out.

As a Nashville native, I probably wouldn't want to make that commute. The traffic would be a nightmare every day trying to get through downtown and onto West End. Just my opinion though!

They could take the bikeway if they're fit enough

Curious about this actually. How bike-friendly is Nashville, particularly at night? Are there dedicated bike lanes? If so, this would open up a new world of housing possibilities for me.

East Nashville seems to only be about 30min away according to Google Maps.

Check out the Music City Bikeway. It's dope.

[rozes]

for any current Vandy students: is living in east nashville doable for a 1L? stayed in an airbnb there for ASW and really vibed with the area, but I don't wanna feel like i'm a million miles away from everyone else who's just starting out.

As a Nashville native, I probably wouldn't want to make that commute. The traffic would be a nightmare every day trying to get through downtown and onto West End. Just my opinion though!

They could take the bikeway if they're fit enough

Curious about this actually. How bike-friendly is Nashville, particularly at night? Are there dedicated bike lanes? If so, this would open up a new world of housing possibilities for me.

East Nashville seems to only be about 30min away according to Google Maps.

Check out the Music City Bikeway. It's dope.

WOW. This is awesome — thanks! Go Nashville for being bike friendly!

[Pure Applesauce]

congrats everybody!

vandy person here willing to answer qs

can talk about profs, clerking, big law, compare to t13 options

any advice for the 2L job search?
what should i be doing to prepare this summer?
is mass-mailing a good idea?
what's the most effective way to increase your chance of getting a decent big law job?

Are you a 2L now or a 1l? If you are a 1l now the best thing you can do is focus on grades. Easier said than done but getting good grades opens up so many more options.

Once you have your grades you can start mailing forms in mid to late July.

Mass mailing is not a "good idea" it is necessary if you want big law, especially if you are not the top of the class.

If you want big law you have to apply to NYC, and also try other markets in Texas, Atl, Nashville, D.C. (Although this is very difficult to get)

Most effective way? Getting good grades--> ties--> interview skills

[do_me_a_favor]

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[Pure Applesauce]

congrats everybody!

vandy person here willing to answer qs

can talk about profs, clerking, big law, compare to t13 options

any advice for the 2L job search?
what should i be doing to prepare this summer?
is mass-mailing a good idea?
what's the most effective way to increase your chance of getting a decent big law job?

Are you a 2L now or a 1l? If you are a 1l now the best thing you can do is focus on grades. Easier said than done but getting good grades opens up so many more options.

Once you have your grades you can start mailing forms in mid to late July.

Mass mailing is not a "good idea" it is necessary if you want big law, especially if you are not the top of the class.

If you want big law you have to apply to NYC, and also try other markets in Texas, Atl, Nashville, D.C. (Although this is very difficult to get)

Most effective way? Getting good grades--> ties--> interview skills

1L. so lemme ask you also, how does the top 1/3 do in terms of biglaw--assuming good mass mailing, decent interview ability etc. i personally do not have ties to a biglaw market. but i'm willing to live anywhere except probably NY, lol. would prefer something like Texas, Florida, or the west coast.

Top 1/3 usually does well but it can certainly vary, and if you want big law you really can't afford to just not apply to NYC since that's where most big law jobs are. Sure, you might get a job elsewhere but it's not worth not applying to NYC.

[arklaw13]

Going to officially accept my full-ride today! I am THRILLED to join the VLS community. Anyone else officially accept yet?

It is a bit daunting to finally close out this long-winded application process. Can't believe today is the day that this journey ends!

Congrats! Hopefully they still do the dinner for the law scholar recipients. Usually around December or early Spring. Free food and you get to meet everyone.

[atlantahoo]

for any current Vandy students: is living in east nashville doable for a 1L? stayed in an airbnb there for ASW and really vibed with the area, but I don't wanna feel like i'm a million miles away from everyone else who's just starting out.

As a Nashville native, I probably wouldn't want to make that commute. The traffic would be a nightmare every day trying to get through downtown and onto West End. Just my opinion though!

They could take the bikeway if they're fit enough

Curious about this actually. How bike-friendly is Nashville, particularly at night? Are there dedicated bike lanes? If so, this would open up a new world of housing possibilities for me.

East Nashville seems to only be about 30min away according to Google Maps.

Check out the Music City Bikeway. It's dope.

WOW. This is awesome — thanks! Go Nashville for being bike friendly!

Sweet! Yeah, I currently live in ATL, and traffic can be horrendous here (esp. after the 85 collapse!), so I bike as much as I can.

[estateplanning]

Southern California native here. Can anyone comment on how cold it gets in Nashville during the winter, temperature-wise?

[BoyJord]

Southern California native here. Can anyone comment on how cold it gets in Nashville during the winter, temperature-wise?

Couple weeks in the 30s, maybe a few days in the 20s. You might see a few inches of snow. It certainly is not SoCal but it isn't the Midwest; I would say it is pretty manageable

[do_me_a_favor]

Southern California native here. Can anyone comment on how cold it gets in Nashville during the winter, temperature-wise?

it gets cold, for a little while, for sure. it's not bad. like BoyJord replied, it gets to about the 30s, even in the 20s for a bit. I moved here last summer and it snowed basically one day since then, a solid couple inches 2-3 months ago. one or two other days it dusted nicely.

i think you're gonna be fine in terms of weather. i'm from a warm state (in fact one of the warmest) and the adjustment has been great. one of my classmates is from Cali and he's made it just fine--though sometimes he wasn't dressed warm enough, lol, so make sure you're not wearing shorts & you have a proper jacket/coat when the temperature drops.

[estateplanning]

Southern California native here. Can anyone comment on how cold it gets in Nashville during the winter, temperature-wise?

it gets cold, for a little while, for sure. it's not bad. like BoyJord replied, it gets to about the 30s, even in the 20s for a bit. I moved here last summer and it snowed basically one day since then, a solid couple inches 2-3 months ago. one or two other days it dusted nicely.

i think you're gonna be fine in terms of weather. i'm from a warm state (in fact one of the warmest) and the adjustment has been great. one of my classmates is from Cali and he's made it just fine--though sometimes he wasn't dressed warm enough, lol, so make sure you're not wearing shorts & you have a proper jacket/coat when the temperature drops.

Thank you for the responses! I appreciate the anecdotal evidence as opposed to just researching online. I'll be sure to pack.

[Sombra2017]

Really excited for everyone who is visiting tomorrow. It's a great school and Nashville is wonderful as well. Enjoy your time!!

[pizzagoblin]

Is there a Vandy Class of 2020 Facebook page? If so, can someone provide the link? Thanks!

[imtca]

Is there a Vandy Class of 2020 Facebook page? If so, can someone provide the link? Thanks!

https://www.facebook.com/groups/1627511714216963/

[Gitaroo_Dude]

How was the second ASW?

[rachel3636]

How was the second ASW?

I might be biased because I already knew I was coming to Vandy before ASW, but I enjoyed it. Friday was a very, very busy day (especially after Bar Review), but that was okay because we got a great look at the school. Prof. Cheng taught the mock class and he was really great. Every professor that I spoke with was brilliant and clearly very passionate about their field. I met some cool students, too. All in all it was a great time and if you want a more specific breakdown of the events, just pm me!

[sugarcookie]

Wasn't able to attend the ASWs & can't find an updated academic calendar on the website (I may just be missing it) does anyone know where I can find a calendar for the upcoming year?

[Pure Applesauce]

For those still considering, new employment numbers dropped:

https://law.vanderbilt.edu/2016-EmploymentSummary.pdf

56.7% Big Law + Fed Clerk rate

[do_me_a_favor]

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[cbq23]

Are the numbers only higher because the class size is smaller though? Vanderbilt's class size last year was comparatively huge!

[do_me_a_favor]

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[Thomas Hagan, ESQ.]

I thought the second ASW was fantastic. The people there seem genuinely kind, fun, and hard-working all at once - as advertised. Professor Cheng's class was really neat and I really liked Professor Ruhr (extra kudos for being a judge at the Talent Show). The school really seemed like a family and I was sold on that. Loved how everyone, from students, faculty, to administration were all on the same page and knew each other on a personal level - surprisingly, that's not too common.

I actually wasn't too sold on Nashville...since I'm from the Northeast it may be because of the massive difference between Nashville and NY/Boston/DC but I definitely might need some time to get used to it.

The only negative about the school itself was just how much everyone tried to "sell" the school to you. At times, it didn't seem genuine and people seemed to go out of their way to shape their answers to give you a pitch. The professor that I got the chance to sit with, seemed really chill and brilliant, but kind of oversold the school at the expense of other (some of them were much higher ranked) schools, which was kind of a turnoff. My thinking is, if you're really that superior, you wouldn't need to up yourself by putting another place down. I doubt Harvard faculty goes around and tells people why they shouldn't go to GULC. So maybe tone it down a notch. The overselling made me take some other things they said (even things I would normally agree with) with a grain of salt because..."this could also just be a pitch."