Rutgers Newark Forum

[LSATfromNC]

It's been almost 3 weeks and no answer.

ROFL, a whole 3 weeks?

I made it pretty clear in my application that Rutgers was my number one choice too.

ROFLMAO, if only it were that easy.

[keg411]

Finally complete; I said they could review my application without my February LSAT score (above 75th, close to 25th, in state). They said they would review my application after the holiday. There is definitely a good chance I go if I get in.

[inSouthAmerica]

Born and Bred North Jersey. Newark does not scare me.

Glad I finally found this thread.

As to Cardozo/Brooklyn for 200k.
I'll pass.

Complete 11/19 Decision 12/03 via email.
Congrats to all Accepted.

[inSouthAmerica]

well i killed the thread. fantastic.

[Burger in a can]

well i killed the thread. fantastic.

Don't worry- this thread is always slow. And I think Rutgers must be on winter break still, because nobody has been posting any news. It will probably start back up again once people start hearing back after the new year. You didn't kill the thread. It's just hibernating.

[champ33]

This school is starting to look better and better to me, from a combination of 8k per year and the apparent ability to achieve NJ residency for 1L, along with not seeing anyone bashing it too hard on this site. I applied to schools all over the place (162 - 3.48) but lack of any real connection to anywhere outside NY will probably lead me to pick between Rutgers-Newark and St. John's, depending on how much scholarship money I get there. I applied to Brooklyn and Cardozo as well, but seems they probably won't offer any $$, and the balance between finance and quality at St. John's and Rutgers-Newark will probably lead me to choose one of the two. Anyone else thinking along those lines or care to disillusion me?

[inSouthAmerica]

champ, thats a nice scholarship. same one as me.
also, champ, if you're an ny guy/gal youll love new jersey. i plan to live in the garden part of our state. nyc will be 20 min away from your last class of the day... hard to beat.

burger, weve been talkin' on lsn i'm mrpcv.

[baboon309]

Anyone planning to visit Rutgers on 1/15? I got the email from admission office about 2 weeks ago, but I haven't read it until now.

[Bigbub75]

I'll be there. I visited a few times already, but I figure it can't hurt.

[dakatz]

I only live a half hour from Newark so I will most likely be there as well.

[champ33]

I'll probably be there as well... I'm about an hour away driving.

[inSouthAmerica]

lol. i might send my parents to ask noob questions.

[jerzgrl630]

Sadly I have to work and will be unable to attend. Does anyone know if they have ASWs on weekends? I'm sure they will but I was hoping someone had some insider intel to share!

[JOThompson]

I'm withdrawing, so I hope another TLS person can take my spot.

[Aloha4]

I've been complete since 12/2. How long does it typically take for Newark to get back to you?

[inSouthAmerica]

i had a complete to decision turn around of about 15 days. but they come in batches.

[LayingDownDaLaw]

My application just went from complete to under review today.

Can anyone comment on what is a typical wait time for Rutgers to make a decision? Thanks!

[mhd08]

I went complete yesterday. Someone said something about getting a decision in 15 days after going complete... is that typical, or does it vary? Also, does anyone know if they tend to give more $$ to in state vs. OOS?

[keg411]

In!!!! Got the e-mail all of 5 seconds ago. In-state, see LSN link in profile for numbers.

[inSouthAmerica]

ive heard rumors they give more money to in-state. im in-state and they gave me money.

[Rutgers1L_10]

Hey Rutgers c/o 2013

Congrats on all of your acceptances.
I'm here to answer your questions, instead of reading for class.
Don't disappoint me.

To start off, here are some FAQ's about Rutgers Law

1. Yes you get instate fall semester 1L if you sign a lease in the dorms or in New Jersey prior to the first day of school!!! You read that correctly. You sign a lease, you turn it in, they make you a resident--automatic scholarship. It's that easy.
2.As far as living arrangements a lot of people live in the dorms (I am not one of them). But people live all over. From the surrounding Newark, Ironbound, Harris, Kearny, The Oranges, Livingston, Jersey City, Hoboken, NYC (manhattan, brookly, bronx). The commutes are endless!!! The dorms are pretty craptastic. I've visited both law-school dorms. I only call them that because I know law students that live there but there are other grad students, and undergrads in the building. They're small, they suck. Enough about that.
3. There are two tracks at Rutgers Late and Early. You get to make a selection. 90% of the time you get your choice. Early starts class at 8:30 Late starts at 10. Early gets out at 3:45 Late gets out at 5pm (EXCEPTION: The professors have control over the schedule. This fall the late track had a class twice a week that let out at 5 and the rest of the week they got out at 3:30) Also the late track didn't have class on Friday, and the Early track did, but that's not standard. It's specific to your professor and his/her desire to cancel class on Friday's. This semester all 1L's have 2 classes on friday from 10-11 and 1-2
4. Newark is a rough city, but hike up your skirts and stop acting like you've never visited an urban area. The school is NOT in the worst part of Newark, it's actually in a pretty decent part. It's very close to downtown. About a 10 min walk to Newark Penn Station. Not the safest walk to make late at night, but that's what the Rutgers shuttle is for--use it!! Otherwise lots of people live in Newark and are just fine. You have to really try to venture off to the bad parts of the city. If you're going to go to school in an urban town get your street wits about you. Pay attention to your surroundings, don't walk around like a target or a victim. Otherwise the area around the school is just fine.
5. The professors for the most part are fantastic. The school does a great job of giving both the early and late tracks at least 1 professor that SUCKS BALLS. The rest are fine. There's also at least 1 professor that is "Santa Claus" when it comes to class, and even exams
6. The curve is a 2.9-3.1 curve. Sounds harsh, but that's life. It is what it is.
7. My biggest complaint about the school is spotty internet on the top floors in the corner classrooms. The router is weak and 50% of the class will surf along while the other 50% can't get a wireless signal. Annoying to no end. But technically you should be paying attention not surfing the web.
8. The administration is decent. Some deans are incredibly approachable, and some are mean and evil and scary (avoid her at all costs)
9. The first semester is really tough. Most law schools give their 1L's 2-3 substantive law classes and then an ungraded pass/fail type class that involves collaborative efforts in writing or negotiating. The Rutgers 1L curriculum is difficult. Contracts, Torts, Criminal Law, and Property and a graded Legal Research and writing (3 graded assignments 3, 5, 7 pages) all in the first semester (YOU CAN DO IT)
10. Reading for each class can take anywhere from 45min (if you're really understanding the subject matter) to 2 hours (for more difficult topics). It is not only possible to stay up to speed, but to stay ahead.

If you need to know more PM me or something.

[Gunz353]

Thanks for the info! You summed up alot of answers to questions that I have been wondering about. I really hope I get in! I have been complete since 12/16 and I'm getting anxious.

[Rutgers1L_10]

Ight, Deal. I only hope for your sake that we have that opportunity. You drink Sierra Nevada by any chance?

Has anyone actually visited Rutgers-Newark yet. If so, how is the actual law school building? How's the library and other facilities? I know the area immediately around the campus is not bad and they have a nice little campus for what it is and the area its in, but I am unfamiliar with the school itself and that one thread with the pictures sucks and was not very telling as the school was closed.

The law school building is really nice
Aesthetically it's got a really cool design. It's a gigantic spiraling staircase from the bottom floor all the way up to the 4th floor. There are actually 5 floors but the 5th contains the offices for the school of criminal justice and you have to take the elevator. Honestly, you will probably never step foot on the 5th floor.
From the top of the stair case you look down into the atrium and there's a large silver and white compass rose with gold letters that say rutgers School of law. it's a really impressive picture, and I think on google images and even YouTube you could probably find a picture.
The law library is pretty nice. My biggest complaints about the libarary have to do with the access. There are certain places in the library that get overrun with undergrads, because the library is not closes off to undergrads. Although non-law school students cannot reserve study rooms they do manage to take over tables and sometimes will use up computers in the lab. But the computer lab being too crowded is rarely even an issue. The law computer lab has free printing so that's why it can be popular.

As a law student if you run out of space you can just tell the undergraduates to leave. Usually, they will. If you ever have a problem just go to the front desk and the law librarian will have them leave, which is why they won't give you much crap about booting them. There are law school only parts blocked off in the library and larger parts of the library where only law school students will go. The ugrads typically like to sit right at the top of the stairs and socialize. To be honest, where they like to sit is probably one of the worst places to try and study because it's really a social spot. But it does get the best internet reception.

The classrooms in the school are fine. Nothing special. There's lot of outlets so you should have no problem plugging in a laptop. The only classrooms short on power are the really small classes on the top floors where you may have 1 of your classes
There's lockers in the atrium. Every students gets one. It's a locker. It'll hold every book you have, plus some supplements, and other stuff. It's big enough to hold most people backpacks in case you want to take a break from lugging your stuff around, which is nice and comes in handy.
There's a cafe in the law school. The lady that works there is uber-angry. The food is over priced. But if you're short on time they have 3-4 gourmet soups brought in everyday, and a bunch of microwave foods and a ton of drinks. There's coffee but it's not that good. The coffee choices just across the street from the law school are worlds better.
hope this helps

[Rutgers1L_10]

Quick question.. how is the commute to R-N from jersey city as opposed to hoboken? I'd much rather live closer to the city..and the rent in hoboken is pretty steep. Newark isn't exactly to appealing to me though..and I really want to get rid of my car, the less expenses the better.

JC should take about 20 min on the path train to Newark ... the issue with taking the path though seems to be that while Seton Hall is located a super-short walk from Newark-Penn Station, Rutgers-N is a bit of a hike (again, I haven't been to RU's campus yet so can anyone confirm this?) ... I don't have a car either so that's def a bit of a concern for me, too. But JC is great and can be significantly cheaper than Hoboken, depending on the neighborhood you choose.

There's 4 Path trains in Jersey City
Exchange Place (The furthest from Newark, and right on the hudson) is about a 25 min ride to Newark Penn Station
Pavonia Newport (A couple of blocks from Exchange Place) about a 22 min ride
Grove street (A few more blocks from Pavonia) about a 20 min ride
Journal square the last Jersey City stop about 15 min

From Newark Penn station you can make the very easy walk right down Raymond Blvd and be at the law school in 10 min. The walk is not dangerous. You walk right past Seton, past PG&E past a bunch of banks and some great spots to grab a breakfast sandwhich and coffee.
OR
You can hop on the light rail or bus (65¢) and ride the few blocks from Penn Station to about a block and a half from the school. this is a better option if you don't like walking, have lots of books you don't want to carry, or it's bad weather.
At night you can take the shuttle from right behind the law school directly to Penn Station. The shuttle runs every 15 min.

From Hoboken you can either take the Path to Journal square (see above)
OR
You can take NJ transit which is a little more expensive than the Path, but you can get a discounted monthly pass which also allows you to buy a discounted pass for the light rail so it works out to be about the same cost as taking the Path

[geekrocker37]

In via email on Friday as well!