UC Irvine Law c/o 2019 Applicants (2015-2016) Forum

[socaljd]

Anyone attend UCI's ASW? Care to share your thoughts?

[kingwhereofis]

Anyone attend UCI's ASW? Care to share your thoughts?

Extremely positive. My impression and the sense I got from other admitted students was that everyone pretty much said all the right things. The current students there are very happy and have built an authentic and supportive culture, and there's a genuine confidence that UCI will continue to go up in rankings for at least the next few years.

Also the food was amazing from start to finish.

[ktbee]

Anyone attend UCI's ASW? Care to share your thoughts?

Loved it. They definitely did not hold back in highlighting the virtues of the school, so we heard quite a bit from Chemerinsky, from enthusiastically happy students, and from Deans/Directors of their clinical/pro bono programs. We were also able to interact with professors, admissions, financial aid, alum, and OC big law attorneys. All were very informative and friendly.

[crystallize]

Anyone attend UCI's ASW? Care to share your thoughts?

I was extremely impressed with everything we were presented with! It was a ton of fun meeting everyone and getting a chance to speak to current students and alumni about their experiences. They alleviated my concerns about UCI being relatively new and having a small alumni network because of the strong collaborative environment and enthusiasm from faculty that are willing to help in any way they can.

[calmtigers]

Anyone attend UCI's ASW? Care to share your thoughts?

As the cynic and philosopher at heart, I'll give a different view point of what was happening, possibly a little less newly bias from the UCI buttering.

While the UCI ASW was phenomenal in the sense of catering to those who attended, conveying a sense of community from students and professors alike. There was a decent amount of glazing over of real concerns and hyping of "potential" of the school.

We were presented with some of the "cream of the crop" students of the class as well as the alumni. This does not necessarily accurately portray student happiness on campus or success of the school as a whole. Of course these students would be getting great jobs and other opportunities simply based off their performance, something that they would have equal opportunity at other schools.

Also we were often made promises of "being a top 20 school" or "continually having great opportunities", with absolutely little in form of true data or information that would lead us to believe these bold claims. Another large concern of mine was how contingent was this to the Dean's own reputation? Someone accidentally slipped up and revealed that the Dean would be leaving in 2018 but continue teaching. What effect would this have on the growing school? As we know the Dean is taking great effort to pull strings personally as well as encourage other faculty to follow suit.

There was also generic data in terms of jobs. We were told the 85% 10 month J.D. advantage job statistic but with very little break down. Furthermore when pushed for numbers they would often not have them on hand.

I apologize for seeming blunt but if an individual is expected to spend 150K+ on a degree from UCI, it'll take more than a mashed potato boat and a lot of smiling students / sales people to do so.

This all said, UCI, from my research, seems to be competitive in the So Cal market for jobs and actually a fairly nice school to be at, I will likely be attending.

Just hope to give a little criticism from what I expect to be raving reviews of the ASW (they actually were amazingly hospitable)

[kingwhereofis]

Anyone attend UCI's ASW? Care to share your thoughts?

As the cynic and philosopher at heart, I'll give a different view point of what was happening, possibly a little less newly bias from the UCI buttering.

While the UCI ASW was phenomenal in the sense of catering to those who attended, conveying a sense of community from students and professors alike. There was a decent amount of glazing over of real concerns and hyping of "potential" of the school.

We were presented with some of the "cream of the crop" students of the class as well as the alumni. This does not necessarily accurately portray student happiness on campus or success of the school as a whole. Of course these students would be getting great jobs and other opportunities simply based off their performance, something that they would have equal opportunity at other schools.

Also we were often made promises of "being a top 20 school" or "continually having great opportunities", with absolutely little in form of true data or information that would lead us to believe these bold claims. Another large concern of mine was how contingent was this to the Dean's own reputation? Someone accidentally slipped up and revealed that the Dean would be leaving in 2018 but continue teaching. What effect would this have on the growing school? As we know the Dean is taking great effort to pull strings personally as well as encourage other faculty to follow suit.

There was also generic data in terms of jobs. We were told the 85% 10 month J.D. advantage job statistic but with very little break down. Furthermore when pushed for numbers they would often not have them on hand.

I apologize for seeming blunt but if an individual is expected to spend 150K+ on a degree from UCI, it'll take more than a mashed potato boat and a lot of smiling students / sales people to do so.

This all said, UCI, from my research, seems to be competitive in the So Cal market for jobs and actually a fairly nice school to be at, I will likely be attending.

Just hope to give a little criticism from what I expect to be raving reviews of the ASW (they actually were amazingly hospitable)

All really good points, especially the one regarding their panels showing us the "cream of the crop" students which I think is important to keep in view at any ASW. It would be interesting to find out where those students were in terms of their class performance. Were we shown exclusively top 10% outcomes? Or were median/below-median students part of the panel as well? We probably won't ever know, but it obviously wasn't a completely random sample.

I think overall, ASW's aren't very useful in getting an accurate sense of employment outcomes, but I didn't get the same sense that UCI wasn't forthcoming about their data. For example, when someone asked why their clerkship numbers were so high they made it very clear that it was Chemerinsky and other faculty pulling favors for their students (combined with a great deal of institutional/moral support). I actually expected them to say something like 'Judges are just *that* interested in our school!'

My biggest concern from the weekend was definitely the news about the Dean. It'll be interesting to see whether and how they address that--but ultimately, I think they'll be best served looking for students who are interested in a UCI, with its wonderful community and opportunities, with or without Chemerinsky as the Dean. Whether I am one of those students yet, I'm not sure, but seriously seriously considering it.

[yunjh2725]

Anyone attend UCI's ASW? Care to share your thoughts?

As the cynic and philosopher at heart, I'll give a different view point of what was happening, possibly a little less newly bias from the UCI buttering.

While the UCI ASW was phenomenal in the sense of catering to those who attended, conveying a sense of community from students and professors alike. There was a decent amount of glazing over of real concerns and hyping of "potential" of the school.

We were presented with some of the "cream of the crop" students of the class as well as the alumni. This does not necessarily accurately portray student happiness on campus or success of the school as a whole. Of course these students would be getting great jobs and other opportunities simply based off their performance, something that they would have equal opportunity at other schools.

Also we were often made promises of "being a top 20 school" or "continually having great opportunities", with absolutely little in form of true data or information that would lead us to believe these bold claims. Another large concern of mine was how contingent was this to the Dean's own reputation? Someone accidentally slipped up and revealed that the Dean would be leaving in 2018 but continue teaching. What effect would this have on the growing school? As we know the Dean is taking great effort to pull strings personally as well as encourage other faculty to follow suit.

There was also generic data in terms of jobs. We were told the 85% 10 month J.D. advantage job statistic but with very little break down. Furthermore when pushed for numbers they would often not have them on hand.

I apologize for seeming blunt but if an individual is expected to spend 150K+ on a degree from UCI, it'll take more than a mashed potato boat and a lot of smiling students / sales people to do so.

This all said, UCI, from my research, seems to be competitive in the So Cal market for jobs and actually a fairly nice school to be at, I will likely be attending.

Just hope to give a little criticism from what I expect to be raving reviews of the ASW (they actually were amazingly hospitable)

All really good points, especially the one regarding their panels showing us the "cream of the crop" students which I think is important to keep in view at any ASW. It would be interesting to find out where those students were in terms of their class performance. Were we shown exclusively top 10% outcomes? Or were median/below-median students part of the panel as well? We probably won't ever know, but most likely the former.

I think overall, ASW's aren't very useful in getting an accurate sense of employment outcomes, but I didn't get the same sense that UCI wasn't forthcoming about their data. For example, when someone asked why their clerkship numbers were so high they made it very clear that it was Chemerinsky and other faculty pulling favors for their students (combined with a great deal of institutional/moral support). I actually expected them to say something like 'Judges are just *that* interested in our school!'

My biggest concern from the weekend was definitely the news about the Dean. It'll be interesting to see whether and how they address that--but ultimately, I think they'll be best served looking for students who are interested in a UCI, with its wonderful community and opportunities, with or without Chemerinsky as the Dean. Whether I am one of those students yet, I'm not sure, but seriously seriously considering it.

What was the news about the Dean? Thanks.

[zot1]

Generally, once an employer has had a UCI grad, they come back for more. This includes judges.

Do professors write rec letters for students applying to clerkships? They sure do. I believe that's standard for applications.

Are there unemployed students? Sure. That's why the employment statistic isn't 100%. Are the students you saw only from top 10%? No, probably not.

[kingwhereofis]

What was the news about the Dean? Thanks.

The news (although it isn't really 'news' I guess if the tour guide just outright told us) was that his term as Dean is ending in 2018, and iirc he is not seeking another term but will still teach at the school.

[LShopeful2016]

What was the news about the Dean? Thanks.

The news (although it isn't really 'news' I guess if the tour guide just outright told us) was that his term as Dean is ending in 2018, and iirc he is not seeking another term but will still teach at the school.

Any news on who will be replacing him?

[kingwhereofis]

What was the news about the Dean? Thanks.

The news (although it isn't really 'news' I guess if the tour guide just outright told us) was that his term as Dean is ending in 2018, and iirc he is not seeking another term but will still teach at the school.

Any news on who will be replacing him?

Nope, but I'm really curious myself! I think that's probably the most important question?

Especially for our class since we'd be the first ones graduating under new leadership.

[crystallize]

What was the news about the Dean? Thanks.

The news (although it isn't really 'news' I guess if the tour guide just outright told us) was that his term as Dean is ending in 2018, and iirc he is not seeking another term but will still teach at the school.

Any news on who will be replacing him?

Nope, but I'm really curious myself! I think that's probably the most important question?

Especially for our class since we'd be the first ones graduating under new leadership.

My tour guide said a Dean's term is 5 years and that he signed on for a second term so that means his term ends in 2019. Don't have hard evidence but like it's been said ITT, he will still teach and be actively involved in administration.

[FOBsoFLY]

Was there mention of the class size for 2019 and any possible movement for waitlist candidates? I'm originally from Irvine and want to go into public interest so I am REALLY hoping I get pulled off the waitlist. Thanks!

[calmtigers]

What was the news about the Dean? Thanks.

The news (although it isn't really 'news' I guess if the tour guide just outright told us) was that his term as Dean is ending in 2018, and iirc he is not seeking another term but will still teach at the school.

Any news on who will be replacing him?

Nope, but I'm really curious myself! I think that's probably the most important question?

Especially for our class since we'd be the first ones graduating under new leadership.

My tour guide said a Dean's term is 5 years and that he signed on for a second term so that means his term ends in 2019. Don't have hard evidence but like it's been said ITT, he will still teach and be actively involved in administration.

Glad to see I wasnt the only one who drank the Kool Aid blind, my worry is what hit will occur once the dean does leave his position? Even if he is teaching I'm not sure he will have the same amount of involvement and direction for the school as a whole.

[calmtigers]

Was there mention of the class size for 2019 and any possible movement for waitlist candidates? I'm originally from Irvine and want to go into public interest so I am REALLY hoping I get pulled off the waitlist. Thanks!

I believe it will be 148~ but my memory isnt the best

[kingwhereofis]

What was the news about the Dean? Thanks.

The news (although it isn't really 'news' I guess if the tour guide just outright told us) was that his term as Dean is ending in 2018, and iirc he is not seeking another term but will still teach at the school.

Any news on who will be replacing him?

Nope, but I'm really curious myself! I think that's probably the most important question?

Especially for our class since we'd be the first ones graduating under new leadership.

My tour guide said a Dean's term is 5 years and that he signed on for a second term so that means his term ends in 2019. Don't have hard evidence but like it's been said ITT, he will still teach and be actively involved in administration.

If that's true, that's really reassuring. Does that mean his official term started when the law school opened to students in 2009? I thought it would be earlier, like in 2008, since he had to participate in getting the school off the ground. Definitely would be nice to get clarification on this!

And yea I can't imagine him not sticking around/playing a huge role in the school even when he's no longer Dean.

[socaljd]

Can anyone estimate the number of students that attended the event? Were most of them undecided or set on Irvine?

[crystallize]

Can anyone estimate the number of students that attended the event? Were most of them undecided or set on Irvine?

I don't have an estimate but for what it's worth, more people attended than I expected. A lot of the admits I spoke to were undecided (and we discussed our options) but after the first day most of the people I was hanging out with were leaning towards UCI. One girl committed while we ate lunch on Saturday!

[kingwhereofis]

Can anyone estimate the number of students that attended the event? Were most of them undecided or set on Irvine?

Really bad at estimating crowds, but a decent #. It was slightly less than another school's ASW that I attended, but that school accepts a much larger class than UCI. Most were not 100% decided, but the event definitely seemed to convince a lot of people from what I could tell.

[ktbee]

What was the news about the Dean? Thanks.

The news (although it isn't really 'news' I guess if the tour guide just outright told us) was that his term as Dean is ending in 2018, and iirc he is not seeking another term but will still teach at the school.

Any news on who will be replacing him?

Nope, but I'm really curious myself! I think that's probably the most important question?

Especially for our class since we'd be the first ones graduating under new leadership.

My tour guide said a Dean's term is 5 years and that he signed on for a second term so that means his term ends in 2019. Don't have hard evidence but like it's been said ITT, he will still teach and be actively involved in administration.

Glad to see I wasnt the only one who drank the Kool Aid blind, my worry is what hit will occur once the dean does leave his position? Even if he is teaching I'm not sure he will have the same amount of involvement and direction for the school as a whole.

My tour guide said he was candid about leaving the deans position Dec. 2018 for a year long sabbatical and then returning to teach.
My impression was that our class would still reap the benefits of his network. Future classes? Hard to say.

[Kayak1277]

Current 1L. It was great to see so many prospective students this weekend!

Here is the low down on the Dean (I have talked to him personally about this). His current 5 year term (his second) ends June 2018. He may stay on another year or two if he and the Chancellor thinks it will be beneficial to finish the new building. After, he will take a sabbatical (not sure for a semester or year) and then come back to teach at UCI. I haven't heard anything official about possible replacements.

One thing to keep in mind is that he has personally shaped the faculty which will outlast his time here. They all bought in to his vision and I think his legacy will live on long after he is gone.

If anyone has any questions, please let me know!

[lawschool0070]

So essentially the man who built UCI and used his own personal connections to get grads jobs is leaving before we're expected to graduate. Not too sure how I feel about this, UCI may be lowering itself in the coming future in rankings and in employment success.

[Kayak1277]

So essentially the man who built UCI and used his own personal connections to get grads jobs is leaving before we're expected to graduate. Not too sure how I feel about this, UCI may be lowering itself in the coming future in rankings and in employment success.

First, the vast majority of students don't use the dean for personal connections. We have a robust CDO office and the traditional methods to get jobs too. Second, he isn't leaving (he will still be teaching) so he will still be able to use personal connections to the extent he does now.

I wouldn't worry too much about the Dean leaving (again, he isn't leaving). The school is set up to succeed long after he is done being dean.

[calmtigers]

So essentially the man who built UCI and used his own personal connections to get grads jobs is leaving before we're expected to graduate. Not too sure how I feel about this, UCI may be lowering itself in the coming future in rankings and in employment success.

^^^

[lawschool0070]

So essentially the man who built UCI and used his own personal connections to get grads jobs is leaving before we're expected to graduate. Not too sure how I feel about this, UCI may be lowering itself in the coming future in rankings and in employment success.

First, the vast majority of students don't use the dean for personal connections. We have a robust CDO office and the traditional methods to get jobs too. Second, he isn't leaving (he will still be teaching) so he will still be able to use personal connections to the extent he does now.

I wouldn't worry too much about the Dean leaving (again, he isn't leaving). The school is set up to succeed long after he is done being dean.

I understand what you're trying to say but this man is literally the cornerstone of UCI Law and the fact that he is leaving before we're expected to graduate makes me question my potential success at UCI. And I also understand that he is actually stepping down to teaching, but the impact of a teacher and the impact of a dean or completely different. This is a major blow.