University of Texas c/o 2019 Applicants (2015-2016) Forum

Veritas@requitas · Post by **Veritas@requitas** » Mon Sep 14, 2015 12:32 am

Checking In!!! ED--
Good Luck everyone

rnoodles · Post by **rnoodles** » Mon Sep 14, 2015 12:34 am

metaphysicalkant wrote:Has anyone received the fee waiver for Texas residency? I'm pretty much ready to submit but want to save the $70.

If I recall correctly, you can waive the application fee by applying directly through the school's website.

PatriotP74 · Post by **PatriotP74** » Mon Sep 14, 2015 12:43 am

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PatriotP74 · Post by **PatriotP74** » Mon Sep 14, 2015 11:53 am

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blackmooncreeping · Post by **blackmooncreeping** » Mon Sep 14, 2015 12:02 pm

PatriotP74 wrote:
rnoodles22 wrote:I'm only 3 weeks in. I am not a great person to go to about the culture of the school or professors I have or what works or doesn't work because I'm, honestly, just as lost as every other 1L is/is but isn't admitting it. BUT i can help with the admissions questions, timelines, what worked for me and didn't work to get in, PS/addendum stuff, how to get $$$, etc. I'm in-state btw, so I cant really help with the OOS-specific questions, unfortunately.
I've got a question for you and any other current or former students that are willing to answer it. What is it that made you choose UT law over others you got into? And do you enjoy it so far?

I graduated in May but I'm having a slow day at work so I'll answer. I choose UT for a couple of reasons--

1) If you are an in-stater or an out-of-stater with good numbers UT provides an affordable (relatively) option, assuming some scholarship $, with a pretty good shot of landing big law. Especially big law in Houston/Dallas, if that's what you are shooting for.
2) I went to UT for undergrad and got to live in Austin for 4 years. I wanted 3 more.
3) No way in hell I was going to live somewhere where it snows.

I'm really happy I decided to stay in Austin instead of going to a t-14. I had way too much fun than a graduate student should have and managed to snag a job I really enjoy (so far). You could do a hell of a lot worse than going to UT.

rnoodles · Post by **rnoodles** » Mon Sep 14, 2015 3:56 pm

blackmooncreeping wrote:
PatriotP74 wrote:
rnoodles22 wrote:I'm only 3 weeks in. I am not a great person to go to about the culture of the school or professors I have or what works or doesn't work because I'm, honestly, just as lost as every other 1L is/is but isn't admitting it. BUT i can help with the admissions questions, timelines, what worked for me and didn't work to get in, PS/addendum stuff, how to get $$$, etc. I'm in-state btw, so I cant really help with the OOS-specific questions, unfortunately.
I've got a question for you and any other current or former students that are willing to answer it. What is it that made you choose UT law over others you got into? And do you enjoy it so far?
I graduated in May but I'm having a slow day at work so I'll answer. I choose UT for a couple of reasons--

1) If you are an in-stater or an out-of-stater with good numbers UT provides an affordable (relatively) option, assuming some scholarship $, with a pretty good shot of landing big law. Especially big law in Houston/Dallas, if that's what you are shooting for.
2) I went to UT for undergrad and got to live in Austin for 4 years. I wanted 3 more.
3) No way in hell I was going to live somewhere where it snows.

I'm really happy I decided to stay in Austin instead of going to a t-14. I had way too much fun than a graduate student should have and managed to snag a job I really enjoy (so far). You could do a hell of a lot worse than going to UT.

So Blackmoon did a solid job, and I'd echo pretty much everything he said with two exceptions: 1) I didn't go to UT for UG (though I was in Texas) and 2) I have, obviously, not graduated or worked yet. I don't even think 1Ls are allowed to go to the Career Service Office until like October 15th or something anyway? But that's a long ways for y'all, so don't worry about it!

I personally chose UT for three reasons.
1) The in-state tuition (and OOS tuition exemptions) is really hard to pass up on when you know you want to work and live in Texas. I love it, I grew up here, I know I want to live here for a good chunk of my future, if not all of it. When I weighed all that at a pretty awesome cost (only like $33K without other schollys compared to $60/$70K+ at some other schools I was looking at), it was a no brainer for me.
2) Austin is a great city. I honestly think it's pretty under appreciated how great of a city it is. I've visited before, and now that I'm actually living here it's blown me away. In only about a month I'm honestly shocked at how great of a city this is. The food, the culture, the people, everything. So you can live in Ithaca or whatever (no disrespect to Cornell folk, cause it's a great school too!) or you can live in Austin. Not much of a decision for me there either.
3) It's really close to my family and my brother goes to UT for UG. This really makes me love the school more, so if you're like that also consider this when choosing where to go to school.

There's definitely other reasons I chose UT, but they don't come to mind right now. Maybe as I see others post I can pitch in or if anyone has specific questions they can post here or PM me and I'll answer!

As far as how much I enjoy the school itself, take what I say with a grain of salt because I'm only just barely starting my fourth week (and only my 2nd complete week so far). A lot of people will tell you about how collegial UT is. LISTEN TO THEM BECAUSE MY GOD ARE THEY RIGHT. Sure there are some people I've seen that, honestly, I wouldn't say are easily approachable, but that's maybe like 2% (wow what an arbitrary number haha) of who I've met. Even then, they're nice people but not the kind of people I see myself clicking with. Everyone else though is awesome, friendly, helpful, you name it. I've met some upperclassmen and alumni who have been WAY MORE than helpful - one guy has especially been helpful and I like owe my sanity to this dude cause he's gone out of his way to help me out, give me advice, and calm some of the 1L anxiety. I'm sure this is true everywhere else too, but I didn't get these kinds of vibes at other schools I visited as much as I did from when I visited UT.

The professors I have are pretty sweet too. I've got one in particular who is a fucking blast because of how personable and funny he is. In fact, everyone I've talked to has had nothing but great things to say about him. Great, great guy. Pretty young too.

Umm, the society stuff is pretty cool too and this is super unique to UT (as far as I know). I actually think this is one of the most helpful ways to get over the social anxiety some people might have in law school. I've become fairly close with most of my small society group, and especially close with some of them. Great people all around! We also have done a bunch of stuff from tailgates to dinner or bar events to flag football games to you name it, all to help everyone get comfortable with each other and the school environment. My mentor's awesome, too, just like all the other mentors. Just a nice way to get to know people. And for those of you who are worried about not being able to meet anyone else, don't worry about that! SERIOUSLY. You will NOT get through law school knowing only like 15 or 20 folks, unless, of course, that's what YOU WANT. You will get to know your small society section very well, your society sections well, and other sections here and there. Plus, you can always get involved in groups or other stuff and meet people from all walks of life in the law school.

I think this should help right now as a preliminary introduction to why I chose UT. There's obviously more that could be said, so keep shooting y'all. I'll be watching these boards. Until then, it's CivPro and ConLaw reading for me!

BrazilBandit · Post by **BrazilBandit** » Mon Sep 14, 2015 4:07 pm

rnoodles22 wrote:
blackmooncreeping wrote:
PatriotP74 wrote:
rnoodles22 wrote:

There's definitely other reasons I chose UT, but they don't come to mind right now. Maybe as I see others post I can pitch in or if anyone has specific questions they can post here or PM me and I'll answer!

As far as how much I enjoy the school itself, take what I say with a grain of salt because I'm only just barely starting my fourth week (and only my 2nd complete week so far). A lot of people will tell you about how collegial UT is. LISTEN TO THEM BECAUSE MY GOD ARE THEY RIGHT. Sure there are some people I've seen that, honestly, I wouldn't say are easily approachable, but that's maybe like 2% (wow what an arbitrary number haha) of who I've met. Even then, they're nice people but not the kind of people I see myself clicking with. Everyone else though is awesome, friendly, helpful, you name it. I've met some upperclassmen and alumni who have been WAY MORE than helpful - one guy has especially been helpful and I like owe my sanity to this dude cause he's gone out of his way to help me out, give me advice, and calm some of the 1L anxiety. I'm sure this is true everywhere else too, but I didn't get these kinds of vibes at other schools I visited as much as I did from when I visited UT.

The professors I have are pretty sweet too. I've got one in particular who is a fucking blast because of how personable and funny he is. In fact, everyone I've talked to has had nothing but great things to say about him. Great, great guy. Pretty young too.

Umm, the society stuff is pretty cool too and this is super unique to UT (as far as I know). I actually think this is one of the most helpful ways to get over the social anxiety some people might have in law school. I've become fairly close with most of my small society group, and especially close with some of them. Great people all around! We also have done a bunch of stuff from tailgates to dinner or bar events to flag football games to you name it, all to help everyone get comfortable with each other and the school environment. My mentor's awesome, too, just like all the other mentors. Just a nice way to get to know people. And for those of you who are worried about not being able to meet anyone else, don't worry about that! SERIOUSLY. You will NOT get through law school knowing only like 15 or 20 folks, unless, of course, that's what YOU WANT. You will get to know your small society section very well, your society sections well, and other sections here and there. Plus, you can always get involved in groups or other stuff and meet people from all walks of life in the law school.

I think this should help right now as a preliminary introduction to why I chose UT. There's obviously more that could be said, so keep shooting y'all. I'll be watching these boards. Until then, it's CivPro and ConLaw reading for me!

Yes, Chesney is the freaking man! (Did I guess right?)

rnoodles · Post by **rnoodles** » Mon Sep 14, 2015 4:42 pm

BrazilBandit wrote: Yes, Chesney is the freaking man! (Did I guess right?)

Hahaha yessir! Chesney kills it from start to end, even at 9:10 in the morning. His videos are great too.

Hikikomorist · Post by **Hikikomorist** » Mon Sep 14, 2015 5:29 pm

PatriotP74 · Post by **PatriotP74** » Mon Sep 14, 2015 6:56 pm

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rnoodles · Post by **rnoodles** » Mon Sep 14, 2015 7:05 pm

PatriotP74 wrote: Big thanks to all who have contributed, do any of you mind if I quote some of it for the main post? I believe it may help curb repeated questions as this thread gets longer!

Cool with me man!

Hikikomorist · Post by **Hikikomorist** » Mon Sep 14, 2015 7:09 pm

lymenheimer · Post by **lymenheimer** » Mon Sep 14, 2015 8:23 pm

I'll be honest...This cycle is going to be a difficult decision for me. I visited UT and absolutely loved it. But I want biglaw, so I am a bit nervous about committing to the 1/3 chance of getting it and not having the national reach of the T14. I realize that I can go T14 to Texas biglaw, but I don't think I'd be able to enjoy the state (especially Austin) to the same degree as if I were to go to UT as a law student.

PatriotP74 · Post by **PatriotP74** » Mon Sep 14, 2015 9:27 pm

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blackmooncreeping · Post by **blackmooncreeping** » Mon Sep 14, 2015 9:29 pm

Hikkomorist wrote:
rnoodles22 wrote:
PatriotP74 wrote: Big thanks to all who have contributed, do any of you mind if I quote some of it for the main post? I believe it may help curb repeated questions as this thread gets longer!
Cool with me man!
+1

Won't russle my jimmies

blackmooncreeping · Post by **blackmooncreeping** » Mon Sep 14, 2015 9:33 pm

PatriotP74 wrote:
lymenheimer wrote:I'll be honest...This cycle is going to be a difficult decision for me. I visited UT and absolutely loved it. But I want biglaw, so I am a bit nervous about committing to the 1/3 chance of getting it and not having the national reach of the T14. I realize that I can go T14 to Texas biglaw, but I don't think I'd be able to enjoy the state (especially Austin) to the same degree as if I were to go to UT as a law student.
I think there is a lot more to consider here than may first meet the eye. You say there is only a 1/3% chance of achieving big law from UT, however that's purely based on the fact that out of around 300 students, roughly 100 made big law, but another thing to consider is how many DIDN'T even want big law? Also for national reach, how many of those 300 actually wanted to work in New York rather than Texas? Obviously we don't know the answers to these questions but none the less I think it would be unfair to say that going to UT only gives you a 1/3 of a chance to make big law, and not a huge chance at national reach. Maybe some of the alumni on here can help chime in with their actual experiences.

I'll comment in detail tomorrow since I'm focused on football but I'll say this--if you're in the top 1/2 you have a punchers chance at big-law at UT. Nor are you totally out of the ball game if you are just shy of it. Basing that off my experience and those of my classmates/friends.

Others may disagree but I really believe that personality plays a bigger role in interviewing/hiring with some of the big tex firms.

BigZuck · Post by **BigZuck** » Mon Sep 14, 2015 9:52 pm

And I know people in the top 3rd who strike out. It's nowhere close to "safe."

I don't think there's a lot of people self-selecting out of big law. It happens but not in meaningful numbers IMO.

UT has good national reach if you're toward the top of the class. The national reach is better than I thought. That said, there's still not a whole lot of national reach to be had, at least compared to higher ranked schools.

I agree that personality (and looks) sometimes plays a pretty big role in TX big firm hiring.

This really isn't the thread for this discussion, the mods like to keep it to just admissions stuff. If you're interested in job stuff then check out www.lawschooltransparency.com, or the UT "Ask a student thread," or read (but don't post in) some of the UT OCI/employment threads.

blackmooncreeping · Post by **blackmooncreeping** » Mon Sep 14, 2015 9:56 pm

BigZuck wrote:And I know people in the top 3rd who strike out. It's nowhere close to "safe."

I don't think there's a lot of people self-selecting out of big law. It happens but not in meaningful numbers IMO.

UT has good national reach if you're toward the top of the class. The national reach is better than I thought. That said, there's still not a whole lot of national reach to be had, at least compared to higher ranked schools.

I agree that personality (and looks) sometimes plays a pretty big role in TX big firm hiring.

This really isn't the thread for this discussion, the mods like to keep it to just admissions stuff. If you're interested in job stuff then check out http://www.lawschooltransparency.com, or the UT "Ask a student thread," or read (but don't post in) some of the UT OCI/employment threads.

Don't get me wrong, I knew people who did as well. That's why I used the punchers chance phrase; you're not out of the ballgame.

BigZuck · Post by **BigZuck** » Mon Sep 14, 2015 10:06 pm

blackmooncreeping wrote:
BigZuck wrote:And I know people in the top 3rd who strike out. It's nowhere close to "safe."

I don't think there's a lot of people self-selecting out of big law. It happens but not in meaningful numbers IMO.

UT has good national reach if you're toward the top of the class. The national reach is better than I thought. That said, there's still not a whole lot of national reach to be had, at least compared to higher ranked schools.

I agree that personality (and looks) sometimes plays a pretty big role in TX big firm hiring.

This really isn't the thread for this discussion, the mods like to keep it to just admissions stuff. If you're interested in job stuff then check out http://www.lawschooltransparency.com, or the UT "Ask a student thread," or read (but don't post in) some of the UT OCI/employment threads.
Don't get me wrong, I knew people who did as well. That's why I used the punchers chance phrase; you're not out of the ballgame.

Yeah, I agree, if you're medianish you're not necessarily out of it

Veritas@requitas · Post by **Veritas@requitas** » Tue Sep 15, 2015 1:41 am

PatriotP74 wrote:
Veritas@requitas wrote:Checking In!!! ED--
Good Luck everyone
Nice! In/out of state? Care to share your numbers? Also any specific reason you chose ED over RD?

I'm in state. UT is my main choice, so I figured might as well apply early.--
GPA is competitive but I'm still to take the October LSAT-- hoping the score comes back before ED deadline--

Attax · Post by **Attax** » Tue Sep 15, 2015 2:33 am

Just want to put it out there, I know no one who ED'd in my class who got scholarship on top of the stipend. I would not ED. If you are going to get in ED, you'll get in RD. If you have competitive numbers, don't close yourself out of negotiations.

lymenheimer · Post by **lymenheimer** » Tue Sep 15, 2015 7:25 am

blackmooncreeping wrote:

PatriotP74 wrote: I think there is a lot more to consider here than may first meet the eye. You say there is only a 1/3% chance of achieving big law from UT, however that's purely based on the fact that out of around 300 students, roughly 100 made big law, but another thing to consider is how many DIDN'T even want big law? Also for national reach, how many of those 300 actually wanted to work in New York rather than Texas? Obviously we don't know the answers to these questions but none the less I think it would be unfair to say that going to UT only gives you a 1/3 of a chance to make big law, and not a huge chance at national reach. Maybe some of the alumni on here can help chime in with their actual experiences.

I have done lots of looks at the UT program so I'm not counting anything out. I absolutely loved the school and the city. I was simply saying that I'm more risk averse when it comes to a professional career, so T14 is going to be a better option for biglaw, regardless of how deep firms go into UTs numbers, since I don't think there is much self-selection going on, and there is definitely more national reach at T14 (echoing BigZuck). But since UT does have such solid numbers, it makes it very appealing with the right scholarship. That's why it's gonna be a difficult choice. But I do appreciate both of your comments. If I hadn't already researched some of those topics, they would be very helpful points. I'm still going to apply sometime soon. Just gotta trim my PS down and get a "Why Texas" (I'm OOS).

Attax wrote:Just want to put it out there, I know no one who ED'd in my class who got scholarship on top of the stipend. I would not ED. If you are going to get in ED, you'll get in RD. If you have competitive numbers, don't close yourself out of negotiations.

I think it says (or at least last time I checked) that if you ED then you are accepting the financial incentives and will not be considered for any other scholarship...unless they changed up their information sections (I know they adjusted their website).
edit: just checked. It says, "Early Decision students will not receive additional merit-scholarship consideration, but will remain eligible for need-based financial aid."

PatriotP74 · Post by **PatriotP74** » Tue Sep 15, 2015 8:14 am

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lymenheimer · Post by **lymenheimer** » Tue Sep 15, 2015 8:54 am

PatriotP74 wrote: Of course and I didn't mean to come across snarky by any means, I'm still studying for the LSAT so my mind says 300 students - 100 big law does not = only 1/3 chance unless all 300 competed for those 100 spots haha. Regardless, good luck on your cycle!

Very fair point haha. Good luck with yours as well!

benwyatt · Post by **benwyatt** » Tue Sep 15, 2015 5:00 pm

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