UC Irvine c/o 2020 Applicants (2016-2017) Forum

[it's allgood]

im very curious on davis vs irvine long term. I think davis' usnwr ranking drop is a temporary fluctuation and it should be established enough to stay in the top 30. Irvine on the other hand just about 10 years old and dependent on its dean.

For those concerned about Dean C possibly leaving, in my experience, UCI Law is made possible by a collective of people working together including law faculty and staff--not one person. While Dean C was instrumental in getting the law school started, keep in mind that he most likely was involved with selecting people that he knew would help accomplish his vision and who will continue making UCI a high caliber law school--even after he is no longer dean (whenever that may be).

[Mikey947]

Class of '16 employment stats: http://www.law.uci.edu/careers/students ... -2016.html

Pretty impressive...I was ready to give up UCI for UCLA, but the new data just complicated things

I would love to go to UCLA, congrats on having that option

[snowball17]

Class of '16 employment stats: http://www.law.uci.edu/careers/students ... -2016.html

Pretty impressive...I was ready to give up UCI for UCLA, but the new data just complicated things

I would love to go to UCLA, congrats on having that option

Thanks! I'm definitely grateful for UCLA, but graduating from Irvine debt-free is mighty tempting.

[Kimmysradscreenname]

Did they bump the date we'd hear about housing offers or am I remembering incorrectly? Thought we'd hear in May, not June.

From the email that the Dir. of Student Financial Srvcs just sent out:

Housing Offer: Housing preferences recorded in your application will be used to make a “best fit” offer from the available spaces across the six participating communities. Offers will be sent via email by June 1st, 2017. Follow all instructions contained in your offer email and respond by the deadline indicated.

So we should hear sometime in May, unless for some reason they save one big email blast for June 1.

[Assasindowntheavenue]

Did they bump the date we'd hear about housing offers or am I remembering incorrectly? Thought we'd hear in May, not June.

From the email that the Dir. of Student Financial Srvcs just sent out:

Housing Offer: Housing preferences recorded in your application will be used to make a “best fit” offer from the available spaces across the six participating communities. Offers will be sent via email by June 1st, 2017. Follow all instructions contained in your offer email and respond by the deadline indicated.

So we should hear sometime in May, unless for some reason they save one big email blast for June 1.

Yeah it was this email that I was referring to because in a previous email they said they'd let us know by May 27 (just looked it up). I guess waiting 5 days longer isn't a bit deal, just was curious about it.

[abcdefg1234567]

Arriving tomorrow evening for ASW, anyone else?

I'll be driving there tomorrow morning. Yay traffic!

Do we get special TLS badges and name tags?

[lawstboys]

Still haven't heard anything about a decision....I just wanna know if I'm rejected or accepted so that I can make my decision elsewhere with confidence...anyone else still waiting?

[abcdefg1234567]

Did they bump the date we'd hear about housing offers or am I remembering incorrectly? Thought we'd hear in May, not June.

From the email that the Dir. of Student Financial Srvcs just sent out:

Housing Offer: Housing preferences recorded in your application will be used to make a “best fit” offer from the available spaces across the six participating communities. Offers will be sent via email by June 1st, 2017. Follow all instructions contained in your offer email and respond by the deadline indicated.

So we should hear sometime in May, unless for some reason they save one big email blast for June 1.

Yeah it was this email that I was referring to because in a previous email they said they'd let us know by May 27 (just looked it up). I guess waiting 5 days longer isn't a bit deal, just was curious about it.

What was your top choice? I liked Verona place (because it was cheapest) :$

Do you know if they pair us with other 1l's?

[Assasindowntheavenue]

Did they bump the date we'd hear about housing offers or am I remembering incorrectly? Thought we'd hear in May, not June.

From the email that the Dir. of Student Financial Srvcs just sent out:

Housing Offer: Housing preferences recorded in your application will be used to make a “best fit” offer from the available spaces across the six participating communities. Offers will be sent via email by June 1st, 2017. Follow all instructions contained in your offer email and respond by the deadline indicated.

So we should hear sometime in May, unless for some reason they save one big email blast for June 1.

Yeah it was this email that I was referring to because in a previous email they said they'd let us know by May 27 (just looked it up). I guess waiting 5 days longer isn't a bit deal, just was curious about it.

What was your top choice? I liked Verona place (because it was cheapest) :$

Do you know if they pair us with other 1l's?

Verano as well because like you said it's cheap and also they have a townhome option (like what?!!!). Bringing my SO, the extra space/low rent is a real added benefit. Not sure about pairing w 1Ls unfortunately.

[it's allgood]

Did they bump the date we'd hear about housing offers or am I remembering incorrectly? Thought we'd hear in May, not June.

From the email that the Dir. of Student Financial Srvcs just sent out:

Housing Offer: Housing preferences recorded in your application will be used to make a “best fit” offer from the available spaces across the six participating communities. Offers will be sent via email by June 1st, 2017. Follow all instructions contained in your offer email and respond by the deadline indicated.

So we should hear sometime in May, unless for some reason they save one big email blast for June 1.

Yeah it was this email that I was referring to because in a previous email they said they'd let us know by May 27 (just looked it up). I guess waiting 5 days longer isn't a bit deal, just was curious about it.

What was your top choice? I liked Verona place (because it was cheapest) :$

Do you know if they pair us with other 1l's?

You can request to be paired with another 1L and it would be helpful to provide the name of someone to be paired with. Also, there are other advantages to Verano other than being cheap: it is right across the street from the law school, the management is way more relaxed than at other communities ie they treat us like adults, there is outdoor space included with the apartment such as a patio or balcony, and if there is any maintenance issue, it is taken care of promptly.

[zot1]

Lived in a Verano place townhouse for all three years. They are super tiny, but comfortable, convenient, and cheap. Verano is generally outdated compared to Palo verde, but I don't think Palo verde is worth the extra money/distance from the school.

[browneyed852]

Still haven't heard anything about a decision....I just wanna know if I'm rejected or accepted so that I can make my decision elsewhere with confidence...anyone else still waiting?

I actually spoke to someone at admissions they said there should be another wave of decisions next week but all decisions should be out by the end of april

[WheninLaw]

Dude, your statements are flat out wrong. I'm an alum, I know how things worked, I've stayed in touch with the community. But if you want to spread stuff you don't even have first-hand knowledge on, go on, bro.

Not questioning this, but I'd be interested to hear if you think C leaving *wouldn't* affect clerkship placements and scholarly impact, and why. I'm not really gunning for a clerkship, but the scholarly impact is important to me, and I think C has been able to cultivate a really qualified faculty, but maybe I'm giving him too much credit and there is more institutional inertia than I know of. I'd love to hear your thoughts on this.

Also, as an alumn, can you shed any light on the fairly high percentage of grads with school-funded positions?

Sure.

Clerkship Placements: Not every UCI student gets a clerkship via C. In reality, most students apply just like any other student does. If you've had C in your class, then yeah, you probably used him as a recommender, which I'm sure it helped. I think if you're borderline in GPA cutoff, then yeah, not having a C rec will harm your chances, but overall, many judges who've had UCI clerks want to have more UCI clerks. Since the class remains small, this can only benefit future students, despite the lack of C connection. So even though there might be a dip, I believe the dip will be small. UCI has plenty of gunners who want to clerk and it'll happen for them (assuming they have the grades).

As an aside, I agree that UCI will be fine without Chem, but I do think the hit will be sizable. Chem went to bat hard for UCI students for clerkships with my judge, as well with other chambers. I can think of three students that would not have gotten an interview but for Chem's involvement. Maybe now the network is established, and the clerkships will continue without him, but it is hard to understate his efforts (and success).

The same is true for several very selective law firms.

I'm a huge UCI fan, and hope it succeeds, but Chem's footprint is very large. Maybe he has set enough things in motion that they will continue by pure inertia. I hope so.

[zot1]

Dude, your statements are flat out wrong. I'm an alum, I know how things worked, I've stayed in touch with the community. But if you want to spread stuff you don't even have first-hand knowledge on, go on, bro.

Not questioning this, but I'd be interested to hear if you think C leaving *wouldn't* affect clerkship placements and scholarly impact, and why. I'm not really gunning for a clerkship, but the scholarly impact is important to me, and I think C has been able to cultivate a really qualified faculty, but maybe I'm giving him too much credit and there is more institutional inertia than I know of. I'd love to hear your thoughts on this.

Also, as an alumn, can you shed any light on the fairly high percentage of grads with school-funded positions?

Sure.

Clerkship Placements: Not every UCI student gets a clerkship via C. In reality, most students apply just like any other student does. If you've had C in your class, then yeah, you probably used him as a recommender, which I'm sure it helped. I think if you're borderline in GPA cutoff, then yeah, not having a C rec will harm your chances, but overall, many judges who've had UCI clerks want to have more UCI clerks. Since the class remains small, this can only benefit future students, despite the lack of C connection. So even though there might be a dip, I believe the dip will be small. UCI has plenty of gunners who want to clerk and it'll happen for them (assuming they have the grades).

As an aside, I agree that UCI will be fine without Chem, but I do think the hit will be sizable. Chem went to bat hard for UCI students for clerkships with my judge, as well with other chambers. I can think of three students that would not have gotten an interview but for Chem's involvement. Maybe now the network is established, and the clerkships will continue without him, but it is hard to understate his efforts (and success).

The same is true for several very selective law firms.

I'm a huge UCI fan, and hope it succeeds, but Chem's footprint is very large. Maybe he has set enough things in motion that they will continue by pure inertia. I hope so.

It is well-known that Dean C has helped some students get their foot on the door. However, this is not true for ALL students who've gotten a clerkship. More importantly, generally, once a judge has had a UCI student, they want another. Plus, many professors at UCI were previous clerks... so of course those rec letters help too.

I think looking things from the outside look a little bit different than from the inside. That's not to say he will be missed. Of course he will be, he's done excellent things at UCI.

[WheninLaw]

More importantly, generally, once a judge has had a UCI student, they want another.

Most judges do not think like that, e.g., "I had a good UCLA clerk, so I want another." More often, the judge has a relationship with a person whom they trust for clerkship recommendations, or enjoys hiring from the local law school (for obvious reasons). If there are other professors that can and will make the call on your behalf, awesome, and Chem's departure will not change that.

That a judge had a good Irvine clerk certainly means they will consider Irvine applications (where they might not have before), but isn't going to mean a spot for an Irvine student each year.

Ultimately, I think you'll see a decrease in both circuit court hiring, and district court hiring outside of SD and CD Cal.

[zot1]

More importantly, generally, once a judge has had a UCI student, they want another.

Most judges do not think like that, e.g., "I had a good UCLA clerk, so I want another." More often, the judge has a relationship with a person whom they trust for clerkship recommendations, or enjoys hiring from the local law school (for obvious reasons). If there are other professors that can and will make the call on your behalf, awesome, and Chem's departure will not change that.

That a judge had a good Irvine clerk certainly means they will consider Irvine applications (where they might not have before), but isn't going to mean a spot for an Irvine student each year.

Ultimately, I think you'll see a decrease in both circuit court hiring, and district court hiring outside of SD and CD Cal.

This is based on experience of the alumni. We get notices all the time that read like this: "hi everyone. I was a clerk for so and so and s/he is hiring and would love to have another UCI student. Please look up this judge on OSCAR." Now, if all the grads are lying about this, I couldn't tell ya. I'm not in their brains. But that's what I've seen for the past few years.

I should add that over the years I have seen grads go to some of the same judges which supports what I have seen.

[WheninLaw]

More importantly, generally, once a judge has had a UCI student, they want another.

Most judges do not think like that, e.g., "I had a good UCLA clerk, so I want another." More often, the judge has a relationship with a person whom they trust for clerkship recommendations, or enjoys hiring from the local law school (for obvious reasons). If there are other professors that can and will make the call on your behalf, awesome, and Chem's departure will not change that.

That a judge had a good Irvine clerk certainly means they will consider Irvine applications (where they might not have before), but isn't going to mean a spot for an Irvine student each year.

Ultimately, I think you'll see a decrease in both circuit court hiring, and district court hiring outside of SD and CD Cal.

This is based on experience of the alumni. We get notices all the time that read like this: "hi everyone. I was a clerk for so and so and s/he is hiring and would love to have another UCI student. Please look up this judge on OSCAR." Now, if all the grads are lying about this, I couldn't tell ya. I'm not in their brains. But that's what I've seen for the past few years.

I should add that over the years I have seen grads go to some of the same judges which supports what I have seen.

I do not think they are lying, but you are overstating the significance of those emails. The clerks have a vested interest in promoting their law school and developing an alumni network in chambers. I did the same thing during my clerkships. Clerks have a major role in determining which applications the judge sees, so an Irvine clerk is important because he or she can push those application to the judge and recommend they extend an interview.

Chem's involvement is significant in several ways. Most importantly, he has direct contacts to judges that effectively bypass the screening process and almost guarantee that the judge will hire the student. This isn't Irvine specific, and it is how most feeder clerkships work, but Chem did it as well (or better) than almost anyone else. In addition, his recommendation (or email/call/etc) is critical for getting an application into the hands of the judge, or making it stand out from other applications.

I get that you have the "experience of alumni." But I'm telling you what I've seen while a clerk in multiple chambers. I mean, just last month we interviewed someone that was below our typical cutoff on Chem's recommendation.

Anyways, I'll stop posting in the Irvine thread and leave you to it, and I guess ultimately, the next few years will show the level of significance Chem had.

[zot1]

More importantly, generally, once a judge has had a UCI student, they want another.

Most judges do not think like that, e.g., "I had a good UCLA clerk, so I want another." More often, the judge has a relationship with a person whom they trust for clerkship recommendations, or enjoys hiring from the local law school (for obvious reasons). If there are other professors that can and will make the call on your behalf, awesome, and Chem's departure will not change that.

That a judge had a good Irvine clerk certainly means they will consider Irvine applications (where they might not have before), but isn't going to mean a spot for an Irvine student each year.

Ultimately, I think you'll see a decrease in both circuit court hiring, and district court hiring outside of SD and CD Cal.

This is based on experience of the alumni. We get notices all the time that read like this: "hi everyone. I was a clerk for so and so and s/he is hiring and would love to have another UCI student. Please look up this judge on OSCAR." Now, if all the grads are lying about this, I couldn't tell ya. I'm not in their brains. But that's what I've seen for the past few years.

I should add that over the years I have seen grads go to some of the same judges which supports what I have seen.

I do not think they are lying, but you are overstating the significance of those emails. The clerks have a vested interest in promoting their law school and developing an alumni network in chambers. I did the same thing during my clerkships. Clerks have a major role in determining which applications the judge sees, so an Irvine clerk is important because he or she can push those application to the judge and recommend they extend an interview.

Chem's involvement is significant in several ways. Most importantly, he has direct contacts to judges that effectively bypass the screening process and almost guarantee that the judge will hire the student. This isn't Irvine specific, and it is how most feeder clerkships work, but Chem did it as well (or better) than almost anyone else. In addition, his recommendation (or email/call/etc) is critical for getting an application into the hands of the judge, or making it stand out from other applications.

I get that you have the "experience of alumni." But I'm telling you what I've seen while a clerk in multiple chambers. I mean, just last month we interviewed someone that was below our typical cutoff on Chem's recommendation.

Anyways, I'll stop posting in the Irvine thread and leave you to it, and I guess ultimately, the next few years will show the level of significance Chem had.

No, no, dude. Please don't take what I said in the sense that I don't think you should share this info. You should! I think everyone should know when they're getting into when investing in law school. I was just saying that you have the experience of 1-2 chambers, and I wanted to augment with the info I have from the alumni network as a whole.

Keep in mind that most people at UCI who want to clerk are already at the top of the class. If they are below (as you suggested), there must have been something great about them for Dean C to go bat for him. I can tell you for a fact he generally only recommends people who already have the GPA to be competitive for the process.

[WheninLaw]

Fair enough. I note that I have only had positive experiences with Irvine law students and graduates, and would happily recommend Irvine students in every capacity.

[lawboundsomeday]

I get that you have the "experience of alumni." But I'm telling you what I've seen while a clerk in multiple chambers. I mean, just last month we interviewed someone that was below our typical cutoff on Chem's recommendation.

Anyways, I'll stop posting in the Irvine thread and leave you to it, and I guess ultimately, the next few years will show the level of significance Chem had.

I agree that it will be a major hit. You guys are ignoring an important aspect IMHO: if he is dean at BERKELEY, he will be using those networks and connections on behalf of THEM. So it’s worse than if he just weren’t dean anymore, or retired. He will be fighting and using his power to get those spots for a DIFFERENT group of students not at UCI.

If he goes to Berkeley as dean, predict that within three years Irvine’s clerkship rate will be half what it is now . . . . at best. That’s not a dig at Irvine, or a at Erwin, it’s just a reality. And anyone want to make a bet on Irvine’s USN rating in three years if Erwin is dean at another law school? It won’t be higher, I would bet a years law school tuition on that. The question is just how much lower will it be? Again, no one’s fault, and not trying to criticize UCI. I actually think UCI has done majorly well for a school so brand-new. And lots of deans don’t matter that much to a story of a school. But this one did and does and what he does next does too.

[zot1]

I get that you have the "experience of alumni." But I'm telling you what I've seen while a clerk in multiple chambers. I mean, just last month we interviewed someone that was below our typical cutoff on Chem's recommendation.

Anyways, I'll stop posting in the Irvine thread and leave you to it, and I guess ultimately, the next few years will show the level of significance Chem had.

I agree that it will be a major hit. You guys are ignoring an important aspect IMHO: if he is dean at BERKELEY, he will be using those networks and connections on behalf of THEM. So it’s worse than if he just weren’t dean anymore, or retired. He will be fighting and using his power to get those spots for a DIFFERENT group of students not at UCI.

If he goes to Berkeley as dean, predict that within three years Irvine’s clerkship rate will be half what it is now . . . . at best. That’s not a dig at Irvine, or a at Erwin, it’s just a reality. And anyone want to make a bet on Irvine’s USN rating in three years if Erwin is dean at another law school? It won’t be higher, I would bet a years law school tuition on that. The question is just how much lower will it be? Again, no one’s fault, and not trying to criticize UCI. I actually think UCI has done majorly well for a school so brand-new. And lots of deans don’t matter that much to a story of a school. But this one did and does and what he does next does too.

I'm not ignoring anything. A few things: not every UCI student who gets a clerkship gets it because of Dean C. Thinking this is silly. You can't call favors for several years. Instead, he recommends some students and I'm sure some of those judges consider the recommendation highly. Still, we are not talking about the entire UCI clerking pool.

Sure, if he goes to Berkeley, he'll likely do the same for Berkeley students. But you're assuming that more people at Berkeley would like to clerk than already do and that somehow one Berkeley student getting a clerkship equals one UCI student not getting it.

[khaleesi_k]

For people who went to ASW - what did you think?

[PinoyMamba]

For people who went to ASW - what did you think?

They did a good job selling the school... almost too good. Very impressed.

[mudiverse]

For people who went to ASW - what did you think?

They did a good job selling the school... almost too good. Very impressed.

Can you offer some details or a quick rundown? Any word on Dean C's departure etc?

[kaptainkeepa]

So when will we hear back on waitlists? I'm kinda interested in Irvine since it's still in Southern California and it's between that or Davis.