University of Houston 2011 Forum

[brose]

I just received my admitted student packet. Did anyone else look at the front cover and ask, "WTF is this supposed to be?" It's an off-balance photo of six people of different races and genders standing around, awkwardly petting some dog. Weird.

I came here to post this. What a random ass picture.

[sbmr12]

Waitlisted. LSAT 157, GPA 3.8.

[txag10]

date change for complete from 12/15 to 1/24. I'm assuming I'm boned.

[nicole88]

Is there an ASW for Houston?

[francisConn]

Do they have admitted students days or anything like that? I haven't received my packet yet, just got admitted via status checker

According to my packet, Admitted Student Preview Day is March 25.

[Josh the Goat]

I'm a 3L at UH if anyone has any questions about the school.

[TJISMYHERO]

I'm a 3L at UH if anyone has any questions about the school.

We have similar numbers; would you be willing to share whether you got a scholarship? What do you think about the school and your experience overall?

Thanks

[Mce252]

I'm a 3L at UH if anyone has any questions about the school.

Where do you live in Houston and what do your commutes look like on a daily basis? What has been your overall impression of the school, and more specifically, how has it changed since the day you put your deposit down on your seat?

[Josh the Goat]

We have similar numbers; would you be willing to share whether you got a scholarship? What do you think about the school and your experience overall?

I obtained a scholarship of $10k per year. No idea if that was just luck or what, but I know UH has upped their admission criteria a tiny bit in the past 3 years.

Overall I've enjoyed my time here. I like the study of law, even though I'm currently suffering from "senioritis". It's stressful the first year, and really busy the second year, but kind of relaxed now.

I'm very very very fortunate to have a full time job already upon graduation. The vast majority of students don't have anything locked in. It's easy to dismiss the negative publicity law school is getting right now, but it's very well justified. If you're going into substantial debt to get the degree you should spend a lot of time really considering if it's worth the risk of graduating with only the potential of a $35-$50k job.

Where do you live in Houston and what do your commutes look like on a daily basis? What has been your overall impression of the school, and more specifically, how has it changed since the day you put your deposit down on your seat?

I live on the southwest side near the Galleria. Commute is about 20 minutes there and back. The commute isn't so bad, but parking at UH has always been terrible. If you get there before 10:00 it's usually not bad, but parking between 10 and 3 is usually impossible.

How has it changed? They've reduced the class size some, slightly increased credentials, and increased the price about 30% - 40% for incoming students. They've built a new parking garage and graduate student lofts that includes a new book store. That about covers it I think. Not much has changed in terms of faculty or classes offered. At least not that I'm aware of.

All that said, UH is probably still one of the best law school bargains in Texas, if not the far surrounding area. I don't think many people regret choosing UH, but some probably regret choosing law school in general given the state of the legal market.

[ArchRoark]

I'm very very very fortunate to have a full time job already upon graduation. The vast majority of students don't have anything locked in. It's easy to dismiss the negative publicity law school is getting right now, but it's very well justified. If you're going into substantial debt to get the degree you should spend a lot of time really considering if it's worth the risk of graduating with only the potential of a $35-$50k job.

Are you working at a firm? Or can you give any more info on what you will be doing post grad without outing yourself.

[TJISMYHERO]

Is the earning potential for the degree really only 35k-50k, or is that what students who don't have a job by graduation are likely left with? How do you feel about your classmates? Are there a good number of people going there straight out of undergrad?

Thanks again

[Hank Chill]

I've been under review since 11/15. Is this strange?

[irenic]

I've been under review since 11/15. Is this strange?

No, I submitted my app at about the same time and just received a letter informing me of my waitlist decision a couple days ago.

[txag10]

I've been under review since 11/15. Is this strange?

No, I submitted my app at about the same time and just received a letter informing me of my waitlist decision a couple days ago.

Does your checker say waitlisted?

[Josh the Goat]

Are you working at a firm? Or can you give any more info on what you will be doing post grad without outing yourself.

I'm not working at a firm. I'll be working with an oil and gas company. I decided the law firm life wouldn't fit me well and decided to go the corporate route. However, the pay is great and it's a 40 hour work week. I'm very happy with the choice.

Is the earning potential for the degree really only 35k-50k, or is that what students who don't have a job by graduation are likely left with? How do you feel about your classmates? Are there a good number of people going there straight out of undergrad?

I can only give my anecdotal view on actual employment numbers, but probably 70% - 80% of my 3L classmates don't have offers for full time employment upon graduation. I'm sure the top 5% have better odds, but there's definitely people on law review still searching. Lots of people are currently clerking or working part time with law firms with a vague hope of landing full time employment after passing the bar. I'd say about half of my 3L classmates fall into that category and are currently working part time in these positions.

As for actual earning potential, recent stats from various sources seem to show that offers for non-biglaw range from 35k - 60k. Again, some may land the 140k+ salary, but that's mostly only the top 5%. The market really is that saturated right now.

[irenic]

I've been under review since 11/15. Is this strange?

No, I submitted my app at about the same time and just received a letter informing me of my waitlist decision a couple days ago.

Does your checker say waitlisted?

Yes, I checked me checker about a week ago and it said "decision rendered-waitlisted." About 4-5 days later I received a letter in the mail informing me of the waitlist decision.

[HBK]

I'm a 3L at UH if anyone has any questions about the school.

We have similar numbers; would you be willing to share whether you got a scholarship? What do you think about the school and your experience overall?

Thanks

I am not a UH student, but I was accepted last cycle. UH admissions were really terrible throughout the process. I asked them for a fee waiver, then got an email saying that they don't give fee waivers. About an hour later I got a form email granting a fee waiver.

I was accepted with no scholarship, but I received scholarships from Baylor and SMU. I told UH that SMU offered me a scholarship of X. UH is cheaper than SMU, so they came back with a smaller scholarship, Z. SMU tuition - X = Y.
UH tuition - Z = Y. UH matched the bottom line of SMU, but I had to email them to ask for a scholarship.

My advice is to apply to SMU, UT, and Baylor (especially if you get fee waivers) because UH didn't give me any love until I had leverage.

[Capitol A]

Reluctantly withdrew just now. The admissions office has actually been really great throughout the process, and I had some really good communication with one of the professors over the last week.
I would have like to to have attended for the health law program, but ultimately it wasn't going to be the best financial decision for me.
Good luck to everyone.

[ArchRoark]

Are you working at a firm? Or can you give any more info on what you will be doing post grad without outing yourself.

I'm not working at a firm. I'll be working with an oil and gas company. I decided the law firm life wouldn't fit me well and decided to go the corporate route. However, the pay is great and it's a 40 hour work week. I'm very happy with the choice.

Do you have an UG degree in a major that made this route possible? And how do you think having a JD helped or hurt your ability to acquire your job offer?

[brose]

I'm a 3L at UH if anyone has any questions about the school.

We have similar numbers; would you be willing to share whether you got a scholarship? What do you think about the school and your experience overall?

Thanks

I am not a UH student, but I was accepted last cycle. UH admissions were really terrible throughout the process. I asked them for a fee waiver, then got an email saying that they don't give fee waivers. About an hour later I got a form email granting a fee waiver.

I was accepted with no scholarship, but I received scholarships from Baylor and SMU. I told UH that SMU offered me a scholarship of X. UH is cheaper than SMU, so they came back with a smaller scholarship, Z. SMU tuition - X = Y.
UH tuition - Z = Y. UH matched the bottom line of SMU, but I had to email them to ask for a scholarship.

My advice is to apply to SMU, UT, and Baylor (especially if you get fee waivers) because UH didn't give me any love until I had leverage.

What if you had a scholarship offer from a school way higher than them, say, in the top 30? Do you think they would beat it? I'm not asking you to conjecture, but if you know anyone in your class who did this and got something as a result of it (I'm asking the 3L... sorry if this is confusing)?

[Josh the Goat]

Do you have an UG degree in a major that made this route possible? And how do you think having a JD helped or hurt your ability to acquire your job offer?

I have a BBA in Finance and an MBA with a concentration in Accounting. I was originally planning on pursuing a career in tax law, so I've taken mostly tax law and corporate law classes. I was mostly focusing on the transactional/contract drafting aspect of being a lawyer, and I mostly avoided litigation style classes. I think this emphasis made me attractive to a position with a corporation. I've taken almost all of the Oil and Gas classes that UH offers though now that I'll be working with an oil and gas company.

The JD definitely played a big part in getting my current position. My undergrad was at a small liberal arts school, and the JD opened up a lot of potential employers that came to UH. However, considering the opportunity cost of 3 years with no salary plus the costs of law school, I'm not entirely sure that I came out ahead had I just gone to work right after the MBA. However I'll probably have more opportunities for promotions later in my career due to the JD.

What if you had a scholarship offer from a school way higher than them, say, in the top 30? Do you think they would beat it? I'm not asking you to conjecture, but if you know anyone in your class who did this and got something as a result of it (I'm asking the 3L... sorry if this is confusing)?

I had a scholarship offer from LSU before I heard from UH regarding financial aid. I sent UH an email saying I had a scholarship from LSU, but I really wanted to go to UH. UH sent me an email later in the week with a scholarship offer. No idea if emailing them actually caused the scholarship of if they just hadn't gotten to me yet. My theory was that it definitely didn't hurt to ask, but there's no guarantees.

If you've got a scholarship from a school in the top 30's, then unless you really want to stay in Texas or UH is still cheaper considering the other school's scholarship, I would consider going to the other school.

[jacketman03]

Under review date changed from 1/4/11 to 2/8/11 just now. Hope that means a decision is in the pipe, and it's a admittance.

[AdlTX4]

Under review date changed from 1/4/11 to 2/8/11 just now. Hope that means a decision is in the pipe, and it's a admittance.

When did you originally apply? I was UR 1/4 an mine hasn't updated yet.

[txag10]

Under review date changed from 1/4/11 to 2/8/11 just now. Hope that means a decision is in the pipe, and it's a admittance.

+1. Seriously, now that Tulane is out and I have no chance at UGA, UH is my number one hope.

[jacketman03]

Under review date changed from 1/4/11 to 2/8/11 just now. Hope that means a decision is in the pipe, and it's a admittance.

When did you originally apply? I was UR 1/4 an mine hasn't updated yet.

Applied 12/5, complete 12/7