IOWA 2011 Forum

[sques001]

Hi everyone.. I'm currently a 1L student at Iowa and would be happy to answer any questions you guys may have. For those debating whether or not to go to Iowa I know what it feels like because I was in your shoes. I'm from a big city in the very warm weather and i was a bit apprehensive about coming to Iowa, but let me tell you that I absolutely lovee it!! The quality of the professors and even the students really made me see the law school in a whole new light. Also the environment in the school is not that cut throat feeling of other law schools.. professors are very attentive to the students' questions and concerns and are always available for help. Also, Iowa city has plenty of stuff to do and we even have a law night on thursdays nights at one of the local bars which are conveniently located a couple of blocks from the school and we all meet over drinks, talk, dance or just relax (no school talk is a requirement lol!)

Anyways I just wanted to provide you with some of my insight because not too long ago I was in your shoes. Also, for those out of state people that are worried about the tuition, you can be a Research Assisstant starting your 2nd year and by doing so you'll get in state tuition which is about 24k i think. From what I've asked about this (i'm planning on doing it) it is pretty much available to most students who wish to do it and out of state ppl are given some preference.

Hope this was of some help and let me know if you have any other questions =)

[80884]

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You got into Penn but you went to IOWA. Really??

[sques001]

yes i got into Penn State with some scholarship $ but after researching Iowa and looking @ its rankings I decided that it was the best place to go to.

[80884]

yes i got into Penn State with some scholarship $ but after researching Iowa and looking @ its rankings I decided that it was the best place to go to.

I thought it was UPenn. btw I might see you in IOWA next semester

[sques001]

yes i got into Penn State with some scholarship $ but after researching Iowa and looking @ its rankings I decided that it was the best place to go to.

I thought it was UPenn. btw I might see you in IOWA next semester

Yes! u totally should come!

[chrisbru]

I'm still waiting on scholarship information... And I'm kind of disappointed. They said 2 weeks after admission letter, but nothing came. I emailed them last week, and didn't get a response. I'm from Iowa, but live in Seattle now and would really like to plan a visit... But I'm not going to visit if the school won't be financially viable.

[bookofcarpetsamples]

anyone hear of someone who grew up in iowa moving back and qualifying for in-state tuition? i am definitely considering attending in the fall, but i think it would be hard to pay out of state tuition. i grew up in iowa, my whole family still lives there and i would very possibly move back in with / at least qualify as a dependent and be covered under my parents' health insurance, etc. again. i have been considered out-of-state for about four years...

[chrisbru]

anyone hear of someone who grew up in iowa moving back and qualifying for in-state tuition? i am definitely considering attending in the fall, but i think it would be hard to pay out of state tuition. i grew up in iowa, my whole family still lives there and i would very possibly move back in with / at least qualify as a dependent and be covered under my parents' health insurance, etc. again. i have been considered out-of-state for about four years...

Depends on how you spin it. I moved away from Iowa when I graduated in May. I have a WA license, address, and WA plates on my car. I was told that as long as you went to high school in Iowa, have at least one parent living or buried in Iowa, and get an IA license and license plates (if you own a car) within 15 days of school starting, that you can be considered a resident.

[stlisforlovers]

I'm still waiting on scholarship information... And I'm kind of disappointed. They said 2 weeks after admission letter, but nothing came. I emailed them last week, and didn't get a response. I'm from Iowa, but live in Seattle now and would really like to plan a visit... But I'm not going to visit if the school won't be financially viable.

+1. Can you just tell me or not? What takes so fucking long?

[bookofcarpetsamples]

anyone hear of someone who grew up in iowa moving back and qualifying for in-state tuition? i am definitely considering attending in the fall, but i think it would be hard to pay out of state tuition. i grew up in iowa, my whole family still lives there and i would very possibly move back in with / at least qualify as a dependent and be covered under my parents' health insurance, etc. again. i have been considered out-of-state for about four years...

Depends on how you spin it. I moved away from Iowa when I graduated in May. I have a WA license, address, and WA plates on my car. I was told that as long as you went to high school in Iowa, have at least one parent living or buried in Iowa, and get an IA license and license plates (if you own a car) within 15 days of school starting, that you can be considered a resident.

thanks for the info! i think this decision will be muuuuch easier if i can qualify as in-state (i'm not expecting any scholarships whatsoever...).

[DocHawkeye]

Dear Iowa -

Please tell some of these people that they're not getting scholarships so they can decide to send their deposits to others schools and I can get off your "preliminary waitlist." Thank you, that is all.

Love,
DocHawkeye

[jayman6]

So, is it possible to send a deposit to more than one school if I haven't made up my mind by the deadline? Or do I pretty much have to make my decision by April?

[chrisbru]

Dear Iowa -

Please tell some of these people that they're not getting scholarships so they can decide to send their deposits to others schools and I can get off your "preliminary waitlist." Thank you, that is all.

Love,
DocHawkeye

So, is it possible to send a deposit to more than one school if I haven't made up my mind by the deadline? Or do I pretty much have to make my decision by April?

You can send deposits to more than one school, if you wish.

[80884]

Dear Iowa -

Please tell some of these people that they're not getting scholarships so they can decide to send their deposits to others schools and I can get off your "preliminary waitlist." Thank you, that is all.

Love,
DocHawkeye

So, is it possible to send a deposit to more than one school if I haven't made up my mind by the deadline? Or do I pretty much have to make my decision by April?

You can send deposits to more than one school, if you wish.

Right, IOWA deposits are pretty cheap.

[chrisbru]

Just received a response to my email about scholarships... Kind of a disappointing answer. Doesn't give me any indication of when they will get back to me.

{Chrisbru} -

Congratulations on your acceptance to the University of Iowa College of Law. You will be reviewed by the scholarship committee and I will let you know when they have reached a decision.

Jessica

Edit: to fix quote

[JenDarby]

What a disappointing, though expected, response. "Congrats! you'll know when we do!"

[chrisbru]

What a disappointing, though expected, response. "Congrats! you'll know when we do!"

It wouldn't be as annoying if they hadn't said 2 weeks in the acceptance letter...

[JenDarby]

Agreed. Checking my mail has been such a let down lately.

[miazdc]

Hey sques001, I'll take you up on your offer to answer some questions!

I've been admitted, but I'm waiting on scholarship offers to see if Iowa is where I'll end up. In the meantime:

1. Can you make it in Iowa city without a car?

2. Since you're a 1L, you might not be too familiar with the clinics yet... but do you happen to know how easy it is to become involved with one of the clinics during 2L/3L? Are they competitive?

3. Is participation in journals solely based on grades? Or is there a writing competition?

If you don't mind just talking a little more about your experience... what are some of the things you think distinguishes Iowa from other schools? And what are some of your least favorite things about the school?

Thank you for your willingness to answer questions, I appreciate it!

[traehekat]

Hey sques001, I'll take you up on your offer to answer some questions!

I've been admitted, but I'm waiting on scholarship offers to see if Iowa is where I'll end up. In the meantime:

1. Can you make it in Iowa city without a car?

2. Since you're a 1L, you might not be too familiar with the clinics yet... but do you happen to know how easy it is to become involved with one of the clinics during 2L/3L? Are they competitive?

3. Is participation in journals solely based on grades? Or is there a writing competition?

If you don't mind just talking a little more about your experience... what are some of the things you think distinguishes Iowa from other schools? And what are some of your least favorite things about the school?

Thank you for your willingness to answer questions, I appreciate it!

INTERCEPTEDDDDDD

Just kidding, I'm sure sques can answer some of these questions a lot better than I, but I'll weigh in anyway.

1. Pretty much everyone I know has a car. I'm sure it is possible to get by without one, and it may depend on which side of the river you live on. If you live on the undergraduate side you will be in walking distance of a lot of stuff cause that is where the downtown area is, but you will be further from the law school and would probably have to take the bus. If you live on the graduate side then you will be closer to the law building but further from, well, everything else. If you can reasonably afford a car, I'd consider picking something up (or bringing one with you).

2. Honestly don't know much about this. I believe it is relatively easy to generally get involved, but you may not get your first pick of areas to work in.

3. Journals are solely based on the writing competition, I believe.

Things that really set Iowa apart...
First and foremost the people, and this goes to the students, professors, CSO, admissions, etc. Everyone is very, very friendly. It is a perfect combination of very intelligent but very relaxed, down to earth people.

There isn't much to be disappointed about regarding the actual law school. Maybe it isn't incredibly nice looking? I could bitch about the weather, but it really isn't much colder than the rest of the Midwest.

[sques001]

Hey sques001, I'll take you up on your offer to answer some questions!

I've been admitted, but I'm waiting on scholarship offers to see if Iowa is where I'll end up. In the meantime:

1. Can you make it in Iowa city without a car?

2. Since you're a 1L, you might not be too familiar with the clinics yet... but do you happen to know how easy it is to become involved with one of the clinics during 2L/3L? Are they competitive?

3. Is participation in journals solely based on grades? Or is there a writing competition?

If you don't mind just talking a little more about your experience... what are some of the things you think distinguishes Iowa from other schools? And what are some of your least favorite things about the school?

Thank you for your willingness to answer questions, I appreciate it!

Heey! Congrats on getting accepted!..Now to answer your questions

1. Iowa has a really great bus system and the campus has also its own bus system called Cambus. If you live close to the law school (where most of the law students live then there really shouldnt be a problem getting around. Plus the downtown area where most of the bars and restaurants are is walking distance from the law school.

2. I dont really know much about the clinics but from what i've heard there are many diff ones and most of the students that want to get involved usually get a spot.

3. The journals are not solely based on grades. At the end of the 1L year the journals have a packet which basically consists on an issue and you'll need to write a memo and do the research all on your own (which you would have learned in your legal writing classes)I believe the packet with the memo would have to get turned in in the following 2 weeks. This is the most up to date info that I have. However, as I progress through the year i can keep you updated.

Also, one of the great organizations that iowa has is its "Citizen Lawyer Program". It is available to all first years and its a program where you can volunteer with different organizations and attorneys and basically do some work for them through the law school. They have different areas such as immigation, taxes, divorce,etc. You can get service hours and also looks great on your resume when you apply to summer jobs after your first year. I did the immigration one during fall and will be doing it again in the spring. It is one of the few good "legal related" activities that first years can participate in.

Well i hope this has been helpful and let me know anything else I can help you with =)

[typ3]

Just received a response to my email about scholarships... Kind of a disappointing answer. Doesn't give me any indication of when they will get back to me.

{Chrisbru} -

Congratulations on your acceptance to the University of Iowa College of Law. You will be reviewed by the scholarship committee and I will let you know when they have reached a decision.

Jessica

Edit: to fix quote

Chris, you're a splitter. I'm sure you know that you'll be waiting until April or May for scholarship information. TBH candidates with a 167-170 with a 3.6+ seem to be safer picks for schools than a 171 2.9x.

[80884]

What do you guys think about people saying that IOWA will fall off the rankings in the near future?

[Slimpee]

What do you guys think about people saying that IOWA will fall off the rankings in the near future?

I saw Iowa will remain about where they are. Historically, they've always been in the 20-25 range but have dipped a bit in the last five years. Iowa's LSAT median isn't in-line w/ peer schools but if you look at it's peer and lawyer/judge scores they're both higher than similarly-ranked schools.

I guess it could fall a bit but I don't think it will...plus there are rumors of a massive capital campaign being conducted that hasn't been released publicly...

[miazdc]

Thanks you two, for answering my questions! I might be back with more later