University of Hawaii Class of 2016 Forum

[1693]

Anybody else apply? I'm seriously considering it as an out of state student. I was accepted but am hoping for a scholarship!

Also wondering if anybody can give thoughts & impressions of the law school and surrounding area. Thanks!

[bobbypin]

Are you a native Hawaiian or have ties to the community? What are your stats? I'd love to go there but I am/would be a haole.

[1693]

Hey- actually I have no ties whatsoever to Hawaii. I didn't think I would get in considering I am OOS but I got accepted in about a month. I got a 161/3.37 from a top public university. I'd say apply if you're considering it. I get the feeling they aren't too generous with scholarships unfortunately, though. I'd definitely need one to uhh... you know, take a visit

[hume85]

Law school in paradise sounds awesome, but don't go if you're not from Hawaii. Less than half the class got full time, JD required jobs. Nobody gets Biglaw. All of the jobs people did get were in Hawaii. COA for out of state students is estimated to be $50K a year, but the school estimates that tuition will rise by an extraordinarily large amount each year (http://www.law.hawaii.edu/tuition) and Hawaii is too expensive to realistically stay within budget on living expenses IMO.
But you might consider going if you're from Hawaii, get close to a full ride, are cool with living with your parents, don't have high expectations for your career, have no interest in leaving Hawaii, and have no opportunity costs over the next few years.

[sonny]

Congrats! I got a call on Friday.

From what I've heard, scholarship isn't usually a lot. That's second hand, but if true I think reasonable considering the low in-state and reasonable out-of-state cost. That of course is not including cost of living.

The class is definitely small, less than 100. From what I've heard, the atmosphere is much more cordial and not as "cut-throat" as other places. I think this makes sense considering local culture. Also, you are given "advisory grades" for your first semester which don't factor into your GPA/ranking. Given, employers/clerkships/externships will still see them on your transcripts.

The campus itself is right next to the University of Hawaii at Manoa. However, since the school is about 70-80% commuter theres not a lot of activity in terms of college life, beyond the occasional concert on campus. Of course theres the occasional stuff through the law school. There are some bars/restaurants close by though. Overall, fairly laid back. Manoa Valley is mostly residential/surburban so not hard finding a room/floor to rent (house may be pricey). Down the street are some neighborhoods with apartments (10min walk) that may be cheaper. I had a two bedroom there for $900 (given extremely small, but was splitting it and payiing $400 a month so not bad).

Being the only law school in the state, if you were interested in local externships (State, Federal, or elsewhere) I think they would be more accessible. Still competitive though.

My Stats: From Hawaii, Undergraduate & Graduate at Manoa

[sonny]

Law school in paradise sounds awesome, but don't go if you're not from Hawaii. Less than half the class got full time, JD required jobs. Nobody gets Biglaw. All of the jobs people did get were in Hawaii. COA for out of state students is estimated to be $50K a year, but the school estimates that tuition will rise by an extraordinarily large amount each year (http://www.law.hawaii.edu/tuition) and Hawaii is too expensive to realistically stay within budget on living expenses IMO.
But you might consider going if you're from Hawaii, get close to a full ride, are cool with living with your parents, don't have high expectations for your career, have no interest in leaving Hawaii, and have no opportunity costs over the next few years.

I would argue that cost of living, while higher than the midwest, is definitely more reasonable than other places (NYC, SF, etc.). Unlike those places, you can find a reasonably priced place within walking distance of the school. I was spending $400 amonth to share a two bedroom apartment that cost $900 total. That of course is if you are ok having a roommate. However, in the surrounding neighborhood there are many houses renting out bedrooms/1st floors for $500 to $1000.

Just curious, when you say nobody gets Biglaw are you not including firms in Honolulu? Given, I think Richardson is best suited for those intending to practice in Hawaii.

[honolulu_hopeful]

I have lived on Oahu for 10 years, and am finishing my undergrad next to UH. The area is nice, and you are fairly close to all the clubs/bars (not that you will see them much). Ultimately, the traffic on the island is a nightmare (worst in the country) everything is more exspensive here (milk on sale is almost $6/gal, gas is rarely below $4/gal. And like hume85 said, if you go to school here, you should stay and practice here. And on that note, the attorney's in my office said that if you dont pass the bar the first time in Hawaii it follows you in the community forever (this place is so small).

Any other questions feel free to ask.

[hume85]

Law school in paradise sounds awesome, but don't go if you're not from Hawaii. Less than half the class got full time, JD required jobs. Nobody gets Biglaw. All of the jobs people did get were in Hawaii. COA for out of state students is estimated to be $50K a year, but the school estimates that tuition will rise by an extraordinarily large amount each year (http://www.law.hawaii.edu/tuition) and Hawaii is too expensive to realistically stay within budget on living expenses IMO.
But you might consider going if you're from Hawaii, get close to a full ride, are cool with living with your parents, don't have high expectations for your career, have no interest in leaving Hawaii, and have no opportunity costs over the next few years.

I would argue that cost of living, while higher than the midwest, is definitely more reasonable than other places (NYC, SF, etc.). Unlike those places, you can find a reasonably priced place within walking distance of the school. I was spending $400 amonth to share a two bedroom apartment that cost $900 total. That of course is if you are ok having a roommate. However, in the surrounding neighborhood there are many houses renting out bedrooms/1st floors for $500 to $1000.

Just curious, when you say nobody gets Biglaw are you not including firms in Honolulu? Given, I think Richardson is best suited for those intending to practice in Hawaii.

Not a single person in 2011 got a job with a firm that had 100 or more attorneys. 1 person got a job with a law firm of between 51-100 attorneys. This was out of a class of 101 people.

Source: http://employmentsummary.abaquestionnaire.org/

[Lord Randolph McDuff]

Hey- actually I have no ties whatsoever to Hawaii. I didn't think I would get in considering I am OOS but I got accepted in about a month. I got a 161/3.37 from a top public university. I'd say apply if you're considering it. I get the feeling they aren't too generous with scholarships unfortunately, though. I'd definitely need one to uhh... you know, take a visit

Really?

My cycle no one could get in out of state without 170+above median GPA save for like one dude who cured a strand of AIDS. I hate you; really, really wanted to go there.

[Smumps]

Hey- actually I have no ties whatsoever to Hawaii. I didn't think I would get in considering I am OOS but I got accepted in about a month. I got a 161/3.37 from a top public university. I'd say apply if you're considering it. I get the feeling they aren't too generous with scholarships unfortunately, though. I'd definitely need one to uhh... you know, take a visit

I would be *really* careful about going to UH if you are not Native Hawaiian/from Hawaii. It's tough enough to get in to UH without serious ties, but it's another thing to get a job in the Hawaii legal market. Employers are really, really skeptical of students whose only tie is UH (I mean, who wouldn't want to go there?). The running joke is that their first question won't be your grades, but what HS you attended. It's that insular.

I say this as a native Hawaiian going back there for my 1L summer (and hopefully beyond). I'm also happy to answer any questions you have about the school/area/etc.

[1693]

Hey- actually I have no ties whatsoever to Hawaii. I didn't think I would get in considering I am OOS but I got accepted in about a month. I got a 161/3.37 from a top public university. I'd say apply if you're considering it. I get the feeling they aren't too generous with scholarships unfortunately, though. I'd definitely need one to uhh... you know, take a visit

Really?

My cycle no one could get in out of state without 170+above median GPA save for like one dude who cured a strand of AIDS. I hate you; really, really wanted to go there.

Wait, aren't you at CU? That's a great place to be. Why did you want UH over CU, if I may ask?

Also- don't hate. I'm a nice person, I promise!

[Lord Randolph McDuff]

Law school in paradise sounds awesome, but don't go if you're not from Hawaii. Less than half the class got full time, JD required jobs. Nobody gets Biglaw. All of the jobs people did get were in Hawaii. COA for out of state students is estimated to be $50K a year, but the school estimates that tuition will rise by an extraordinarily large amount each year (http://www.law.hawaii.edu/tuition) and Hawaii is too expensive to realistically stay within budget on living expenses IMO.
But you might consider going if you're from Hawaii, get close to a full ride, are cool with living with your parents, don't have high expectations for your career, have no interest in leaving Hawaii, and have no opportunity costs over the next few years.

I would argue that cost of living, while higher than the midwest, is definitely more reasonable than other places (NYC, SF, etc.). Unlike those places, you can find a reasonably priced place within walking distance of the school. I was spending $400 amonth to share a two bedroom apartment that cost $900 total. That of course is if you are ok having a roommate. However, in the surrounding neighborhood there are many houses renting out bedrooms/1st floors for $500 to $1000.

Just curious, when you say nobody gets Biglaw are you not including firms in Honolulu? Given, I think Richardson is best suited for those intending to practice in Hawaii.

Not a single person in 2011 got a job with a firm that had 100 or more attorneys. 1 person got a job with a law firm of between 51-100 attorneys. This was out of a class of 101 people.

Source: http://employmentsummary.abaquestionnaire.org/

Ok, but do firms in Hawaii have over 100 lawyers?

When I looked at the stats, they seemed right in line with many other regional T2, T1s. I saw a couple Fed Clerks, some people with large firms for hawaii standards (25-100 lawyers), and some good JAG and state prosecutorial appointments. Bottom half of the class looked totally broke, but not only is that par for the course nowadays, being totally broke in Hawaii is way better than being totally broke in Jersey. My .02.

[hume85]

Law school in paradise sounds awesome, but don't go if you're not from Hawaii. Less than half the class got full time, JD required jobs. Nobody gets Biglaw. All of the jobs people did get were in Hawaii. COA for out of state students is estimated to be $50K a year, but the school estimates that tuition will rise by an extraordinarily large amount each year (http://www.law.hawaii.edu/tuition) and Hawaii is too expensive to realistically stay within budget on living expenses IMO.
But you might consider going if you're from Hawaii, get close to a full ride, are cool with living with your parents, don't have high expectations for your career, have no interest in leaving Hawaii, and have no opportunity costs over the next few years.

I would argue that cost of living, while higher than the midwest, is definitely more reasonable than other places (NYC, SF, etc.). Unlike those places, you can find a reasonably priced place within walking distance of the school. I was spending $400 amonth to share a two bedroom apartment that cost $900 total. That of course is if you are ok having a roommate. However, in the surrounding neighborhood there are many houses renting out bedrooms/1st floors for $500 to $1000.

Just curious, when you say nobody gets Biglaw are you not including firms in Honolulu? Given, I think Richardson is best suited for those intending to practice in Hawaii.

Not a single person in 2011 got a job with a firm that had 100 or more attorneys. 1 person got a job with a law firm of between 51-100 attorneys. This was out of a class of 101 people.

Source: http://employmentsummary.abaquestionnaire.org/

Ok, but do firms in Hawaii have over 100 lawyers?

When I looked at the stats, they seemed right in line with many other regional T2, T1s. I saw a couple Fed Clerks, some people with large firms for hawaii standards (25-100 lawyers), and some good JAG and state prosecutorial appointments. Bottom half of the class looked totally broke, but not only is that par for the course nowadays, being totally broke in Hawaii is way better than being totally broke in Jersey. My .02.

This isn't relevant. The point is that Biglaw is not an option from Hawaii. The bolded is just a possible explanation.

[Lord Randolph McDuff]

Ok, but do firms in Hawaii have over 100 lawyers?

When I looked at the stats, they seemed right in line with many other regional T2, T1s. I saw a couple Fed Clerks, some people with large firms for hawaii standards (25-100 lawyers), and some good JAG and state prosecutorial appointments. Bottom half of the class looked totally broke, but not only is that par for the course nowadays, being totally broke in Hawaii is way better than being totally broke in Jersey. My .02.

This isn't relevant. The point is that Biglaw is not an option from Hawaii. The bolded is just a possible explanation.

Haha. "Biglaw" is all relative man. What I said was extremely relevant.

People go to UH looking for work in Hawaii. UH gives you a shot at the largest firms in Hawaii. That is the same for any regional school; whether or not there is "Biglaw," in accords with your standards, in each forum state is irrelevant.

Also, why would anyone go to a non T-14 and even consider Biglaw? That = retake. This whole conversation is irrelevant to this thread.

[hume85]

Ok, but do firms in Hawaii have over 100 lawyers?

When I looked at the stats, they seemed right in line with many other regional T2, T1s. I saw a couple Fed Clerks, some people with large firms for hawaii standards (25-100 lawyers), and some good JAG and state prosecutorial appointments. Bottom half of the class looked totally broke, but not only is that par for the course nowadays, being totally broke in Hawaii is way better than being totally broke in Jersey. My .02.

This isn't relevant. The point is that Biglaw is not an option from Hawaii. The bolded is just a possible explanation.

Haha. "Biglaw" is all relative man. What is said was extremely relevant.

People go to UH looking for work in Hawaii. UH gives you a shot at the largest firms in Hawaii. That is the same for any regional school; whether or not there is "Biglaw," in accords with your standards, in each forum state is irrelevant.

Also, why would anyone go to a non T-14 and even consider Biglaw? That = retake. This whole conversation is irrelevant to this thread.

Biglaw isn't that relative: less than 50 attorneys ain't Biglaw. Hawaii's COA for out of staters is $50k, and it is going up each year. The OP is from out of state. Going there from out of state means that Biglaw placement is relevant, because paying back $100k or more on peanuts is difficult. That's why people outside of the T-14 consider Biglaw. I was responding to he/she and anyone else considering the same thing. Quit being so fucking dense.

[Lord Randolph McDuff]

Ok, but do firms in Hawaii have over 100 lawyers?

When I looked at the stats, they seemed right in line with many other regional T2, T1s. I saw a couple Fed Clerks, some people with large firms for hawaii standards (25-100 lawyers), and some good JAG and state prosecutorial appointments. Bottom half of the class looked totally broke, but not only is that par for the course nowadays, being totally broke in Hawaii is way better than being totally broke in Jersey. My .02.

This isn't relevant. The point is that Biglaw is not an option from Hawaii. The bolded is just a possible explanation.

Haha. "Biglaw" is all relative man. What is said was extremely relevant.

People go to UH looking for work in Hawaii. UH gives you a shot at the largest firms in Hawaii. That is the same for any regional school; whether or not there is "Biglaw," in accords with your standards, in each forum state is irrelevant.

Also, why would anyone go to a non T-14 and even consider Biglaw? That = retake. This whole conversation is irrelevant to this thread.

Biglaw isn't that relative: less than 50 attorneys ain't Biglaw. Hawaii's COA for out of staters is $50k, and it is going up each year. The OP is from out of state. Going there from out of state means that Biglaw placement is relevant, because paying back $100k or more on peanuts is difficult. That's why people outside of the T-14 consider Biglaw. I was responding to he/she and anyone else considering the same thing. Quit being so fucking dense.

Quit being so fucking mean. And biglaw is relative. In over half of the states in this great country, you won't find anything resembling "biglaw." The point isn't how big the firm is, it is how much they pay. There are hardly any large firms in Colorado, but there are firms of 25 attorneys that will pay you 75k-90k to start. When a CU student gets this gig, people here think he got "big-law."

Does UH give in-state after 1 year? I go to a regional law school, I work in law school to make money, and I was also granted in-state after 1L. Why can't this work at UH? Also, have you ever heard of LRAP/PLRAP?

People who give advice under the assumption that everyone else shares there desires/goals are immature and annoying as fuck. Stop.

[bk1]

Reminder: this thread is for acceptances/denials/waitlists at UH and for UH c/o 2016, NOT for debating the merits of said school or what the definition of biglaw is. The previous posts are clearly off topic. If you wish to discuss things other than the main purpose of the thread, please take it to PM.

[KibblesnBitts]

Hey- actually I have no ties whatsoever to Hawaii. I didn't think I would get in considering I am OOS but I got accepted in about a month. I got a 161/3.37 from a top public university. I'd say apply if you're considering it. I get the feeling they aren't too generous with scholarships unfortunately, though. I'd definitely need one to uhh... you know, take a visit

Really?

My cycle no one could get in out of state without 170+above median GPA save for like one dude who cured a strand of AIDS. I hate you; really, really wanted to go there.

Logged in for the first time since I submitted my deposit (at another school) for this. 161/3.72 GPA. OOS, no connections to Hawaii, got in.

However, the school wasn't for me, and the $50k per year wasn't worth it

HOWEVER, if you have ties to East Asia, speak Mandarin or Japanese, consider it. Otherwise, Hawaii is a small community, isolated from the rest of the country. Think of your options before you move thousands of miles away.

[Lord Randolph McDuff]

Hey- actually I have no ties whatsoever to Hawaii. I didn't think I would get in considering I am OOS but I got accepted in about a month. I got a 161/3.37 from a top public university. I'd say apply if you're considering it. I get the feeling they aren't too generous with scholarships unfortunately, though. I'd definitely need one to uhh... you know, take a visit

Really?

My cycle no one could get in out of state without 170+above median GPA save for like one dude who cured a strand of AIDS. I hate you; really, really wanted to go there.

Logged in for the first time since I submitted my deposit (at another school) for this. 161/3.72 GPA. OOS, no connections to Hawaii, got in.

However, the school wasn't for me, and the $50k per year wasn't worth it

HOWEVER, if you have ties to East Asia, speak Mandarin or Japanese, consider it. Otherwise, Hawaii is a small community, isolated from the rest of the country. Think of your options before you move thousands of miles away.

From the crowd who gets in OOS, it seems so random. They must look for above both medians and just pick out the personal statements that they like.

I wasn't given the option, but I for one would have chosen another 60k-70k debt to work in Hawaii. The route I'm going down- Public Interest/Gov- would have meant I was living on peanuts in every part of the country. Not responsible, but we all have the freedom to allocate our preferences.

[eomea5]

hey guys, sent my application in last week (164 Dec LSAT, 3.5 (approx) GPA, top private university). Wondering how long most had to wait to get their reply after submitting? I'm out of state and have no hawaii-ties, but was a Japanese major and want to practice in Japan (or Hawaii, if I end up liking it there)

[superhopefulwoo]

I don't know about the majority of people, but I had to wait about 2 weeks after sending in my application. Best of luck to you - your stats seem very good so your chances seem better than most. Of course, I'm not too familiar with their standards for OOS applicants. Again, Good Luck!

[eomea5]

thanks for the insight!

[1693]

hey guys, sent my application in last week (165 Dec LSAT, 3.7 GPA, top private university). Wondering how long most had to wait to get their reply after submitting? I'm out of state and have no hawaii-ties, but was a Japanese major and want to practice in Japan (or Hawaii, if I end up liking it there)

Took somewhere around a month for me I believe

[eomea5]

are people hearing by phone or email? checked the thread from last year and it seems like most of those for c/o 2015 heard by phone. wondering if that has been the case this year as well.

[sonny]

are people hearing by phone or email? checked the thread from last year and it seems like most of those for c/o 2015 heard by phone. wondering if that has been the case this year as well.

I heard by phone in November. From talking to people seems like its been by phone for the past couple years at least.