Seattle University ASD 3/26/10 Review
Posted: Sat Mar 27, 2010 10:28 pm
Yesterday I had the distinct pleasure of being able to attend Seattle University's admitted student's day and check out the area around the school. I am writing this review by and large because, like with my DePaul review, there isnt as much current information available for SU as there would be other schools such as Yale or Boalt. With that being said, this review is going to be broken up into three main points (Academic, Job Prospects, Social Life) followed by an overall summary at the end to cap things off. I hope this review helps some of you in rendering your decisions or at the very least give some of you considering applying there for the next cycle an idea of what to expect.
Academic
US News ranks SU as the 77th best law school in America and that number has been steadily climbing in recent years. It is predicted they will either stay the same or continue to move up in rankings this year when the new rankings are released. SU also boasts the current #1 legal writing program in the nation and any student who enrolls in SU will be expected to take a rigorous set of classes on legal writing. One student described it to me as "hell, but totally worth it" when I ran into a group of current students on the moot court team celebrating the end of a trial they just had. As a Jesuit institution, Seattle University places a strong emphasis on "social justice" in the law. While there is little religious influence if any in the classroom, SU is BIG on doing their best to produce attorneys who are competitive in the market but also instilling a strong sense of ethics into its students, encouraging them to use their skills to better humanity wherever they could.
Seattle University also has a reputation for a pretty brutal curve during the first year. This reputation is, unfortunately, quite true. However, the faculty make it a point to encourage students to work with each other rather than against each other in such a competitive environment. I could find no instances of anyone talking about casebooks disappearing from the library or students intentionally "doctoring" other classmates unattended notes. The school struck me as difficult, but in a friendly good sportsmanship type of way.
During the summer months, Seattle University also offers a summer program in Crim Law. While I was at the ASD it was recommended, but the faculty and students attending said it wasnt necessary. However, upon meeting the other students last night at the bar, most all of them immediately said "take it, you'll thank us during finals week when you get to go home on Wednesday instead of Friday." It seems to me that any admitted student wanting to shield their GPA a bit that first semester would do well to take this course (I know I will be if I chose to go here).
Job Market
It is no secret that the legal market in general is highly saturated. This is especially true of Seattle. However, there were several alum present that worked in legal fields ranging from public interest to big law. The general consensus amongst them when asked about this was that while the market is currently saturated in Seattle itself, there are still a plethora of opportunities for SU grads all over the northwest, such as in Portland and Vancouver. Furthermore, many of these firms who have greatly reduced or outright stopped recruiting new associates are planning on resuming regular hiring practices within the next year or so.
While this economy has made us all no strangers to hardship, and the grim reality of the current legal market is a sobering plight for all of us, things are by and large on the up and up again. The US is beginning to show strong signs of recovery (it is now no longer a jobless recovery, employment IS picking back up) and the Fall 2010 entering class is believed to be particularly well placed to capitalize on this upswing. So fret not, the opportunities are there, or will most likely be fairly soon.
Social Life
SU is located in the southern end of a neighborhood known as Capitol Hill. I have heard reports from others that it isnt the safest neighborhood and it is the "gay neighborhood". However, being a LA native who has traveled to most of the major cities in the US for one reason or another, I can say with absolute certainty that even Capitol Hill is nothing in comparison to cities such as Washington D.C. or New York. The gay part is true though, but I found that even during spring break there were plenty of college kids as well. Essentially speaking, you will find a VERY diverse mix of individuals in this neighborhood. If you are averse to having different ideas and lifestyles thrown in your face and would feel more comfortable in an environment where the majority of the people share your world views, then Seattle University will NOT be for you unless you wish to become comfortable with such diversity of, well, everything.
I was fortunate enough to go out with a few other TLSers last night and we ended up at a bar called "Lindas" that was by far the best experience I had in the city. As it turned out, like I mentioned above, the moot court team had just finished a competition and were celebrating at that very same bar. One of their teammates overheard us talking about the ASD and invited us to join them for some rounds of revelry. After that experience Seattle became a near "sold" in my book. The students here are just plain fun to hang out with. All of them I met are extremely nice individuals and were eager to answer any questions we had. They gave us a good "real" perspective of being a law student there: they work hard and play hard.
Overall
To put it short, I would highly recommend Seattle University to anyone interested in practicing law in the pacific northwest. This school absolutely dominates the area, producing twice as many graduates as UW and appears to place equally as well in the market. At a sticker price of $36,000 a year in tuition, plus another $15-20k in living expenses/books/alcohol/drugs/prostitutes (jk on the last couple
), it is a competitive price with other law schools in the region. The commitment to social justice SU is adamant about makes the atmosphere in the classroom as well as outside of the law building one of loyal friendships between fellow students as well as with faculty. The faculty are all very accessible and are genuinely concerned about their student's well-being, despite the curve.
The social life in Seattle is bomb and there is a ton of stuff to do with all the little crazy novelty shops (I also recommend finding a business down on Pike by Broadway called "Gay City", it's a great opportunity to get some pictures and photoshop some of your good friends around the building
With the economy on the rise again, the social life being amazing, and the academics being top notch in the region, Seattle University is a great and respectable pick for law school should you be fortunate enough to be admitted.
Academic
US News ranks SU as the 77th best law school in America and that number has been steadily climbing in recent years. It is predicted they will either stay the same or continue to move up in rankings this year when the new rankings are released. SU also boasts the current #1 legal writing program in the nation and any student who enrolls in SU will be expected to take a rigorous set of classes on legal writing. One student described it to me as "hell, but totally worth it" when I ran into a group of current students on the moot court team celebrating the end of a trial they just had. As a Jesuit institution, Seattle University places a strong emphasis on "social justice" in the law. While there is little religious influence if any in the classroom, SU is BIG on doing their best to produce attorneys who are competitive in the market but also instilling a strong sense of ethics into its students, encouraging them to use their skills to better humanity wherever they could.
Seattle University also has a reputation for a pretty brutal curve during the first year. This reputation is, unfortunately, quite true. However, the faculty make it a point to encourage students to work with each other rather than against each other in such a competitive environment. I could find no instances of anyone talking about casebooks disappearing from the library or students intentionally "doctoring" other classmates unattended notes. The school struck me as difficult, but in a friendly good sportsmanship type of way.
During the summer months, Seattle University also offers a summer program in Crim Law. While I was at the ASD it was recommended, but the faculty and students attending said it wasnt necessary. However, upon meeting the other students last night at the bar, most all of them immediately said "take it, you'll thank us during finals week when you get to go home on Wednesday instead of Friday." It seems to me that any admitted student wanting to shield their GPA a bit that first semester would do well to take this course (I know I will be if I chose to go here).
Job Market
It is no secret that the legal market in general is highly saturated. This is especially true of Seattle. However, there were several alum present that worked in legal fields ranging from public interest to big law. The general consensus amongst them when asked about this was that while the market is currently saturated in Seattle itself, there are still a plethora of opportunities for SU grads all over the northwest, such as in Portland and Vancouver. Furthermore, many of these firms who have greatly reduced or outright stopped recruiting new associates are planning on resuming regular hiring practices within the next year or so.
While this economy has made us all no strangers to hardship, and the grim reality of the current legal market is a sobering plight for all of us, things are by and large on the up and up again. The US is beginning to show strong signs of recovery (it is now no longer a jobless recovery, employment IS picking back up) and the Fall 2010 entering class is believed to be particularly well placed to capitalize on this upswing. So fret not, the opportunities are there, or will most likely be fairly soon.
Social Life
SU is located in the southern end of a neighborhood known as Capitol Hill. I have heard reports from others that it isnt the safest neighborhood and it is the "gay neighborhood". However, being a LA native who has traveled to most of the major cities in the US for one reason or another, I can say with absolute certainty that even Capitol Hill is nothing in comparison to cities such as Washington D.C. or New York. The gay part is true though, but I found that even during spring break there were plenty of college kids as well. Essentially speaking, you will find a VERY diverse mix of individuals in this neighborhood. If you are averse to having different ideas and lifestyles thrown in your face and would feel more comfortable in an environment where the majority of the people share your world views, then Seattle University will NOT be for you unless you wish to become comfortable with such diversity of, well, everything.
I was fortunate enough to go out with a few other TLSers last night and we ended up at a bar called "Lindas" that was by far the best experience I had in the city. As it turned out, like I mentioned above, the moot court team had just finished a competition and were celebrating at that very same bar. One of their teammates overheard us talking about the ASD and invited us to join them for some rounds of revelry. After that experience Seattle became a near "sold" in my book. The students here are just plain fun to hang out with. All of them I met are extremely nice individuals and were eager to answer any questions we had. They gave us a good "real" perspective of being a law student there: they work hard and play hard.
Overall
To put it short, I would highly recommend Seattle University to anyone interested in practicing law in the pacific northwest. This school absolutely dominates the area, producing twice as many graduates as UW and appears to place equally as well in the market. At a sticker price of $36,000 a year in tuition, plus another $15-20k in living expenses/books/alcohol/drugs/prostitutes (jk on the last couple
), it is a competitive price with other law schools in the region. The commitment to social justice SU is adamant about makes the atmosphere in the classroom as well as outside of the law building one of loyal friendships between fellow students as well as with faculty. The faculty are all very accessible and are genuinely concerned about their student's well-being, despite the curve.The social life in Seattle is bomb and there is a ton of stuff to do with all the little crazy novelty shops (I also recommend finding a business down on Pike by Broadway called "Gay City", it's a great opportunity to get some pictures and photoshop some of your good friends around the building
With the economy on the rise again, the social life being amazing, and the academics being top notch in the region, Seattle University is a great and respectable pick for law school should you be fortunate enough to be admitted.
I'm sorry to say I didn't try one. One day... maybe.