In at UC Irvine Forum

[kp1981]

So, for everyone going to Irvine, how old are you? Am I correct to assume that this is going to be a pretty non-trad class, age-wise? I'm 28 and starting to think I may not be an "older" student. Yay.

Also, any word on how many apps they've received? A few posts ago someone said 1,000. Is that true and current?

I will be 28 when classes start. I'm also excited about the possibility of the student body being a little older than at many other schools!

[jibstir13]

I'm taking a trip out west to visit the UCI campus on either Monday or Friday next week, if anyone's interested in some pictures/descriptions/anecdotes/etc.

If you, or anyone visiting UCI and Irvine, want suggestions for good restaurants or want to check out some apts lemme know...I know my way around here pretty well and can give you some ideas.

[Feathers]

Brian Leiter's Law School Rankings website published a study today of the "Top Ten Law Faculties in Scholarly Impact, 2005-2008". UC Irvine made the Top 10! Not bad for a school that hasn't even opened yet.

http://www.leiterrankings.com/faculty/2 ... pact.shtml

Too bad quality of the faculty isn't really measured for US News school rankings. Why is that anyway? Doesn't make sense to me.

Wow!! Thanks for this.

[pany1985]

I'm not sure how I feel about being one of the younger people in the class (at 24)

[Feathers]

I'm not sure how I feel about being one of the younger people in the class (at 24)

From what I understand, the admissions committe was very selective about the type of person accepted at Irvine. If you're among them, you're there for a reason! I have a feeling that this class will be more tight than most, and that those few years won't make much of a difference.

[dlm2100]

For anyone else getting a snail mail letter from Irvine about your social security # and bday date not matching up with the one they received on your FAFSA, it's okay...I called and she said it was an error. You'll get an email explaining it soon. The little letter will probably freak you out either way.

quick edit: it doesn't mean anything good/bad either, you just haven't been offered a seat yet.

[jadedV]

I applied in Jan... I wish they would tell me if I was complete or not...

[dlm2100]

I applied in Jan... I wish they would tell me if I was complete or not...

i didn't think they did...anyone else know?

[scantronix]

I agree with the 'you're there for a reason' bit. I think this will be an exciting, unconventional class. Being as that is, this is freaking me out:
http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=irvine

[A'nold]

I visited UCI yesterday with my family and have three take-aways:

1. The first class of 60 students will be the darling babies of the UC system as a whole for their three years. Their experiences will be an essential part of the school's accreditation process, and will be a valued part of establishing the school's enduring infrastructure.

2. The 1L Curriculum they've devised is innovative, demanding, and unique, with a distinctive focus on lawyering skills and analysis rather than case regurgitation, clinical experience built into the second semester, and an International Law class as part of the curriculum.

3. Dean Ortiz reads this board and is watching you right now.

ORLY? O.k., then I have a question for Dean Ortiz: Why did you lie to all of us by telling us that you would "look beyond the numbers for the right fit candidate" and then proceeed to admit nothing but 165+ 3.5+ applicants? No need to answer back, it was a rhetorical question. Answer: To up your selectivity score.

[LawApp2012]

I agree with the 'you're there for a reason' bit. I think this will be an exciting, unconventional class. Being as that is, this is freaking me out:
http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=irvine

Which part on that website is freaking you out? I grew up near Irvine in Huntington Beach. It's true that Irvine is a very surburban and somewhat quiet city, but it's right next to Newport Beach, Laguna Beach, and there's plenty to do. You won't get the big city life obviously, but that's not for me anyway. Plus, LA is a 45 minute drive away.

[scantronix]

I guess it is all the talk about the twilight zone-y uber master planned community feel. I'm picturing Pleasantville.

[LawApp2012]

I guess it is all the talk about the twilight zone-y uber master planned community feel. I'm picturing Pleasantville.

LOL. I've never actually lived in Irvine, but I'm pretty sure it's not that bad. If you buy a home in a planned community, you're always going to be subject to the community rules, but that's the same in any city.

[jcl2]

It was a tough decision, but I finally sent out my letter declining the offer today. Not being certain about living in Southern California, and especially Irvine, did play a role in the decision.
Best of luck to those of you who are going and those of you hoping to get accepted. I think it will be a great school and being part of that inaugural class is likely to be an extraordinary experience.

[scantronix]

Where ya going instead?

[A'nold]

It was a tough decision, but I finally sent out my letter declining the offer today. Not being certain about living in Southern California, and especially Irvine, did play a role in the decision.
Best of luck to those of you who are going and those of you hoping to get accepted. I think it will be a great school and being part of that inaugural class is likely to be an extraordinary experience.

Thanks. Tell them to accept ole A'nold will yah? Thnx!

[google]

It was a tough decision, but I finally sent out my letter declining the offer today. Not being certain about living in Southern California, and especially Irvine, did play a role in the decision.
Best of luck to those of you who are going and those of you hoping to get accepted. I think it will be a great school and being part of that inaugural class is likely to be an extraordinary experience.

Do you mind sharing your numbers, where you're from, and what your current top 3 choice are now?

Thanks and good luck on finding the right fit for yourself.

[google]

3. Dean Ortiz reads this board and is watching you right now.

ORLY? O.k., then I have a question for Dean Ortiz: Why did you lie to all of us by telling us that you would "look beyond the numbers for the right fit candidate" and then proceeed to admit nothing but 165+ 3.5+ applicants? No need to answer back, it was a rhetorical question. Answer: To up your selectivity score.

They still have plenty of slots left to prove themselves, so we'll have to wait and see.

[LawApp2012]

3. Dean Ortiz reads this board and is watching you right now.

ORLY? O.k., then I have a question for Dean Ortiz: Why did you lie to all of us by telling us that you would "look beyond the numbers for the right fit candidate" and then proceeed to admit nothing but 165+ 3.5+ applicants? No need to answer back, it was a rhetorical question. Answer: To up your selectivity score.

They still have plenty of slots left to prove themselves, so we'll have to wait and see.

I don't think she meant that they would completely ignore the numbers, but that they would look beyond them to find the best candidates for the school's goals. All of the students admitted so far have high numbers, but also all seem to have significant work experience and perhaps share other traits that are important to UC Irvine. One of the school's goals is to be a top-rated school at some point, so they can't just ignore numbers altogether, but numbers alone may not be their top priority.

[A'nold]

3. Dean Ortiz reads this board and is watching you right now.

ORLY? O.k., then I have a question for Dean Ortiz: Why did you lie to all of us by telling us that you would "look beyond the numbers for the right fit candidate" and then proceeed to admit nothing but 165+ 3.5+ applicants? No need to answer back, it was a rhetorical question. Answer: To up your selectivity score.

They still have plenty of slots left to prove themselves, so we'll have to wait and see.

I don't think she meant that they would completely ignore the numbers, but that they would look beyond them to find the best candidates for the school's goals. All of the students admitted so far have high numbers, but also all seem to have significant work experience and perhaps share other traits that are important to UC Irvine. One of the school's goals is to be a top-rated school at some point, so they can't just ignore numbers altogether, but numbers alone may not be their top priority.

Hmmm.....165+ LSAT's along with a 3.5+ GPA are actually rarer than we sometimes admit on this site. I'm sure the # that applied to UCI was relatively small, considering most with #'s like that on here said they would never go to an unaccredited law school. It pretty much seems like they just blanketed the higher #'ed students, but I guess I could be wrong.

[google]

3. Dean Ortiz reads this board and is watching you right now.

ORLY? O.k., then I have a question for Dean Ortiz: Why did you lie to all of us by telling us that you would "look beyond the numbers for the right fit candidate" and then proceeed to admit nothing but 165+ 3.5+ applicants? No need to answer back, it was a rhetorical question. Answer: To up your selectivity score.

They still have plenty of slots left to prove themselves, so we'll have to wait and see.

I don't think she meant that they would completely ignore the numbers, but that they would look beyond them to find the best candidates for the school's goals. All of the students admitted so far have high numbers, but also all seem to have significant work experience and perhaps share other traits that are important to UC Irvine. One of the school's goals is to be a top-rated school at some point, so they can't just ignore numbers altogether, but numbers alone may not be their top priority.

That's true. Excellent softs and superb numbers aren't mutually exclusive.

[Anonymous0L]

Face it, UCI is not going to "look beyond the numbers" this year. They have plenty of applicants with 164+/3.5+s. They probably just wanted more applications to boost their selectivity %. On the contrary, if you have those numbers it's a guaranteed in.

[jcl2]

It was a tough decision, but I finally sent out my letter declining the offer today. Not being certain about living in Southern California, and especially Irvine, did play a role in the decision.
Best of luck to those of you who are going and those of you hoping to get accepted. I think it will be a great school and being part of that inaugural class is likely to be an extraordinary experience.

Do you mind sharing your numbers, where you're from, and what your current top 3 choice are now?

Thanks and good luck on finding the right fit for yourself.

I'm from eastern Washington (did grow up in California though). My numbers are 166/3.32, but I also have a Master's degree and good work experience.
I am probably going to the University of Washington. It makes the most sense for me because I have lots of family and friends in the area and I am pretty sure that I want to work in the Northwest after law school. If I were sure that I wanted to live and work in Southern California Irvine may have been a good option, but as it is I am just not confident enough in the job prospects elsewhere, and my wife and I decided that we were not willing to commit to Southern California for the long term.

[Timmybb13]

For anyone else getting a snail mail letter from Irvine about your social security # and bday date not matching up with the one they received on your FAFSA, it's okay...I called and she said it was an error. You'll get an email explaining it soon. The little letter will probably freak you out either way.

quick edit: it doesn't mean anything good/bad either, you just haven't been offered a seat yet.




----Wowa, got that thin letter today. Must admit it was a bit bizarre. I went scrambling to check my FAFSA, but if what you say is right, that's a pretty strange mistake to make.

[Rocky Estoppel]

For anyone else getting a snail mail letter from Irvine about your social security # and bday date not matching up with the one they received on your FAFSA, it's okay...I called and she said it was an error. You'll get an email explaining it soon. The little letter will probably freak you out either way.

quick edit: it doesn't mean anything good/bad either, you just haven't been offered a seat yet.




----Wowa, got that thin letter today. Must admit it was a bit bizarre. I went scrambling to check my FAFSA, but if what you say is right, that's a pretty strange mistake to make.

I just received this letter today. Glad I have this board so I don't freak out too much. I'm happy to see it's just a mistake. I'll call on Monday just to make sure though.