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Hi all - first time poster in this thread. Mainly looking for advice from any Boalt goons. I taught high school for the past 5 years, decided I didn't like it. 171 on June LSAT, 3.6 gpa many many moons ago. It looks as if I have a decent shot at some top schools, but zero chance with Boalt. Is this because Boalt prioritizes CA residents? I live in the bay area, so hoping that might help me a bit. Otherwise...oh well.
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Jun 29, 2011 21:07
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Xvimic posted:So I just scored 172 on the 2011 June LSAT and I have a 3.75 undergrad GPA. Stanford is probably even more difficult to get into than Harvard, I don't know what gave you the idea they're any easier (besides the rankings). SLS sent me some sample resumes last year, and these were for URMs. They were insane. I suppose SLS might have a lower median GPA but that's probably because they get more URM applicants, being in California. Not trying to be a downer, but don't set your sights on Stanford thinking their admissions are easier than Harvard or even Yale. On the other hand, as someone going to HYS and having almost not applied due to the assumption of swift rejections, apply. Maynard_Hippo posted:Hi all - first time poster in this thread. I tailored my entire admissions approach toward Boalt, so I can speak to this. Boalt states that they reserve about half their spots for California residents, so yes, there is an advantage. Unlike the claims of many others schools, I would say Boalt's admission process is actually seems holistic, and cares about your softs a bit more than the average T13. On the other hand, I've also read Boalt is one of the odd schools that favors GPA over LSAT, but if your GPA is much more dated than your LSAT score, perhaps not. It also probably depends on how badly Boalt wants to climb the rankings in the next couple years, having taken a beating this year, they may start taking the approach to softs/LSAT/GPA that everyone else does. I would say Boalt might be a coin flip for you, but that's still pretty good odds. Apply early, write a good personal statement. I think Boalt would be fond of a Bay Area teacher, but I'm not going to argue that softs matter that much, even at Boalt. Edit: Looks like LSN thinks it's more difficult than a coin flip. I still think your odds are better than the 15-20% that LSN indicates, but your odds aren't amazing. topheryan fucked around with this message at 21:27 on Jun 29, 2011 |
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Jun 29, 2011 21:19
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Maynard_Hippo posted:Hi all - first time poster in this thread. Dang, you're right. http://berkeley.lawschoolnumbers.co...5,6,7,8&type=jd Berkeley puts an unusually high emphasis on undergraduate GPA. I'm not sure if they prioritize California residents, but I've never heard of that being a significant factor in their admissions. Assuming you're a non-URM (that list excludes URMs), you're probably not getting in, unless I did something wrong.
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Jun 29, 2011 21:21
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Xvimic posted:So I just scored 172 on the 2011 June LSAT and I have a 3.75 undergrad GPA. I had your exact numbers and I'm going to Columbia in the fall. I applied pretty much the day applications opened though, so apply early. However, don't expect much money from Columbia. 
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Jun 29, 2011 21:22
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Bathing Jesus posted:To respond to everyone's comments at once - there's no plagiarism involved, the article isn't at all preempted, etc. I just graduated and will be working at a firm by the time the article gets published; my coauthor will be clerking on the 9th Circuit. Broadly speaking, the article is about trademark theory, which is the area I'm hoping to work myself into at my firm come this fall, so I'm certainly happy having my name attached to it. Fordham's law review (just their normal law review) tends to publish a number of IP articles, they may not be a bad bet either. Also Michigan's Telecoms Law journal - it's called telecoms, but publishes a lot of IP. GW probably has something too, I forget, it's been a while since I researched IP-specific publishing (though I'll need to hit it again come August). But honestly, here's the three pieces of correct advice you need: -You can submit now, but there's no reason to. Article submission windows are March-April (primary) and July-August (secondary). Things submitted in between, at most journals, are just kind of back burnered because they don't need to make offers yet. Also, it's summer and journal staff don't want to work. Keep working on it until July and then get it out the door. -See where respected IP folks publish to give yourself some ideas. Do au(x) searches for Lemley, Dreyfuss, Tushnet, Merges, Litman, Cohen, Netanel, Eisenberg, Samuelson, etc. - you know who you ought to be looking for here. See where they published recently and use that to build your list. -Now that you have that list, you're going to basically ignore it. Submit to loving everyone, and bargain up once you get your first offer.
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Jun 29, 2011 22:17
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Tip for you practicing lawyers in large prestigious firms (who get paid by the word by their superrich clients): Do not complain too loudly to the judge if he denies your request for oral arguments. Your stupid motion is really stupid. Oral arguments will not help your stupid theory that the state trial court should overrule 250 years of precedent from 51 different jurisdictions. Especially do not call chambers several times asking for oral arguments. You get paid too much for this nonsense. Also, do not file motions asking the state trial court to overrule 250 years of precedent from 51 different jurisdictions. Finally, when your mistaken belief of basic law 101 concepts is pointed out in the opposition, do not file a reply brief reiterating that the state trial court should overrule 250 years of precedent from 51 jurisdictions. BigHead fucked around with this message at 23:21 on Jun 29, 2011 |
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Jun 29, 2011 22:32
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Kalman posted:Fordham's law review (just their normal law review) tends to publish a number of IP articles, they may not be a bad bet either. Also Michigan's Telecoms Law journal - it's called telecoms, but publishes a lot of IP. GW probably has something too, I forget, it's been a while since I researched IP-specific publishing (though I'll need to hit it again come August). Yeah, truth to all of this. We'd planned to shoot for the August window, but a couple of the professors who will be giving us comments aren't too quick on replying *cough*landes*cough* so we're kind of stuck waiting until then. I'll definitely be running those au(x) searches though, if only to decide where to submit on our first round through.
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Jun 29, 2011 22:38
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shovelbum posted:How do you get application fee waivers, anyway? Fee waivers are for pussies. Be a real man and eat the debt.
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Jun 29, 2011 23:56
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Holland Oats posted:Does anyone know of any government offices or nonprofits that give job offers to their 2L summer interns? I know that the New York City Law Department does but that's the only one I've heard. Some gov places that I interviewed with at 2L OCI that do (although they aren't like big firms, they can't guarantee an offer because of budget stuff, but there is at least a decent chance at getting hired): CIA Senate Office of Legislative Counsel Federal Reserve Department of the Navy FTC But yeah the U of A handbook is the best resource for this.
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Jun 30, 2011 01:27
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BigHead posted:Tip for you practicing lawyers in large prestigious firms (who get paid by the word by their superrich clients): Do not complain too loudly to the judge if he denies your request for oral arguments. Your stupid motion is really stupid. Oral arguments will not help your stupid theory that the state trial court should overrule 250 years of precedent from 51 different jurisdictions. Especially do not call chambers several times asking for oral arguments. You get paid too much for this nonsense. Clerking owns
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Jun 30, 2011 02:44
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Kalman posted:-Now that you have that list, you're going to basically ignore it. Submit to loving everyone, and bargain up once you get your first offer.
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Jun 30, 2011 02:56
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prussian advisor posted:This is true even for public T14s, which cost about the same as their private counterparts and usually have a token discount for in-state students (about 10% off sticker, as opposed to the usual ~65-85% discount.) Confirming this and adding that out-of-state tuition for the first year while you establish residency can be several thousand more than private peers Also PR, re: mid-career clerking. Give it a shot. Both my CDO and my firm are telling me to apply now, but are noticing a trend towards hiring people with at least a year of practical experience after law school. I've noticed a decent amount of judges on OSCAR are even requiring it now.
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Jun 30, 2011 03:04
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Maynard_Hippo posted:Hi all - first time poster in this thread. As the only Boaltie Goon around at the moment lemme take a moment to answer. First, you do not have zero chance. I know they're tinkering with admissions this year - for example, this year's transfer class is going to be half of last years. My guess is to make room to admit more out-of-state people (call that a soft factor for now). But the incoming class will be bigger for sure. Let me explain the GPA and holistic approach thing: If you look at LSN and read all the anecdotal stuff it is easy to come away thinking these things matter more here than peer schools. The way it is explained by our Dean is they take LSAT, GPA and Softs, split them into nearly equal thirds, and go from there. Other T14s do not do this; the peers all weigh LSAT more (since US News counts LSAT more for rank, maybe LSAT is a better indicator of quality blowjobs etc etc etc). So for example, Student A has a 175/3.5/no work experience, and Student B has a 165/3.8/great work experience. Both apply to Berkeley. Boalt will take Student B, because he beats Student A on two of the three elements and nothing is completely out of wack bad. The fact that A has an awesome LSAT doesn't matter as much here, but it will matter at peers who do not do the (more) equal split. Now to be clear this is an easy example and there are cut offs. The take away is things are approached more evenly here. Basically just apply and hold a good thought. Happy to answer any questions about the school.
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Jun 30, 2011 03:37
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Xvimic posted:3.75 and a 174 got me into columbia with a big ol scholarship for some reason
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Jun 30, 2011 04:02
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Feces Starship posted:3.75 and a 174 got me into columbia with a big ol scholarship for some reason A 3.65 and a 174 got me a $40k scholarship too.
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Jun 30, 2011 04:47
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MEET ME BY DUCKS posted:Stanford is probably even more difficult to get into than Harvard, I don't know what gave you the idea they're any easier (besides the rankings). SLS sent me some sample resumes last year, and these were for URMs. They were insane. I suppose SLS might have a lower median GPA but that's probably because they get more URM applicants, being in California. No problem, I don't have a hard-on for Stanford or even Yale or Harvard for that matter. I just know a guy who had a GPA similar to mine with a 170 who got into Stanford and was rejected from both Yale and Harvard. Admittedly it's anecdotal but this combined with the fact that Stan is technically lower ranked and my stats fall more into line with its medians led me to assume it would be easier to get into. I see now on the probability calculators (what ever they are worth) that what you are saying has some truth to it. It gives me a 10% for Harvard, 5% for Stanford and 3.28% for Yale. I think I'll just apply to all the T14(15?,16?) and see what sticks. I'll be happy with any of them, of course I have my preferences. commish posted:Yeah, seriously. "Hi, I didn't apply to any schools. Should I go to Columbia and pay sticker or GW and pay 1/4th? Thanks." :p I had just got my score and spent the next few hours doing research and spazzing out a little. I got amped up and couldn't help myself from engaging in some hypothetical war-gaming shenanigans spurred on largely by random bullshit on law forums and 5 year old articles I had just read. I'll get my acceptances and then worry about the particulars, you are all right it is pointless at the moment. Speaking of which: How many applications did you guys all send out? I was thinking about 20, seems like a lot but what the hell right?.
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Jun 30, 2011 06:58
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Xvimic posted:No problem, I don't have a hard-on for Stanford or even Yale or Harvard for that matter. I just know a guy who had a GPA similar to mine with a 170 who got into Stanford and was rejected from both Yale and Harvard. Admittedly it's anecdotal but this combined with the fact that Stan is technically lower ranked and my stats fall more into line with its medians led me to assume it would be easier to get into. I see now on the probability calculators (what ever they are worth) that what you are saying has some truth to it. It gives me a 10% for Harvard, 5% for Stanford and 3.28% for Yale. Those numbers for HYS sound about right. I sent out around twenty myself, but the only applications I paid for were Harvard/Stanford/Berkeley. Waivers should be starting to trickle in now, which will give a decent idea of where to apply. Anecdotal, but I wasn't rejected from a single school that sent me a fee waiver. My piece of advice for people gearing up for this admissions cycle is begin to treat the admissions cycle as having started right now. I had spent years during undergrad preparing for law school admissions, I knew what to do and when to do it, but procrastination crept up, time constraints arose, and fear of rejection letters sank in, so I waited and waited and waited, months past the beginning of the cycle. All I had to do was update my resume and write a two or three page personal statement, but I waited three months into the cycle to do it, and spent a good week working on it. It didn't hurt me, but it easily could have, and it's ridiculous to think how long I waited to send my applications off when I knew well that the timing alone could easily mean the difference between a reach school and a safety school.
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Jun 30, 2011 07:16
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How is the job market for Canadian lawyers? I keep hearing it's pretty good, but is that code for "slightly less miserable than in the states?"
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Jun 30, 2011 08:32
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Bellams posted:How is the job market for Canadian lawyers? I keep hearing it's pretty good, but is that code for "slightly less miserable than in the states?" It is less miserable than the States but it depends on where and what you want to practice. At my school, we say everyone who wants an article gets an article within a couple months of graduating. It might mean settling for something that's different than you want but it's an article. Gives us more details and we can be more helpful.
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Jun 30, 2011 13:12
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Xvimic posted:
I sent out 12, paid for 3. One thing to be aware of is that a lot of schools will inexplicably give you fee waivers without telling you; you won't know until you submit your application and go to pay. I think this has to do with your LSAT score, because it doesn't really make sense to me. I had hidden waivers from CLS, NYU, Penn and Michigan. Incidentally, I had a 176/3.54 and I got $65k from Columbia, which was both my top choice and my highest aid award. Also I applied for financial aid like 3 weeks late. So I wouldn't really stress too much about the money just yet, in my experience it didn't really play out the way I assumed it would. E: Send out your letter of rec requests now now now now now. Your professors will take like 2 months to get them done, I asked in August and had to sit on my hands for basically half of October waiting just for my letters before I could submit.
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Jun 30, 2011 17:27
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Xvimic posted:Speaking of which: How many applications did you guys all send out? I was thinking about 20, seems like a lot but what the hell right?. I didn't apply to nearly that many - I only applied to schools that I would actually attend, so maybe 10 schools in total. Depending on your score, you can probably be more selective or less selective.
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Jun 30, 2011 19:37
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MEET ME BY DUCKS posted:Stanford is probably even more difficult to get into than Harvard, I don't know what gave you the idea they're any easier (besides the rankings). SLS sent me some sample resumes last year, and these were for URMs. They were insane. I suppose SLS might have a lower median GPA but that's probably because they get more URM applicants, being in California. SLS admissions is kind of weird, and I suspect it's from the school being tiny and in California. I'm not totally sure what extra bits they like to see besides good numbers, but I got in when I applied 3 years ago as a California native who was looking to stay permanently in California even though my resume was pretty lackluster. I feel like they liked that. I'm not URM either (east asian).
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Jun 30, 2011 21:13
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Xvimic posted:Well that was the tentative and admittedly obvious plan I had come up with. Still I'm wondering about the extra hundred or so grand I will probably be expected to pay for a T14 against the cheaper but less prestigious T1 education. Assuming, as it is, that I'm not terribly enthralled with the notion of being a biglaw madman. The debt from T14 sounds oppressive and I don't know how I'll pay it off with out taking a job I might hate. I mean, the cash is nice from biglaw (assuming I could even swing a job) but I've heard stories from friends about 90 hour work weeks and constant incestuous co-worker backstabbing which quite frankly doesn't sound worth the salary to me. Like some other people that've posted already, I had your numbers exactly (.01 GPA difference) and got into most of the T14 and ended up at Duke with a third. This was in the most competitive year in recorded history or some poo poo so I'm sure you can do better. Apply early; I had some really nice options (including Duke, non-binding, within 72 hours of applying) and could afford to visit different schools and really find a place I liked.
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Jul 1, 2011 01:45
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Let me reemphasize: apply EARLY. I didn't, and likely got screwed on admits and financial aid as a result. Despite a 178/3.2 (in engineering at a very good engineering school, plus significant work experience, so it's not as bad a GPA as it might seem) I was still waitlisted at basically all of the T14s and didn't get a ton of money when I did get in. Apply as early as you can. If you wait til January like me, you will be very sad about yourself.
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Jul 1, 2011 01:57
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just another voice: apply early you numbskulls. there is absolutely no excuse not to have your applications ready to go the first day you can submit them. you're not doing anything near as important as that right now so just loving do it
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Jul 1, 2011 03:18
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Just be sure that while you're all caught up in applying you don't forget to not go to law school.
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Jul 1, 2011 03:37
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Sulecrist posted:Like some other people that've posted already, I had your numbers exactly (.01 GPA difference) and got into most of the T14 and ended up at Duke with a third. This was in the most competitive year in recorded history or some poo poo so I'm sure you can do better. Apply early; I had some really nice options (including Duke, non-binding, within 72 hours of applying) and could afford to visit different schools and really find a place I liked. Seriously, Duke with Priority Track was kind of amazing; it's the entire reason I applied there. I knew I wanted to get out of the South, so it would have taken some serious money to get me to go there, but it was nice to know there wasn't something horrendously wrong with my application. Not going to Duke wasn't completely set in stone, either. Nthing the apply early, and also that you should get some fee waivers. My numbers weren't similar enough to yours to be relevant and I had the LSAC fee waiver so I only had to pay for the reports, but there are benefits to applying to both a lot of schools and a smaller number. I tried to stick with schools in the T14 I'd actually attend (plus Duke, see above), so I ended up with nine schools including one safety I withdrew from early on. If you apply to schools you know you'd go to, you don't risk feeling obligated to attend a school you hate. Also, it saves money. If you apply to a lot of schools, you might have more leverage should you choose to negotiate scholarships. It comes down to your preferences and wallet really, but no matter what you do you should do it early on.
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Jul 1, 2011 04:01
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Seriously, apply early. I applied early.
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Jul 1, 2011 04:02
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Someone I know just put her 2L GPA as her facebook status. 
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Jul 1, 2011 04:33
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Penguins Like Pies posted:Someone I know just put her 2L GPA as her facebook status. Post a picture of your rear end as a comment.
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Jul 1, 2011 04:39
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Just finished grading my share of the Law Review petitions. I hope the other editors read them more carefully than I did.
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Jul 1, 2011 04:50
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Penguins Like Pies posted:Someone I know just put her 2L GPA as her facebook status. The resident busy body at my old school posted on facebook "THAT'S HOW YOU GET A PAID SUMMER JOB!" She's at one of those small ambulance chaser places where there's one equity holder (by the looks of it a real charlatan) and 15 associates making 35k a year.
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Jul 1, 2011 04:51
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Maynard_Hippo posted:Hi all - first time poster in this thread. Hi, 0L at Boalt here. Everyone already touched on the big points but an anecdote: I had a 168/3.84 and my friend had a 172/3.7. Softs were similar. She was rejected, I was accepted. I honestly think that my gpa gave me a slight edge, but I think that my personal statement REALLY set me over the edge. Whether that's true or not, I'll never know.
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Jul 1, 2011 07:09
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SafetyDancer posted:Hi, 0L at Boalt here. Everyone already touched on the big points but an anecdote: What up brotha if they don't close the Bear's Lair as rumored right now lets get a drink and maybe some really dirty thai food when I get back there around 2nd week of August. Lemme know if you have any questions
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Jul 1, 2011 14:36
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How reflective of actual legal writing is the typical LRW class? My only A in 1L was in LRW, is that something I should try to emphasize in interviews or do people not really care about legal writing grades?
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Jul 1, 2011 17:45
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Iridox posted:How reflective of actual legal writing is the typical LRW class? My only A in 1L was in LRW, is that something I should try to emphasize in interviews or do people not really care about legal writing grades? To answer your first question, most of your job will probably be about writing memos like the one you did in LRW. Except longer, and due in a day instead of a month. Also, you will be responsible for developing your own factual record. But there are lots of types of jobs. BigLaw is going to be different than solo practitioner domestic crap which is different from criminal. Regarding your second question, they probably won't care about one grade. Get a good GPA and get top 25%. You may mention "hey, I really like writing more than being in court, as evidenced by my awesome LRW and <other writing classes>." But they won't care and you shouldn't bring it up unless you make it part of a bigger and more important point. Remember, most applicants that are being considered for most jobs have lots of As.
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Jul 1, 2011 17:53
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Got a phone call today, I am definitely getting an offer for a staff attorney position. I will get the numbers next week and the start date isn't set yet. I'm excited - it's in the field I want to be, it's with great people, and it's in my hometown so my pregnant wife will have lots of support from both of our families. And to think that a few weeks ago I applied for unemployment (and was denied).
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Jul 1, 2011 18:04
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entris posted:Got a phone call today, I am definitely getting an offer for a staff attorney position. I will get the numbers next week and the start date isn't set yet. Congrats!
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Jul 1, 2011 18:20
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I got a possible job at $15/day. Jury duty! (I'm not getting hired for that either )
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Jul 1, 2011 18:28
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got a fb friend agonizing about which schools to apply to for "sports law." hope I die, or he dies, or both
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Jul 1, 2011 20:29
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